Site work and paving for a mixed-use development in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Completed plans call for site work for a road / highway; for paving for a road / highway; sidewalk / parking lot; sidewalk / parking lot; and water / sewer project.

https://finance-commerce.com/2026/01/richfield-plans-its-next-growth-phase/ Richfield has other civic projects in the works too, including significant reconstructions of Nicollet Avenue next year and Penn Avenue in 2028. Those projects will improve road safety and accessibility, according to Hennepin County, which oversees both corridors. In the meantime, Richfield is contending with a road reconstruction project not entirely within its control: the state-led revamp of I-494 for several miles along its border with Bloomington. The city expects the work to take two more construction seasons, Poehlman said. Site cleanup and restoration could extend into 2028. Patience could pay off if the Minnesota Department of Transportation cedes control of the "remnant" parcels it's using for staging and buffers near the highway, freeing them to be combined with adjacent properties owned by the Richfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Substantial ground-up development could follow. But Poehlman said MnDOT could just as easily decide to retain the remnants for its own purposes, such as stormwater management. The agency hasn't yet tipped its hand. "It would be nice to be certain about what happens with them before [2028]," Poehlman said. The glass-half-full view is that the commercial infill market isn't great right now, even on a prime transportation corridor. Aside from scattered restaurant and retail openings, much of the nonresidential activity in Richfield this year has involved lease-ups that have trimmed the post-pandemic office glut in the I-494 corridor. Barr Engineering, for example, announced in July that it would move its headquarters -- and 500 to 600 employees -- to One Meridian Crossings near the I-494/I-35W interchange. Other buildings in the area have filled up a bit in recent months, easing the burden on Richfield's residential taxpayers, Poehlman said. At least one nongovernmental, nonresidential construction project is on the table this decade. Minnesota Independence College and Community, a higher education institution for neurodiverse students, is seeking land use approvals for a new school facility and offices near Best Buy headquarters off 76th Street. "They've been operating out of the Colony Apartments for a long, long time, and they're looking to build a new facility to meet their growing needs," Poehlman said. MICC's beleaguered Fortune 500 neighbor probably won't have "growing needs" anytime soon. Like most of its peers, Best Buy largely emptied its sprawling headquarters at 7601 Penn Avenue S when COVID hit and hasn't regained pre-pandemic occupancy. Recent layoffs haven't helped. Poehlman said "it's obviously in the city's best interest to have that land be productive and have employees coming in every day." But she added that the city can't control the macroeconomic environment in which the city's largest private employer -- and every other business in town -- operates. All it can do is try to sell would-be builders and buyers on its self-evident advantages. "We will continue to be a good partner and do what we can to make development in Richfield attractive," she said. ________ The City of Prior Lake authorized this scope of service. In order to assist the design team in preparing plans and specifications, we have developed recommendations for designing utilities and pavements. As such, we have completed a subsurface exploration program and prepared a geotechnical report for the referenced site. This stated purpose was a significant factor in determining the scope and level of service provided. Should the purpose of the report change the report immediately ceases to be valid and use of it without WSB's prior review and written authorization should be at the users sole risk. Our authorized scope of work has been limited to 1. Clearing underground utilities utilizing Gopher State One Call. 2. Mobilization / demobilization of a truck mounted drill rig. 3. Drilling 27 standard penetration borings to about 15-foot depths. 4. Core bituminous pavement at 22 locations and provide report containing: 5. Sealing the borings per Minnesota Department of Health procedures. 6. Perform soil classification and analysis. 7. Review of available project information and geologic data. 8. Providing this geotechnical report containing: a. Summary of our findings. b. Discussion of subsurface soil and groundwater conditions and how they may affect the proposed utilities and pavements. c. Estimated R-value of the soils. d. Recommended pavement section. e. A discussion of soils for use as structural fill and site fill. f. Provide data obtained from coring and include pictures of each core Question Deadline 01/06/2026 Bidder shall submit all questions about the meaning or intent of the Bidding Documents to Engineer in writing to the Issuing Office. Contact information and submittal procedures for such questions are as follows 12224 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, MN 55337-1649, (952) 890-0509. Questions received less than seven days prior to the date for opening of Bids may not be answered. Excavation 20,000 Cu Yd; Bituminous Mixture 10,000 Ton; Select Granular Embankment 9,000 Cu Yd; Rc Pipe Sewer 1,000 Lin Ft; Concrete Walk 18,000 Sq Ft; Pvc Pipe Sewer 2,200 Lin Ft; Concrete Curb & Gutter 15,000 Lin Ft; Pvc Watermain 2,500 Lin Ft