Goodwill Plans for Second Store in Maple Grove Approved by City Council
The proposed building is slated for construction near the former Mann Theatre site.
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Plans to build a second Goodwill retail store in Maple Grove moves forward recent approval of the PUD Development Stage Plan by the Maple Grove City Council.
The request to construct a 20,600 square foot retail facility on approximately 2-acres on the WhirlyBall Twin Cities (former Mann Theatre) site came before the council Sept. 4.
Maple Grove city staff previously wrote the proposed plan is “relatively simple” with the square shaped building sitting near the center of the lot, parking areas on the south and east side, drive-through for donation drop-offs on the west side and a loading area on the north side.
At the beginning of August, the planning commission recommended the Goodwill request. The council heard the matter at its Aug. 20 meeting, but sent it back to the staff to draft a resolution to approve the request – including addressing “improved west elevations” and other concerns addressed by the council.
Goodwill representatives told the commission as soon as approvals are set, they would like to possibly start construction the fall of 2012 and there were no plans to close the other Maple Grove Goodwill location located off of County Road 30.
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Alee
8:27 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Just what Maple Grove needs...Who approves this stuff?
Chuck
8:42 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012
I left a comment earlier, but had second thoughts. With the low price Uldi going in, Big Lots, White Castle, 2 Goodwill service centers and other things like lake front subsidized housing at Lake Shore Townhomes on Rice Lake Road I am starting to wonder the same thing.
Chad
2:42 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Aldi's, Big Lots, Walmart, Goodwill, Target, etc. serve broad markets. To imply that they are somehow tarnishing the city is silly. With regard to affordable housing, Maple Grove has some of the lowest amounts of affordable housing in the metro area. The Lakeshore Townhouses have been around for 10-15 years and were part of the metro-wide lawsuit involving the Hollman Project. With the vast amount of low-paying retail jobs in Maple Grove, we need to ensure affordable housing for people at all stages of life. That's not to say we should subsidize everything; however, we should encourage developers to build a strong mix of low/mid/high-density housing to allow people of all ages and backgrounds to live, play, worship, etc. where they work. MetCouncil defines "affordable housing" as a household income (for a family of four) that is 60% of the area median income (approx. $50,000 per year in Hennepin County). Maple Grove has an area median income nearly double that, at close to $100,000 per household. So, "affordable housing" doesn't necessarily mean low-end housing. Think about it... a newly-married couple, both working in professional jobs, and with one child, could easily be classified as a family within the "affordable housing" threshold. Maple Grove is, and will continue to be, a nice community. The diversity of residential and commercial options will only serve to strengthen the city as we recover from the economic disaster of 2008.
Chuck
4:16 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thank you for all of the facts and statisics you have provided. As a resident of 20 years who has raised my children here, moved a family business here, and "had" planned on retiring here I think I am familiar with the community. Your impression of my comment however, plus the names of the stores you added on your own accord seems odd to me though. I never knew my two sentence long comment would have such an impact. Oh well.
Chad
9:22 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
I, too, have lived in Maple Grove for well over 20 years. It is a great place, and will continue to be a great place. I added the extra store names because I could deduce what implication you were trying to make, and those stores all serve similar demographics (that is to say, a wide array of people). Think of it as a compliment that your comment initiated such an impact. It's good for people to express their ideas and promote facts in order to gain a better understanding.
Dave N
2:42 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Chuck and Alee, you people are hilarious. If you'd ever go into the Maple Grove Goodwill, you'd see all the women with their $400 coach bags picking over the items for sale there. You'd also see the parking lot is always packed, which undoubtedly is why they thought it'd be a good idea to open a 2nd MG store.
Alee, to answer your question, the city council approves these things and good for them. It shouldn't be up to government to deny businesses ability to operate just because a small minority of the citizens would look down their noses at them.
Chuck
4:16 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Actually I have been there, and I am pretty sure those purses are fake anways. LoL. Who really pays $400 for a purse that you put keys, used kleenex, makeup and gum in anyways. People who have more money than sense I suppose. If there is that much demand I am sure that other communites near by would also enjoy that kind of traffic as well. Ether that or they could take over some of those empty mega store sites that are gathering dust.
My comment wasn't based upon looking down at anyone. I would like to see more of everything here. Maybe not so clustered into groups that will cause instability, or traffic jams though.
As far as refering to me as "You People"?? That is the hilarious part. Or if you mean hard working, high tax paying and tolerant people then of course, thank you very much!!
Alee
5:10 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
I know many other residents of Maple Grove who agree with me and also experience this first hand. Whether right or wrong and no matter how you slice it there are negatives that come along with lower income markets and that people that live here (and not those that come only to shop) are the ones who experience these negatives the most. I certainly have been to Goodwill and donate there regularly. In my opinion there is not a balanced mix of businesses in that area. Like Chuck, my husband and I have lived here for many years and have worked hard and are raising 3 children in this community and it is important to me to live in a nice area. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and no need to resort to name calling. My husband and I contribute in many ways to this community and it's schools and we pay more and more taxes every year. The city council has it's own agenda and we do not necessarily agree with the decisions made. If that means I am a snob then I guess I am.
Maybe the city council could approve a pawn shop next. We don't have one of those yet! That would surely enrich the area, right?
Chuck
9:23 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Not to stir the pot or anything, but you could also add some check cashing facilities as well. For some reason those are much busier than the banks in Brooklyn Park. I was just passing thru there on Wednesday and sure enough there were 12 people outside of the check cashing store. 6 were policemen...
Chad
9:31 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Chuck, there clearly is not a demand for check cashing facilities in Maple Grove, or they would already have opened here.
Chad
9:31 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Alee, I think you have a misunderstanding of how the City Council operates. They are legally barred from making arbitrary decisions about which businesses they want, and which they don't. That's just not how it works. The City Council merely approves and rejects the proposal based on staff recommendations (which are based solely on facts and legal review requirements). If a pawn shop wanted to open up, then yes, the City Council would need to approve the plan, so long as it did not violate any ordinances or sections of City Code. It's funny to me that so many people think the City Council can just reject things they don't like, or things they don't think would be a good fit for the area. That's not how it works. Also, your taxes increase because people demand nice/clean roads, beautiful boulevards, an abundance of police, etc. These things cost money. And while houses have lost value over the past half-decade, taxes increase incrementally each year to cover expenditures. The tax burden is still the same, regardless of house values.