Building sales are up at Airlake in Lakeville

Business is picking up for Airlake Industrial Park on Lakeville's southern border.

City Economic Development Director Dave Olson noted that five businesses have bought Airlake buildings in recent months:

• JD Woodcraft is leaving Rosemount to buy a 30,000-square-foot-building. Woodcraft designs and builds cabinets and millwork.

• Viking Performance, a new auto parts maker, bought a 25,000-square-foot building.

• Superior Access Solutions has purchased an 11,200-square-foot building. The communications systems integration company recently relocated from a 3,300-square-feet space in Burnsville. Superior will use more than 10,000 square feet in its new building. It provides systems solutions for government and the broadcast and telecommunications industries.

• Two other Lakeville businesses have acquired buildings in the Airlake park for future expansion. They are Delmar Company, a plastic fabrication firm, and Q1A Precision Products, an auto parts maker.

Airlake still has big buildings for sale, Olson said. But "there's been an uptick in activity in the past three to six months. The good news is there is activity in the park."

Computer Sciences Corporation has signed a seven-year lease for 163,000 square feet not far from Airlake in a vacant warehouse and maintenance facility for U.S. Postal Service mail transport equipment. The firm plans to hire about 35 employees to run the facility, which will open by the end of September, near Dodd Boulevard and County Road 70. Computer Sciences, based in Falls Church, Va., recently was awarded a $25.8 million federal contract to operate a Minneapolis-area transport equipment service center.

The company is making improvements in the First Park Lakeville building, which had been empty for about two years.

Construction is also up

Meanwhile, Lakeville issued building permits worth about $9 million more than last year's valuation of $36.5 million through August. This year's $45.5 million valuation included commercial and industrial permits valued at $8.4 million, up from $1.6 million through August of 2010.

The city issued permits for 84 single-family homes through August with a total valuation of $25.8 million. That compares with 93 single-family home permits a year ago valued at $25.2 million.

Elsewhere, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants Inc., opened its ninth Minnesota store last week in Hastings. The new franchise, in a former Wendy's space, is at 1316 Frontage Road.

Apple Valley had a grand opening earlier this month for Ulta, an upscale beauty supply shop and salon in a former Snyder's store in the Fischer Marketplace. Ulta, based in Bowling Brook, Ill., offers cosmetics and hair and skin-care products for men and women. The salon will have eight stylists' chairs.

The new store, located south of Kohl's, will have 17 full-time jobs and 20 or more part-time jobs, said Edward Kearny, president of the Apple Valley chamber of commerce.

"That's how recovery happens. A few jobs at a time," Kearny said.