Developer Has New Vision for Vacant Gas Station, Car Wash

A Minnetonka-based developer got the go-ahead from the Eagan City Council on Tuesday night to redevelop a vacant gas station in Eagan and car wash into a 7,150-square-foot retail center.

Paul Tucci, the vice president of development with Oppidan said the company hopes to start construction on the site early this summer and complete the project by November of this year. The site is located at the corner of Rahncliff Road and Rahncliff Court off Cliff Road in southern Eagan.

On Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning and a final development plan for the 2.8-acre site. Eagan's Advisory Planning Commission also reviewed the site plans and recommended approval earlier this month.

Oppidan's vision for the site includes four tenants, Tucci confirmed in an interview on Monday. The developer is already in negotiations with at least three potential tenants, Tucci said. Tucci declined to say which businesses were interested in the site, citing ongoing negotiations with those businesses.

Oppidan's plans include an outdoor dining patio and on-sale beer and liquor sales, according to a city memo provided to the council. Each of the storefronts in the multi-tenant complex would range in size from 1,200 to 2,500 square feet, Tucci said. Tucci plans to have all four tenants in place later this year, and plans to build a 27-foot-tall pylon sign on the property.

Oppidan will close on a purchase agreement for the property within the next 30 days, Tucci said. The property is currently owned by Holiday Stationstores, Inc. The estimated value of the vacant gas station and canopy is $70,900, according to Dakota County tax records.

To make way for the new development, the company plans to demolish the gas station, canopy and a car wash. Oppidan will likely purchase , a business adjacent to the car wash, Tucci said at the meeting on Tuesday night. No changes are planned for that business yet, Tucci said.

Several Eagan City Councilors offered encouraging words to Tucci on Tuesday, and at least one council member, Cyndee Fields, expressed her desire to see more redevelopment and investment in the area.

"I’m glad you’re doing this, I just hope the older development will start coming around," Fields said. “You’re going to a class above, and it’s time they redevelop."

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