It’s a tale of two Eden Prairie Burger Kings:
The long-vacant Burger King on Flying Cloud Drive has now been demolished, possibly making way for redevelopment, while construction of a new Burger King at Highway 5 and County Road 4 remains on hold.
No plan to redevelop the site at Flying Cloud Drive and Prairie Center Drive, southwest of Eden Prairie Shopping Center, has been submitted to the City of Eden Prairie for review, said Julie Klima, director of community development.
The demolition simply cleans up an eyesore and makes way for something new. Klima said the city is assuming the parcel will be put up for sale.
Meanwhile, a final step in the construction of a new Burger King at Highway 5 and County Road 4 – city council approval of a developers agreement – has been delayed several times at the developer’s request.
The project was approved by the city in August 2021.
The new restaurant, if constructed, will replace a long-closed Burger King and will be built by Cave Enterprises Operating LLC, which is headquartered in Chicago and purchased several Twin Cities-area Burger King restaurants that were closed or in bankruptcy, including the building on Highway 5.
“There are no issues from a city standpoint,” Klima said about the developers agreement, which typically spells out city conditions. But, there are indications that the Eden Prairie redevelopment is part of a bigger batch of Burger King projects tied up in corporate discussions.
The city’s review period would typically have a deadline next December, said Klima, but can be extended at the developer’s request.