CityVue apartment project moving forward in Eagan

CityVue Apartments, a project taking shape in the 10-story building formerly owned by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, will live up to its name when it opens this summer, developers say.

The project, which includes 113 one- and two-bedroom apartments, will offer views of the Minneapolis and St. Paul skylines and of Lebanon Hills Regional Park, according to the company's website.

An 11th-floor penthouse will include a fitness center, community room and rooftop deck, said Leanna Stefaniak, director of business development and general counsel of At Home Apartments.

The apartments are part of the large CityVue Commons development at Yankee Doodle Road and Promenade Avenue. Work on a reported 30,000 square feet of retail space on the site is expected to begin this spring, Stefaniak said.

Construction of a second apartment building, now planned as a four-story structure with 90 units, is scheduled to begin next year.

Converting the former Blue Cross/Blue Shield building into rental housing has gone relatively smoothly, Stefaniak said.

"Retrofitting an office building into a luxury apartment property has not been as challenging as it may sound," Stefaniak said. "This particular project provided a great location, open-floor plates and no parking challenges to overcome. We are very excited about the site and how the project is progressing."

The location, across Yankee Doodle Road from the Eagan Promenade shopping center and close to big-box retailers, also offers easy access to Interstate 35 and downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, she said.

The project will be "attractive to those tenants who are looking for luxury apartment living outside the downtown core," Stefaniak said.

Access to the CityVue Commons site will change after the Eagan City Council on Feb. 6 approved a plan to eliminate left turns from Yankee Doodle Road onto O'Leary Lane.

Council members approved a "right-in, right out" intersection that will allow drivers going east on Yankee Doodle Road to take a right turn onto O'Leary. Drivers also will be able to take a right turn from O'Leary onto eastbound Yankee Doodle Road.

Drivers going west on Yankee Doodle Road will have to make a U-turn at Promenade Avenue or take Promenade to Town Centre Drive to reach O'Leary. The intersection change is part of a larger improvement project that will include installation of a traffic signal at Yankee Doodle Road and Promenade.

Business owners had asked for a three-quarter intersection at Yankee Doodle and O'Leary, which would allow westbound drivers to turn left onto O'Leary from Yankee Doodle while eliminating left turns onto Yankee Doodle from O'Leary.

Clint Racine, who owns a Culver's on O'Leary, repeated his call for a three-quarter intersection in comments to council members.

"It's vital to our business so that westbound traffic can access the retail outlets in our area," Racine said. "Basically what you're going to do is hurt our business with that closure."

Mayor Mike Maguire said he was sensitive to concerns about access that Racine and other business owners have expressed. "I'm also sensitive to the fact it's very hard to locate a business anywhere in Eagan these days and have ideal access," Maguire said. "It's increasingly a challenge and part of it is because whenever you change a road to accommodate somebody's access, it impacts somebody else's too."