Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Several newspaper articles about Best Buy coming to Eagan - 8/25/2005ft
tz-
Eagan welcomes Best Buy
City Council applauds changes to make
store fit with corporate surroundings
BY JOSHUA NICHOLS
Sun Newspapers
How do you get a city council that tradi-
tionally has eschewed the look of "big box"
stores to approve a "big box" retailer? Make it
look like something else.
That was the secret in getting the Eagan
City Council's approval Aug. 16 for the city's
first Best Buy store.
The new store will be built on the south side
of Yankee Doodle Road, on property formerly
occupied by Red Robin and the Eagan Mann
Cinema 9.
"I couldn't have asked for any better," said
Councilmember Cyndee Fields. "I'm really
happy with this. I like the way this is set up."
The excitement of getting an electronics
retailer like Best Buy in Eagan was even more
apparent later in the meeting after the council
formally approved the planned development
amendment and final plat for the building:
"Yahh0000," Councilmember Peggy Carl-
son said.
BEST BUY: To Page 20A
`4'
1w
Yankee Doodle Rd.
T°�f>
z' �htr8 0
Denmark Ave.
41 MO
fD
N W
ars -
m,�
100% Bank Financing Available
It Costs Less Than You
Think to Hearmore!
Bring this in for $100 Off per AID...
ONLY AT TIME OF PURCHASE
_V;_1 �lllllll►i
FREE
Heotln9 lest
& Vlde
lt►sPct''
public For
than 25 Y
ts
ReP & Mdos
e ses
K
6808 151st Street West • Apple Valley
www.guyers.com
ent/Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005
www.mnSun.com
Best Buy
From Page 1A
"Welcome, to Eagan," Fields added.
"Yea, a Best Buy finally," Carlson said.
Eden Prairie -based Solomon Real'Es-
tate Group recently purchased the 10-'
acre property. Both the theater and the
restaurant will be. torn down to make
way for Eagan Place, a 60,000-square-foot
office/retail development that will be an-
chored by Best Buy
The electronics giant recently signed
a lease on the property and both the
restaurant and the theater are now
closed.
The loss of the Eagan Mann Cinema 9,
which opened in the mid-1990s, means
the city is left with one movie theater, the
16-screen Regal Eagan 16 on Cliff Road.
The proposal first came before the
council Aug. 1, when council members
said they wanted the Best Buy, but raised
issues about the look of the store.
Following that meeting, Soloman's ar-
chitects worked on several details to
make the store's design and sight lines
more acceptable to the council.
The delay also allowed several council
members to take tours of other Best Buy
locations in Richfield and Eden Prairie
to get a feeling of what the Eagan store
will look like. -
The biggest changes were to the north
side of the building that will face Yankee
Doodle Road across from the Eagan
Promenade.
Besides adding several windows to
break up the side of the building, which
will be the backside of the store, the new
design also features spandrel glass win-
dows and a pedestrian plaza at the cor-
ner of Yankee Doodle and Yankee Place.
The plaza will feature paver bricks,
benches and plantings to accentuate the
corner. The whole design change is in-
tended to reinforce a corporate image for
the building viewed from Yankee Doodle
and allow it to fit in better with the office
buildings bordering it.
Even before the changes, Solomon
representatives were touting the unique-
ness of the design. The additional design
elements make it even more .different,
said Jay Scott of Solomon.
"This will be. a great asset to Eagan,"
_Scott said. "It's 'completely different
from other Best Buy stores and it's defi-
nitely not a prototype Best Buy. Eagan
will be proud to have this store."
The design also features a brick, stone
and glass facade, with "undulations" of
different depths around the exterior.
Phase I of Eagan Place will consist of
the 45,000 square -foot Best Buy building.
Phase II_ will include two other 7,000
square -foot buildings on the south side of
the property along Town Centre Drive.
• Potential uses for those other two
buildings include retail, restaurant or of-
fice. Solomon Vice President Anne
Knuth said construction on the Best Buy
phase could begin in early September
with an estimated grand opening in
spring 2006.
www.mnSun.com
Eagan residentsnamed•to the spring•
dean's. list: ;at. the University of St.
Thomas, St Paul for academic achieve-
mentwere: Ashley Allen, Eric Brugge-
mann, Johnathon Cajacob, Dorothea
Cannon, Michelle Collette, Morgan'
Cusack, Craig Davis,; Brett Demond,
Alicia Dvorsky, David Fering, Tom
Fritze; •Cory Fusco; Matthew. Gor-
man, Mark Hanson, Danielle Hass-
. sett, Mikaela Hollidge; Bridget Jew-
ell, Laura Kennedy, JoAnn Koloc,
David Kuhn, Rachelle Lunde, Erica
Lyons, : Christina Mann, Sharon
Nadav, Rachael Paul, Carrie Phelps,
Jessica .Ruegg, .. Molly Schmidt,
Joshua Schultz, Christina Scipioni,
Alison Slusarski, Meghan Swenson,
,-Don Teed, Brent Tervola, Alexander
COMMfU,
• Nicole: Wilson of Eagan received a
bachelor of arts degree from Hamline
. University's College of Liberal Arts,
• graduating with a major in criminal jus,
tire: .
Jonathan Guyer received a bachelor
of .arts degree from Hamlin Universi:
..ty's.College of Liberal Arts,:graduating
with a -major. in political science. Guyer, -
a graduate of•Burnsville:High School, -is
the son of Mary Guyer of -Eagan. -
Kent Bodurtha, son of Jim and Lois
Bodurtha of,Eagan, and. Aaron Spy-
challa, son of Susan Roverud of .Eagan;"
were named -to the dean's list for acade-
mic achievement during s . rin: -seines
•
Apple Valley/Rosemount,
Award from: the- University:of Nort
Dakota•for the 2005-2006 academic yea
Gorski, daughter of Teter and Kim Gors
ki, graduated from Eagan High Schoo
• and is a freshman at UND. -
Melissa Nonnemacher' of Eagan re-
ceived a master of science degree in food
scienceand`technology from Orego
State University in Corvallis, Oregon.
Tiffany Carver, daughter of Kip an
,Rochel Carver of Eagan, was awarded
bachelor of arts degree in nursing wi
honors'from The College of St. Scholas
tica in Duluth.
Jacob Pamplun of Eagan was award-
ed a bachelor of `arts degree in manage-
ment and accounting from The College
of St. Scholastica in Duluth. •
Tariq Bashir, Jonathan Edmon-
son, Brock Hanson, Nicholas Haupt,
Audrey Kravets and Joshua Tibbits
were named to the dean's list for acade-
mic achievement during spring semes-.
• ter at•the University of Minnesota's In-
Council approves Best Buy
Retail/office development will replace theater, Red Robin
by Erin Johnson
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS • _ , .
Eagan will soon have a Best Buy in the
heart of its shopping district.
The Eagan City Council approved plans to
put the retail giant on the 10-acre property at = ,
Yankee Doodle Road and Town Centre Drive,
currently home to Eagan Cinema 9 and Red . -- w - -- t=
Robin Restaurant.
Solomon Real Estate, based in Eden Prai-
rie, will tear down the theater and the restau-
rant to make way for Eagan Place, a 60,000
square foot office/retail development that will — -_
be anchored by Best Buy.
Solomon initially presented plans for the `l
project on Aug. 1, but some council members -
weren't sold on the proposed design of the Best
Buy, saying it looked too much like a typical
big box.
The developer made revisions to the exte-
rior, adding more glass, larger windows and
varying heights of landscaping.
A public plaza was also added at the cor-
ner of Yankee Doodle Road and Yankee Place,
complete with pavers, benches, plantings and
walkways.
The new plan brought cheers and applause
from council members, who approved it unan-
imously. Ph b„ RI, A o,,,.r,,,,
Council Member Mike Maguire said he Construction on Eagan's first Best Buy is expected to begin in September, with a grand
was pleased with the changes. opening planned next spring. The store will be built on the cite of this Red Robin
See Best Buy, 5A Restaurant.
p P US ENJO�T Lt.1 UL dL.P-,�L l
ANo A�� Q AVEC
4111011
1,. ACCOMMODATIONS L
CARAVA
3.8t. • PL, PS, Power Doors,
MSRP $27,625
EP Plus Price $23,113
Below EP Pricing -$500
36 Mo. _. , EP Lease
EP Lease
VR
Las Vega
Orlando
San Dieg
San Franci
Reno
Auto, Air, Sunscreen,
20"Wheels, 5.7 Heml,Power Seat, PW, PL SLT Package, Auto, Air, CD Player, PW, PL, Cruise, Tilt
MSRP $35,670 — "'"-�� MSRP $32,715
EP Plus Price $27,085 EP Plus Price $24,569
1
�.'Pr 0-1..et?-1— =tPrr'
ri,.c z z ?«s S
Best Buy
(continued)
with Eagan's design guidelines,
officials said.
Hohenstein expects the pro-
posal to come before the council
in August.
Solomon, which also is work-
ing on the r2development of
Calhoun Square in Minneapolis,
expects to begin construction in
September, with an opening
date set for next spring.
Best Buy will not comment
on the location of its proposed
stores until a lease is signed,
spokesman Jay Musolf said.
"But we are certainly looking
at coming to Eagan and being
part of that community," he
said.
Mann Theatres did not
return calls seeking comment.
Meggen Lindsay can be reached
at mlindsay@pioneerpress.com
or 651-228-5260.
BOY SCOUTS MERGER
JULY 1
St. Paul -based Indianhead
Council and the Golden Valley -
based Viking Council merge
floor of the State Office Building,
Minnesotans voiced their opinions
to Republican House Speaker
Steve Sviggum,of Kenyon, as he
held his periodic open house. The
speaker had 29 individuals or
115,000 groups slated to talk to him on
BooyyScouts and Tuesday in 15-minute increments.
Cub Scouts involved Greg Olson of Eden Prairie vis-
BUDGET IMPASSE, 12B
AGAN
st p,, , ;� . r Qce of
Redevelopment plan
:for shopping center
BY MEGGEN LINDSAY
Pioneer Press
JIB- h,
Goodbye movie theater, hello
est Buy.
An Eden Prairie real estate
group plans to tear down ham -
;.burger joint Red Robin and
:Mann Theatre's Cinema 9 in
;Eagan to build a retail complex
anchored by the big box elec-
tronics store.
Solomon Real Estate Group
Inc. and Best Buy are negotiat-
ing the lease for the new 60,000-
square-foot Eagan Place on Yan-
kee Doodle Road, officials with
the city and Solomon said.
The new store would be in
the city's central retail area,
near its Town Centre and Prom-
enade shopping centers.
"This is a great opportunity
for us in a great retail area,"
said Anne Knuth, . Solomon's
vice president for leasing. "The
timing is right, the property is
right and the tenant is right."
She said she expects the the-
ater's demolition to begin
around Labor Day.
With the loss 'of Cinema 9,
the suburb of nearly 67,000 resi-
dents will have one remaining
place to watch movies, at the'
16-screen Regal Eagan 16 on
Cliff Road.
Jon Hohenstein, the city's
community development direc-
tor, said it's hard to predict how
people will respond to the loss
of the nine-screentheater,
which opened in the mid-1990s.
"In our past (resident) sur-
veys, we've seen interest and
support for an electronics retail-
er," he said. "(Best Buy's move)
responds to 'a gap in our retail
mix. It's something that a lot of
people will look forward to.
"Of course, we always are
sorry to see businesses closed,"
Hohenstein continued. "In this
situation, the choices were
made by the property owner
and the developer. It's a private
market decision."
Solomon expects to lease the
remaining space to offices,
banks or restaurants, Knuth
said.
The company submitted its
application for a planned devel-
opment Wednesday, and the
Advisory Planning Commission
and the Eagan City Council
must approve it before any con-
sttuation begins.
Best 'Buy likely will be
expected to alter portions of its
planned exterior to conform
BEST BUY, 2B
Solomon Real Estate Group'
plans to tear down Cinema 9
and Red Robin in Eagan to
make way for a Best Buy.
a "DiffleyR
Regal Eagan.16 theater
;will remain open.
" ' PIONEER PRESS
of the Midtown Food Center,
1110 Vermillion St., on Thurs-
day and then fled.
Theft: A purse was reported
missing June 14 from
Dugarel's bar, 3475 Vermillion
St. Elsewhere, an iPod was
either misplaced or stolen
from Hastings High School,
200 General Sieben Drive.
Attempted burglary: A door
at MVP Sports Cards and
Comics, 1207 Vermillion St.,
was found damaged in a pos-
sible burglary attempt at the
business on Sunday. It did not
appear, however, that anyone
gained access to the building.
Theft from vehicle: A cell
phone and cash were reporte
stolen June 13 from a car
parked in a driveway in the
3900 block of Shannon Drive.
BUSINESS
creativity, professionalism,
skill and excellence in
designing and installing
ceramic tile. Winning entries
will share $7,500 in prize
money. Minnesota Ceramic
Tile Contractors Association
and Bricklayers and Allied
Craft Workers Local No. 1 is
sponsoring the contest.
Nominations will be accepted
in three categories: public
commercial and industrial,
private commercial and
industrial and residential.
For more information, visit
www.ceramicadesignawards.
com.
FING
"Both mom and baby
appear to be doing well," Con-
nie Braziel, the zoo deputy
director, said Tuesday after-
noon.
Though dolphin trainers
think the calf is male, it's often
hard to tell. After the critical
period passes, however, staff
will examine the calf, deter-
mine its gender and eventually
test for paternity.
The calf's mother, Rio, was
flirting with both of the zoo's
adult males, Semo and Chi-
nook, about the time she
became pregnant last summer.
Dolphin pregnancies last 12
months.
Semo, 40, became the old-
est -known dolphin to father a
calf when Rio's third calf,
Spree, was born in August
2002. The zoo's other adult
male, Chinook, 21, arrived from
Chicago's Brookfield Zoo last
year.
If the new calf survives,
leaders are considering a nam-
ing contest for it similar to the
one that gave the 2-year-old
Spree her moniker.
The calf will spend its first
few months away from the
public pool where the other
dolphins perform every day,
but will be visible 24 hours a
day on a webcam to be
installed as soon as the critical
period has passed. Video will
be available at the zoo's Web
site, wwwmnzoo.org.
— Tammy J. Oseid
en Saturdays)
attends school, or any business
Northern Dakota County can join.
LNDR ENC
�`
d and guided.
Best buy
may come
to Eagan
Store would replace
movie theater, Red
Robin
by Erin Johnson
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
. An informal Web site poll
conducted last fall by the city
of Eagan showed that residents
were interested in having a large
consumer electronics store in
the city.
Now they may get their
wish.
An Eden. Prairie development
group is looking to put Best Buy
in the heart of Eagan's shopping
district, at the southeast inter:
section of Yankee Doodle Road
and Town Centre Drive. -
Solomon Real Estate Group
purchased 10 acres that currently
house Mann Theater's Cinema 9
and Red Robin restaurant. The
group plans to tear those busi-
nesses down and replace them
with about 60,000 square_feet of
new retail.
Called Eagan Place, the
development will, include a
See Best Buy, 7A
rnul IIO TUI11 1111001J,
Power (Windows,
Locks, Mirrors), Tilt,
Cruise
MSRP....
Discount
Rebate ..
Turn-In/1
BI
9�
9,g77.0iS C7i
44111.
36 Mos. Only
C
C
4-DOOR SLT 4x4
4 Door SLT, 4x4, SLT Pkg.,
V8, Auto, Air, CD Player,
Power (Windows Locks,
Mirrors)
�9u
91? @I J
Best Buy/from 1A - -
45,000-square-foot building that
the developers hope will be, filled
by Best Buy. '
"Eagan is a perfectly posi'-
tioned retail site, located in the
prime North Eagan retail corri-
dor at 35E and Yankee Doodle,"
said Anne Knuth, vice president
at Solomon. "It is an excellent
opportunity for Solomon to help
facilitate Best Buy's-entry into the -
Eagan market."
:;The second phase of Eagan
Place ' would include 14,000
square feet of retail, restaurant or
office space.
Solomon has submitted an -ap-
plication for development to the
city and, is currently negotiating
with Best Buy. The proposal is.
expected to be heard at the July 26
Planning Commission meeting.
According to Planner..,Mike
Ridley, the land use of retail/com-
'mercial is consistent with the de-
velopment.
If approved, • construction of
the development is expected to
begin in September, with an esti-
mated grand opening in the spring
of 2006.
Erin,. Johnson is at eagan.
thisweek@ ecm-iric. corn.
edging out California's James
Logan High School by just four
points.
While Eagan entered the
tournament in the lead, the tro-
phy was anything but in the bag
since James Logan was repre-
sented by 17 students compared
to Eagan's 11.
Winning the trophy this year,
and in a tight race, was particu-
larly meaningful, said graduate
Porsha Knapp.
Best Buy/from 1A
"I really appreciate the design
you came back with. It's really, an
excellent product," he said.
Council Member Cyndee
•Fields, who had - been criti-
cal of the initial design but was
"thrilled" about getting :a Best
Buy in Eagan, agreed. •
"I couldn't have asked for any-
thing better," she said. "I'm really
happy with this."
In addition- to .the 45,000
squareLfoot Best Buy, the devel-
opment will also include 14,000
square feet of retail, restaurant or
Office space.
• Construction- is expected to
begin in September, with an esti-
mated grand opening in the spring
Of 2006.
Erin Johnson is at thgan.
thisweek@ecm-inc.com. ,
rrnacy operator indicted
According to the indictment,
he enlisted the help of Mach to
use his name to issue purported
prescriptions. Mach, whose only"
active license to practice medi-
cine was. issued .by the state of
New Jersey, was the sole physi-
cian who would issue',purported
prescriptions for Xpress Phar-
macy Direct ructnmerc located
on Smith's 'pharmacy business
at: 12400 Portland Ave., the de-
fendants generated gross sales
for prescription drugs- contain-
ing 'the addictive painkiller hy-
'drodone that. were in excess of .
$20 million..
The grand jury alleged that
Lieberman; Smith's former
accountant, assisted Smith in
Neighbors oppose
grocery� store pJan
Development would also include coffee and
sandwich.shops. on Lexington and Diffley
by Erin Johnson- . • buildings,;wliich the developer
THISWEEKNEWSPAPERS • said would likely contain coffee
• Residents opposed to plans —and sandwich shops. for a grocery store at Diffley The area has ' long been
,Road- and Lexington Avenue planned for retail/commercial.
scored an initial victory Tuesday uses, according to •the city, and
when the Eagan Planning Com- the development "largely meets
mission recommended denial of zoning requirements.".
the project on a 5-2 vote. But neighbors, , some • of
Reliance development is whose backyards .would abut
proposing a 42,600 square -foot the • development, think a gro-
building to house Radermach- cery store is just too big for the
ers; a third -generation family site.
grocery store with locations in Area residents showed ,up en
Savage, Jordan and Shakopee. • - masse to voice their- concerns
The l l-acre site, east of the ' about the project, which also in-
• existing Walgreens, would also clude increased noise, light and
' include two multi -tenant 'retail See Grocery, 5A • •
•
•
ow V PrlCTiTg I,DSb
CFC Bonus -$1,000
Business Owner -S300
NEON SAT
, Tilt, Cruise, CD
'ASAP $15,915
fP Plus Price $12,516
flelow EP Pricing --517
DURANGO
ear Heat & Air, 7 Passenger, Power (Seat, Windows,
Locks), Overhead Console, CD Player
MSRP $34,890
EP Plus Price $27,345
Below EP Pricing -$500
CFC Bonus -$1,000
;Useless Owner -$300
n:«1:,,1o.., 1111 110.,.,a1,.0 mm,r==•...
t 36 Mo.
S251
1
Grocery/from 1A '
traffic.
Sharon Giel,.who lives on Tril-
lium Court, said there are some
positives' to having stores within
walking distance;' but not at the
expense of the residents' privacy.
"We did understand it would
eventually be developed. That's •
not a surprise," she said. "But the
size of -this, grocery store seems
to be particularly massive for this
neighborhood."
Resident -Tom Kukulski said
that the opposition is a result.of
the developer failing to include
resident input.
"We're at where we're at now
because the community wasn't
engaged," he said.
Only two residents spoke in
favor of the development, one
citing the. convenience'of having
a grocery store within walking
distance and the other espousing
Radermacher's commitment to
community. .
But most commission mem-
bers were not convinced..
El
"There are so many reasons I
think this is not a -good fit for the
site," said Commission Member
Ted Gladhill. "There is going
to.be so much traffic. generated
from it." •
Commission Member Steven
Chavez said he was concerned
with "the scale of this box fitting
into this space" • •
Two - members, Duey Bendt
and ' Commission Chair Carla
Heyl, voted to .recommend ap-
proval of the proposal.
Heyl said that while the devel-
opment would add an. estimated
5,900 new trips per day in traffic, .
Diffley was designed to handle
the increase.
"That's 'What _we anticipated,"
she said. "That area could sup-
port a .-grocery store. 1 think it
would be a benefit to the whole
area overall"
The proposal is scheduled to
go before .the City Council at its
Sept. 6 meeting.
Eriiz -Johnson is at eagan.
thi sweek@ ecm-inc. com.
EG
t Chien
g is ourbigpriority
e for small dogs
i
, 7 days a week . letfearful dogs
canine and feline behavior i
lion, please contact •
andy
52-457-9996 •
iien@frontiernet.net
d trainer with Animal :.
for and Training Associates
International Association ••
pine Professionals
.r: American Dog -.Owners ,..•
Online pha
Christopher William Smith,
the, `25-year-old owner of
Burnsville online pharmacy
business Xpress Pharmacy Di
rect, and • two associates have
been indicted by a federal grand
jury.
The_ grand jury charged
Smith, of Prior Lake; Dr.- Phil-
ip Mach, 47, of Franklin Park,
N.J.; and Bruce Jordan Lieber-
man, 45, -of Farmingdale, N.Y.
Smith was arrested.Aug. 24- at
his Prior Lake home.
Smith and Mach were both
charged with •one count of con-
spiracy to distribute- and dis-
pense controlled substances,
four counts of wire fraud, three
counts of unlawful distribution
and .dispensing of . a controlled
substance, and five counts of in-
troducing misbranded,drugs into
interstate commerce. Smith and
Lieberman were charged with'
one count of money laundering.
' The grand. jury alleged it the.
indictment that Smith provided