Bloomington backs Seagate application for proposed state financing

Bloomington officials supported Seagate Technology’s application for Minnesota financing tied to a proposed expansion at the company’s campus at 7801 Computer Avenue South, but the state funding decision remains pending.

The Bloomington City Council held the financing-related public hearing on July 20, 2026. The city’s action supports submission of the application; it does not approve, guarantee or award the proposed state assistance.

What Seagate is proposing

City planning documents describe a proposed two-story expansion of approximately 64,500 square feet at Seagate’s Bloomington campus, which also includes property at 7850 Nord Avenue South. The applicant says the addition would provide additional conditioned wafer-production space and a modified facility entrance.

The plans also call for an approximately 5,570-square-foot concrete pad for future nitrogen-storage tanks and an expanded stormwater-management facility along the western edge of the property near Computer Avenue South. The city report says the improvements in this application are proposed to occur on the Bloomington portion of the campus, which spans the Bloomington-Edina boundary.

The planning record treats the building and site work as proposed development. It does not establish that construction is complete or that the planned equipment has been installed.

Investment and potential jobs

A January 20, 2026, Minnesota State Register notice described a broader Seagate proposal involving approximately $255 million in company investment over five years.

The notice said Seagate expects to create 144 new jobs at an average cash wage of $34.73. Those are projections associated with the proposal, not a report that the jobs already exist or that every position would pay the stated average.

The State Register said the project may be eligible for a Minnesota Forward Fund award of up to $10 million. That potential award remains subject to the state process and is not confirmed funding.

What the city action means

Bloomington’s role in the July 20 proceeding was to consider and support the city’s application to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for financing assistance for Seagate’s facility improvements, machinery and equipment.

The state must make the separate decision on whether to provide assistance and, if so, under what terms. The Minnesota Investment Fund is a state financing program for eligible business projects, but an application and local-government support do not by themselves establish that money will be awarded.

The city’s separate planning record describes the proposed expansion as consistent with the industrial designation and says staff identified no significant impact to adjacent traffic patterns from the building addition. Those findings apply to the proposed development plan and are not a guarantee that the project will proceed on the stated scope or schedule.

What happens next

The next major question is whether Minnesota approves financing for the Seagate proposal. If the project advances, it would still proceed through the applicable building, site, stormwater, utility and equipment-installation steps identified in the city records.

For Bloomington residents, workers and nearby businesses, the proposal could mean a larger manufacturing operation at the Computer Avenue campus, along with related construction and site-infrastructure work. The investment, job count and state assistance remain proposed figures rather than completed results.

Sources

• City of Bloomington public-hearing notice for Seagate financing application
• City of Bloomington Seagate planning report
• Minnesota State Register, January 20, 2026