It didn’t take long for a sparkling new plan to emerge from the vacant car wash at 8280 Flying Cloud Drive.
Mister Car Wash opened a new location Nov. 20 at the corner of Flying Cloud and Prairie Center drives, and now there’s a proposal to demolish and replace the company’s old car wash just a block away.
Taking its place would be a new Veridian Credit Union. The redevelopment plan was unanimously endorsed Monday, June 23, by the Eden Prairie Planning Commission.
Why it matters: The project would put a prominent commercial lot – the former Mister Car Wash site – back into use, benefiting Eden Prairie’s property-tax base.
The planning commission reviews development proposals and makes recommendations to the Eden Prairie City Council, which will review the Veridian project at a future meeting. The project also needs a stormwater management permit from the watershed district.
The site, less than one acre, is at the northwest corner of Flying Cloud Drive and Middleset Road, next to a retail building that houses Carlson’s Piano World and a Midas auto-repair shop.
Proposed is demolition of the abandoned car wash and construction of a freestanding, one-level, 2,890-square-foot credit union with a drive-through.
Not familiar with Veridian Credit Union? It was founded in 1934, during the Great Depression, when a handful of John Deere employees in Waterloo, Iowa, pooled their money – $5 each – as an alternative to commercial banks and other for-profit financial institutions, according to the company’s website. Veridian’s 2024 annual report says the financial institution had nearly 350,000 member customers and $7.96 billion in assets at the end of last year.
Still based in Waterloo, the not-for-profit credit union has more than 30 branches in Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota – including at 6385 Old Shady Oak Road in northeastern Eden Prairie. Company representatives said Monday that Veridian will continue to operate its Old Shady Oak Road branch, which is inside an office building near the Optum campus.
Wondering about the word viridian? It comes from the Latin “viridis,” which means green, blooming or vigorous, according to the Latin Lexicon, an online Latin dictionary. The credit union’s proposed building would use the company’s signature green as an accent color.
The company’s plan to bring a modern building to the Flying Cloud Drive streetscape received the planning commission’s recommendation for approval without much debate. The current lot has two driveways off Middleset Road, and its easternmost driveway – formerly the car wash’s exit – will be removed for safety reasons. Some tree removal is planned, but four of seven mature trees on the site will stay, according to the company’s representatives.
The Redmond Co., which is working with Veridian on the project, said a start to construction depends on how soon the city completes its review process, but it could happen in the fall.
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