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Home My WebLink AboutCouncil Information Memorandum 05-03-2018CITY OF PLYMOUTH COUNCIL INFO MEMO May 3, 2018 EVENTS / MEETINGS Environmental Quality Committee Agenda for May 9th ........................................ Page 2 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Agenda for May 10th ............................ Page 3 Official City Meeting Calendars .................................................................... Page 4 Tentative List of Agenda Items ..................................................................... Page 7 CORRESPONDENCE 2018 Cable Capital Grant ......................................................................... Page 10 Creek Center Community Engagement ......................................................... Page 11 Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission Public Hearing ........................ Page 12 FlashVote Gives Residents an Easy Way to Provide Feedback ............................... Page 14 Home Alone Workshop for Children Set for May 9th & 14th ................................. Page 15 Crash Vehicle, Distracted Driving Awareness Campaign Set for High School Prom Weeks ................................................................... Page 16 Conditional Use Permit for Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church at 5005 Northwest Boulevard (2017100) ..................................................... Page 17 Site Plan Amendment and Variance for 15405 Medina Road (2018023) .................... Page 18 Site Plan Amendment for Mister Car Wash at 11318 State Highway 55 (2018026) ....... Page 19 REPORTS & OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST Pulte to Build 100 Town Homes in Plymouth, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ... Page 20 Twin Cities Office Investors like Fixer-Uppers, Finance & Commerce ...................... Page 21 9 Minnesota Burger King Restaurants Close in Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ....................................................... Page 24 Developer Building 51 High-End Homes in Plymouth, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ....................................................... Page 26 Excelsior Group is Buyer of Christopher Banks & Banks HQ, Minnesota Real Estate Journal ................................................................ Page 28 Up-and-Down Day for MN Transportation Projects, Finance & Commerce ................. Page 30 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE AGENDA May 9, 2018 WHERE: MEDICINE LAKE ROOM Plymouth City Hall 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 CONSENT AGENDA All items listed on the consent agenda* are considered to be routine by the Environmental Quality Committee and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Committee member, or citizen so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered in normal sequence on the agenda. 1.7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER 2.7:00 P.M. PUBLIC FORUM – Individuals may address the Committee about any item not contained in the regular agenda. A maximum of 15 minutes is allotted for the Forum. 3.7:20 P.M APPROVAL OF AGENDA - EQC members may add items to the agenda for discussion purposes or staff direction only. The EQC will not normally take official action on items added to the agenda. 4.7:25 P.M. CONSENT AGENDA* A. 5.7:30 P.M. GENERAL BUSINESS A.Organics Review (Asche) 6.REPORTS AND STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS A.Drop Off Day B.City Sampler C.Recycling Contract 7.FUTURE MEETINGS: May 22, 2018 – Organics discussion with Hennepin County June 13, 2018 - EQC •Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan Public Meeting •Solid Waste Annual Report 8.8:00 P.M. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 Next Meeting – June 14 at the Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA 1.CALL TO ORDER 2.APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3.OPEN FORUM: 4.PRESENTATIONS (NON-ACTION ITEMS): 4a Plymouth Creek Center Project 4b Receive Annual Report – Kari Hemp (Recreation Manager) 5.NEW BUSINESS (ACTION/NON ACTION ITEMS): 5a Trail Gap Projects Update – Sonya Rippe (Project Coordinator) 5b West Metro Regional Trail Study – Sonya Rippe (Project Coordinator) 5c 2018 Strategic Plan Update 5d Draft 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Program Review (CIP) 6.COMMISSIONER/STAFF UPDATE Upcoming Community/Special Events 7.ADJOURNMENT DATE & TIME: Thursday, May 10, 2018 7:00 p.m. LOCATION: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard, Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 Page 3 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 May 2018 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR Phone: 763-509-5000 Fax: 763-509-5060 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING Medicine Lake Room SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT MEMORIAL DAY CITY OFFICES CLOSED 5:30 PM COUNCIL/EQC MEETING Organics Recycling Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 6:00 PM Walk with the Mayor Plymouth Creek Center 5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Fire Dept. Update Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 10:00 AM Bark in the Park Hilde Performance Center 8:00 AM-12:30 PM Plymouth Crime & Fire Prevention Fund Waffle Breakfast Fire Station III Page 4 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 7:00 PM HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING Medicine Lake Room 29 30 June 2018 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR Phone: 763-509-5000 Fax: 763-509-5060 5:30 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING TwinWest Up- date/Budget Goals Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING Plymouth Creek Center 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT CHANGES ARE NOTED IN RED 5:30 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING State of the Streets in Plymouth Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers Absentee Voting begins for State Primary Election Page 5 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 INDEPENDENCE DAY CITY OFFICES CLOSED 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 19 20 21 22 23 24 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 July 2018 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR Phone: 763-509-5000 Fax: 763-509-5060 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Medicine Lake Room CITY COUNCIL FILINGS OPEN Mayor, At Large, Ward 2 and Ward 4 SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT 7:00 PM HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING Medicine Lake Room 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM Music in Plymouth Hilde Performance Center Page 6 Note: Special Meeting topics have been set by Council; all other topics are tentative. EDA refers to the Economic Development Authority Tentative Schedule for City Council Agenda Items May 22, Council/EQC Meeting, 5:30 p.m. Medicine Lake Room •Organics recycling May 22, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers •Proclaim June 2 as “Arbor Day” •Project and assessment hearing for the State Highway 55 frontage road construction project (13002) •Consider Reguiding and Sketch Plan for a residential subdivision to be called "Greenway North" on property located at 18405, 18515 and 18535 County Road 47, 6035 Troy Lane and 5945 Troy Lane (Pulte Homes of Minnesota – 2018022) •Legislative update •Quarterly City Manager’s update following regular meeting June 12, Special, 5:30 p.m. Medicine Lake Room •TwinWest update •Budget goals June 12, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers •Public improvement and special assessment hearing for the Troy Lane reconstruction project (ST180002) June 26, Special, 5:30 p.m. Medicine Lake Room •State of the Streets in Plymouth June 26, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers •Appoint election judges for the 2018 Primary and General Elections •Public improvement and special assessment hearing for the 2018 Mill and Overlay project (ST189004.002) July 24, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers August 21, Special, 5:30 p.m. Medicine Lake Room •Budget and CIP •If necessary, conduct regular meeting at 7 p.m. and then recess back to study session August 28, Special, 5:30 p.m. Medicine Lake Room •Budget and CIP August 28, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers September 4, Special, 6:00 p.m. Medicine Lake Room (if needed) •Budget and CIP Page 7 September 11, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers •City Manager’s 2018 Financial Overview •Consider 2019 proposed budget, preliminary general property tax levy, HRA levy and setting budget public hearing date September 25, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers October 9, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers October 23, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers November 13, Special, 5:30 p.m. Medicine Lake Room (if needed) •Budget and CIP November 13, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers •Canvass 2018 General Election results November 27, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers December 11, Regular, 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers •Recognize Police Citizen Academy graduates •Public hearing on 2019 budget, general property tax levy, HRA levy, and 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Program Page 8 BUDGET PROCESS Budget Calendar 2018-2019 Biennial Budget Preparation & 5-yr Capital Improvement Plan Date Category Description April 23, 2018 Budget Departments receive budget instruction June 12, 2018 Budget Council Study Session – Budget Goals April – June 2018 Budget Departments prepare budgets May 7, 2018 Budget Personnel changes submitted to HR June 11, 2018 Budget Budgets submitted to Finance July 9 – July 13, 2018 Budget Department meetings August 10, 2017 Budget Council receives budget materials for upcoming meeting August 21, 2018 Budget & CIP Council study session (Budget & CIP meeting #1) August 28, 2018 Budget & CIP Council Study Session (Budget & CIP meeting #2) Council Regular Session (Financial Overview) September 4, 2018 Budget & CIP Council Study Session (Budget meeting #3) (if needed) September 11, 2018 Budget Council adopts preliminary levies & budget (Budget meeting #4) October 3, 2018 CIP Planning Commission public hearing November 13, 2018 Budget Council Study Session (Budget meeting #5) (If needed) December 11, 2018 Budget & CIP Budget Public Hearing, CIP, Budget & Levy Adoption December 26, 2018 Budget Levy is certified with Hennepin County Page 9 6900 Winnetka Avenue North Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 Northwest Suburbs Phone: 763.536.8355 Cable Communications Commission Web: www.nwsccc.org April 30, 2018 Helen LaFave City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Helen, Enclosed you will find a check for the quarterly payment of the 2018 Cable Capital Grant in the amount of 16,404.98. The grant,to be paid quarterly, is comprised of a flat grant to each city plus a proportional grant determined by the number of subscribers within each city. The schedule for these payments will be January 30th ,April 30th, July 30th and October 30th. If the 30th lands on a weekend the payment will be sent prior to the 30th Your payment breaks down as follows: CITY OF PLYMOUTH 2018 Flat Grant 19,477.00 2018 Proportional Grant 46,142.93 Annual Total: 65,619.93 Total divided by 4= 16,404.98 per quarter Please note that the actual dollar amounts of these grants change each year depending on the number of cable subscribers. If you have any questions, please call me at 763-278-4168. Sincerely, ht,,J2-4/w Michael Json, Executive Director Northwest Suburbs Cable Communications Commission cc: Jodi Bursheim Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Park • Crystal • Golden Valley • Maple Grove • New Hope + Osseo • Plymouth • RobbinsdalePage 10 We want your ideas Help shape the future of the PCC plymouthmn.gov/pccproject July 17-19 plymouthmn.gov/flashvote Join the FlashVote community. Civic participation has never been easier. Give us your input in seconds, from any device, anytime. May 15 - Aug. 28 Stop, see, share suggestions Plymouth Creek Center – 14800 34th Ave. N. Parks & Recreation Office – 3400 Plymouth Blvd. INTERACTIVE BOARDS May 15 - Aug. 28 Page 11 Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission 7800 Golden Valley Road | Golden Valley, MN 55427 | www.bassettcreekwmo.org | Established 1968 Crystal | Golden Valley | Medicine Lake | Minneapolis | Minnetonka | New Hope | Plymouth | Robbinsdale | St. Louis Park NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Proposed Minor Plan Amendment to the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission’s September 2015 Watershed Management Plan NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC) will hold a public hearing during its regular meeting on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. at Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, Minnesota. Interested persons are invited to attend. The purpose of the public hearing is to answer questions about the proposed minor plan amendment to the BCWMC’s September 2015 Watershed Management Plan and to hear public testimony and comments of member cities regarding the proposed amendment. The proposed minor plan amendment involves revisions to the Capital Improvement Program (CIP): •Adding the Ponderosa Woods Stream Restoration Project (ML-22) to the CIP. This project in the City of Plymouth will reduce erosion, total suspended solids, and phosphorous loading to Medicine Lake. •Adding the Bassett Creek Park Water Quality Improvement Project (BC-11) to the CIP. This project in the City of Minneapolis will include construction of water quality treatment facilities benefitting the main stem of Bassett Creek in cooperation with a park renovation project by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Although not requiring a formal amendment, Table 5-3 will also be updated to: •Move the “Bryn Mawr Meadows Water Quality Improvement Project (BC-5)” in the City of Minneapolis from 2019 to 2020 to better align with the schedule for design and construction of park improvements by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. •Schedule the project “Retention of impervious area drainage at Ridgedale area (e.g., bioswales, tree trenches, rain gardens) to reduce phosphorus loading to Crane Lake (CL-3)” for 2020 to coincide with reconstruction of Ridgedale Drive in the City of Minnetonka. Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission Page 12 Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission 7800 Golden Valley Road | Golden Valley, MN 55427 | www.bassettcreekwmo.org | Established 1968 Crystal | Golden Valley | Medicine Lake | Minneapolis | Minnetonka | New Hope | Plymouth | Robbinsdale | St. Louis Park •Schedule the “Main Stem Channel Restoration, Bassett Creek Drive to Golden Valley Road (2021CR-M)” in the City of Go lden Valley for 2024. This project in the City of Golden Valley will include bank stabilization measures and erosion repair to reduce phosphorus and sediment loading to the creek. You can view all proposed changes to Capital Improvement Program (Table 5-3) of the 2015 Watershed Management Plan and view fact sheets on all proposed additions to the CIP on the BCWMC website at: www.bassettcreekwmo.org/document/wmp-plans. A levy of an ad valorem property tax by Hennepin County on property within the Bassett Creek Watershed is the proposed method of payment for the costs of the CIP Projects. BASSETT CREEK WATERSHED MANAGEMENT COMMISSION Laura Jester, Administrator Page 13 City of Plymouth News Release For Immediate Release May 1, 2018 Contact: Laurie Hokkanen Administrative Services Director City of Plymouth 763-509-5051 lhokkanen@PlymouthMN.gov FlashVote gives Plymouth residents an easy way to provide feedback Plymouth, Minn. – Those who can spare a minute or so a month to give feedback to the City of Plymouth are encouraged to sign up for FlashVote – a new online survey tool that gives residents a quick and easy way to share input with the city. The first FlashVote survey is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15. The newest addition to the city’s community engagement toolbox, FlashVote will help the city hear from residents more frequently about an array of topics. “It’s a quick and convenient way for residents to let us know how we’re doing and for us to garner feedback,” said Administrative Services Director Laurie Hokkanen. Fast Feedback With FlashVote, residents sign up to receive surveys of no more than five questions that take a minute or two to complete. At maximum, residents would receive 12 surveys per year. Because of the ease of the survey, FlashVote gives residents who typically don’t interact with the city a greater opportunity to provide feedback. Easy to Access Participants can choose to receive surveys via email, text message, phone call or by logging onto an internet browser. Surveys are open for 48 hours and residents can review citywide results 24 hours after a survey is closed. “Our intent with this new tool is to cast a wide net to get resident feedback,” Hokkanen said. “Additionally, the results we collect will help us fine tune the way we work and provide information we need to make sure city services are high quality.” Sign Up To sign up, visit plymouthmn.gov/FlashVote. Registration requires that users create a login ID and password. All that is required to register is an email, first and last name, gender and year of birth. Many users provide their home address, though it is not required. After registration is submitted, users will receive an email containing a link they must click to activate registration. Once activated, users can customize their username identity settings and preferences, including the method of delivery and time of day they receive survey notifications. Residents who choose to participate can also opt out at any time. User information is not shared with other organizations. -30- Page 14 City of Plymouth News Release For Immediate Release May 1, 2018 Contact: Sara Lynn Cwayna Public Safety Education Specialist City of Plymouth 763-509-5198 scwayna@plymouthmn.gov Home Alone Workshop for children set for May 9, May 14 Plymouth, Minn. – Two Home Alone Workshops are set for 6:30-7:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 9 and Monday, May 14 in the second-floor training room of the Plymouth Public Safety Building, 3400 Plymouth Blvd. This Plymouth Public Safety Department program is geared toward children ages 8-10. The workshop teaches children how to respond to an emergency if they’re home alone. Public safety staff work interactively with participants to discuss a variety of scenarios and issues, including dialing 911, fire prevention in the home, personal safety, severe weather awareness, scalds and burns, home fire escape plans, internet safety and cyber bullying. Cost is $5 for each child. Class size is limited to 30 participants and early registration is encouraged. To register, call the Parks and Recreation Department at 763-509-5200 or visit plymouthmn.gov/recreation. -30- Page 15 City of Plymouth News Release For Immediate Release May 2, 2018 Contact: Sara Lynn Cwayna Public Safety Education Specialist City of Plymouth 763-509-5198 scwayna@plymouthmn.gov Crash vehicle, distracted driving awareness campaign set for high school prom weeks in Plymouth Plymouth, Minn. – The Plymouth Public Safety Department will hold a distracted driving awareness campaign, complete with a crash vehicle display, during prom season at three high schools in Plymouth. Plymouth police officers and firefighters will greet West Lutheran, Robbinsdale Armstrong and Wayzata High School students as they arrive at school to help educate them about the dangers of distracted driving and hand out “texting kills” wristbands. A crash vehicle, courtesy of Minnesotans for Safer Driving, will be on display at the three schools, close to each school’s respective prom week. West Lutheran High School A crash vehicle will be on display April 30-May 4 at West Lutheran High School, 3350 Harbor Lane N. Public safety staff will visit the school Friday, May 4. Robbinsdale Armstrong High School A crash vehicle will be on display May 7-11 at Armstrong High School, 10635 36th Ave. N. Public safety staff will visit the school Friday, May 11. Wayzata High School A crash vehicle will be on display, with a visit from public safety staff, Friday, May 18 at Wayzata High School, 4955 Peony Lane N. -30- Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 4/27/2018 Pulte to build 100 town homes in Plymouth - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2018/04/26/pulte-to-build-100-town-homes-in-plymouth.html?s=print 1/1 PULTE HOMES This is an example of the type of home that will be built in the Greenway North development. From the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2018/04/26/pulte-to-build-100-town-homes-in- plymouth.html Pulte to build 100 town homes in Plymouth  SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Apr 26, 2018, 8:54pm CDT Pulte Homes, the Twin Cities' third-largest homebuilder, wants to expand one of its communities in Plymouth. The development, which hasn't been officially named yet, would bring 100 two-story town homes to an extension of the company's Enclave on the Greenway community in Plymouth. It will be located near County Road 47 and Troy Lane, said P.J. Cushing, marketing manager for Pulte Group (NYSE: PHM). Plymouth's Planning Commission will review and discuss Pulte's preliminary plat on May 2, according to city documents. Cushing said it's planning to start construction in the fall, with model homes opening in spring 2019. The homes will be about 1,850 square feet and will have three bedrooms, he said. Homes will cost in the high-$200,000 range. Pulte Group brought in $8.3 billion in home sales nationally revenue in 2017, according to its annual report. Britt Johnsen Staff reporter Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF BLANDHAUSER@PLYMOUTHMN.GOV MENU  Account  Page 20 4/30/2018 Twin Cities office investors like fixer-uppers – Finance & Commerce https://finance-commerce.com/2018/04/twin-cities-office-investors-like-fixer-uppers/1/4 The atrium of West End Plaza at 1660 Hwy. 100 in St. Louis Park — which part of the West End Office Park — shows off the renovation that helped double occupancy in the entire complex. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz) Twin Cities oce investors like xer-uppers By: Matt M. Johnson April 27, 2018 3:17 pm 0 Buildings that have made or have the potential to make a comeback will be among the top office property types to sell in the Twin Cities this year as some investors look to tap unrealized value. Although 2018 started with one portfolio-topping deal — the $255 million sale of Capella Tower in February — buildings that need work, investment and boosts in occupancy are expected to be some of the most sought-after in Page 21 4/30/2018 Twin Cities office investors like fixer-uppers – Finance & Commerce https://finance-commerce.com/2018/04/twin-cities-office-investors-like-fixer-uppers/2/4 the market, said Scott Pollock, executive director of the Capital Markets Group in the Bloomington office of Cushman & Wakefield. “Many investors are looking for underachievers,” he said in an interview. Investor interest in the Twin Cities overall has been high in 2018, according to the first-quarter Marketview report from the Minneapolis office of CBRE. One indicator is 2.1 million square feet of office space in four buildings that sold in the Minneapolis central business district during the first quarter. That square footage is well above full-year volumes in 2017 and 2016, and is just behind all of 2015, in which 2.2 million square feet sold in seven downtown buildings. One recent office sale that fits the fixer-upper model was that of the troubled Northstar Center in downtown Minneapolis. In December, two investors partnered with Northstar’s landlord, PCCP of Santa Monica, California, and paid of $62.78 million in debt on the three-building, 746,003-square-foot complex at Marquette Avenue and Second Street South. Freed from debt, the complex is back on the market. The deal came a little more than a month after lenders published a foreclosure notice in Finance & Commerce. One of the Northstar buildings has been half-empty since Wells Fargo vacated the building for its new office campus in Downtown East. Other office buildings with similar challenges have been turned around and filled, even though the Twin Cities office market has a 17.8 percent vacancy rate. That’s up from 16.3 percent at the end of 2017. When Excelsior Group paid $40 million for the 560,000-square-foot Parkdales office complex in St. Louis Park in 2015, the multi-building complex had a 37.5 percent vacancy rate. “We had our eye on it for quite a while and were monitoring its performance,” said Chris Culp, CEO and a partner in the St. Louis Park-based Excelsior Group, which renamed the complex the West End Office Park. Excelsior immediately started $12.5 million in upgrades to the buildings, which include West End Plaza at 1600 and 1660 S. Highway 100; West End Center at 5100 Gamble Drive; West End One at 5401 Gamble Drive; West End Two at 5402 Gamble Drive; West End Three at 5354 Parkdale Drive; and West End Four at 5353 Gamble Drive. Excelsior actually had to increase the vacancy rate for a while in one building by letting some leases lapse so work could be completed. The renovation “touched virtually every surface in the buildings,” Culp said. Today Excelsior has leased 90 percent of the complex. The company has also raised rents 40 to 50 percent, he said.  Page 22 4/30/2018 Twin Cities office investors like fixer-uppers – Finance & Commerce https://finance-commerce.com/2018/04/twin-cities-office-investors-like-fixer-uppers/3/4 The vacancy rate for the Interstate 394 corridor, of which West End Office Park is part, was 11.7 percent in the first quarter of 2016, according to CBRE. Vacancy reductions like that, as well as improving rents, draw buyers, said Cushman & Wakefield’s Pollock. Brokers declined to say which office buildings are listed for sale in the Twin Cities. Pricing for whatever sells this year may vary widely, said Jim Damiani, executive managing director with the Minneapolis office of Newmark Knight Frank. Vacancy rates are just one factor. “It’s building-specific,” he said in an interview. Appealing floorplans and strong amenities will draw tenants, he said, which will in turn draw buyers when a building goes on the market. That was the case with 330 South Second in downtown Minneapolis, which sold for $20 million in March. Seller Government Properties Income Trust remodeled the 235,246-square-foot building and increased occupancy from 45 to 93 percent before putting it on the market, Finance & Commerce reported. New tenants were drawn by the building’s new look, and by rents that were lower than in many downtown buildings, said Jon Dahl, a managing director with the Twin Cities office of JLL. JLL manages leasing for 330 South Second. The offices are considered to be a Class B property, he said. “It’s essentially a value alternative for tenants downtown,” Dahl said in an interview at the time of the sale. The Minneapolis central business district had an overall vacancy rate of 22 percent during the first quarter of the year, up from 17.8 percent in the fourth quarter. The vacancy rate for Class A properties was 15.1, while Class B is 37.7 percent. The vacancy rate for Class C space was 18.9 percent, according to CBRE. Finance & Commerce staff writer Matt M. Johnson contributed to this report. Related: Parkdales’ proximity to West End appeals to buyer Foreclosure looms for Parkdale complex Page 23 5/1/2018 9 Minnesota Burger King restaurants close in Minnesota - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2018/05/01/9-minnesota-burger-king-restaurants-close-in.html?s=print 1/1 AL LEWIS Nine Minnesota Burger King locations closed suddenly last month. From the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2018/05/01/9-minnesota-burger-king-restaurants-close-in.html Restaurant Watch 9 Minnesota Burger King restaurants close in Minnesota May 1, 2018, 1:49pm CDT Updated: May 1, 2018, 2:03pm CDT Nine Burger King restaurants in Minnesota closed on April 16 as the company that franchised the locations goes through bankruptcy court. The restaurants were franchised by P3 Foods LLC, a Plainfield, Ill.-based company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2016. Court documents show that in early April, P3 Foods' franchise agreement with Burger King and its leases were terminated. These two closed outside of the metro area: Brainerd (808 W. Washington) St. Cloud (222 Lincoln Ave. SE) Fox 9 reports that the closures put 200 employees at the restaurants out of work. Richard Hirsh, the lawyer representing P3 Foods in the case, said a deal was struck Tuesday to pay employees for their work at the restaurants through mid-April, totaling around $145,000. It's unclear if another company will look to franchise the shuttered locations. The St. Cloud Times reports that the Burger King has a sign up saying the location is only temporarily closed. Officials at Miami-based Burger King Worldwide could not be reached for comment. Maple Grove-based Viking Restaurants, the biggest Minnesota-based franchisee of Burger Kings with 28 locations, declined to comment on the vacant stores. The largest owner of Burger King restaurants in Minnesota is Tri City Foods, based in Downers Grove, Ill., operating 40 of the outlets in Minnesota, according to this Business Journal List compiled last year: Dan DeBaun Staff reporter/Digital producer Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF BLANDHAUSER@PLYMOUTHMN.GOV MENU  Account  Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33