| 1/26/2009 1:23:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Council advances Mendota Plaza makeover
Danielle Cabot
Review Staff
From a bleak white strip mall into an elegant commercial destination, Mendota Plaza has been approved for its extreme makeover.
Developers received the green light last week to break ground on the project at Dodd Road and Highway 110, which has taken months if not years of planning to win over the Mendota Heights City Council and Planning Commission.
"We all invested a lot of time in this, and it's going to be a great amenity to the city," said Council Member Sandra Krebsbach.
"It's been slow, but you know, it took a long time to get the village defined as well," said Council Member Jack Vitelli.
Sticking points have been the preservation of wetlands, the size of a four-story senior housing development, the types of signage allowed, and the architectural details of the center. A stand-alone Walgreens, an 8,000-square-foot restaurant space, 12,000-square-feet of retail with up to seven tenants, a childcare business and a three-story office building will round out the complex.
Council members have been strong advocates for preserving a natural water stream and the surrounding wetlands in the plans. The site will also include flourishes like a walking path, boulevard-like trees, detailed landscaping, pond fountains, and benches, for what Council Member Ultan Duggan said he hoped would be a "pastoral" ambience.
"The greenway amenity is well thought out and will certainly add to the pleasure of anyone who visits the project," said Council Member Mary Jeanne Schneeman.
Admitting he was undecided going into the meeting, Duggan said while the project was not perfect, the developers had presented a good case for why the project had the best interests of Mendota Heights in mind.
Vitelli said he was more than satisfied with the plans and was eager to get construction started. "I will support the way things stand."
Vitelli said the owners of the property, Paster Enterprises, have done a good job of fulfilling the requests of the council.
"It has been a long process but I think we've gotten there," said Mayor John Huber, who also noted that the desires of the council only go so far. "I think we also need to understand and respect the rights of the landowners."
The council has taken great pains to ensure that any future changes by the developers that are not in alignment with the proposal the council approved on Jan. 20 will have to go through the city first. While the mayor said he was optimistic that won't be necessary, a developer's agreement and the nature of the permitting process will give the council "a pretty big stick," Huber explained.
"We're very happy," said Ken Henk, director of development and construction with Paster. "We weren't sure how it was going to go."
A developer's agreement and loose ends will be finalized for March, said Henk, and construction is on target to begin in early spring.
Danielle Cabot can be reached at southwest@lillienews.com or 651-748-7815.
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