WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2008

Proposed Rochester, Minn., development withdraws variance request, moves forward

by Walter Kovacs
Minnesota

A rendering of Shoppes on Second.

Following a lawsuit by the nearby Miracle Mile, Rick Penz, developer of the the proposed 36,000-square-foot Shoppes on Second Mall in Rochester, Minn., has withdrawn a request for a parking space variance, potentially removing the final obstacle to the development.

Penz's variance request was to provide 11 fewer parking spaces than the 179 a building the size of Shoppes on Second would require. Following the withdrawal of the variance request, plans for the mall must be changed before construction can begin.

Shoppes on Second was previously held up by a strip of land owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation on the property. The proposed mall was slightly redesigned to get around the strip, making it a two level commercial mall with a 6,000-square-foot eatery and a level of underground parking.

Integrity Development sells Carol Stream retail center for $5.1M Ohio Kroger sells for $990,000 Investors Realty brokers two retail sales Leaders Bank extends $11.3M refinancing loan Judson & Associates announces sale Über Baby moves to south Minneapolis Menard's coming to Hartland Township, Minn., development Uppal Enterprises announces plans for Anoka, Minn., retail development Galleria to gallery Suburban Columbus retail center fetches $3.5M