Minneapolis-based Ryan Cos. US Inc.'s plans to redevelop about two-thirds of the Thomson Reuters campus in Eagan are advancing on the heels of positive reviews from the Eagan City Council and the Metropolitan Council.
Tuesday night, the Eagan City Council granted a comprehensive guide plan amendment and other approvals for the redevelopment, which could bring new industrial space in multiple buildings and more than 100 housing units to part of the 263-acre campus at 610 Opperman Drive.
The City Council's action came less than a week after the Metropolitan Council signed off on the comp plan amendment, which re-guides 179 acres of land on the campus from "Major Office" to "Industrial" (120 acres), "Medium Density Residential" (24 acres), and "Low Density Residential" (35 acres).
Met Council approval was necessary before the Eagan City Council could take an official vote on the comp plan amendment, which was the subject of a Nov. 4 public hearing.
"We're excited about the momentum building around the redevelopment and look forward to continuing our collaboration with the city of Eagan as we work toward securing the land use approval," said Peter Fitzgerald, vice president of Real Estate Development at Ryan Cos. "Together, we're eager to bring this project to life and contribute to the growth and success of the community."
Asked about the timeline for construction, Fitzgerald said the primary focus for now is "securing the necessary land approvals. Once we have those in place, we'll be able to move forward with the next steps in the development process, including construction."
The recent approvals are important milestones for the project, but the city entitlement process isn't complete just yet. Up for City Council consideration on Dec. 3 are final planned development and the final subdivision approvals, City Planner Mike Schultz said.
Schultz added that the Eagan Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday on the townhome portion. Additional approvals related to the proposed single-family lots will also be up for consideration at a later date, Schultz said, adding that Ryan is working with Lennar Homes on the housing.
The campus redevelopment has been in the works for months. Ryan announced in February that it reached a deal to acquire part of the Thomson Reuters campus for new development.
Thomson Reuters previously announced plans to relocate its Minneapolis-St. Paul-based office to The Landing near the TCO Performance Center at Viking Lakes in Eagan, while keeping its print manufacturing facility at the company's current campus.
Proposed industrial and residential density on the campus has been a moving target since last spring.
For example, preliminary plans approved Tuesday night show 114 townhome units, but revised plans submitted by Lennar Homes call for 104 total units, Schultz said in an email. In addition, the latest plans reveal seven single-family lots, down sharply from initial concepts.
"This was to partly address wetland and tree protections on the property," said Schultz, who added that "more detailed plans for this portion of the project are required to be submitted for review and acceptance at a later date."
On the industrial side, preliminary plans show 1.24 million square feet of footprint in five buildings. However, the "Lot 1, Block 1" portion of the project, known as Project Nova, calls for up to 3.6 million square feet of space, Schultz said.
"The project could ultimately have about 4.2 million square feet of new industrial buildings," Schutlz said, adding that the final approvals for Project Nova are scheduled for Dec. 3.
"The south industrial area -- south of Opperman Road -- will also require more detailed plans to be submitted in the future," Schultz said.
Ryan spokesperson Erica Dao said the plans will "continue to evolve" as the project progresses.
"The final square footage and number of units will be determined as we move forward and refine the details of the development," Dao said.
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