Friday, April 12, 2013
The new PA Exchange will have a similar mix of products but will not offer loans, purchases or other financial services.
A Pawn America retail spin-off is coming to Hopkins this summer, Twin Cities Business reported Thursday. The new PA Exchange is a retail-only store that will sell “second hand, refurbished and select new items,” according to a press release from parent company Rixmann Cos. The mix of items sold will be similar to Pawn America, but the new store will not offer loans, purchases or other financial services. The Hopkins store will be located at 172 Blake Road N. beside the Blake Road Pawn America store, according to Twin Cities Business. Click here to read the full story.
44.927702
-93.3857
172 Blake Rd N, Hopkins, MN
/articles/pawn-america-retail-spin-off-coming-to-blake-road-in-june
/locations/9222251
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Southwest Light Rail project needs park and rides so commuters can use the trains.
Early parking projections for the Southwest Light Rail Transit project estimate that Hopkins’ three stations would need to provide about 835 spots between them, the Metropolitan Council told Patch. Parking is among the City of Hopkins’ biggest concerns about the project. Officials’ response to the Southwest LRT’s draft environmental impact statement, the primary review document, focused heavily on the prospect of park and rides at the three stations—Blake, Downtown and Shady Oak. They worry that parking could create traffic problems and take land that could be used for redevelopment. The city has had particular worries about parking at the Downtown Station. Planners have long envisioned the station as a so-called “kiss and ride” that would…
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Hopkins is spearheading the formation of a committee that will come up with a plan to transform the corridor into a “complete street.”
Developers evaluating Southwest Transitway stations saw big potential around the one near Blake Road, but there was one big caveat: The road needs to be transformed into a “complete street” that is more pedestrian and bike friendly between Excelsior and Highway 7. Researchers have made recommendations along those lines in no less than six studies dating back to 2003. The area may have seen improvements around Cottageville Park over the years, and residents can look forward to further improvements, such as the redevelopment of the Cold Storage site. But Blake Road itself is largely unchanged from the time that first study was published. “There’s a lot of things that are happening,” said City Engineer John Bradford. “The one thing that’s …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The neighborhood would benefit from moving the proposed light rail station closer to Blake Road, but a development panel thought the area is a great spot for housing.
The Blake Station on the proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit line is a “prime site” for housing and has incredible development potential—but it will require the continued improvement of the Blake Road corridor that the city envisions. That’s the conclusion a panel of developers, market specialists and urban designers arrived at after a multi-part workshop examining five key station areas on the line: Mitchell and Golden Triangle stations in Eden Prairie, Blake Station in Hopkins, Beltline Station in St. Louis Park and Penn Station in Minneapolis. The panel also opted to look at the Town Center station in Eden Prairie. Click on the PDF to the right of this article to view the station locations. The goal of the Southwest Corridor …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The final offer was much higher than the market value. Patch explores why that’s the case.
If you look for the value of the 531 Blake Road duplex on Hennepin County property records, you’ll find a figure less than half the $340,000 that the city offered before the deal fell through. Those records put the market value for the property at $162,000. But that low figure mainly arises because there’s a lag from the time the appraisal was done until it’s published. Click here to read why the deal fell through. When the Metropolitan Council was trying to acquire the property in 2010 or 2011, it obtained an appraisal that came back with a $245,000 to $265,000 value, property owner David Gimberline said. That’s closer, but it’s still nearly $100,000 off the city’s final offer. An appraisal Gimberline had done in 2005 or 2006 comes much …
The City of Hopkins disagrees with the property owner about whether he should be able to continue collecting rent for a period after the sale.
The City of Hopkins and the owner of a duplex that is supposed to be part of the newly expanded Cottageville Park have hit an impasse in their negotiations, making it likely that park development will have to continue without the property. As recently as December, the city and David Gimberline, who owns both units in the 431 Blake Road duplex, appeared on the verge of a $340,000 deal. But Gimberline wants to be allowed to collect rent on the other unit in the property for a period after he sells the duplex He said he needs the rent as extra security since property values have fallen even as loans and other duplexes are harder to come by. The extra income would provide a safety net during the time it takes to find and a purchase a new …
44.932106
-93.385718
431 Blake Rd N, Hopkins, MN
/articles/cottageville-park-duplex-deal-appears-to-have-fallen-through
/locations/8658582
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The plan aims to transform the neighborhood park into a place that will attract people from across the region.
New Cottageville Park features such as a green roof pavilion and remade landscape could push the redesign cost up to $5.8 million, according to a draft master plan that a consultant presented to the City Council on Tuesday. The Cuningham Group has been putting together the plan since the city hired the Minneapolis-based firm in June to come up with ideas on how to use the newly enlarged park. It’s unlikely the city will be able to afford all the improvements in the plan at once, but early in the project a Cuningham landscape architect promised that “each phase of the project should look complete, intentional and fully functional.” Consequently, Cuningham offered three levels of park improvements: The plan is about more than just the …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The city is hosting an open house to unveil the new park plan Dec. 18.
The City of Hopkins is inviting residents to check out a consultant’s final plan for Cottageville Park. The Cuningham Group will unveil its plan for the Blake Road park at an open house from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at City Hall. Hopkins selected the Minneapolis-based firm in June to come up with options for the park. The open house should be the first chance for the public to get a look at the Cottageville Park Master Plan. It’s unlikely the city will be able to afford all the improvements in the plan at once, but a Cuningham landscape architect promised at the beginning that “each phase of the project should look complete, intentional and fully functional.” Cuningham will also work with Hopkins to identify grants—particularly small …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Family Resources & Child Care Center plans a facility next to the Hopkins Arbie’s after abandoning plans for one near the Interlachen neighborhood.
A St. Paul company is trying again to start a Hopkins day care after a representative slammed the community’s business climate four months ago in the face of neighbor opposition and a traffic study that prompted them to back off their initial plan. Hopkins’ Zoning and Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended that the City Council grant a conditional use permit to Family Resources & Child Care Center for a facility at 126 Blake Road N. The company plans a four-classroom day care that will serve up to 62 children. Family Resources initially tried to start an extended-hours day care facility at Excelsior and Blake. The Excelsior Boulevard property is already zoned for business, and day cares are allowed there with a conditional use permit. …
44.927049
-93.3857
126 Blake Rd N, Hopkins, MN
/articles/controversial-day-care-center-resurrected-on-blake-road
/locations/8249958
Monday, October 29, 2012
A look at the twists and turns on the journey that led to a Blake Road retail center that will have Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Bruegger’s Bagels, a Sprint store and a Fantastic Sams.
There’s been no shortage of excitement since Hopkins learned about the tenants who’ll be moving in to the Knollwood Crossings retail center being built at the old BP site on 525 Blake Road N. But the project isn’t just exciting because of the new restaurants and stores setting up shop on a parcel that’s long been an eyesore. It’s thrilling because it marks the end of a development process that has seen several stops and starts along the way. Here’s a look at how it happened. *** 1968: The structure that currently occupies the site was first built in 1968, according to Hennepin County property records. 2006 to 2011: The property came under the ownership of Samawi & Sons Properties Llc. in May 2006. However, the property struggled and …
44.934203
-93.385704
525 Blake Rd N, Hopkins, MN
/articles/from-bp-to-bruegger-s-how-the-knollwood-crossings-project-happened
/locations/8079270
Sean Hayford Oleary
12:32 pm on Sunday, April 7, 2013
"But the Southwest LRT project also needs sufficient parking for the commuters who will make the line financially viable." I am curious what the numbers actually look like for park and ride. Parking structures are enormously expensive to build and maintain -- compared to the more traditional transit amenities of a shelter and a trash can, if you're doing well. Have other P&Rs (say, the 28th Ave P… more ›