Rachel Development recently presented preliminary plans for the Les Bolstad Golf Course to the Falcon Heights city council. They include apartments, townhomes, single-family homes, retail and green space at the site.<\/p>\n
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved the $30.5 million sale<\/a> of the Les Bolstad Golf Course to St. Michael-based Rachel Development last month. The U announced its intent to sell the public facility last June, citing financial and infrastructure needs.<\/p>\n Rachel Development\u2019s plans, which were also presented to Falcon Heights<\/a>\u2019 Community Advisory Committee last week, include sustainability initiatives and infrastructure improvements. The developer\u2019s team includes M\/I Homes and PulteGroup.<\/p>\n Housing<\/p>\n Falcon Heights has called for a mix of housing, including townhomes, duplexes, apartments, single-family homes and patio homes, as well as shops, cafes, office space and light industrial development on the property.<\/p>\n Through community engagement, residents have shared preferences for connectivity, green space, mixed housing and commercial options and responsible stewardship of public resources.<\/p>\n According to preliminary plans, the approximately 141-acre property at 2275 Larpenteur Avenue West in Falcon Heights will include 1,458 to 1,818 housing units across 10 housing types. Those include apartments, senior housing, townhomes, duplexes and single-family homes.<\/p>\n A commercial area on Larpenteur Avenue could exist as standalone retail spaces or be included in an apartment complex.<\/p>\n Open, green space<\/p>\n Approximately 29 acres, or 20%, of the land is planned to remain as open space, which includes green space, stormwater and wetlands, linking the property to nearby parks and other amenities.<\/p>\n The largest of the property\u2019s wetlands likely will be preserved in the development\u2019s open spaces. Smaller wetlands may need to be removed for the development, said Paul Robinson, Rachel Development\u2019s development director during Wednesday\u2019s presentation. Some of the existing wetlands also may be used as part of the development\u2019s stormwater treatment system.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, about maybe three-quarters of an acre of wetlands would be impacted. And then we would go through a process to replace that by buying credits for people who\u2019ve created wetlands in other locations,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n