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It’s amazing what a city can do with an old gravel mining area. The land, owned by Tiller Corporation and C.S. McCrossan, had been actively mined for construction aggregates since the 1920s. But in the 1980s, when major roadway connections in the area needed to be built, the city had the foresight to come up with a complete infrastructure plan that included grading, drainage, sewer, and transportation recommendations. From there, a task force was set up to consider the socioeconomic feasibility of a new civic center on the land. The goal? To “realize a plan for the Gravel Mining Area that is equal to its potential.”

The task force definitely saw much potential in the 2,100 acres. They had in mind a mixed residential and commercial development that blended the best elements of suburbia with the character and pedestrian-friendly amenities of urban life. Their vision, now called Arbor Lakes, has made great progress. The first phase, completed in 2001, includes the development of Main Street: one- and two-story buildings with storefronts. The second phase, the Shoppes of Arbor Lakes, was built to resemble a mid-century American Village. At the time of its completion in 2003, it was considered Minnesota’s first lifestyle center, meaning it contained traditional retail blended with leisure amenities that generally catered to female and youth (the latter who, of course, only have time to shop because of working with a Maple Grove tutor to keep up with schoolwork!). The third phase, opened in 2007, is called the Fountains at Arbor Lakes and includes retail, restaurants, two hotels (one with a 20,000-square-foot indoor water park), and the platinum-LEED-certified corporate campus for Great River Energy, one of only 100 buildings worldwide to have achieved this certification and the first in Minnesota. The Great River facility was built from green or recycled building materials and contains a 250-foot wind turbine, rain gardens, rainwater re-use, and photovoltaic cells. The most-recent phase, the Village at Arbor Lakes, which was initiated in 2016, will feature up to 700 apartments, two hotels, and multi-tenant buildings.

The new community also enjoys these amenities:

– A community center with ice arena, aquatic center, and fitness center
– The new Hennepin County Library, which contains collections in languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Russian, and Spanish that may be of interest to Maple Grove tutors, teachers, and students
– Three miles of trails that wind around three lakes created by mining processes
– Two million square feet of new retail and office space
– Several medium- and high-density housing projects, each one having an affordability component
– Senior housing

According to its website, Tiller Corporation continues to actively and responsibility mine a portion of the site.

Maple Grove has made many positive changes since that task force completed its recommendation in the 1990s. The area is a haven for shoppers as well as the whole community.