A plan to build a service station and auto-repair shop in the southeastern corner of Eden Prairie ran into familiar opposition Tuesday, Aug. 17. The Eden Prairie City Council said the proposed 16-pump Holiday service station and 10-bay Auto Care World auto-repair business were too intense for a four-acre site that’s bordered on two sides by homes. Perhaps anticipating a legal challenge, they instructed their city attorney to prepare a formal “findings for denial” that the council could adopt at its next meeting. All five council members said they feel the plan falls short of expectations for a neighborhood commercial…
Author: Mark Weber
Mark Weber
Mark joined the Eden Prairie News as a reporter in 1979, just five years after its start, and spent the next 34 years in various roles including editor and publisher, as well as general manager of the parent company, Southwest Newspapers. He also published Edible Twin Cities magazine. His encore career was serving the nonprofit Eden Prairie Community Foundation as executive director. Mark is now retired. He and his wife, Roma, have two grown sons and a daughter-in-law, as well as a grandson. They have lived in Eden Prairie since 1984. "I hope the many words I have typed over the years have helped people understand the world around them."
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Among the development projects the Eden Prairie City Council will consider at its Tuesday, Aug. 17 meeting is a plan for a Holiday gas station, car wash, and convenience store and a 10-bay Auto Care World auto repair business next door, all on an undeveloped, four-acre site at the intersection of Pioneer Trail/County Road 1 and Hennepin Town Road in southeastern Eden Prairie. It’s a project the Eden Prairie Planning Commission turned down on an 8-0 vote June 14 in the face of significant neighborhood opposition. Also on Tuesday’s city council agenda are: Asian Plaza, an Asian-themed mix of grocery,…
Another local body has approved plans for Noble Hill. Noble Hill is a controversial, 50-home development proposed by Pulte Homes near Riley Creek and the Fredrick-Miller Spring in Eden Prairie. The 3-2 vote Aug. 12 by the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District approves a permit for the project. It also leaves an opposition group few options aside from a court challenge. Activists react: Spring Valley Friends “We’re disappointed by the decision, obviously,” said Rebecca Prochaska, a member of the group now known as Spring Valley Friends. The group responded to the latest decision by citing new and ongoing concerns by University…
Eaton Corporation, an Eden Prairie company with a long and storied past, has been sold to a Danish industrial company. On Aug. 2 Eaton Corp. finalized the $3.3 billion sale of its hydraulics business – including a plant and offices along Highway 5 in Eden Prairie – to Danfoss A/S. In the process, Danfoss grows by one-third and establishes itself as a global leader in mobile and industrial hydraulics. The Eaton hydraulics business is being combined with the Danfoss Power Solutions business segment, doubling the size of Danfoss’ hydraulics operations and adding approximately 10,000 employees – including 440 who work…
Recognition and honors continue to trickle in for an Eden Prairie Library renovation that most Eden Prairie residents have not seen. The latest accolade comes from the Minnesota business news organization Finance & Commerce, which in July named the $12.1 million renovation one of the “Top Projects of 2020.” The library, closed for the 14-month-long construction project, was reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 25, 2020 but was in service less than four weeks before being closed by rapidly escalating COVID-19 restrictions. The library has slowly reopened for most uses. However, group activities such as children’s story time are yet…
An all-electric Tesla Model Y vehicle is about to be put into service as a patrol car for the Eden Prairie Police Department. Will it pass the test? City officials are eager to know if it will have all the performance and durability of a traditional gas-powered patrol car—the fast acceleration, hard braking, responsive steering, heavy mileage, and dependability in all kinds of weather – not to mention the environmental and financial pay-offs over time. Nothing is certain, as only a handful of police departments across the country have deployed electric vehicles (EVs) as bona-fide patrol cars. EVs as cars…
Design of a “splash pad” water feature that would be added to Nesbitt Preserve Park in southeastern Eden Prairie is among the items on the Eden Prairie City Council’s agenda for Tuesday, July 13. For options to watch the live Eden Prairie City Council meeting on July 13 starting at 7 p.m. click here. If approved, the project would be accomplished next spring and would add greater geographic balance to the splash pads that exist in Eden Prairie. Already in place are splash pads at Round Lake Park and Miller Park, in the city’s western half. A splash pad is…
Controversy over the Noble Hill housing development project in southwestern Eden Prairie detonated in 2021. The reasons for the dispute are familiar to witnesses of other development battles in EP: proximity to treasured natural resources, engineering hurdles, questions over the need for more study, and a dose of Not in My Backyard (NIMBY). (See addl. EPLN reporting on the issue) But the biggest reason seemed to be the question of whether nearby Fredrick-Miller Spring, a city-owned landmark that attracts people from throughout the metro area and beyond, would be compromised. Opponents to Noble Hill said yes. The Eden Prairie City…
An Asian-themed mix of grocery, restaurant, retail, and office uses would occupy the former Gander Mountain building at 12160 Technology Drive if a plan now being reviewed by city officials is approved. A big first step was accomplished Monday, June 28, when the Eden Prairie Planning Commission endorsed the multi-tenant project, called Asian Plaza, which now advances to city council review. The concept is similar to the food halls that are springing up across the country: a sprawling market that showcases numerous vendors and shops, most with a food theme. The local plan would be anchored by nearly 32,000 square…
The long-closed Burger King restaurant at Highway 5 and County Road 4 may soon be replaced by another Burger King building, under a plan approved unanimously Monday evening, June 28, by the Eden Prairie Planning Commission. The new restaurant would have a more modern look that is a new prototype for Burger King. It would have two drive-through-service lanes and an outdoor playground for children. The developer is Cave Enterprises Operating LLC, which is headquartered in Chicago and has 166 Burger King restaurants in six states. Its representative said Monday that Cave was encouraged by corporate Burger King to look…