This bottled water plant proposed last fall by Niagara Bottling was approved in June by the Elko New Market city council despite vocal opposition. Elko New Market is located just souh of the Twin Cities. According to published reports, the project’s fate now rests with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which would issue the facility’s permit. The department earlier this year turned aside a petition to require the facility to undergo an environmental review, citing a lack of evidence it would strain the aquifer. A page on the city’s website offers details on every aspect of the project, which is to be located in the Park I-35 Industrial Park being developed by Ryan Companies on 120 acres first identified by Scott County leaders in 2012 as a potential economic development corridor. “The City was informed that Elko New Market was Niagara’s preferred location for a facility in June of 2022,” the city website states, after the city had responded to a lead sent out by Greater MSP in November 2021. “Niagara evaluated several sites in multiple states before selecting Elko New Market.” The first tenant in the industrial park is expected to create property tax revenue in excess of $175,000 annually, which diversifies the predominantly residential tax base in this community of 5,000 (planned to one day reach 70,000). Niagara operates more than 30 plants in North America, the UK and Australia. In a nod to the late musician Prince, the name of the Niagara Bottling affiliate that is purchasing 28 acres from Ryan Companies is Purple Rain Properties, LLC.
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