Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Planners OK Racetrack rezoning - 8/29/1983EAGAN
HRON /CLE
a Current newspaper
SECTION A
Vol. IV, No. 35, Monday, August 29, 1983
Bringing you the news of the people, the neighborhoods and business of Eagan
TWO SECTIONS
Planners rezoning race ra c
corporated to own and operate
the track.
The city had zoned the area
as a regional shopping center.
However, City Planner Dale
Runkle told the commission "a
regional center is probably not
feasible at this day or will be
feasible in the future" because
of development in Burnsville
and downtown Minneapolis
and St. Paul.
Runkle compared the pro-
posed track to the Burnsville
Center to give commission
members an idea of traffic,
parking and density of
development.
The Burnsville Center covers
about 125 acres and is valued at
$36 million, Runkle said. The
race track would probably be
valued at about $25 million to
$30 million.
Taxes generated from the
Center were $1.6 million in
1983. Burnsville received about
$250,000 of that. The track has
the potential to raise $1.1
million to $1.3 million in pro-
perty taxes. The retail - office
space might generate $8 million
to $11 million, Runkle said.
"There would be a substan-
tial amount of money
generated for a use that would
probably be less use than a
shopping center," Runkle said
of the track.
Dave Rolbiecki of 3311 Roll
Lane, said the plans make the
by David Siegel
Eagan is one step closer to a
horse racing track.
Rezoning of an area in the
northeast corner of the city to
allow construction of a track
has been approved by the city
Planning Commission. The Ci-
ty Council is expected to act on
the zoning change Sept. 6.
Commission members met
Tuesday and faced about 30 ci-
ty residents, but heard only
four comments after Chairman
Charles Hall explained that the
City Council had instructed the
commission to deal only with
zoning issues, not social or
economic issues. Those issues
will be addressed at the council
meeting, he said.
The 485 -acre land parcel the
commission rezoned is south of
a section of Interstate 494 now
under construction, north of
Lone Oak Road, east of Dodd
Road and west of the township
line.
Edina developers Warren
Beck and Lawrence Laukka,
who own the land, have pro-
posed a race track encompass-
ing about 240 acres, and retail
businesses, offices and
showrooms in the remaining
210 acres.
Laukka -Beck intend to sell
the track to The Minnesota
Jockey Club, a group of in-
vestors headed by Minneapolis
attorney Stephen R. Pflaum in-
track appear as a good idea.
But he cited the Bloomington
stadium site development's
lack of progress and warned
the commission not to be snow-
ed by "pretty pictures."
"Is it really going to be a
reality, or are we looking at a
dream," he said.
Rolbiecki gave statistics in-
dicating an office space surplus
in many areas of the country
and questioned whether the
developers will be able to sell
the space.
"I think it's realistic what
they're proposing to do," said
Runkle.
The commission attached
conditions to its approval. The
race track development must
occur in three years, and the
retail- office development must
begin in 10 years, the commis-
sion said.
If not, the land reverts back
to its original zon-
ing— agricultural, said Hall.
Following City Council ap-
proval, the developers must vie
for the approval of the State
Racing Commission, which
will choose one metro site from
among seven applicants in-
cluding Lakeville and
Shakopee.
Peter Jarvis, of the develop-
ment team, said if the track is
not approved, Laukkja -Beck
intends to go ahead with the
retail- office development
anyway.
Photo b, David Siegel
Peter Jarvis answers questions about the proposed race
track.