Arbor Lakes

Arbor Lakes is a commercial and residential district located in downtown Maple Grove, Minnesota, a western suburb of Minneapolis. Construction of Arbor Lakes began in the late 1990s with a simulacrum of a traditional American Main Street designed in neotraditional style. The second phase (completed in 2003) included the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, Minnesota's first lifestyle center, which includes neotraditional elements. The third phase, The Fountains at Arbor Lakes, is approximately 850,000 square feet (79,000 m²) in size and includes a Main Street-inspired entrance, with two hotels, several restaurants, and a number of junior anchors. The fourth phase, Reflections at Arbor Lakes, will include a four-star Radisson Hotel, senior housing, office complexes, and some retail.

History

The land now occupied by the Arbor Lakes district was formerly an active gravel mine owned primarily by C.S. McCrossan and Tiller Corporation. The City of Maple Grove first began planning for a civic center in the late 1980s, as identified in former comprehensive land use plans.

A special gravel mining area (GMA) report was conducted in the 1990s to analyze the socioeconomic feasibility of such a project. Construction on Arbor Lakes began in 1997 with the Main Street district.

The gravel mines east of Arbor Lakes are still active. In sum, the inactive and active gravel mines total nearly 2,000 acres (8.1 km²), making the Arbor Lakes area the largest undeveloped urban infill site in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Main Street

Main Street in Maple Grove, Minnesota

Main Street and its accompanying anchors represent the inceptive phase of Arbor Lakes, beginning in 1997. Largely unchartered in suburban environments, city planners worked closely with developers to pioneer a relatively dense, urban commercial and residential district in the geographic heart of the city. Main Street runs north-south near the west end of the Arbor Lakes district, intersecting Elm Creek Boulevard at the south and Weaver Lake Road at the north.

Unlike more traditional, historic "main streets" (which grew little by little over the course of several decades), Maple Grove's Main Street was built over an approximate five-year time span, from 1997 to 2001. Main Street is surrounded by junior anchors (e.g., Byerly's, Babies R Us, JoAnn Etc., Sports Authority) and other retail/restaurants (e.g., Olive Garden, Buca di Beppo).

The Main Street district is directly adjacent to the Great River Energy headquarters, which is located just east of Main Street. Great River Energy relocated its headquarters from Elk River to Maple Grove in 2008, constructing what became Minnesota's first Platinum LEED building. The facility incorporates many "green" technologies such as a 250-foot (76 m) wind turbine, photovoltaic cells, rain gardens, rain water re-use, green/recycled building materials, and so on.

The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes

The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, Maple Grove, Minnesota

The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, Maple Grove, Minnesota

The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes is a 412,000-square-foot (38,300 m²) lifestyle center located at the intersection of Hemlock Lane and Elm Creek Boulevard in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The mall was designed by KKE Architects of Minneapolis and developed by Opus Northwest in collaboration with Red Development. The center opened September 12, 2003. The Shoppes are designed to have the look and feel of a traditional Main Street. Unlike a regional mall, which would have anchor tenants (generally department stores such as Macy's or Marshall Field's), the lifestyle center aims to have smaller, boutique-styled stores.

In keeping with the lifestyle center tradition, the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes is made up of mainly upscale national chains such as Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Abercrombie and Fitch, Express and American Eagle.

Local stores also have a presence at the Shoppes. Hot Mama, which also has a location at Edina's 50th & France shopping district and GoodThings (also in White Bear Lake), represent the local presence at the Shoppes. Unfortunately, lease costs are often prohibitive for small businesses, and many of them often end up locating in older, less expensive strip malls west of the Arbor Lakes area.

The primary target markets for lifestyle centers such as the Shoppes are affluent women and youth. These demographic groups also happen to have the most purchasing power in the United States of America.

In 2005, Opus and Red Development worked to open Woodbury Lakes in Woodbury, Minnesota, an eastern suburb that shares similar demographics with Maple Grove. In October 2009, Woodbury Lakes went into bankruptcy, but remains open to the public.

The Fountains at Arbor Lakes

The Fountains at Arbor Lakes is a "hybrid power center" retail concept, approximately 850,000 square feet (79,000 m²) in size (nearby Ridgedale, while an enclosed regional mall, contains approximately the same square footage).

Junior anchors include national chains such as REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW and Marshall's. Anchors include Lowe's, Costco, a Venetian-themed Holiday Inn and Suites with 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m²) indoor water park, Courtyard by Marriott and a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m²) Dave and Buster's entertainment facility and restaurant. The shopping center also features at its main entrance a Main Street simulacrum, which is designed to inspire an urban, pedestrian-friendly coexistence with vehicular traffic.

The retail center has several small land parcels available for development, while the majority of the center is leased.

Reflections at Arbor Lakes

As part of the most recent phase of the Arbor Lakes regional commercial center, Reflections at Arbor Lakes will feature several multi-story office buildings (modeled after Edina's Centennial Lakes high-rise office district), a Radisson hotel and several retail components. The Maple Grove City Council approved the project in early 2008.

External links

• The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes official website
• Arbor Lakes Business Listing website