04-24-1995 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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February 9. 1995 Hopkins on the move To the Editor We'd like to share with you some exciting new developments taking place in Hopkins. We have been working for more than a year on a possible project for the for mer Suburban Chevrolet site in down town Hopkins. Our vision, shared by many of you. is that Hopkins will be home toa movie theater and restaurant. Recently, the Hopkins Housing and Redevelopment Authority approved a devdopmcnl agreement with The Heard Group—the company working on the proje^ This was an important step, although much work remains to be done. 1 he development agreement spells out what William Beard and his company and the city need to do to turn our vision into reality. It's not a "done deal" and there are more hurdles to jump; however, we are further along on a movie theater pro ject than ever beforc.If all goes well, shovels could hit the dirt this No* w \ The former Bursch's rcstaurar • hs, >: empty for a number of years, <« ,1 •*- -e now is a proposal to renovate the buil ing into retail space. This proposed ject is exciting because it not only*’will renovate an existing empty building in downtown Hopkins, but will help an existing Hopkins business expand its operations. The Lommens, doing business as The Little Blind Spot in downtown Hopkins, want to turn the Bursch's building into a "home improvement center," with retail. Weekly NewsLettersproduction and warelwuse space. We have an agreement with Dale Lommen and his family and business partners that says we will strongly con sider this important redevelopment site for this project. You should be hearing more about it in the future. There also is the possibility that a 13-acre vacant site near the southeast comer of County Road 3 and 11th Avenue could soon be the world headquarters for a corporation that manufactures, sells, assembles and stores promotional print ing packages. The proposal includes a 261,200-square-foot building with office, manufacturing and warehouse space. This project will enhance our tar and employment base—a p>osilive devclop>- ment for ail. Any' and all of thej e projects would have a tren'endous positive impact on the quality of life, appearance aiui tax base on our community. We'll keep you informed. Mayor Chuck Redepenning, and Councilmenibers Robert Anderson, Fran Hesch, Chuck Kri recently settled in thei^thinkJng they had found a quiet sylvan setting. But the hard fact is Old Beach Road, like all roads, has seen a big increase in traffic over the years- It didn't happen overnight. As a resident in the lake area for nearly 35 years, I will say this stretch of road has been a popular passage. The heavy use suggests city and county officials should plan upgrading to better handle the flow. Our taxes dictate the decision should be based on accommodating the greatest number of people, not the fewest. In 1994, the city of Ore no received $321,000 in state aid for road construc tion and maintenance. In 1995, the slate aid for rc^ds will be $335,000. It might be none of this is earmarked for Old Beach Road, but it clearly shows how Orono can stretch its road budget with state funds to which we c* . .'onlribule. A perplexing pan of this business: Why didn't the Orono P’.4nning com- mission show any concen this mat- luck Knij^r and housing development ugene approved for this area? Normally, a builder would have at least suggested Rodd should Stdy opon^^ closingoftheroadandacul-de-sacifhe To the Editor ^ thought the city might approve. The recent closing of Old Beach Road in , developer now prepared to Orono was quite a shock. 1 lore is an ^ cul-de-sac to han- important thoroughfare, built and main- f'«-<-’''-ucks, snowplows and school lained all those years with public money, suddenly closed to form a private dead end driveway to serve a very limited number of homes. I can sympathize with those w'ho buses? This whole after-the-fact approach to Old Beach Road is much too late, in my opinion. About 35 years too late. L.G. Murray, Tonka Bay Referendum supported To the Editor As we approach the Feb. 14 date for voting on the Minnetonka bond referen dum, i would like.ail concerned parents and citizens to vote "yes" for our chil dren's future. A “yes" vole will allow our children to receive a quality educa tion from the elementary scKmI level through high school. After all, what attractexJ many of us to relocate to this area was this high standard of excel lence in the Minnetonka School District. I et's not fail to maintain it! Cathy Schaus, Shorewood Good schools not a luxury To the Editor. This is written in support of the Minnetonka Schools referendum. The need for a remodeled and expanded high school, expanded middle schmis and tech nology capital is real, it is important and it is being provided for wisely in this refer endum. good education is not a luxury and is a benefit to all in our community and nation. Adequate facilities are a required building block of our school sys tem. The students that will use the facilities to be funded by the referendum are in the schools now. The buildings will be fully used for many years. *The plan unani mously approved by the board is creative and financially responsible. Continued on page 6 Vi ■|