Everything in one place Terry Fiedler Star Tribune Published 01/25/2004
Not since Canterbury Downs in the �80s has a parcel of land in Shakopee been so heavily scrutinized as the 273-acre site near the heavily traveled intersection of Hwy. 169 and County Rd. 83.
Now, after three years of planning and various proposals, Ryan Companies is about to break ground on a $185 million development for the site that would include everything from industrial, retail and office buildings to single-family houses and townhomes.
The development, called Dean Lakes, promises to be one of the largest of its kind ever in the southwest suburbs. Its unusual pairing of master-planned industrial and residential space is also a first for Minneapolis-based Ryan, according to the company�s director of development, Mark Schoening.
Ryan Vice President of Development Kent Carlson said that Dean Lakes is �clearly one of the largest land plays in the Twin Cities.�
At the same time, Carlson and Schoening noted that the increasing scarcity of large tracts around the metro area has made everyone look harder at how the land will be used, and more amenable to considering innovative mixed-use plans.
Increasingly, analysts say, communities want such projects because they promote a sense of place, where people can work and play close to home.
Minneapolis-based Ryan closed the deal for the land on Thursday and intends to formally announce the project and break ground this week.
The attraction for Ryan is obvious. There aren�t many tracts of this size and visibility available. Shakopee is also undergoing explosive residential growth � it issued 473 permits to build 1,038 housing units last year, the most of any metro-area city � and major upgrades to Hwy. 169 and to County Rd. 83 have made the intersection probably the most heavily traveled in Scott County, said Shakopee City Administrator Mark McNeill. High-quality jobs
Shakopee, meanwhile, wants to add more high-quality jobs to its commercial base. The city has agreed to about $1 million in tax abatements to partially subsidize road building at Dean Lakes. Schoening said tax increment financing might be made available on a case-by-case basis, depending on the tenant, the jobs they bring and the building.
One of the keys as far as the city was concerned was the 40 acres designated for a corporate headquarters site.
�We have a large commercial park and industrial presence [in Shakopee],� McNeill said, �but one of the city�s desires was to attract a corporate headquarters. We haven�t had that type of development.� Carlson said growth companies in areas such as medical technology are considered prospects for moving their headquarters.
Dean Lakes, named for the lake in the development, would blend 42 acres of residential space, 134 acres of retail, commercial and industrial space and 13 acres of roads and right of way with an 84-acre conservation area. Exotic plants will be removed from the conservation area to return it to its native environment, with a property owners� association paying for maintenance.
Phase one of the project will include retail and service space � restaurants, a day care, a bank � and smaller office and industrial buildings. The project is expected to be built in three phases and completed in four to six years.
Ryland Homes will develop the residential component, which includes 295 single-family houses and townhouses priced from $200,000 to $500,000. United Properties is Ryan�s leasing representative for the retail, office and industrial portions of the project. The industrial portion would include space for light manufacturing and distribution companies, as well as for contract showroom operators.
Three years in the making
In mid-2000 a subsidiary of Allianz, which owned the site, proposed an all-commercial development. Then major Twin Cities businesses such as ADC Telecommunications started to vacant large amounts of space. Ryan began working with Allianz and the city in the spring of 2001 to come up with a plan that would include residential, a conservation program and retail space along with commercial development.
�It�s a change from what we had anticipated in our comprehensive plan from years earlier,� McNeill said. �We had it commercial-industrial, but with the softening of the market and existing commercial-industrial space we had to look at what else would work for that location.�
The plan was disappointing to some people who said the city had a finite amount of commercial-industrial space and didn�t want any of it used for homes. Other residents thought that the wetlands and surrounding area needed to be protected from commercial uses altogether.
The Shakopee City Council approved the plan in December, and Ryan acquired the land from Allianz on Thursday for $11 million. Emphasis on design
The attraction of integrating developments will only grow stronger in the coming years, Schoening said. With that desire comes a greater emphasis on design to make it work.
At Dean Lakes, retail business are grouped on the west side of the development near the intersection and entrance to the project. The corporate headquarters site and industrial space is along busy Hwy. 169. The residential portion is grouped close to the lake and the nature area on the east side of the development.
�In the past, when people felt less land-constrained, people didn�t feel design was all that important,� Schoening said. �Now that the metro area is more developed, people are interested in bringing the elements together. How do you design so they like being close together? It�s a challenge.�
Terry Fiedler is at [EMAIL PROTECTED] � Copyright 2004 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Booker T Hodges North side
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