After running underground for the past 50 years, a stretch of Shingle Creek will soon flow above ground again as part of the redevelopment of the old Brookdale mall site in Brooklyn Center.
The new retail development, called Shingle Creek Crossing, will be anchored by a new Wal-Mart site, where construction is set to begin soon.
The property was acquired by Nashville-based Gatlin Development last year, and "daylighting" Shingle Creek became a part of the plan early on, said Tim Benetti, Brooklyn Center city planner.
The creek currently runs underground in box culverts on a path that bisects the property.
The new plan calls for the creek to be daylighted and rerouted to run alongside two possible future restaurant sites on the property. The creek will go back underground at Hwy. 100 and eventually emerge in a holding pond at the golf course across the street.
Some of the box culverts will remain in place underground to catch overflow, should the creek's levels rise, said Luke Payne, an engineer with Kimle Horne and Associates.
Gatlin will cover the costs of the daylighting as part of the first phase of redeveloping the site. Rich Kauffman, senior project manager at Gatlin, estimated the cost of the daylighting at between $1.5 million and $2 million.
In addition to physically bringing the water flow above ground, the work has included maintenance to the holding pond at the north end of the site, such as adding veneers on the walls to give it a block pattern, and building bridges that will allow pedestrians to walk along either side of the creek.
