| 2/21/2010 | Email this article • Print this article | Mendota Plaza delays explained
Danielle Cabot
Review Staff
The Mendota Plaza overhaul by Paster Enterprises has been set back by the slow economy and by environmental contamination found on the site.
Ken Henk, director of development and construction, addressed the Mendota Heights City Council Feb. 15 to request changes to the timeline included in the developer's agreement.
Construction, originally planned to begin last fall, is now scheduled to begin in the spring.
Two new buildings close to Highway 110 have had their opening dates delayed to 2012, while developers hope for an economic turnaround. "Commercial rental prices don't warrant the construction costs," said Henk.
Unexpected finds are also delaying development. After Paster's lender recommended a second phase of environmental studies, investigators discovered dry cleaning chemical components in the soil. A dry cleaning business has been located in the complex since the 1970s. After the remodel, the actual cleaning will likely be done off-site, according to assistant city administrator Jake Sedlacek.
After the discovery, developers were obligated to complete a cleanup action plan and submit that to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In the plan, about 20 dump-truck loads of soil would be removed. Henk said the plan could be approved in the next 3 or 4 weeks.
Henk said the contamination appears to be limited to the site of the former business, with some migration to the north, but away from water features of the site.
The council approved the new timeline and reasserted that the project is still advancing.
"In these times we're really blessed to have development in Mendota Heights. We're looking forward to it," said council member Sandra Krebsbach.
Danielle Cabot can be reached at southwest@lillienews.com or 651-748-7815.
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