According to the agenda background information for Apple Valley’s 9/27/2012 City Council meeting, big changes are planned for Apple Valley’s Cub and the surrounding parking lot. It appears that the current single lot will be altered to create three plots which will include 7,000 square feet of retail space which may be broken up into four different buildings and the option to possibly build a fast-food restaurant on the corner of 153rd and Cedar at some point in the future.
According to the project summary, Apple Valley’s Cub will undergo remodeling to shrink from 108,527 square feet to 93,207 and one lot will be created to add 7,000 square feet of more unnecessary retail which will likely contain a nail salon and another mattress store because Lord knows we don’t have enough of either of those. However the most disturbing part of this entire exercise is the threat of another fast-food restaurant being added to the corner of 153rd and Cedar at some future point and all the excuses why even though it would require variances due to the close proximity of housing to the planned property:
During the past several years the City has approved variances to allow for Class II restaurants to locate closer than 1,000 feet from a residential or institutional use. In 2010, Panda Express, a Class II restaurant located at 7735 150th Street West (CSAH 42) received a variance from the foot 1,000-distance requirement. The variance was granted due to the finding that CSAH 42 was a principal arterial road with a 160-foot way right-of-and a traffic volume of
over 30,000 vehicle trips per day, which will act as a barrier and mitigate impacts generated from the Class II restaurant on the institutional and residential land uses south of CSAH 42.
Variances from the foot 1,000-distance requirement were also granted in 1993 far some other Class II restaurants along CSAH 42. They include Bruegger’s Bagels, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen.
It’s pretty clear the standards are high in Apple Valley for variances. Nothing like shoving even more retail into an area which has already lost a longstanding pizza place and is full of other struggling businesses. While traffic isn’t terribly busy in the Cub parking lot as it exists today, who could possibly believe it would get better with the addition of three stores and two restaurants, one with a drive-thru?
But the most surprising part of all of this isn’t the addition of the two additional retail spots in Cub’s parking lot, it’s the decision to remodel the Apple Valley store when SuperValu is going down in flames and this particular store just recently remodeled their pharmacy to have a drive-thru lane added near the front of the store. According to the plan documentation, they will be moving the pharmacy drive-thru to the side of the store (nearest to Appliance Smart). It’s little wonder the company is losing marketshare being that they make such ridiculous decisions. Seriously? Target and Walgreens across the street have thriving pharmacy businesses while Cub rarely has anything at all going on in that area. Is the addition of a differently designed drive-thru really going to change that?
What do you think about this one? Do you think we need even more retail space in the area? Will this create a bunch of aggravating traffic conditions forcing even more people away from Cub and to the Communist Food Mart across the street with its two options for each item? Will these stores remain empty like their counterparts down by the other Apple Valley SuperTarget no one goes to or will they be filled with the usual nail and tanning salons and quick open and close restaurants?
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September 25th, 2012 at 8:35 am
Just think.. we could get a Cane’s North and South!
September 25th, 2012 at 8:45 am
If private enterprise has an idea for their brand of capitalism who is government to stand in their way? Where’s your consistency Bill?
September 25th, 2012 at 9:08 am
C&V,
I am of the Crichton-mentality: we should not have variances so often. If there are this many variances, the ordinances should be changed.
September 25th, 2012 at 9:47 am
This is AWESOME (lame)! Now the hordes (12) of BRT commuters from that stop can grab a delicious (chemical-filled) and quick (aka Jimmy John’s) meal without having to risk their lives (be smart enough to look both ways and cross on green light) to cross that dangerous intersection to pick up their family supper (bag of grease-laden shit from White Castle or Burger Time)! And they can get their nails done (spend an hour sitting next to Mayor McHair) without having to drive the miles and miles and miles (120 yards) to find a nail salon. Without hassle (exercise) they can also peruse the latest scientific innovations (shop at T-Mobile store) or grab an expertly hand-crafted coffee (Starbucks) beverage.
I love (hate) Apple Valley!
September 25th, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Why do the southern suburbs continually build/support mediocre retail and then wonder why they fail?
September 25th, 2012 at 9:43 pm
I can see why Supervalu would want to shrink the store and parcel out some of the land. It’s enormous and doesn’t need to be as big as it is. And retail is really the only thing that makes sense to go in there, despite having so much of it in the area already.
I suppose the city could say no, and they’d be within their right to, of course. But even if Supervalu isn’t closing any Cubs yet, I don’t think I’d want to give them any ideas, either.
September 25th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Tim,
I admit I don’t know much about grocery stores. Will a 15% reduction in store space make a significant difference for their future success?
September 25th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
It’s interesting to see how quickly the grocery store landscape has changed. I used to go to that Cub all the time and it seemed to always be busy. Now we almost never go there. Target and Costco get most of our business.
I’m probably missing a fast food chain, but I’m having a hard time thinking of what is even left to go in there. Maybe crappy Sonic or maybe this location would cannibalize another location nearby that sucks and wants to improve it’s spot. Wendy’s and Subway are two that are in crappy spots now.
Yea……
September 26th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Whether or not it is successful is going to depend on how they execute it. It’s probably not going to increase its profitability so much as decrease its costs of operation, but OTOH smaller stores can be quite profitable too if done right. Over the long term, there will be less overhead expense (heating/cooling, cleaning, etc), plus if they reduce staff they will of course save some money there too. If they are smart, they will not just remove large chunks of merchandise, but instead redo their assortments to better use the space they have and focus on what can both bring people in and add incremental sales. They may be tempted to get rid of some of their more cost-intensive departments such as the meat counter, but I personally think that would be a mistake since it is a good way to differentiate themselves from their competition. Plus, depending on how the parceling is done, I’m guessing they can get some money from selling the land to help offset the costs of making the renovations.
Yes, I’m a retail analyst (and used to work for one of their competitors), so I think about this stuff alot. :)
September 26th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Blimpie!!
September 26th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
The reason Apple Valley sucks is because it builds under the suburban growth ponzi scheme and few of the places that have been created actually capture enough value to sustain themselves beyond a generation. strong towns.
September 27th, 2012 at 8:35 am
Isn’t this just a matter of a few thousand feet from a giant field of weeds that was supposed to be a bustling retail area?
September 27th, 2012 at 8:46 am
jorn, yes, yes it is.
September 27th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
The rumor I heard is there will be a Chick-fil-A built there.
September 27th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
So Cane’s South, then.
September 28th, 2012 at 9:29 am
ummmmm, i see tanning, video and nails in A.V.’s future, even a shitty take and bake pizza, better yet, a hot dog place:)
bb
November 18th, 2012 at 9:08 am
Bill I see someone disliked my comment but I heard that from the head of the Dakota County Plat Commission.
November 18th, 2012 at 9:09 am
Pat, it’s a known fact. I don’t know why they voted your comment down.
November 18th, 2012 at 9:13 am
Good thing you dont go to Panino Brothers as the first of the year their prices are going up. I think some people I work with are addicted to that place.
November 18th, 2012 at 9:16 am
BTW have you ever reviewed Tommy Chicago’s, Chicago style pizzeria in Mendota Heights? In my opinon it is as good as anything you’ll get in Chicago and immensely better than the Giordano’s that I had in Chi-town this summer.
November 18th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Pat,
Thanks for destroying your restaurant credibility.
lefty
November 20th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
To each his own Lefty #GFY