Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Newspaper clippings re: businesses in Eagan - 12/12/2002FO \.DeR
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SERVING APPLE VALLEY 0 EAGAN ® INVER GROVE HEIGHTS ® LAKEVILLE a ROSEMOUNT
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Q: What does the neighborhood
look like today?
Wachter: Bulk mail facility on
the farm, office building in the
neighborhood to the north, office
and warehouse in the neighbor-
hood to the east. To the south is
our Promenade shopping center.
It's different, no doubt about that.
If our forefathers were to come
home they wouldn't know where
they were.
Q: How did that make you feel
about government when your fami-
ly's farm was taken?
Wachter: I guess that was
always in the back of my mind,
and I said if I ever had a chance
to do something for people from a
government angle I would try to
do my best to help them. I didn't
pursue it at the -time. But then
when I was asked by Herb Polzin
(who was active in Eagan govern-
ment) to be on the planning board
for Eagan, I accepted.
Q: What was your first reaction
to learning the name of the town-
ship was the same as yours?
Egan: Believe 'it or not, I wasn't
very concerned about that as a
teen-ager. I was more concerned
sbout the fact that I seemed to be
mut in no man's land. When you're
:oo young to have a driver's
icense, living out in a township . .
I felt somewhat isolated.
Q: How did you decide to get
nvolved with local government?
Egan: I came home from work
one evening in June of 1977 and it
vas a bright sunny day. My next-
loor neighbor saw me pull in the
;arage. She said there was a great
:oncern about a project, a county
•oad. project. It was coming in at
?ilot Knob Road and they would
ike me to attend the meeting.
We sat down and discussed the
)reliminary plans for the upgrad-
ng of Pilot Knob Road. One of
he real drawbacks to our decision
o move to Eagan at the time was
he condition of the streets. We
ust didn't fe_el there was any safe
rr adequate street in Eagan, and
'Hot Knob was one of those
treets I was concerned about.
Pilot Knob at that time was a
wo-lane rural ditch road that
vent all the way from the knob in
Mendota Heights to Farmington .
But what was being proposed
vas not only upgrading the road
rom two lanes to four lanes but
o put . in divided medians,
rontage roads. There were even
ledestrian crosspaths, overpasses.
My neighbors were very con-
erned about that..
I think what I'm describing to
.ou is the dawning of the develop-
ment of Eagan. It may have been
he first time a large segment of
he then -Eagan population became
,ware of the fact that Eagan was
n fact developing and they want -
Id to be more actively involved: in
he process.
Q: What did you learn from that
irst campaign?
Egan: I became rather shocked
o find out the cause we were try-
ag to protect was not universally
ccepted. The cause was to try
nd slowdown progress. I can tell
ou I'm not an obstructionist.
I worked very hard during the
arly months of that first term
eying to come up with a reason-
ble compromise, which we did.,..
What we started to use almost
nmediately was the expression
controlled growth": Instead of
aving . rampant, ill-advised
rowth, let's try and professional-
;e this.
•Q: Can you give me an example?
Egan: Let's use Pilot Knob
self. The fear that the residents
long Pilot Knob . had was if the
)ad was developed as wide as
hat was being proposed, it would
terally be up to their doorsteps.
People were concerned they.
ould have dust, noise and heavy
affic and safety problems right
3 in front of their living -room
indows. So what we did was
rime in with a reasonable com-
•omise, by removing most of the
mter medians . . . the service
roads . . . pedestrian overpasses.
By the time we were done, we
had worked out what I considered
to be an excellent plan.
On Interstate 35E, which was
built in the 1970s and 80s:
Wachter: I was very much con-
cerned about my farm because
35E was going to come through it.
I had established some wildlife,
planted trees and contoured the
farm for better conservation of
topsoil.
At first I was opposed to it
because I didn't know what was
all going to take place. Being a
farmer, you're concerned about
taking your livelihood away. But
then after a while I realized what
it meant for the city of Eagan.
This was the so-called key to
opening those big doors to Eagan.
Egan: And it did. You could lit-
erally hear the "for sale" signs
rising from the ground. The whole
community had a "for sale" sign
on it. The community just started
to develop overnight almost imme-
diately when 35E was developed.
A gentleman by the name of
John Klein formed a group called
the Urban Council on Mobility.
And John was town board chair-
man .for the township. He spear-
headed the completion of 35E. We
all took for granted the fact that
35E would come but there was a
very strong question about
whether it was necessary with the
completion of 35W and the exis-
tence .of Highway 13. John Klein
took Tom Hedges to Washington,
D.C., Tom's first month or two in
office as city administrator. He
went and lobbied hard with our
congressional delegation and
begged them to please keep
money in the budget for 35E.
I think what almost killed John,
though, was when a group of
Eagan residents wanted to pre-
serve the area. In particular they
were very concerned about pre-
serving Blackhawk Lake.
35E was going to go right over
the narrows of Blackhawk Lake.
The residents objected and they
eventually filed an environmental-
ist lawsuit to prevent if from
being built that way. Actually the
city of Eagan is better off by the
fact thatthe freeway went' around
it because we have probably one
of Eagan's prettiest parks down
there. The court ruled there was a
prudent and feasible alternative to.
going right through the . middle of
the lake — you can go around it.
On airport noise, an issue
Wachter and Egan predict will
never be resolved:
Egan: I've been so actively
involved in that issue ... it's one
of those things that will. -never go
away. It's one of those things that
you have ,to continue and assert
yourself and make sure your pres-
ence and your views are known.
(In the 1970s) you had stage 1,
stage 2 and stage 3 aircraft. Most
of the airplanes flying back then
were stage . 1, . which were
extremely noisy. There were just
not many quiet planes at all.
Wachter: , (Airport officials)
weren't concerned about it. •Even
if people complained they let it go
because. they didn't feel it was
necessary. Now they look at it in
a different light and they are will-
ing to cooperate now.
Q: How did you (earn to disagree
and still befriends?
Wachter: Tom arid I,. we dis-
agreed : a few times. It never both-
ered our friendship.
Egan: Ted and I would end the
day as cordial as we began it.
What advice would you give to
the new council?
Egan: Listen, listen, listen.
Listen to everyone involved all
sides on every issue. Listen with
your eyes, listen with your ears,
listen with your heart but listen
with your mind. Then act. There is
no place at City Hall for arro-
gance — you have to listen.
Amy Sherman covers Eagan, Inver Grove
Heights and Rosemount. She can be
reached at
asherman@pioneerpress.com or at
(651) 228-2174.
ELP!NG HANDS
SCOTT GOIHL/ PIONEER PRESS
Geraldine Krejce is a volunteer who bags merchandise at Kohl's Department Store in Eagan during the holi-
day shopping season. The money she earns goes directly to the Lakeville Senior Center, of which she is a
member, to help subsidize the center's travel and entertainment programs.
Volunteers work for free to help center
TIM CAREY STAFF WRITER
ti hen the holidayseason rolls
around, most people don't look
forward to going into a crowded
store. But two Lakeville Senior
Center volunteers not only go to
Kohl's Department Store in Eagan
during the hectic Christmas shop-
ping season, they work there with-
out pay and enjoy it.
The volunteers, Marie Deaven
and Geraldine Krejce, are among
13 volunteers from the center who
work as baggers, greeters and stock
people. They earn $5.50 per hour
for their four-hour shifts, but that
money goes directly to the center.
The center uses the money to
support its entertainment, recre-
ation and travel programs.
"We started placing volunteers
at Kohl's last year," said Linda
Walter, the center's volunteer
coordinator, "and it has been a
wonderful way for us to subsidize
our programs: This allows us to
oi teers
charge seniors a little less to par-
ticipate at the'center.
"It also is wonderful because it
gets our volunteers out into the
community," she said. "It really
makes them feel like they are
part of it."
The volunteers receive a 10 per-
cent discount to shop on the day
they work. Their biggest benefit,
however, comes from their inter-
actions with the customers.
"I've done a lot of things since
I've been working at Kohl's,"
Krejce said. "The best thing is
being able to interact with the
shoppers, though. That's been just
wonderful because people really
love to talk to you when you're
helping them, especially the kids."
Deaven agreed. "It really is
amazinghow nice people are at
this time of year," she said. "Some
of them are really in a hurry.
Some of them are really happy,
and some of them just seem
relieved to be through with their
shopping. It's been very interesting,-
and I've really enjoyed it."
Kohl's Department Store'
brought in volunteer groups durinc
the holidays for several years. The l
Lakeville group, in its second year"
of volunteering at the store, is the:-
only group participating this .year:,'
Last year, two other. groups also.
participated.
"We look for volunteer groups.`;.
to help us at this time ofyear,"
said Elena Charleton, personnel
and operations manager at Kohl's
in Eagan. "There have been sever
al groups helping us in the past,:;
including hockey parents and com-..
munity organizations.
"We'll welcome any civic group
that wants to earn extra money,"
Charleton said. "It has really:.......
worked out wonderfully for us and
the community."
Know somebody making a difference in
your community? Contact Tim Carey at
tcarey@pioneerpress.com or at (651)
228-2176.
eeded to assist o „ V 'ie r co
ant to make a difference in
your community? A phone call to
one of the groups listed here is all
it takes to get started.
® The Crisis Nursery of Dakota
County has several volunteer
opportunities. They include: shelter
parents, who care for children for
up to 72 hours during times of
family need or crisis; crisis assis-
tants, who care for children while
a parent is taken into the shelter;
and child care assistants, who care
for children during training or sup-
port groups. Call (612) 432-5582.
® Adopt -A -Highway volunteers
are needed to keep roadsides and
ditches clean by picking up litter.
Families, businesses and communi-
ty organizations are welcome. Call
(612) 891-7005.
® The Community Services
Division of Dakota County needs
volunteers to work with probation
officers. About 30 varied positions
are available, including Work
Release Mentor and Victim
Offender Meeting Facilitator. Call
(651) 438-8272.
ra Rosemount Partnership
Program needs volunteers for its,
programs and services. The pro-
gram works to enhance the quality
of, life for the community. Call
(651) 423-4391.
® Lakeville Police Department
seeks participants for its McGruff
Safe House program. The program
is intended to provide children a
safe environment by giving them
a place, to go during emergencies.
Volunteers will be checked and
given a sign recognizable to chil-
dren. Call (612) 985-4898.
® Volunteers are needed to par-
ticipate in Dakota County Library
System's Literacy Program.
Participants will work with people
to develop their reading and writ-
ing skills. Call (651) 688-1512.
Ea Foster grandparents are need-
ed to work afternoons in the day
treatment facility and various
hours in the booked section at
Dakota County Juvenile Services
hies
Center, Hastings. Volunteers, who
will work with high -risk offenders,
are eligible for :mileage and a k!
small stipend. Call (612) 891-7151.
m Dakota County Community
Corrections is recruiting mentors to p;
work with juveniles and adults at
county facilities. Volunteers will
mentor and offer support to offend-
ers. An information session will be
in October. Call (612) 891-7151.
to Facilitators are needed by E
Dakota County Community
Corrections to work with victims „`.4
and offenders to help resolve f;
issues surrounding crime. A 32- 4f
hour mandatory training will be
held during three Saturdays and
two evenings. Call (612) 891-7151.
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Town Centre traffic survey draws 900 responses
A City traffic survey of
Eagan s Town Centre Drive area
has confirmed congestion
problems there. When asked if
they had difficulty entering or
leaving the area, 86 percent of
those answering the question
said yes.
The innovative survey,
conducted in July on the ('ity's
weh page and through telephone
voice mail, sought specific
answers about traffic flow on
Town Centre Drive between
Denmark Avenue and Duckwood
Drive. Signs were also posted
along the street with a phone
number to call.
City Engineer Russ Matthys
said the Internet has provided
24-hour convenience to survey
participants, and will serve as a
uselul tool on future projects.
Of the 900 responses received,
2
Some survey responses
'7 believe it him gotten so bad
that l choose not to travel there
unless needed l used to go to
<XG,I-Mart on lunch, but
traffic is so bad"
"l us:m((y plan my trips to the
area so that l can accomplish
all with right farad turns, or
at the erect."
"Getting out onto Thum
Centre Drive from any of the
businesses is nerve-racking. l
feel unsafe. l have avoided the
area during lunch hours and
driven to another city for the
same businesses rather than
put myselfthrough dangerous_
situations."• •
Eagan
Motorists
8111) caner via the Internet.
Matthys is discussing the
survey and working toward
answers with the Town ('enure
Task Force. a I 0-member group
with live residents and represen-
tatives from 13urger King.
Eagan Floral, h'1c1)onald's,
Waldeland .lewelers and Wal-
Mart.
The largest group of survey
respondents cited multiple
problem areas and difficulty
getting in and out of businesses,
Matthys explained. The second
largest group noted problems at
the intersection at Denmark
Avenue and Town Centre Drive,
which is near several restaurants.
Matthys said solutions could
range from basic street striping
to a more complex mix oftraflic
signals and other items. The I7-
year-old street is scheduled for
an overlay in 2003.
Fo-,D5'L
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AN- • .a—) is a
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PAGE 23A
Eagan approves Town Centre traffic changes
Approval comes on 4-1 vote as mayor
sought to examine more extensive
solutions
BY JOSHUA NICHOLS
Sun Newspapers
The Eagan City Council approved a traffic
facelift for the Town Centre area Dec. 2, but not
before going over a couple speed bumps along
the way.
The council voted 4-1 to go ahead with the
traffic improvements suggested by the Town
Centre Task Force formed to study the area
around the intersection of Interstate 35E and
Pilot Knob Road. '
Mayor- Pat Awada cast the vote against the
improvements, saying she would rather see.
more extensive solutions explored before mov-
ing ahead.
"I was hoping we would clean this up and I
think we will have one shot at it over the next
decade," Awada said. "This is a Band-Aid and it
doesn't fix a lot of the real problems that I see."
Councilmember Paul Bakken cautioned
that if the city were to start back at square one
with the project, it would lose a lot of the mo-
mentum gained through the process so far.
"I think you would lose the unity you have
right now from the people in the area,
- Bakken' said. "This leaves open the chance to
do more down the road."
The task force -recommended improve-
-ments approved by the council include such
things as moving the driveway entrances to
parking lots serving Rainbow Foods, Kohl's
_ _ and Wal-Mart along Town Centre Drive. .
Public Works Director Tom Colbert said the
task force arrived at those suggestions be-
cause a traffic study of the area showed the
majority of accidents happen -during turning
movements onto and off Town Centre Drive. .
The changes will also turn Town Centre.
Drive and Duckwood Drive into a three -lane
design with one lane for traffic iri each direc-
tion and a center lane for left-hand turns. A
traffic signal will be installed at the intersec-
tion of Town Centre and Duckwood.
TRAFFIC: To Page 16A
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16A Apple Ve6ey/Rosemoun1,uEagan;_S rrenUWThursday`Dec. 12, 2002
FromPage lA
Other suggested improvements in-
clude lane modifications at the intersec-
tion of Denmark Avenue and Town Cen-
tre Drive and the addition of sidewalks
on the southerly/easterly side of Town
Centre Drive. Sidewalks would also con-
nect the cluster of restaurants. on the
north and west sides of the roads.
The recommendations also include
closing off full access at the intersection
of Krestwood Lane and Duckwood Drive
with the installation of a concrete.medi-
an on Duckwood at the intersection. Ad-
ditional changes would also be made to
the Pilot Knob and Duckwood intersec-
tion. -
Cost for the•project will be about $2.3
million. The project could be completed
by the fall of 2003.
Awada said she would rather see more
extensive changes examined, such as
moving Town Centre Drive to the east or
creating a frontage road for the fast-food
restaurants along the road's northern
edge. She also criticized turning Town
Centre Drive=from a four -lane road to a
three -lane road. -.
"I would --not drop -it down to three
lanes instead'ofJour lanes," Awada said:
"I think that"is.not- a_good decision. If
_anything, I, would rather. see it go to five
Manes:"
-Awada said she wasn't necessarily
saying to go ahead with those changes,
but that- they should be thoroughly ex-
amined and have their costs analyzed be-
fore making any changes to the area.
Colbert cautioned that Town Centre
Drive was designed as a local access
street designed to provide access to the •
businesses in the area. If it were ex- -
panded to a five -lane road, it would like-
ly encourage even more motorists to use
it as a throughway to get around the Pilot
Knob and Yankee Doodle roads intersec-
tion, he said. •- .
"What I am hearing. is not just some.
tweaking, but setting this aside and al-
most starting over," Colbert said. "That
would take some more workshops and
much more time."
The task force, which consists of busi-
ness representatives and the public at -
large, was established in August follow-
• ing a survey of people traveling through
the Town Centre area. More than 900 peo-
ple responded to that survey either over
the phone or through the city's Web site.
And what they said, overwhelmingly,
is that Town Centre needs improvement.
About 60 percent of respondents to the
survey stated they avoid the businesses
within the Town Centre area due to traf-
fic concerns.
The streets in the Town Centre area
are 16 to 17 years old. As per the city's
Pavement Management, program, the,
streets are,at,a point,in-their "life -cycle"
where they are scheduled for an overlay.
That provided the opportunity to look at
more extensive traffic solutions.
"What started -out primarily as a re-
habilitation evolved into a full-blown
traffic project," Colbert said.
As Eagan has grown, the Town Centre
area's transportation infrastructure has
experienced growing pains. _
According to the city's public works
department, -the streets in the area —
which serve as home for Wal-Mart,•Rain-
bow Foods, and. a Kohl's department
store, as well as many other smaller
-stores and restaurants — encounter
more traffic than any other set of local
streets in Eagan. Awada said much of
the problem kerns from the very begin-
ning of development in the area. -
"There are so many problems. in this
area," she said."When it was platted all
the businesses got the driveways they
wanted. I thought that was a big mis-
take."
Awada said she would have rather
seen the City Council be part .of the,
process from the beginning rather than
have the recommendations come from
• the task force without any other council
involvement.'
"I would have .rather -seen it as the
process went along rather than just 'a
one-time deal," Awada-said.
However, Bakken said the task force
www.mnSun,com
did its job and the process worked' well.
"The people on the task force did ex-
actly what they were supposed to do,"
Bakken said. "These recommendations
are a result of the work done from these
people who know the area very well."
Representatives from Rainbow Foods
and the auto mall along the west side of
Town Centre Drive told the council they
were concerned about the possibility
their businesses •would be assessed for
sidewalks and other changes that -might
not benefit them. -
However, Councilmember Peggy Carl-
son disputed that, noting that the traffic
survey showed many people stay away
from the area because of traffic con-
cerns. • •
"I stay away from this area," Carlson
said. "At certain times of the day I won't
go there. There is a benefit to all the busi-
nesses in the area if this is fixed. It will
be safer and cleaner if we fix it up."
• Pat Thomas, who owns Eagan Floral
and was also a member of the task force,
told the council that the task force had •
considered several other changes but de-
cided they would be too costly. ' '
"There was the possibility of straight-
ening out Duckwood and making more
improvements, but the costs would have
added up to twice as much as it is now,"
Thomas said. "I •think the task force has •
worked very conscientiously with costs
. and made this a great project for the corn-
. munity."
www.mnSun.com
Chef
From Page 1A
For Patterson, that meant coming up
with the seven course holiday feast that
will be served at evening performances
and the high teas that will be served at
the afternoon performances. Cunning-
ham was inspired to stage the play this
way because Dickens used to do the same
thing for his family and friends.
The audience will be seated at round
tables set for eight with white linens, el-
egant china and shining silverware. Be-
tween courses the story will be per-
formed in segments, as originally writ-
ten, on three separate stages.
"There's a lot of work that goes into
this," Patterson said. "We are serving a
scratch menu meaning everything we
are serving is made from scratch. This is
not fast food. I tried to make the menu
seasonal and make it fit with the play
somewhat as well."
Like most chefs, Patterson began
forming his menu for the event by decid-
ing what his entree would be. After
thinking it over for some time and decid-
ing not to go with one of what he said is
a million different kind of chicken dish-
es, he decided to go with crown roast of
pork. But that's not just any pork roast.
It will be served fixed with maple glazed
sweet potatoes and oven -roasted carrots
and parsnips.
The entire menu is prepared in the
kitchen and preparation area of Patter-
son's catering business, which is housed
about six minutes away from the perfor-
mance area in South St. Paul. Patterson
said his location is the ideal situation as
all the food can be brought easily and
quickly to the Harriet Island Pavilion in
cold and hot boxes and still be fresh when
served.
Patterson's menu also includes such
things as rosemary ham and asparagus
crostini, stuffed eggs with crab, winter
greens with pepper bacon and smoked
cheese and crusty fennel bread stick
with roasted apple vinaigrette. That
doesn't even include the dried cranber-
ries with champagne vinaigrette, cream
of spinach soup, turkey divan and lemon
pound cake with fresh berries and dollop
of devonshire cream that make up the
high tea menu.
Patterson reflected on the time he
moved to the city as he sat in a large open
area of his business dressed in his chef's
whites and sampling his gingerbread
roulade with lemon cream filling driz-
zled with warm caramel sauce. The
sweet and hearty gingerbread dish will
be the dessert for the menu.
"When we first moved to Eagan, Yan-
kee Doodle Road was a dirt road believe
it or not," Patterson said.
CHEF: To Page 17A
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Apple Valley/Rosemount, Eagan Sun•Current/Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002 15A
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Your Guide to Dining
and Entertainment
LEGENDS CLUB GRILL
Upscale Casual Dining
Open to the Public,)
DINING and LOUNGE HOURS:
'lutes - Thurs 4-9pm • Fri - Sat 4-10pm
Announcements/3A
Public Notices/3A & 14A
Opinion/41
Photo`by, Rck Orndori�'
The. company -
ch operates 1440 Big LotsF°
�_ Iy stores nationwide and 88 Liquidation
rld stores in Canada,.- plans to,open 38 more
ov 14, said'Big'Lots spokesperson Toni Fink:
Discount retailer's 'big'
ex ansion includes Eagan
by Jessica Harper
THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The nation's largest closeout
retailer recently chose Eagan
as part of its latest expansion
,s,i. Big Lots opened a store
Oct. 20 on 1284 Town Centre
Dr. in Eagan.
The 20,000 square -foot
store is the third to open in
Minnesota this year, and
among 52 new stores nation-
wide. Big Lots differs from other
The company — which op- discount retailers in that it sells
crates 1,440 Big Lots stores nearly every kind of closeout,
nationwide and 88 Liquida- discontinued and overstock
tion World stores in Canada — merchandise including cloth -
plans to open 38 more stores ing, home decor, furniture,
by Nov. 14, said Big Lots electronics and nonperishable
spokesperson Toni Fink. food.
Big Lots assistant manager Though this business model
D'Arcie Froelich said she be- works well for Big Lots and its
'Neves Big Lots will comple= consumers, it can present many
ment other Town Centre busi- challenges for manufacturers,
nesses by offering items that said Lorman Lundsten, mar -
have been discontinued. keting professor and depart -
"People like to come in the ment chair at th'e University of
store because it's like a treasure St. Thomas.
hunt," Froelich said. "They "It hurts manufacturers re -
can find things here that no lationships with other retail -
one else has." ers," he said.
By its very nature, though, Some retailers who pay full
once a discontinued item is price feel they are being treat -
gone, it's gone for good. ed unfairly when they see Big
The .closeout retailer has Lots receiving discontinued
few direct competitors and merchandise at a significantly
F
°INiBRIEFs
Big Lots is located 1284
Town Centre Dr. in Eagan.
A grand opening is, set
for ,9 a.m. Oct. 28 at. the
store..
The company hired 30
employees to work at the
Eagan location.
roelich said she believes Big
Lots will face little competition
in Eagan.
"We're not here to com-
pete," she said. "We are here to
be a part of the Eagan econo-
my.
discounted price, Lundsten ex-
plained.
Lundsten is also skeptical
that Big Lots will complement
its Eagan neighbors.
"What you want for a shop
ping center is fairly similar eco-
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Big Lots opened a store Oct.
20 on 1284 Town Centre
Dr. in Eagan. The 20,000
square -foot storeis the third
to open in Minnesota this
year, and among 52 new stores
nationwide.
nomic level stores that comple-
ment each other," he said.
"Here we have a store where
people will shop a Big Lots
and go away again."
Regardless of these issues,
Lundsten predicts Big Lots
and other discount stores will
continue to grow as consumers
hunt for bargains during the
recession.
"The current economy is
a good windfall for them,"
he said. "I think they will be
around for a long time."
E-mail Jessica Hmper at:
jessica. harper@ecm-inc. com
22A—Eagan Chronicle —Wednesday, July 20, 1988
J.C. Penney catalog
_store opens in Eagan
By Gary Gunderson
Shop at home convenience and'
J.C. Penney merchandise have
been brought together with the
opening of a new catalog store in
Eagan.
The store, which opened July
20, is in the west end of Town Cen-
tre Mall, said Spencer Reppe,
J.C. Penney operations manager
in Burnsville.
Customers will be able to order
from the catalog using a 24-hour
toll -free telephone number, pick-
ing up items about two days later
at the Eagan store, Reppe said.
The store will notify customers
when their order arrives.
The Eagan store will have a
small display area with samples,
but it is geared mostly to
customers shopping by phone;'
Reppe said. Home delivery is
available through'United Parcel
Service at about $1 extra, depen-
ding on weight.
The catalog store is open 10
a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays. The store will be clos—
ed Sundays and holidays.
J.C. Penney is opening the
store because of Eagan's rapid
population growth, Reppe said.
The catalog store also will at-
tempt to lure customers from In-
ver Grove Heights and Mendota
Heights, he said.
Eagan Chronicle —Wednesday, July 20, 1988-21A
41,
by Tom Rybak
Vice President
Driving home
a bargain:
should you buyor lease?
If driving a new luxury car every two or three years sounds
appealing, you may want to investigate,leasing.as an
alternative to financing a new car. But before you make this
important decision consider the following:
Buyor lease:, what's the difference?
Eagan's fast growth fuels
development skirmishes
By Rob Hotakainen
and Paul Klauda
Staff Writers
The biggest retail shopping complex
ever proposed in Eagan was set to get
its first formal airing before the City
Council. An overflow crowd packed
into city hall and waited three hours
for the item to come up.
When it did, Mayor Beatta Blom-
quist gave the developers "five or 10
minutes, at maximum 15" to make
their pitch.
"For a presentation of a $50 million
project?" replied an incredulous Pe-
ter Jarvis, spokesman for the devel-
opers.
The developers got 20 minutes.
And before the meeting was over,
Blomquist and the council said no to
the proposal that would have brought
a Target store to Eagan, generated
$1.2 million a year in taxes and 1,000
jobs, without public subsidies.
While time constraints at the Feb. 3
meeting said little about the project's
merit, they said a lot about obstacles
facing developers trying to crack one
of the most desirable retail markets
in the Twin Cities area.
Eagan can afford to be choosey.
With the recent opening of two free-
ways, the Dakota County township
of small-time farmers has exploded
into a 13-year-old city growing faster
than any other in the state. Its 1986
population of 35,300, up 70 percent
since 1980, has attracted at least four
proposals that would add nearly 2.3
million square feet of retail space —
equal to two Southdales — to a city
still fashioning its downtown.
"Can you imagine the number of
communities around the state that
would kill to get a development like
this?" said Vic Ellison, the only one
of Eagan's five council members to
vote for the Target project.
The multimillion dollar retail battle
has produced growing pains for a city
of longtime residents, newcomers at-
tracted by its rural beauty and devel-
opers who smell opportunities to
cash in. It also has renewed charges
that Blomquist and Council Member
Thomas Egan have shown favoritism
toward Federal Land Co., developer
of Town Centre, the city's largest
retail complex. Blomquist and Egan
called the allegations, raised in a
pending lawsuit, false and politically
motivated.
Developers for the Target project,
known as 35E Difiley Center, con-
tend that Blomquist's opposition to
their project stems from her support
for Town Centre, which has long
sought a retail anchor such as Target.
Blomquist, co-owner of a video store
at Town Centre, calls those claims
untrue and says she voted against the
project because she opposed rezoning
the land.
"I have nothing to hide," the four -
term mayor said. "I have no ties to
Federal Land. I know (of) the alleged
favoritism. There is none."
Development skirmishes occur in
virtually every burgeoning suburb,
but rarely does the landscape change
as rapidly as it did in Eagan. In the
past two years, the city's growth,
measured by building permits, has
been the fastest ever recorded in the
metropolitan area. Its population and
household growth, which has repeat-
edly outstripped projections, is fore-
cast to lead the region into the next
century.
ington during the 1960s, poised to
develop along its miles of freeway.
However, some Eagan residents are
fearful of having a "494 strip" in
their city — a reference to Blooming-
ton's intense development along In-
terstate Hwy. 494. Many have told
city officials that they moved to Ea-
gan to escape big -city commercial
pressures, traffic, noise, pollution
and declining property values.
Others argue that more development
is inevitable and that those who long
for Eagan's bucolic amenities are ig-
noring reality. They contend the city
should take better advantage of its
prime retail market to create jobs and
boost the tax base to pay for badly
needed schools.
The development pressure has been
intense, The Target project sparked
door-to-door petition drives, record
turnouts at city meetings and charges
of mud -slinging by supporters and
critics. Two developers appealed to
residents in multipage advertise-
ments for their projects in local news-
papers. A third unveiled a 1.2 mil-
lion -square -foot retail complex short-
ly before the city planning commis-
sion voted down the Target project.
How hot is Eagan? While many city
planners are wringing their hands for
new projects, all Eagan's Dale Runkle
has to do is answer his telephone.
Development items dominate eve-
ning council meetings, which rou-
tinely linger into the wee hours. The
planning commission needed two
nights to finish its business last
month.
But the half -developed city has an
unusual predicament: While planners
find many suburbs with too little
land earmarked for commercial use,
Eagan, by most accounts, has too
much. As a result, city policy -makers
have been stingy about rezoning
more land for commercial develop-
ment, even in cases where other uses
would seem inappropriate.
For example, there's a 122-acre par-
cel of agricultural land sitting on the
corner of Eagan's future downtown,
near Interstate Hwy. 35E and Yankee
Doodle Rd. The owner, Robert
O'Neil, tried to rezone it for com-
mercial use in 1985, but the measure
failed because of opposition from
Blomquist and Egan. They argued
that the proposed uses for the land,
located across the street from Town
Centre, weren't specific enough.
O'Neil sued, seeking to overturn the
outcome and determine whether
Blomquist and Egan were arbitrary
and capricious in their voting. The
suit, still pending, alleges they were
biased in considering development
issues, as shown by their support of
Federal Land and frequent opposi-
tion to projects that would compete
with the development company.
Martin Colon, a partner with Federal
Land, called the allegations inaccu-
rate. Egan and Blomquist said their
voting records show they have not
always supported Federal Land pro-
posals.
The Diflley Center also needed a
rezoning. Developers wanted to build
at an undeveloped interchange of In-
terstate Hwy. 35E and Difiley Rd.
The 735,000-square-foot project
would have included Target, North-
west Racquet Swim and Health Club,
and possibly a Cub Foods store and a
Knox Lumber outlet.
The council, noting its existing sup-
ply of commercial land, refused to
rezone the § 1-acre agricultural site
Minneapolis Star and Tribune/ Sunday/February 15/1987
for commercial use, even though a
city staff report found no major prob-
lems with the project.
"Everybody can't have a shopping
center at every interchange on the
freeway," said Ted Wachter, a 14-
year council member who opposed
the rezoning.
The O'Neil and Diflley Center cases
have prompted criticism that Eagan,
despite a 14-month review of its
comprehensive planning guide, has
failed to update the plan to reflect the
city's rapid growth.
"A lot has happened since 1980
(when the plan was assembled) and a
comprehensive plan review is sup-
posed to take into account recent
history," said Lee Maxfield, a leading
Twin Cities real-estate market ana-
lyst retained by O'Neil. Between the
just -opened legs of I-35E, 1-494 and
Cedar Av., Eagan has more highway
frontage than any metro -area city.
John Voss, Eagan's planning consul-
tant, called the criticisms from devel-
opers "a natural phenomenon" in a
growing city.
The city lost a 1982 rezoning case
before the Minnesota Supreme
Court, which ruled that the city had
been arbitrary and capricious whei4„
refused to rezone agricultural
for another developer. The co
ruled in 1984 that the city denies
change of zoning sought by Am
Corp. and O-J. Sporting Goods _
without stating any justification.
Diffley Center developers have
ruled out court action. They also
they will bring their proposal
before the city after this fall's e
tion, hoping for a change in
makeup of the council. Three of ftvem
council seats, including the mayor
are open.
As for Target, "We're disappoint
and we'll wait to see what develop
over the next several years out
there," said George Hite, vice presi-
dent of public and consumer affairs
for Target. He said the company still
hopes to build a store at the Diftley
site and will "certainly not consider
anything else for a long, long time."
But Blomquist, who has presided
over a city that has doubled in size
during her seven years in office,
doesn't plan to back down. Home-
owners have praised her ability to
stand up to pushy developers.
Many Eagan observers liken the 35-
square-mile city to a young Bloom-