You may have noticed construction equipment and development taking place around St. Michael this summer and perhaps wondered what a project is destined to become. Here’s a summary of what the busy summer building season has in store:
In the Town Center area, Aspen Dental broke ground near CVS on a 4,200 square-foot dental office. A little east of town center, Community Development Bank is preparing for a two-story, 10,000 square-foot addition to their building, which will provide additional space for the bank and its tenants plus provide some new tenant space.
Further down Highway 241, Rachel Contracting has broken ground on a 28,000 square-foot, two-story office building on the lot adjacent to their current facility. Rachel will continue to use its current building for maintenance and storage. The plan includes an option for a future 10,000 square foot addition along with a possible future 18,000 square-foot shop building.
Many local residents are highly anticipating the return of the St. Michael Dairy Queen after last winter’s fire left it shuttered. The old building has now been completely cleared away, and St. Michael’s city administrator, Steve Bot, said the owner plans to build the largest and most modern Dairy Queen franchise model that the company currently builds.
“The owners and many in the community are naturally disappointed that the St. Michael Dairy Queen won’t be open this summer, but should be back next summer even bigger and better,” Bot said.
Churches
The town’s church construction continues to boom, with two off Frankfort Parkway, Northwest Bible Church and Westbridge, either newly complete or reaching completion. Westbridge’s services have officially relocated from their former home at Middle School West. Another church, Alleluia Lutheran Church, has submitted a concept plan for a new church off 30th St. on the south side of town.
Residential Development
On the residential side, the new development Fieldstone Passage has broken ground behind Fieldstone Elementary School, with plans to begin construction on the neighborhood’s first homes this fall.
The city council approved moving forward with a third workforce housing apartment complex on the southeast corner of SH 241 and Hillcrest Drive. The three story, 48-unit complex required changing the city’s comprehensive plan for that space from commercial to high density housing, along with a rezoning from general business to multi-family residential. The council has completed those steps and has approved the development’s preliminary and final plats. City staff feels using the land for high density residential would serve as a good transition between residential and commercial spaces in the surrounding area. Sand Companies hopes to begin the 12-month construction process this fall.
a rendering of Sand Company’s forthcoming Hillcrest Estates apartment complex
St. Michael’s city council has recently received revised concept plans for two other potential housing developments, one from M/I Homes for the 54-acre plot of land just south of 30th St. NE and just east of Alleluia Lutheran Church’s land, and the other called Anton Village from The Excelsior Group for 160-acres just south of Fieldstone Passage off Jamison Ave. and CSAH 119. Both developers brought updated concept plans to the council in May or June based on previous feedback that their plans’ lot sizes were too narrow.
M/I Home’s updated plan includes 67 villa lots and 50 single family lots with lot widths ranging from 55-65 feet and 7.5 foot side yard setbacks on all lots; the previous plan called for some lots as narrow as 40 feet with 5 feet side yard setbacks. The Excelsior Group’s revised plans call for 227 65-foot wide lots and 101 55-foot lots. Representatives from The Excelsior Group said their proposal has a similar density to the Royal Meadows neighborhood to the south, while including more open space, fewer streets and a 15-acre park that would serve as an extension to Gutzwiller park and would include soccer and baseball fields and more parking. A traffic study will be conducted to determine how to safely locate a park so near CSAH 119, with councilmembers pondering the possibility of a roundabout. Results of the traffic study will be forthcoming.