Thirteen years ago, Chaska planners put together a downtown master plan with a number of ideas to help transform the area, attract more people, and create positive economic impact.
One of the catalyst ideas was the City Square West project, which would be located directly west of City Square Park/south of the library (the block bound by Chestnut Street/Highway 41, Pine Street, 3rd Street and 4th Street).
Envisioned as a mixed-use area to create public gathering spaces and a pedestrian connection in the downtown area, City Square West would include:
- Apartments – With 20% being reserved as affordable (for residents who earn 50% or less than the median income)
- Plaza – A gathering spot for activities and programs such as markets or concerts
- Commercial space – A new restaurant
- Paseo – A pedestrian-friendly path used to connect people to destinations and parking. “We have been working on ideas/ways to make paseos feel full of life with lights, heritage kiosks and other fun activations,” said Chaska Assistant City Administrator Elise Durbin. (A paseo has already been developed on the east side of Chestnut Street/Highway 41)
- Underground parking
Funding to move ahead with the project will come from bonds.
“This project would be a public-private partnership, a regional destination designed to attract visitors to Chaska,” said City Administrator Matt Podhradsky. “We would not plan on having any local tax levy be used to support the project. We requested funding from the state legislature through a multi-step process and received $5.425 million in 2023. This year, we asked for an additional $7.8 million to make the project fully feasible, but unfortunately, no local projects were approved as part of the bonding bill. We plan to try again next year.”
If funding is approved, planning will continue for another year or so before redevelopment begins.
“There are currently three buildings located on this block,” explains Podhradsky. “If this project moves ahead, we will work with each of them – the Post Office, Old National Bank, and multiple vendors in a strip mall – to relocate their businesses. It’s too soon to know where that might be, but we’ve met with the businesses and building owners to understand their needs. We hope to develop a mercado (market) for Latino businesses that are currently in the strip mall to help showcase them.”
Interested in learning more? Check the City Square West Project website, which includes several conceptual images.
