New Retail Development on Fischer Mining Property Moves Forward

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Development of new retail—including a new —and other business for Apple Valley advanced on Thursday, after the Apple Valley City Council unanimously approved plans for about 56 acres of the Fischer Sand and Aggregate property.

The council's approval will allow Menards southeast of County Road 42 and Flagstaff Avenue; Menards also plans to buy the six-acre lot adjacent to the north of its new site (immediately south of Hwy 42) for future retail development.

The approval also allows for the development of four other smaller lots extending along Hwy 42 to Johnny Cake Ridge Road, each from 3.6 acres to 6.3 acres in size.

These would be designated for mixed-business use, which includes things like offices, light industrial and health care facilities, according to a council memo.

Another access road would be paved south of and parallel to Hwy 42, with access points from the highway to the different lots.

A traffic study recommends creating a three-quarter turn—right in, right out, left in—halfway between Flagstaff and Johnny Cake, adding left turn lanes in both directions on Flagstaff and constructing a roundabout on Flagstaff at the entrance to Home Depot (and future entrance to Menards).

One concern of some members of the Apple Valley Planning Commission—to whom the plans went prior to the city council—was that allowing Menards and its other lot to develop as retail would promote "commercial creep," or more expansion of retail business down Hwy 42, said city planner Tom Lovelace. 

But Councilmember Tom Goodwin said he still sees lots of area that exists for the mixed-business-campus development that the city had planned for.

"I think we have to be flexible here," he said.

Councilmember John Bergman said he's happy to be setting the groundwork for more business.

"I think we’ve got a great city that has a great draw," he said.