The Stop N Go is gone.
The Burnsville gas station and convenience store, whose full name was Gateway Stop N Go, was demolished in the course of one day in late September — the first step toward redeveloping the property.
A business partnership that includes Coldwell Banker Commercial Griffin Companies bought the property in April. Jeff LaFavre, a senior partner at the Minneapolis commercial real estate firm, says the plans are to build a strip mall with about 8,400 square feet for retail or medical offices. LaFavre said the building could attract a medical office user that doesn't have to be close to Fairview Ridges Hospital but would still want to be in the Heart of the City area.
The previous owner, Ambar Group Inc., had operated the station and store on the southeast corner of Burnsville Parkway and Harriet Avenue, a block east of Interstate 35W, for about two years.
No building plans have been submitted to the city, but LaFavre said his firm has teamed up with Christianson & Company to market the site to potential tenants.
"We've had a number of small tenants tell us they're interested, but what we really need is an anchor tenant to move ahead with construction," LaFavre said. He said his firm won't proceed until about 75 percent of the space is leased, with an anchor tenant taking most of that.
LaFavre said demolishing the old building will give the new owners a head start on building once tenants are secured. He also said the vacant property will be easier to market. "People can more easily envision something new there when the old building isn't standing on the site," he said.
LaFavre also said he doesn't expect problems related to removing gas pumps and underground tanks; an environmental assessment came back clean.
