urbanMSP

Emerson expanding location in Eden Prairie, Shakopee, and Chanhassen

Several hundred more jobs in the suburbs which can pretty much only be reached by car.

Emerson is right next to the future Mitchell Station from the SWLRT, and the Chanhassen location is connected by a bus courtesy of SW Transit

Aaah! Thanks. That’s good to hear. Hopefully they don’t decide to terminate the LRT short of the Mitchell Station as some have suggested.

[former Emerson employee] Well, that's not entirely true. The Chanhassen facility is served only by the 684 for reverse commuting, which has some pretty terrible service. 4 trips each in the AM & PM, with headways ranging from 25 min to 1 hour+. Trip times are outrageous, taking 1:15+ to go from downtown (Marquette/4th), or 43 mins from Southdale. For first shift floor workers, the first bus doesn't even arrive until 6:54, half an hour after work starts. Other options for catching a bus include the Southwest "Village" park and ride, a grueling 1+ mile walk along (and crossing!) a 4 lane highway, or the DT Chanhassen station (0.75 miles away, but you get to cross 5 which adds minimum 2-3 minute wait). This is not a location served by transit.

Shakopee has nothing.

And the EP facility is actually by the planned EP Town Center station, along Technology Dr between Prairie Center Dr & Flying Cloud. I'd say they lucked into this (future) transit accessibility, but it's at least a positive. I know people have great hope for this area, and certainly they'll make improvements to walking connections on day 1. But I'm highly skeptical that this area can become the type of walkable, urban node we're all praying it will to anchor EP (it certainly has the most potential for non-industrial, non-massive park and ride spots of all EP's if you ask me). But Emerson just renovated this facility, the Costco next door is fairly new, and Walmart just renovated that store. All of them will want to maintain their parking (or, most of it), and I can't imagine those parcels changing for many years. And certainly that E-W "new roadway" running right through the Emerson building aint happening.

Oh! I got Eaton mixed up with Emerson, still good news either way for the Town center future station. Hopefully the EP mall realizes that no one really goes there anymore and decides to sell some of their parking for housing or mixed-use. Seriously, look at that thing of Google maps, that's how it is usually. Target is the fullest lot because.. they're target. It's going to be interesting what EP does in the next 5 years

Did EP Mall change much in the past 4 years, cuz the last time we were there it seemed quite popular/busy and literally 0/no vacant storefronts?

Yes. It's a lot of come and go stores that shut down seasonally. It's really sad and dull inside the mall now. It feels dark and just strange. DSW moved in which boosted things a little but mostly people go there for Target, Von Maur, Kohls, AMC and Scheels. Whenever I'm there it's just a few middle aged women going shopping. Definitely not as packed as it used to be. One of the other anchors keeping it going are the restaurants like Wildfire and Prairie Ale House. It's nothing like Southdale has become.

Hmm.. EP is my local mall, and I can't really agree with your characterization of it. It seems every bit as busy and popular as the other malls around town. What days/times do you usually go there?

And Southdale has become a popular mall all of the sudden?!?! Sorry, it's been over a year since I've been to the area and 4 years since I last lived there. Southdale was going the way of Brookdale Mall last time I was in there -- a future seemed utterly hopeless not long ago.

The remodel of Southdale has certainly make it look clean and light and airy inside again, but I also wouldn't call it popular or overly busy. It still feels oddly empty.

I'd have to concur. It looks great, and retail occupancy has improved by leaps and bounds (awkward partial 3rd floor excepted...that's still 90% empty). But it still isn't very busy, and there are whole corridors of blank walls. I'm sure I've repeated this ad nauseam, but I think they missed a huge opportunity with the renovation to downsize. Addition by subtraction, if you will. There's just too much room, and too much leaseable space for the area, considering the proximity of Galleria and numerous strip malls in the area competing with Southdale itself. Has anyone heard anything about Dave & Busters moving forward on Southdale's 3rd floor? It's too bad that didn't come up before/during the renovation, they could have at least partially addressed the after hours circulation/security concerns in the building design.

Idea (for all struggling regional malls): y'know how there are for-profit colleges, college branch locations (like Mankato State - Edina), community colleges, etc. located in various multi-tenant office buildings around the metro? Wouldn't extra/unused space in a mall actually be pretty compatible with those uses? Compared to some random freeway-adjacent suburban office building (i.e. 7700 France for Mankato State), I'd personally much rather attend classes at the mall. Food court options abound, plentiful parking, hit up some shopping errands after class. Heck, there might even be a daycare attached, etc.

Nothing more about Dave and Busters since the announcement a few months back.

Idea (for all struggling regional malls): y'know how there are for-profit colleges, college branch locations (like Mankato State - Edina), community colleges, etc. located in various multi-tenant office buildings around the metro? Wouldn't extra/unused space in a mall actually be pretty compatible with those uses? Compared to some random freeway-adjacent suburban office building (i.e. 7700 France for Mankato State), I'd personally much rather attend classes at the mall. Food court options abound, plentiful parking, hit up some shopping errands after class. Heck, there might even be a daycare attached, etc.

Cool idea! Add in the housing going in (like near Southdale), and Victor Gruen may be starting to smile somewhere.

^Doesn't this happen at the MOA?

I guess here's the thing. The stores in the mall are pretty dated and on the wings of the mall they're pretty empty. Aren't malls kind of the stereotypical high school hangout? That's not how it is here but I always see kids I know from Edina hanging out at southdale. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh to the inside of the mall but from the outside, it's becoming a little harder to ignore the crumbling concrete, dying trees, and potholes littering the "Mall Boulevard". I might be dreaming but I just feel like there needs to be more housing closer to the mall. They put townhouses across the stroad separating the mall but come on!

As good a thread for this, Edina teardowns are at record pace.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/280602512.html

There is a fantastic long comment that mentions these upsizing homes are adding so much inventory of large expensive custom homes that there may not have enough buyers in a future downturn that these homes could need to get subdivided into duplexes or tri/quad plexes as was done in Kenwood in the past.

I wonder if it will be easy to subdivide these houses. At least easier than spec built McMansions. I'd sure hope that a custom home is of higher quality than spec built.

"Golden Valley reaping benefits of West End growth in St. Louis Park
Long-awaited development is spilling across I-394 from St. Louis Park."
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/280672422.html

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but another Chick-fil-A is going in, this time in Eagan. Located off Yankee Doodle next to the TCF bank near Byerly's.

Also, Al Bakers will be torn down and a 4-story Holiday Inn will take its place.

Bring Me the News adds a little tidbit that the Biz Journal didn't have.

It only seems fitting that the largest office complex in Minnesota was sold recently in the largest real estate transaction in state history.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... -zell.html