Richfield 'A Great Place to Do Business,' Says Lyndale Station Developer
The shopping center's first retailer is expected to open its doors Nov. 1.
Steve Wellington reported that his firm works solely in the metro area and owns close to 90 properties in the Twin Cities.
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Lyndale Station, the city’s newest retail center, is proceeding roughly as expected, with doors to LA Fitness to open Nov. 1.
Lyndale Station, which is taking the place of the former Kmart, is expected to eventually feature three single level retail buildings on a property located at the corner of 66th Street and Lyndale Avenue. Construction on the third building has not yet begun.
Steve Wellington, president of development company Wellington Management Inc., told some 50 residents and local businesspeople gathered for a Richfield Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week that his company remains in contract negotiations with a number of retailers interested in moving into Lyndale Station’s other two buildings. Among them are a prominent grocery chain interested in renting the entirety of a second 19,000 square foot building at the shopping center.
“I think you’ll be happy with it,” Wellington said, explaining that due to ongoing contract negotiations he couldn’t specify which grocery chain was interested.
If that chain does end up moving into the second building, Wellington said a number of retailers that might have moved into that building remain interested in moving into Lyndale Station’s third and final building, an 8,500 square-foot space that hasn't begun construction.
While his company remains dedicated to developing successful, small community shopping centers, Welllington noted that there were distinct advantages to having a major chain like LA Fitness at Lyndale Station.
“If you have a major anchor tenant bringing that kind of marketing to the site ... it makes it more likely that smaller, less creditworthy tenants [will] show up.”
Operating some 90 buildings in 23 Twin Cities communities, Wellington has 26 years of experience building retail centers. He took time out to praise the work process that led to Lyndale Station’s expedited construction process.
“It was clear that there was a passion in this community, and a sense of working together and team work that is very refreshing and encouraging,” he told the audience. “Richfield is a thriving, great place to do business.”
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Other related articles:
- Richfield City Council Hears Initial Plans for Redevelopment of Kmart Property
- HRA, Richfield City Council Receive Update on Kmart Site Plans
- Developers to Begin Kmart Demolition After the Holiday
- Wellington Postpones Kmart Demolition to Spring 2012
- Richfield’s ‘Downtown’ Quickly Getting a Facelift
- PHOTOS: Kmart Demolition In Full Swing
- What Will Richfield's LA Fitness Offer? Everything
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Richfield Chamber of Commerce
6601 Lyndale Ave S, Richfield, MN (Suite 106) -
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Beth Lankey
9:56 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Wouldn't it be amazing if the store in question was Trader Joe's?! :)
Caitlin Burgess
9:59 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
It would! However, after speaking to the city manager, Steve Devich, a few months ago, the prospect of that is not good. Since Richfield has a municipal liquor system, and Joe's has quite the wine biz, Devich essentially told me it wasn't possible. But maybe there's a loophole!
Beth Lankey
10:06 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Aw, bummer. I guess I can't really see putting any other grocery chain in there, then, with Rainbow just behind them. Doesn't seem to make much sense, and something like Cub would be so detrimental to Rainbow. :(
Annie S.
10:07 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
I doubt Trader Joe's will open a booze-free store in Richfield or Edina when they could just open one in Bloomington. Sad but true. I'm excited for LA fitness though - wish it was sooner! That bally club they're working out of is getting pretty run down.
Jeff
11:53 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Maybe they would put an Aldi in?
Annie S.
12:34 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Maybe... but there's already an Aldi on Penn in Richfield...
Caitlin Burgess
2:35 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The possibilities are endless ... Kowalski's, Whole Foods (though one just opened in Edina), maybe Rainbow wants to move? I don't know! Should be interesting to see!
Jeff
5:21 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
it seems odd that one retiler would want that whole building though... It appears to have been built to be a strip mall with the multiple entrances. You think they would re-do the front of the building if a grocer would move in?
Caitlin Burgess
6:04 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
That's exactly what I think. However, I think the grocer would incur most of the costs. But I don't know that for sure.
ann delaney
12:07 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012
Why do we need another grocery store and a chain, yet. We have a Rainbow almost on the same site, Lund's, Cub , two Target and a Wal-mart super stores , Whole Foods, Aldi's From what I understand, Trader Joe's may be opening a store down by Perkins where I believe Circuit City used to be. And World Market may be coming back to it's original building.This would be like letting CVS build in an area where there already were a half dozen pharmacy outlets. Doesn't anyone have some better ideas to put forth instead another of what we already have a number of? I'm sure many suggestions have been given but let's get real. We don't need another grocery store.
Caitlin Burgess
1:20 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012
The Lyndale Garden Center developer has also been in talks with a co-op grocer to take a space there.
Annie S.
1:32 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012
I believe the old Circut City location is in Edina, and that's the same story as Richfield, only the city can sell booze.
I agree North Richfield is saturated with grocery options. If some place like Linden Hills co-op or the Wedge wanted to move into Richfield I stilll think that would be neat. Support local businesses!
Caitlin Burgess
1:52 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012
The Wedge is awesome!
Renae Miller
12:14 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012
Yes, I want a co-op, but we certainly don't need another chain. I don't shop at them anyway! I always go to Linden Hills or to the Wedge. What we need are more restaurants! Some really good Thai food would be fantastic, something like a Sen Yai Sen Lek.
Julia
9:37 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012
Pei Wei would be wonderful! Also Chik-fil-a since they have gluten free chicken nuggets and other GF options!
Julia
9:43 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012
Congrats on getting Pizza Luce! Besides the pizza, they have great breakfasts on the weekends!
Sophie
9:17 pm on Monday, October 8, 2012
I say put a panera bread over there
Barry L
9:37 am on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
From: Barry LeBlanc <barry0404@yahoo.com>
Subject: COUNCIL MEMO NO. 96
To: john.stark@cityofrichfield.org
Cc: SDevich@cityofrichfield.org, "Pat Elliott (HRC) (CC Liaison)" <pat@elliottlaw.net>, "Debbie Goettel" <dgoettel@comcast.net>
Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 10:05 AM
Hi John,
Could you please provide the names and credentials of the Housing policy task force? Also has there been a schedule or meetings that are planned?
Best Regards,
Barry LeBlanc
612.861.1142
DISCUSSION REGARDING RICHFIELD HOUSING POLICY (HRA MEMO NO.
41, COUNCIL MEMO NO. 96)
After much discussion the consensus was to form a task force led by a facilitator and
consisting of various groups within the community and some outside organizations, such as the Metropolitan Council.
Community Development Director Stark stated he would provide a memo to all members with suggested categories of people to fill technical advisory roles, names of facilitators and their credentials, a futurist, and a schedule that will start the group to move forward.