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PHALEN BOULEVARD RETAIL PROJECT
SW. corner, Clarence Street and Maryland Avenue, St. Paul
Type: Grocery/retail
Area: 6.6 acres
Size: 74,175 square feet
Cost: $15 million
Developers: Oppidan Investment Co.
General Contractor: Kraus-Anderson Construction Co.
Details: It's not every day that the CEO of one of the state's largest construction companies and the mayor of St. Paul show up to break ground for a grocery store. But the new Cub Foods-anchored retail plaza coming to the city's East Side isn't just another store -- it's being hailed as another step in the hard-won success story of the Phalen Corridor Initiative neighborhood redevelopment.
And it's planned as a model of sustainable commercial development, testing ways of lowering the environmental effect of everything from its construction materials to its "light pollution" to its cleaning supplies.
The 6.6-acre project will include a 60,000-square-foot grocery store and three retail spaces between Phalen Boulevard and Maryland Avenue totaling 14,175 square feet. The buildings will feature unified design and materials.
Cub is working with general contractor Kraus-Anderson Construction and Minnetonka-based developer Oppidan Investment Co. to qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for the project, which is to open in early November. LEED certification is earned through the U.S. Green Building Council's Green Building Rating System.
Kraus-Anderson CEO Bruce Engelsma, who joined in the recent groundbreaking ceremony, is taking a personal interest in the project.
"We're excited to be working with Supervalu and Oppidan on this new sustainable Cub Foods project," he said. "We think it will be a very welcome addition to the neighborhood."
The sustainable design is a good match for the Phalen Corridor, which has won national and international awards for its transformation of industrial brownfields and blighted buildings into new commercial and residential development based on "smart growth" environmental principles. More than 60 businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies have drawn an estimated $600 million in public and private investment in the area.
The environmentally sustainable features of the project include water-efficient landscaping, enhanced refrigerant management and reductions in water use and light pollution. A white roof is being used to maximize energy efficiency. Major building materials will include 20 to 90 percent recycled content, and about 75 percent of the construction waste will be recycled.
The store is designed to use skylights and windows coupled with photometric sensors to adjust sales floor lighting to minimize daytime electrical use. It also will have a green pest-control program and green cleaning program. When it opens, the developers will offer tours and have a LEED education program in place.
ANNE BRETTS
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