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Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Home Depot proposal to build store in Eagan. - 6/24/1998,h suh Gtit'rev►+- ,k04e rm Council denies Home Depot proposal By Sue Hegarty Minnesota Sun Pub6Cations Don't count your hardware superstores before they're built. Home Depot had 1counted on moving in behind the Eagan Promenade retail center but the Eagan City Council, denied, for two reasons,the company's ap- plication for a preliminary sub- division on June 15.1 First, the council disagreed with Home Depot's plan to move the extension of Denmark Av- enue, the access road, farther west so that the.113,800 square - foot building supply store would fit on the property. A wetland to the east limits how the building can be situated on the property. Peter Coyle, an attorney rep- resenting Richard Burger and Carl Olson, the property owners west of the proposed Home Depot, said moving the road west would have a *very profound im- pact on a scarce commodity — freeway frontage development. • His clients' land is between Inter- - t state 35E and the proposed ex- tension of Denmark Avenue. "They are in favor of Home Depot; they would just not like to see it get done at the expense of their property," Coyle said. The council agreed. DEPOT: To Page 9A „Depot: 'We don't have a smaller -sized store' From Page 1A Michael LaFerle of Home Depot said building a smaller -sized store to make it fit on the site without moving the road is not an option. "We've searched long and hard to find a site in Eagan. We don't have a smaller -sized store. If the road is not moved over, Home Depot can not fit on this site," LaFerle said. The alignment of the Denmark Av- enue extension is part of the city's mas- ter traffic plan to build a ring -road around the Yankee Doodle/Pilot Knob commercial and retail district. The second concern raised by staff was Home Depot's request to store large amounts' of merchandise outside during the day along a 17-foot wide sidewalk in front of the store. "It looks junky," said Councilmember Pat Awada. LaFerle said most of the merchandise is seasonal, such as lawn mowers or snowblowers and would be brought in- side the store at night. "This is simply a convenience feature for the customer," LaFerle said. Mayor Tom Egan said merchandise on sidewalks become an obstacle to pedestrian traffic going in and out of the store. Council members pointed to similar outside storage at Wal-Mart in Town Centre as an example. "We don't like to be a hard council to work with but when we set it up, that's what we like to see happen," said Coun- cilmember Ted Wachter. "I think we sim- ply have to hold the line." The council was willing to decrease the minimum number of parking stalls required because of the sensitivity to the wetlands in the area. LaFerle said in a telephone interview June 18 that Home Depot officials plan to meet with city staff to see if a solution is possible to keep the store on the same site. _ Eingan sin Cwrrh JUIy am, iqot� Home Depot approved after road decision by Eagan City Council By Sue Hegarty Minnesota Sun Publications The chalk lines for the ex- tension of Denmark Avenue were wiped away and redrawn last week, opening the door for Home Depot to build in Eagan. The City Council rescinded a previous decision to draw the Denmark Avenue exten- sion more easterly than Home Depot wanted it. The road fol- lows Interstate 35E on the east side and currently stops at the Bulk Mail Center (BMC) property line. It will • • ..,"°a•e,;14 24 0:4 , Development eventually be extended to Northwoods Parkway which runs east/west behind the Promenade, shopping cen- ter. Home Depot officials had said they needed the road platted farther west toward I-. 35E. to make room .for their new hardware superstore. The United States Postal Service, operators of the BMC, also ob- jected to the city's intended road design. Because the BMC is a federal entity, its objection supersedes the city's prefer- ence, so the council was forced to rescind its earlier decision. Property owners sand- wiched between the interstate and Home Depot preferred the city's earlier design: Attorney Peter Coyle, representing property owners Carl Olson and. Richard Burger, said his client's land may become more difficult to develop when the road is built closer to their property. "Someday we are going to try to develop what's left of our property," Coyle said. When that time comes, Olson and Burger fear the council may object to variance requests for setbacks that will be .needed due to the; en- croachment by the road exten- sion. Designing the road closer to- ward I-35E allowed Home Depot to add more square footage to the building than was originally proposed. The 115,200 square -foot store will sell building materials, home furnishings and seasonal items. Council members approved the Home Depot application July 21 after denying it in June. Councilmember Pat Awada and Sandra Masin said they didn't think the building belongs at that site but the criteria for approval had been met. Mayor Tom Egan had hoped that a hotel would be built there but "realistically, maybe that's not possible," Egan said. "Since the last meeting, I was approached by several people who said they wanted a Home Depot," Egan said. Apple Valley/Rosemount, Eagan SumcurrentVWednesday,`Nov. 17, 1999 17A Store effortgives shelter warm. fee. By Joshua Nichols • Sun Newspapers • _ Eagan .Home Depot .employees hope their -winter clothing drive will - warm people up not only on the out'. side,-but;also'give them a warm feel- -ing inside. ; .. • . . • Over the course of the two -week's period that came to an end Nov: .6, the store's workershave been col- lecting clothes to be distributed to.. local charities. • "We put out a new garbage can in.• the breakroom and=nowthat can is: just overflowing with clothing;" said • Jodi Schoon, the store's training co ordinator. - - Since the store has helped Mary's .' Shelter, an Eagan shelter for home- less women and. their children, be- fore, some of the clothing will be': -headed" for the shelter this time, Schoon said. ' • However, because some men's): clothing was also .donated,another. destination has yet to be .found for the rest of the clothes. The store's effort was part of a state-wide "effort among Home Depot stores in . recognition of .' .Oct. 23 as "Make A. Difference All 13 Minnesota stores took part _ in the event by taking on a project designed to make a difference_ in. its community.: L..• When the store, had its -grand' ,;opening, it' donated' $1,000 .to Mary's Shelter. It also has given• extra food from store events arid other items to the shelter since it opened: - ' For instance, when a Vender -tells. -the store to destroy, an item rather than return it if it is missing a minor • part, :the store will, sometimes in- : stead donate- the goods to. Mary's • Shelter if it is still,in usable condi- tion. - _ • "Our employees' attitude has al- ways been they will do anything they can tohelp out,".Schoon said. "We are always looking for ways- to . lend a hand.."' • • , • That includes helping -the shelter out with its current renovation that will add more space to the 30-year- old building. • "We especially plan to help out this winter, which is generally the slowest -time for us," Schoon said. "During the. down 'times we will give donations of physical labor and help them' with_their' renova- . Lion work"." . I. 18A - Apple Valley/Rosemount, Eagan Sun;Current Wednesday, Nov. 17, 1999 Nutcracker From. Page 1A "I enjoy dancing with other people and Making more friends that way, but it's proba- bly something I won't do for the rest of my life." Anne, 17; has been dancing even longer, since she was 3; said her mother, Carol Manchester. "She's beep ,dancing a long time;' Man- chester said of lei daughter. "So it's much more than justa hobby" • This season will be. Anne's' second year performing in the Nutcracker. Fantasy. ,She • has been with MDT since.her family- moved to Eagan three years ago -from Illinois. She did not perform last year because she was injured. Overall, :she has performed in ver- signs of the.Nutcracker eight times: Anne, who will pursue a career. in ,dance • after graduation, also plays the clarinet and is a meinber of Students Against Drunk Driving and Eastview_High School's diversity club. Nutcracker Fantasy holds the record for the longest -running arts event in Minneso- ta history, having drawn more than 1 million -• patrons during its 34 years of performances.. The ballet showcasei the dream' -voyage of a girl named Marie who receives a gift of a wood en nutcracker from the: wizard -like Drossel- mayer. Marie and the enchanted Nutcracker Prince journey through a battle of toys and ma jestic rats to the 'Land of Snow and on to the Sugar Plum Fairy's.Kingdom of Sweets, meet- -ing waltzing flowers and-, Spanish, Arabian, • Eaganresidents.,(left to right) Hanna Schutt, Anne Mancheste Giese all have roles, in the Min Theatre's production of"Nutcra underthe direction of Artistic Houlton, from the•State Theatre Orpheum Theatre to. accomm mand and the production's large A total of 10 performances will begin Friday, Dec. •17, shows on Thursday, Dec. 23. Tickets -for the productio $15.50 to'$39.50..for adults: C