5 minute read
NEXT DEVELOPMENT
from Chaska NEXT! 2022
Construction of new homes at The Harvest near Big Woods Boulevard and Highway 212 is kicking into high gear. Developments south of Big Woods Boulevard are moving forward as well.
PHOTO BY ERIC KRAUSHAR
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WELCOMING COMMUNITY
Chaska is growing at highest rate seen in many years
BY ERIC KRAUSHAR
A decade ago, a drive on County Road 140 heading west from downtown Chaska would have been met with farmhouses dotting the landscape. It was a back way west to Waconia, or an alternate route to the newly opened Mills Fleet Farm in Carver.
That same drive now leads to Chaska’s biggest residential development in decades. Access to Highway 212 has also been added. The southwest corner of Chaska is the future for growth for the Twin Cities suburb that is equal part metro, and equal part hometown.
“The way I look at it, Chaska has been a growing community for quite some time,” said Nate Kabat, Chaska community development director. “What we’re seeing right now is everything we planned for. What we saw coming. What is different from expectations is the pace that is occurring is faster than we’ve ever seen before.”
Kabat, who has been in his position for six years, said the city is experiencing “historic levels of development.”
“It’s a symptom of the broader landscape. There is such high demand for new residences. Where Chaska is located in the metro, we stand to strategically benefit from this,” Kabat said. “The last six months, it’s been a remarkable change.”
RICH LANDSCAPE
The Harvest, one of the largest residential developments in the Big Woods Boulevard area, boasts location with the beauty of the Minnesota River Valley. An area with wide open lots, natural wetlands, trails and parks.
Tradition Companies describes the development as one with great character. “Each home built in The Harvest is architecturally intended to be unique and different from their neighbor’s home, yet still maintaining a traditional neighborhood feel.”
Founders Ridge is located on the south side of Big Woods Boulevard. While phase one continues to see builds, the next section of growth, with Ensconced Woods and Rivertown Heights, was approved in a spring Chaska City Council meeting. “When the interchange was added, it was a big strategic initiative by the city along with (Carver County) and MnDOT. It took some work to get the funding, but I think it’s safe to say it was a gamechanger for the area. It makes it a lot more convenient for residents getting on and off the highway,” Kabat said.
Adelwood, an age-restricted housing development off Highway 41 on the hill above downtown Chaska, is approaching 100 completed homes with planned development on the north and west zones of the property.
Other projects that have been approved in 2022 include a 107-lot and 152-unit apartment building at Oak Creek/ Sagewood development in the Clover Ridge area and an 86-lot development at the Reserve at Autumn Woods off Audubon Road.
“Chaska is an attractive place to develop. There is a lot of competition, and the current market drives up the quality of development. I also think we need to give credit to the City Council. Through the years, they have maintained a priority of thinking forward. A thinking that Chaska is a place that is valued. When you have a council that over a long period of time maintains that consistency, it goes a long way with developers,” Kabat said.
Nate Kabat
Chaska Community Development Director
PHOTO BY ERIC KRAUSHAR
When all is said and done, the development of the Big Woods Boulevard/Highway 212 area will bring other amenities to the city of Chaska with the addition of a new community park. Eastern Carver County Schools also owns land for a potential elementary school in the next decade.
WHY CHASKA?
That question can be summed up generally by the vision of the city as a whole.
“There’s been this longstanding intentional goal of Chaska being somewhere you can live, work and raise a family. We have kept an eye on a metric of having two jobs per household in this community,” Kabat said.
It’s why two targeted areas for business development have been so important to the city’s continued future growth.
The Chaska Creek Business Park, an 83-acre mixed development with flexibility to accommodate retail, office and industrial users of all sizes, is located on the southwest corner of Engler Boulevard and Highway 212.
Oppidan Investment Company set into motion construction of a third phase that will break ground in July 2022 and be ready in 2023. Phase one will also be completed this summer, while phase two has a target date of November 2022.
Jay Moore with Oppidan said they plan to open each building as they are completed, bringing new jobs to the area.
The city of Chaska isn’t just stopping there. They have targeted the area west of Big Woods Boulevard and Highway 212 for a guided industrial business park.
“That area is something like 350 acres. There’s a lot that needs to happen, roads, sewer, water connection. But we estimate it could bring up to 10,000 jobs to the city once completed,” Kabat said.
Part of Kabat and his team’s job is promoting to companies what Chaska has to offer.
“Sometimes you have a business that is looking to relocate or expand, actively looking for different opportunities. But there are also opportunities to promote ourselves with various conventions. We are looking at what businesses we’re hoping to have so we can target them,” Kabat said.
Regional partnerships with entities like the Greater MSP is a connecting point between the city and developers.
“It is about developing those relationships with partners, the broker community. The reputation a city has. All those things and when you have a strong vision, a vision of developing a whole community that includes miles of trails and parks, companies want to be a part of a thriving community,” Kabat said.
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