5. EDSR 09-11-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Appendix E: Relevant News Articles (cont.) A111tDES0TA REAL ESiIATE JOURI~IL Tuesday February O1 2005 Dynamics tackles 400-acre mixed-use project BIG LAKE'S BIG PROJECT Danielle Anderson Editor Dyanamics Design and Land Co. sees big opportunity along U.S. Highway 10 in the growing community of Big Lake. The developer is in the midst of tackling a 400-acre mixed-use development that's split by Highway 10. Big Lake, which is located along the highly traveled corridor between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, registers 21,000 automobile trips per day. The community has also experienced steady growth over the last several years. From 1990 to 2000, the population jumped from 3,100 to 6,000 people. And today the population is approaching 8,000. The proposed Northstar Commuter rail line, which borders the project, also has created some buzz. Dynamics' project includes a mix of retail, office and residential as well as light and heavy industrial. The area south of Highway 10 is zoned for commercial and industrial uses and includes 7,000 lineal feet of commercial highway frontage, according to Philip Rondeau, chief manager of Dynamics Commercial Construction. The plan calls for retail, restaurants and service businesses fronting the highway with office-warehouses set further back. The 90- acre industrial area, which has been dubbed Hudson Industrial Park, is located furthest from Highway 10. The commercial portion of the project is called Big Lake Marketplace. Rondeau says that all roads and utilities have been completed for Big Lake Marketplace on the south side of Highway 10. He adds that Dynamics has completed five land sales and that construction is scheduled to begin on a 5,000 square foot dental office and a 5,500 square foot sports bar this spring. Work has also begun on a retail strip center that will be anchored by a gas station and convenience store. Additionally, a concept plan for one of the parcels calls for four office-condo buildings, two retail strip centers, and two stand-alone pad sites. That plan has been submitted to the city. Retail plans call for neighborhood-oriented outlets to serve residents who currently drive to Elk River, St. Cloud or Coon Rapids to shop. "There are only two sit-down restaurants in town," Rondeau says, "and there's no place where you can buy a stitch of clothing." So far, Rondeau says, the industrial park has been slow to attract would-be users. "We have had different users come in and ask us, but no purchase agreements so far," he says. The industrial park's infrastructure is slated for completion by summer 2005