Since an initial concept plan for the Oak Ridge Commons development was first approved in March 2020, Chaska residents have been long awaiting the opening the community’s own Costco.
City officials expect the bulk retailer to open sometime next year. The 164,500 square-foot building will be on the east end of a 66.8 acre lot — of which 55.5 acres are able to be developed.
“We do expect to see the Costco building taking shape as we get into 2023,” said Nate Kabat, Chaska’s community development director. “What I’ve been told is that their eyes are on 2024 for being ready to open.”
He noted that passersby will see the leveling of the land and other prep work that started in late 2022. As of Jan. 6, Kabat said Costco had not filled out a permit application.
“I think that’s because there’s more work to be done on the site preparation, so the grading, getting some of the roadway networks in and those sorts of things that need to be finished before Costco is ready to begin putting walls up,” he said.
According to the Request for Action in the June 20 agenda packet, the section on tree preservation notes that of the 904 trees on the site, 638 trees will be removed.
But this development will include more than Costco. The final approval plan for Oak Ridge Commons from June 20, 2022, includes the Oak Ridge Conference Center and Hotel, a multi-family residential development called Springs at McKnight Lake and a new roundabout.
“There’s a long-standing vision for Chaska,” Kabat said. “Recognizing that this is a growing community and understanding where we are located in the context of the broader Twin Cities region and having a desire to be considered a full service community.”
LIVING
Springs at McKnight Lake will consist of 280 market-rate units across 14 residential buildings (20 units per building). There will be a variety of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedrooms unit options and a 4,630 square-foot clubhouse, car care area, pet areas, storage lockers and a range of parking/garage options.
The approved plan includes exterior design schemes: contemporary, craftsman, ranch and prairie.
“The Springs, they’ve got some footings that are in the ground for their community facility that they will have,” Kabat said. “They’ve also begun to (apply for) building permits.”
ROUNDABOUT
As noted in the Request for Action on the development in the June 20 agenda packet, the development team and city of Chaska worked with MnDOT for two years to ensure that “access to (and from) this site is safe and efficient.”
“There’ll be a roundabout built on 41 and Peavey to accommodate the main access for that project,” Kabat said. “Work on that is expected to happen early spring of this year.”
That construction should be completed by the end of the 2023 construction season, according to Kabat. He did note, however, that the construction of that roundabout is dependent on how much snow falls the rest of the winter and into the spring construction season.
Regardless, at some point this year, Kabat said there will be an approximately 90-day closure between Hazeltine Boulevard and Lyman Boulevard to accommodate the roundabout construction.
“I think the community has been really receptive and have felt that this is a positive project,” Kabat said. “Obviously, there’s folks that are proximate to the site who are looking at it and wondering what those changes in traffic patterns are going to look like and how that’s going to impact them.”