Proposed Relocation A "Homecoming" of Sorts for Cameron's Warehouse Liquors

For George Cameron IV, relocating his 115-year-old business to Cameron Park in Inver Grove Heights is the next best thing to a homecoming.

In July 2009, Cameron was forced to move his family business, Cameron’s Warehouse Liquors, from 6566 Concord Boulevard to a site on Cahill Avenue when Dakota County began the reconstruction of Concord Boulevard in Inver Grove Heights. The road project meant the destruction of Cameron’s original building — a property that stood in the neighborhood since 1885 and was the birthplace of his father, George Cameron III.

Early this spring, Cameron and the city are expected to sign a development contract  for the one-acre Cameron Park, a little-used city park that will soon be overshadowed by the much-larger Heritage Village Park slated to be developed across the street. If the $272,000 amended purchase agreement is approved by the Inver Grove Heights City Council, Cameron plans to build a 4,000-5,000 square foot, $2 million building on the former park site. Under the agreement, the improvements to the site must be completed by Nov. 2011.

An Ideal Location

The site is as ideal as it can get for Cameron, who was saddened by the loss of his family’s original building, which served as a feed store, grocery store, general store and a liquor store over four generations of ownership. Not only is the site across the street from the former Cameron’s Warehouse Liquors location, a portion of the park itself was owned by the Cameron family until they gave it to the city in the 1940s. The park was eventually named after Cameron’s father.

The site is will also advantageous for Cameron’s business, which would return to its original market area under the proposal, rather than competing for business in another, new location, Cameron said.

“I never intended to move out the building,” Cameron said. “This gives me a chance to keep a continuation of the business that’s been there.”

Inver Grove Heights Community Development Director Tom Link hopes that the relocation of Cameron’s Warehouse Liquors will spur growth in a neighborhood that the city has identified as a priority for redevelopment. Last week, the Inver Grove Heights City Council hired a consultant to help the city revise its 13-year-old Concord Boulevard neighborhood land use study. Once the land use plan is updated, the city will likely begin a market strategy study that will identify how the city can attract private investment and development to the area, Link said.

If Cameron’s Warehouse Liquors returns to the area, the well-established, reputable business could serve as an ‘anchor’ and help attract other entrepreneurs to the area, Link said.

“What we are working out with Cameron’s is an indication of the city’s interest in the Concord neighborhood,” Link said. “It shows people that we’re serious about encouraging commercial development down there… it exhibits a confidence on behalf of the city in the neighborhood.”

A Long Road

Both Cameron and the city have waded through a considerable amount of red tape to bring the proposed relocation to this point.

To allow the liquor store to relocate to Cameron Park, the city is in the process of amending its liquor ordinance. Under the current amendment, the city prohibits the sale of liquor within 500 feet of a church or school, according to a memo issued by City Attorney Tim Kuntz. A revision to the rule would allow businesses whose property was acquired by a municipality to relocate within 500 feet of a school or church, as long as the original business was located within the no-sale zone and had been grandfathered in under the ordinance. The change is necessary if Cameron’s is to move to the park, which is less than 500 feet from Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy. The third reading of the revised ordinance is expected to occur at the March 28 council meeting.

Cameron would also be required to pay as much as $74,781 for proposed improvements to 65^th Street, including the widening of a portion of the road to 36 feet and the installation of right turn lanes, traffic signs and a street light at intersection of Concord Boulevard and 65^th Street, according to the proposed development contract the business is expected to sign.

Cameron himself is involved in a legal dispute with Dakota County over the amount the county has reimbursed him for taking his property in 2009. A Dakota County judge recently ruled that Cameron should receive roughly $997,000 in compensation for the property, Cameron said. The total is much higher than the county’s original appraisal of roughly $560,000. But even $997,000 in compensation isn’t enough for the old building and lot, said Cameron, who estimates purchasing the parkland and constructing a new building may cost as much as $3.2 million. Cameron said he plans to appeal the judge’s decision.

Ultimately, Cameron said, he wants to re-establish a long-term presence in the Concord Boulevard neighborhood.

“The building I left was 115 years old, and I hope the building I build will last a long time,” Cameron said.