Biz beat: New look is coming for Burnsville Honda dealership

Walser Automotive's plans for redeveloping its Honda dealership in Burnsville got the green light last week from the City Council, which unanimously approved the project.

The redevelopment calls for demolishing the current dealership at Buck Hill Road and Buckards Drive and replacing it with a larger footprint that would incorporate a showroom, offices, an auto repair and parts center and a car wash.

While the new building is under construction, Walser would operate temporarily out of the dealer's used car facility, which occupies an adjacent parcel at Buck Hill and Crystal Lake roads.

Earlier this month, the planning commission unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the project, describing it as "a substantial development of an aging dealership."

The building is more than 30 years old. Walser has owned it since 2007.

Walser once sold Subarus at the dealership but moved that part of the business to a new facility on the east side of Interstate 35W near the Cliff Road exit. In 2010, Walser presented Mayor Elizabeth Kautz with a framed certificate to thank the city for its help in building the city's first LEED-certified building. Awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED recognizes buildings for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly projects.

Eating out in Rosemount

Panini Grill, at County Road 42 and Chippendale Road, is the brainchild of Rosemount resident Lola Johnson-Mersha. It's in a strip mall whose other merchants include Great Clips and Get in Shape for Women.

In addition to panini sandwiches, the restaurant serves Vienna-brand beef hot dogs and British-style fish and chips. Johnson-Mersha said she wanted her restaurant to offer an alternative to the Chinese and hamburger restaurants in the area.

Meanwhile, a CherryBerry self-serve yogurt bar is in the works for the mall anchored by Cub Foods, also near the County Road 42 and Chippendale intersection. A recent city memo said building inspections for the outlet are underway.

CherryBerry has 11 locations in the Twin Cities.

Home of high-growth firms

Eagan had four businesses on the list, topped by Avionte, a developer of human resources software and services. The company's sales totaled $4.2 million in 2011, a 294 percent increase from 2008. Other Eagan companies on the list included White House Custom Color, Intertech and Prime Therapeutics.

Two companies from Burnsville, EAC Product Development Solutions and Innovative Office Solutions, made the list. The magazine also cited Anytime Fitness in Hastings and ImageTrend in Lakeville.

Minnesota had 93 companies on the list, most of them headquartered in the Twin Cities area.