A quick recap of housing news and development updates

Plymouth aims to create a downtown area for the city by bringing its City Center 2.0 plan to life. The plan will bring more entertainment, nightlife, restaurants and housing to the already commercially dense area. At a recent meeting, city staff pointed to greater density being a crucial piece of the plan; the vast majority of buildings in the area are one story.

“Developers are, I think, really excited about this because they can do that density,” said planning and development manager, Chloe McGuire, at the meeting.

Developers have been asked to integrate more mixed-use structures as well as consider walkability and bike-ability, with city staffers referencing the vibrancy of areas like 50th and France in Edina and the North Loop in downtown Minneapolis. City staff are working through design guidelines and code updates, and residents can expect additional public discussions throughout the summer as the process moves forward.

In April, the Shakopee City Council approved a rezoning and preliminary plat for D.R. Horton’s proposed HighView Park, a new development that would deliver 601 housing units to the area. HighView Park will span about 237 acres and will include 509 single-family homes and 92 twin homes. The project will expand on D.R. Horton’s current Windermere development, which includes both commercial properties and about 600 housing units. According to Mark Noble, senior city planner, the homes will be priced anywhere from $390,000 to $625,000 and are sized between 1,800 square feet to 2,800 square feet.

“We’ve got a pretty good mix across all income housing types in our community,” Noble said. “[We’re] working with some good developers on some good products.”

The wide-ranging price points and continuing development boom make Shakopee a desirable city for devel opers and new residents alike.

New headquarters for Minneapolis Glass

In May, Minneapolis Glass Company broke ground on a new headquarters in Brooklyn Park poised to expand the company’s footprint to 115,000 square feet and increase the company’s capacity by more than 50%. Minneapolis