Opus site but EP address: Two industrial buildings approved

Few residents know that a small slice of land north of Crosstown Highway 62 is actually in Eden Prairie, not Minnetonka, even though it is part of the Opus Business Park and receives sewer and water service from the neighboring city.

The brick buildings there, once regional offices for American Family Insurance, are expected to be demolished to make way for two new industrial buildings. The redevelopment plan, slightly revised from one approved last year, was approved Tuesday, Feb. 4, by the Eden Prairie City Council.

Last year, the city approved Endeavor Development’s plan to build a single 186,000-square-foot industrial building on the property. The company has since revised its plans and is now seeking to erect two buildings – one 92,000 square feet and the other 82,000 square feet.

The larger of the two would house HM Cragg, a 57-year-old, employee-owned company that provides backup power solutions. The company was formerly located in Eden Prairie, moved to Edina, and is now looking at returning to EP. The second building has no tenant identified at this time.

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The new site plan is similar to the one the city approved last year in terms of architecture, building materials, access, building orientation, and the location of parking and loading docks.

HM Cragg needs secure parking to protect its vehicles from vandalism, so Endeavor Development proposed a parking area surrounded by a black chain-link fence with tan screening fabric. City staff said that did not meet city code, so the fencing has been upgraded to a composite material made from recycled materials.

Endeavor’s Joe Bergman said the plan will revitalize an obsolete office site and make for a nice, visible gateway to Eden Prairie. The council agreed, unanimously approving the plan change.

The decision includes early issuance of a permit that allows Endeavor to begin work on the site before all of the approval documents are finalized.