Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Home Depot proposal to build store in Eagan. - 6/24/1998,h suh Gtit'rev►+-
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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.
_
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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