What's happening to this old town o' mine. . .

John Herdan send this from the Echo Press

Imagine an entire empty block on Broadway between the Legion Club and 10th Avenue. And kitty corner the old funeral home is gone too. Lots of changes in Alex right now.Dazzling developments

By Erin Klegstad, Staff Reporter
Alexandria Echo Press
06/15/2007

Take a drive through the heart of Alexandria and the surrounding lakes area, and you’ll probably notice one thing: Business is booming.
Residential developments and businesses are popping up all over the place.
“It’s a reflection of the faith people have in the local economy,” said Mike Weber, Alexandria city planner.
Assistant city planner Marty Schultz agreed. “We’re fortunate to have development across all industrial, residential and commercial [zones],” he said.
The development growth spurt is also a sign of the population increase the city has been expecting. It’s projected to be around 11,500 when population estimates are released in July. At last count (April 2005), Alexandria had a population of 11,043.
Although the building projects aren’t as large as those during record-setting 2005, the development mix is strong and diversified, Weber said.
It ranges from new development to re-developmen t of older buildings to some areas of mixed use.
Like many communities, residential housing is a bit slower than last year, although the city has had a “pretty good start to the season in single family building permits,” Schultz said.
The housing that is being built, however, is exactly what “we’ve been looking for,” Weber said. It includes more townhomes and higher density and more clustered developments.
Here’s a snapshot of the many building projects going on in the lakes area (keep in mind the list is far from exhaustive).
• A 13,000-square-foot “neighborhood center” located near China Buffet and Super Wal-Mart has seven storefronts. Two of them already have occupants – Jimmy John’s sub sandwiches and Great Clips.
It’s a prime development location, said Troy Hocum with GOT Properties, developer of the property. “That seems to be where everything is happening,” he said, adding that they’re pursuing national brand tenants to occupy the rest of the building.
• A 13,000-square-foot trucking terminal will be built near Apol’s Harley-Davidson by Heritage Transport.
• Dakota Supply Group will be constructing a 30,000-square-foot facility on County Road 45 just north of Morton Buildings.
• The former K&K building at 123 3rd Avenue East was demolished to make way for a $1.9 million two-story office/retail complex. The 11,246-square-foot facility will be home to the Alexandria construction management/development firm, ORB Management, along with other professional office and retail lease space.
• The Broadway block between 9th and 10th avenues is getting a facelift with the construction of a 14,820-square-foot Walgreen’s as well as 11 three-level luxury townhomes (facing Fillmore Street). The existing buildings have been either razed or moved to make way for the new construction. The developer is Gendell Partners Alexandria, LLC.
• Third Avenue between Lake and Kenwood streets is also being upgraded. The developer, Silver Maple Investments, LLC, will remove several blighted commercial buildings – a former gas station with contaminated soil, an auto body facility, an auto repair shop and an old warehouse – and two housing rental units.
In their place will be a 130,000-square-foot mixed-use, five-story facility that will be used for retail and office space. Residential condominiums are also a possibility.
The $8.2 million development will encompass the entire block.
• The former Garden Center (503 Hawthorne Street) is home to two new businesses – Noonan Sports Specialists and Adventure Alley Child Care Center.
Noonan Sports Specialists is a 4,000-square-foot strength and conditioning facility that caters to all levels of athletes from youth sports to collegiate players.
• Cherry Street Books is set to open sometime during the next few weeks. Located on the corner of 503 Broadway (the former Lee’s Chop Suey location), the bookstore will feature books for readers of all ages, comfortable reading chairs, gifts and coffee by the Daily Grind.
Owner Kathleen Pohlig couldn’t be more excited. “I’ve just always wanted a good bookstore,” she said. “I hope it’s a place where people can feel very welcomed.”
• Also coming soon to downtown Alexandria is Bella’s on Broadway (next door to Yesterday’s antique shop), an Italian restaurant that’s an expansion of Glenwood’s Café Bella.
Choosing to open here seemed a “natural fit because Alexandria has been really supportive of our Bella’s in Glenwood,” said Carrie Thompson, who owns the restaurant along with her husband, Grant.
The restaurant – scheduled to open in mid-July – will feature the building’s exposed brick and intimate, private booths, similar to Café Bella.
• Glenwood State Bank will be opening a branch office, located at 2221 South Broadway (the former Big Gallon), in Alexandria this fall.
• State Bank and Trust will be beginning construction on a new facility, located at 1001 Broadway (formerly Petermeier’s Funeral Home). The bank is currently located at 1121 Broadway.
• Lakeview Park, first addition, is a development located between Birch and McKay Avenue and will feature 22 townhomes.
• Thirty-one townhomes will be built in the Fairgrounds Villa, a development located west of Willow Drive, north of Latoka Drive and south of the Viking Speedway. The attached townhomes will each have three bedrooms and two bathrooms on two levels and will sell for between $180,000 and $190,000.
• There are a handful of large developments in the county as well. The final plat of Sailor Crossing was just approved by the Douglas County Board. The development is located near Pike Road and County Road 120 and will have 44 single-fami ly homes. Twenty-four single-family homes will be built by East Moe Road NW in an Elk Lake development.
The final plats of both The Woods at Miltona and Pine Haven are soon to come before the board. The first has 44 single-family homes and is located on 131 acres along Highway 29, just north of Jim and Judy’s gas station. Pine Haven, located on about 160 acres along County Road 42 and Prairies Road (just south of Carlos Corners), will have 75 single-family homes.