Another Building Upgrade? You Bet!

The spurt of beautification around Hopkins continues with a makeover to a building at Seventh Street South and 11th Avenue South.

DNR Real Estate bought the near-empty building in February and had it full by March, said Doug Petty, with DNR. The company has already started work on an improved exterior and plans other upgrades, such as new signage and irrigated landscaping. In the next couple years, it plans a parking lot replacement.

The improvements comes at about the same time as:

• Renovation to the Powell Business Center on Excelsior,
• A planned overhaul of the now-vacant ,
• The reopening of a and
• The demolition of at .

The Seventh Street building hasn’t been at its best in recent times. It was previously the site of a business that made plumbing fittings. But the man who owned the building died, leaving ownership to his wife. The business shrunk until it occupied just one bay of the building, with an upholstery company called Interior Workmen occupying another bay.

But after DNR bought it, the building filled at a pace that surprised even Petty. It now houses:

• Cloud Nine Dog Training,
• Interior Workmen,
• Belrose Hardwood Floors and
• PC Doodle, a computer company.

Petty credits the quick fill-up to the company’s ability to negotiate reasonable leases. DNR has about four buildings, so it can afford to make a smaller percentage off each lease.

The company also targeted Hopkins because it’s a location that serves the Lake Minnetonka area, Petty said. Highway 169 offers good accessibility, and Hopkins is a tech-savvy community with lots of small businesses.

“Hopkins has got a really diverse population.” he said.