Close Menu
Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Tuesday, July 1
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Threads LinkedIn
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Donate
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»City of Eden Prairie»Plan for more Asia Mall parking OK’d
    City of Eden Prairie

    Plan for more Asia Mall parking OK’d

    Mark WeberBy Mark WeberMay 9, 20243 Mins Read
    Asia Mall, 12160 Technology Drive, will soon add parking stalls so that customers aren’t parking at nearby businesses. File photo

    Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall, which has turned an empty Gander Mountain building into a retail success story, will now tackle its parking problem, with a remedy approved this week by city and watershed district officials.

    A project is set to begin soon that will add 122 parking spaces at 12160 Technology Drive, primarily where a stormwater pond currently sits on the east end of the property. An underground stormwater management system will replace the pond beneath the new parking area. This system will drain into nearby Lake Idlewild.

    Suspecting a future parking shortage, the city council, in its 2021 approval of the project, required the Asia Mall to return to the council if parking problems developed. Indeed, on occasion, the parking lot has filled. City staff say customers have been observed parking at adjacent private properties and crossing Technology Drive, causing safety concerns for both pedestrians and motorists.

    “We need more parking,” confirmed Amor Zhao, co-owner of the food hall, which opened in November 2022.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn McReavy

    The project, outlined Tuesday to the Eden Prairie City Council and Wednesday to the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District, will raise the number of Asia Mall parking spaces to 424. According to the owners, that’s well beyond the mall’s peak needs measured over the past two weekends: 247 stalls on April 27-28 and 252 stalls on May 4-5.

    Officials hope the additional parking, though still short of city code requirements by 21 spaces, will be sufficient for the long term.

    “Is this a permanent fix?” Council Member Mark Freiberg asked at Tuesday’s meeting.

    “The building is nearly 100 percent built out,” responded Wayde Johnson of Amcon Construction, representing the Asia Mall’s owners. “I think the numbers we’re seeing have enough bounce in them that it would more than accommodate what comes up in the future.”

    The council approved the project on a 4-0 vote. No public testimony was offered at Tuesday’s hearing.

    The watershed district subsequently OK’d a permit for the work, with conditions, on Wednesday. Watershed officials concluded that if all of their requirements are followed, the new stormwater management system should work better than what exists now in terms of flood control and the quality of water eventually flowing to Lake Idlewild.

    The Asia Mall won a 2022 award from the Real Estate Journal for best retail project, and received a special visit from Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Guzman one year ago.

    Business owners connected to the mall also recently announced the purchase of a 100,000-square-foot building connected to Northtown Mall in Blaine, where they will construct a similar project called Asia Village. They noted there will be more than 1,500 parking spaces at the new location.

    Comments
    We offer several ways for our readers to provide feedback. Your comments are welcome on our social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn). We also encourage Letters to the Editor; submission guidelines can be found on our Contact Us page. If you believe this story has an error or you would like to get in touch with the author, please connect with us.

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleJoseph Johns
    Next Article Community forum with CMS principal candidates set for May 14

    More to READ

    1 Min Read

    Register Night to Unite parties by July 28

    July 1, 2025
    5 Mins Read

    Flying Red Horse lands again

    June 27, 2025
    1 Min Read

    Riley Lake Beach reopens after algae bloom clears

    June 26, 2025
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    Is there more political violence? Here’s what the limited research shows

    July 1, 2025

    Eden Prairie police urge caution around fireworks ahead of Fourth of July

    July 1, 2025

    Register Night to Unite parties by July 28

    July 1, 2025

    Dark nights and darker reminders in Guthrie’s ‘Cabaret’

    June 30, 2025

    Minneapolis man charged with fleeing Eden Prairie police during DWI stop

    June 30, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    INN Network Member Guidestar Gold Seal
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2025
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.