Falcon Heights Town Square News

November 16, 2005

Gala Grand Opening!

A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the official opening of Falcon Heights Town Square yesterday.

Mayor Susan Gehrz welcomed neighbors, friends and guests and introduced the distinguished speakers: Peter Bell, Metropolitan Council Chair; Bob Odman, Deputy Director of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency; Janice Rettman, Ramsey County Commissioner; Howard Goldman, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; George Sherman, Sherman Associates, Inc.

The speakers were joined at the ribbon cutting by Rep. Alice Hausman, Council Members Laura Kuettel, Peter Lindstrom and Rick Talbot and City Administrator Heather Worthington.

Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a "Taste of Falcon Heights." Local restaurants gave out samples of their fine fare in three locations while musicians provided a variety of entertainment. Falcon Heights businesses were on hand to give out information on their services.

Representatives of local service organizations and city agencies also were available to talk to visitors about volunteer and recreational community opportunities.

Special thanks to event sponsors:

• Arthur Williams Optical
• Chianti Grill
• Chin's Kitchen
• The Coffee Grounds
• Dino's Gyros
• Hermes Floral
• Jackson Hewitt
• Jimmy John's
• Pizza Hut
• Schwan's

And especially, thanks to Sherman Associates, Inc., developer of Falcon Heights Town Square, for hosting this community event!

November 7, 2005

Sports Barber Pulls Out Of FH Town Square

Sherman Associates confirmed that Sports Barber, one of the expected retail tenants in the new building, will not be moving into the new Falcon Heights Town Square building after all. The unit at 1538 Larpenteur is available again.

The first three retail tenants are open or getting ready to open:

• Pizza Hut at 1544 Larpenteur
• Arthur Williams Optical at 1542 Larpenteur
• Jackson Hewitt at 1540 Larpenteur

November 1, 2005

Falcon Heights Town Square
Grand Opening

Tuesday November 15, 4 - 7 p.m.

Please join your new neighbors on the SE corner of Snelling and Larpenteur for a "Taste of Falcon Heights" and celebration of the grand opening of the new housing and retail.

Local restaurants will be serving their delicacies, and you will have an opportunity to see the new development firsthand.

This event is paid for and sponsored by Sherman Associates. Falcon Heights residents and businesses should look for an invitation in their mailboxes.

August 24, 2005

Multi-Family Building

Residents began moving in at the beginning of July. According to Sherman Associates, this is the fastest lease-out of any building they've ever opened. A few apartment vacancies remain.

A number of apartment residents have been parking on California, due to a late change in the tenant parking arrangements in the underground parking of the building. This is not what residents were led to expect at the community meetings before the start of the project. The city is requiring the builder to solve the problem, consistent with the development agreement. California residents are being kept informed of the progress on this situation.

Some residents have asked if the cornice on the roof of the building is “unfinished.” It is finished. It is an architectural feature that was part of the original design.

Shops on Larpenteur

Pizza Hut is open, and three other businesses are set to occupy the ground floor units of the multi-family building. The large commercial unit on the east end is still vacant. It could be subdivided into two smaller units.

Parking for these businesses is in the surface lot behind the building. Vehicle entry drives come from Larpenteur and Arona.

Townhomes

Plans have been submitted for the Phase III townhomes on Arona. We expect permits to be issued in mid-September. Excavation will start after the State Fair, and construction will take place over the winter. The homes will be ready for their new owners to move in sometime next spring.

February 25, 2005

Residents who drive past the Falcon Heights Town Square site have a pretty good idea of how construction is coming along. Here are answers to some of the questions we've had.

When will the new multi-family building be done?

Construction is expected to wind up about the middle of this year.

What are the stores going to be?

Pizza Hut will occupy the corner space. Work is about to begin on the interior. The restaurant may be open as early as May. Other businesses are a barber, a dentist and an insurance office. We are told there is still one vacant unit.

Are all the apartments in the senior building full?

No, there are still vacancies. If you want to know who to call, look here.

When does construction start on the townhomes on the Arona side?

Fall of 2005.

What's going on on the northwest corner of Snelling/Larpenteur?

Warner Stellian, which owns the whole building, is completing a major face lift of the exterior. Stores are open during construction.

September 14, 2004

Senior Building Welcomes First Residents

The first residents began moving into the senior building on Friday, September 10. The landscaping is in, and it looks pretty nice!

Exterior finish is going up on the south wing of the multi-family building

8/6/04

NW Corner Facelift Begins

The owners of the Warner Stellian building on the northwest corner of Snelling and Larpenteur have taken out a permit for a major facelift of the building. The covered walkway will be replaced and new wall surfaces and lighting will be installed. The building was constructed in the 1950s.

SE Corner Progress

Work on the Senior Building is nearly complete. Sherman Associates anticipates a mid-September opening for that building, and they have more than half of the units rented. Sidewalks and landscaping are going in. The Multi-family building is framed to the fourth story at the south end. For more information, take a look at the latest issue of Construction Notes.

Residents are reminded to exercise caution when driving in the area. Please contact City Administrator Heather Worthington if you have any concerns about the project. If you see suspicious behavior on or around the site after hours, call 911 immediately.

7/12/04

Second Story Rises

Work is reported to be "flying along" on the multi-family building! The soil correction at the north end of the site tested clean, so foundation work could go ahead at that end of the building last week. At the south end, the first floor is up and the second floor is being framed in.

Some residents have pointed out that the foundation of that building appears closer to the street than the senior building. This is because that section will allow them to accommodate more underground parking — the “Build-To” line for that building is identical to the Senior Building.

According to latest reports from the developer, the Senior Building was almost 50% leased.

Please see also: Curtiss Field Update

6/25/04

Multi-Family Building Going Up Fast

Builders are making good progress on the first level of the multi-family building. They are already laying floor trusses on the south end. The contractor ran into some bad soils on the north end, so that has slowed progress on that portion of the building with the parking garage level. This is a good opportunity to see how the interior parking lot will be "decked over" the underground parking. Once the building is complete, it won't be as easy to tell that it's not a standard parking lot there — you can see this from the Larpenteur side of the site.

6/15/04

Model Apartment Opens in Senior Building

Monday-Friday, 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

The model is on the Arona Street side. There is no on-site parking, but street parking is available on California. Please walk up the east side of Arona and use the traffic light to cross.

For information about the senior apartments, please contact Matt Swanson, 612-337-2658.

6/7/04

Developer Announces Tenants

Today George Sherman of Sherman Associates gave the City Administrator a list of tenants who have leased commercial space in the new building:

1. Pizza Hut
2. Au Bon Pain (coffee, sandwiches, etc.)
3. Williams Optical
4. A children's dentistry

One more space remains to be filled.

4/30/04

The End of an Era!

It started life as a gas station, stood for years as a sandwich shop, and ended its career as the first Dino's Gyros. The last building on the old Northome Shopping Center site came down on Friday, April 30, 2004. Dino's opened in their new location, one block north, on April 15.

4/29/04

The latest construction newsletter is posted here.

Disconnection of the Xcel natural gas lines to the old restaurants has taken a little longer than expected, postponing the demolition of the old Dino's until Friday, April 30, at the earliest

On Tuesday, April 27, the Mayor, three members of the Council and several City Staff toured the new Senior building which is under construction. A public open house is planned for late May. Watch for announcements!

4/2/04

Rental/Lease/Sale Contact Update

Senior Apartments

Matt Swanson, 612-337-2658

Rental Apartments and For Sale Townhomes

Karen Hassan, 612-328-3480

Joy LaDuke, 612-328-2425

Retail Leasing

Jeff Hauge, 612-436-1133

Jessika Zellner, 612-436-2202

Dino's Opens Soon

According to their staff, the new store opens it's doors on April 15!

2/11/04

1/30/04

Workers clear snow from the top of the first story of the Senior Building on the cold morning of January 27.

You may notice a plume of steam rising from the Senior Building. This is the ground underneath the building in the parking garage releasing water and drying out before concrete can be poured for the floor of the garage.

The City has added a four-car row of parking on the west side of Arona, south of the gate into the redevelopment site. The parking restricitons for this area are identical to those on the east side of Arona at Larpenteur.

More information in the January edition of the SE Corner construction newsletter.

1/5/04

The first two Construction Update newsletters are now available here. Paper copies of the update are delivered to Northome residents at the end of the month.

The first floor goes up for the senior independent living building.

12/22/03

Rental and Townhome Contacts Announced

This information has changed. Please see our Frequently Asked Questions Page.

10/30/03

"The way it should be done."

More than one speaker at Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony characterized Falcon Heights' SE Corner redevelopment as a sterling example of how to do everything right launching an inner suburb mixed-use redevelopment.

Mayor Susan Gehrz welcomed over 100 people, including many residents and invited guests, to the outdoor afternoon event at the Falcon Heights Town Square Site. It was neither simple nor easy, she said, but “all the stars were in line.” The project could not have been brought to this point without the hard work of many people and the cooperation of many partners over some five years of effort.

Among the special guests representing those partners were Peter Bell, Chairman of the Metropolitan Council, Tim Marx, Commissioner of Housing of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, Janice Rettman, Ramsey County Commissioner, Joe Carlile representing Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Howard Goldman of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, George Sherman of Sherman Associates, Inc., developer of the site, and Heather Worthington, City Administrator of Falcon Heights.

Highest praise and gratitude was directed to the residents and business owners of Falcon Heights, who participated in the process through a series of at least 20 community meetings and whose input shaped the project from the beginning.

We would also like to thank the following for making this development possible

Funders

City of Falcon Heights
• Family Housing Fund
• Fannie Mae
• Glaser Financial Group
• Greater Metropolitan Housing Corportation
• Metropolitan Council
• Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
• Ramsey County
• U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
• WNC & Associates, Inc.

Consultants

• Alliant Engineering
• Campbell Knutson
• Commercial Partners Title
• Elness Swenson Graham Architects, Inc.
• Faegre & Benson LLP
• Kraus Anderson Construction
• HR Green
• Mahoney Ulbrich Christansen Russ P.A.
• Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly
• Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc.
• Summit Envirosolutions

Special thanks to The Coffee Grounds, Event Sponsor.

10/20/03

Groundbreaking Planned for October 29

Falcon Heights residents are invited to the groundbreaking ceremony at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29, at the project site.

Postcard invitations will be mailed out this week. For more information, call City Hall, 651-792-7600, or keep watching this page.

TIP: Leave your car at home and walk to the site, weather permitting. Parking is very limited in the area.

10/16/03

10/16/06, 1:00 p.m. - Deb Jones, City Staff

10/16/06, 1:15 p.m. - Deb Jones, City Staff

October 13, 2003

Down It Comes!

10/13/06, 10:00 a.m. - Deb Jones, City Staff

With asbestos abatement completed, demolition has begun.

The site is very dangerous! Do not attempt to enter the fenced area at any time.

10/13/06, 10:00 a.m. - Deb Jones, City Staff

10/13/06, noon - Deb Jones, City Staff

Materials are being separated for recycling or appropriate disposal.

More demolition photos

Update for September 23, 2003

Pre-Construction Informational Meeting for Falcon Heights Residents

Tuesday, September 30, 2003 at 7:00 p.m.
City Hall Council Chambers
2077 West Larpenteur Ave.
(Near the intersection of Cleveland and Larpenteur)

Before construction begins on the new development, we want to invite you to an information meeting with Kraus Anderson (the general contractor) and Sherman & Associates (the redeveloper) to discuss logistics for the construction of the new development.

We will also be giving an overview of the plans for Curtiss Field, and the drainage improvements that will be made.

If you have special needs (sign language interpreter, etc.) please call City Hall at 651-792-7600 as soon as possible so arrangements can be made. If you are unable to attend, please feel free to contact Heather Worthington, City Administrator at the above number if you have questions. We will also post information from the meeting here on our website.

September 10, 2003

Property Sale Finalized; Demolition to Begin

Final documents on the sale of the SE Corner property were signed last week. Asbestos and lead abatement have been going on since the building was vacated. Within another week, the construction fence should go up around the site and demolition of the main Northome Shopping Center building will begin. Dino's will remain open (and outside the fence) until the new Dino's is ready. Pizza Hut will be relocated; we will post more information as it becomes available.

Senior Apartments Will Rise First

To allow more time for restaurant relocation, construction will begin first on the northeast portion of the site. The independent living apartments for senior citizens will be the first building to go up. The apartment building on the Snelling side well be built next. The Arona townhomes will be the final phase of the project.

August 5, 2003

Embers was demolished last week. Construction on the new Dino's restaurant will begin very soon. There are several good prospects for a new Pizza Hut site within or near the City. Preparation is under way for construction on the SE Corner site, with demolition scheduled for September.

The new housing at the SE Corner site has generated lots of interest. Please contact the developer, Sherman Associates, for information about apartment rentals and townhome sales.

June 30, 2003

Mill End Remains to August 15

The Mill End fabric store will remain open until August 15, but most other tenants have now moved out of the Northome Center. Dino's and Pizza Hut are also still open.

Preparation for construction begins with a clean-up of hazardous materials, such as lead paint and asbestos, on the site. This will take most of the rest of the summer. A lot of trash has accumulated around the dumpsters as shopping center tenants have left. We expect this will be removed during the clean-up phase.

Your patience is appreciated!

Dino's Withdraws Drive-through

A new site plan for Dino's Gyros was submitted to the City between the May 27 Planning Commission meeting and the June 11 Council meeting. The plan eliminates the controversial drive-through service and adds a significant amount of landscaping, bringing the plan up to code with respect to lot coverage. The application for a lot coverage variance was therefore withdrawn.

On June 11 the City Council approved the remaining variance on front setback, allowing the project to go ahead. Application for the building permit was submitted the last week of June, and Embers closed. The new Dino's restaurant is expected to open in October.

June 2, 2003

City Council Approves P.U.D.

The City Council approved the P.U.D. on May 14. Businesses have started to move out of the shopping center, although some will remain through the summer. The building will not be demolished until asbestos and lead paint abatement procedures have been completed.

At the May 27 meeting of the Planning Commission, two zoning variances on the proposed new Dino's restaurant were up for public hearing and consideration by the Commission. The variances that had been applied for were related to front setback and the amount of landscaping. Most residents who attended the hearing were glad that Dino's wants to remain in Falcon Heights but concerned about traffic on Crawford and Arona and about the proposed drive-through service in the new Dino's.

Although the traffic issues are not related to the variances that were under consideration, the City engineers, H.R.Green, reported on the traffic study undertaken by the City to determine the extent of cut-through traffic already using Crawford and Arona and the possible impact of a new restaurant.

After a lenthy hearing and some discussion, the Commission voted to recommend approval of the variance on front setback and denial of the variance on lot coverage/landscaping. The final decision on the variances now rests with the City Council.

Several residents have expressed a preference for Embers staying on the site. However, this is a private sale of private property and the building of a permitted use on that private property. Owners of private property are allowed to sell their property to whom they wish and to use that property according to what is permitted by law. This is true for businesses as well as home owners.

April 25, 2003

At Wednesday evening's City Council meeting, the Business Subsidy Agreement was approved. The P.U.D. was tabled to May 14, pending further review by the Capitol Region Watershed District. Groundbreaking is still on track for September.

Have you noticed? The billboard is gone!

Dino's Restaurant Announcement

Neighborhood Informational Meeting
Tuesday, May 13, 7:00 p.m.
City Hall

Plans are underway to move Dino's to a new site at the present location of Embers. The existing restaurant building will be demolished and a new building will be built just north of the present location, closer to Crawford. The proposed plan includes a drive-through and shared parking with Falcon Crossing.

April 11, 2003

On March 26 the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the P.U.D. ordinance for the SE Corner. The City Council vote will not take place until May 14. In May the Planning Commission will review plans for the townhomes portion of the development.

The existing Northome Center will close in the summer. Demolition will take place following hazardous materials abatement at the site, and construction groundbreaking is planning for September. The multi-family building and the senior independent living building will be constructed first in 2003-2004, with the townhomes going up the following year. For information on rental or townhome purchase, please contact the developer.

Dino's Gyros is moving ... to Falcon Heights! Watch for an announcement here, soon.

March 6, 2003

Public Hearing on Rezoning March 25

On March 25 the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the rezoning of the SE Corner site from B-3 to P.U.D. (Planned Unit Development). This is another formal step in the preparation to build the new development. The hearing will take place at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers. (See map below)

Following the hearing, the Planning Commission will make a formal recommendation to the City Council. The Council will take up the matter the following evening, March 26.

Meetings of the City Council and Planning Commission are always open to the public. They are also broadcast live on cable channel 15, with repeat broadcasts on a regular schedule. Streaming video is also available on the web.

More information and larger map.

February 24, 2003

Coming: Report on the February 20 meeting. In the meantime, enjoy the new drawings!

Also coming: An Frequently Asked Questions page, just for the SE Corner.

For Example:
Q: How do I find out about buying or renting a unit?
A: Contact the developer, Sherman Associates.

January 22, 2003: Things are rolling along!

Public Meeting on the SE Corner Project Announced

Thursday, February 20
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
City Hall

Drawings and floor plans will be displayed. Representatives of the developer and the architects, as well as City staff, will be there to answer your questions and listen to your comments. We look forward to seeing you there!

Planning Commission Schedules Formal Hearings on Preliminary Approvals

Also, there will be public hearings before the Planning Commission on Tuesday, February 4, at 7:00 p.m. for the formal approval of some preliminary stages in the development. The hearings are open to the public. See Legal Notices.