Snubbed builder gives Wayzata a hot pink poke in the eye

After the city of Wayzata turned down Brad Hoyt's proposal to build a five-story mixed-use building near the far end of its main drag, Hoyt and his family's company, Continental Property Group, sued.

Then Hoyt sent the tony community, lined with upscale boutiques and fancy restaurants, a message. In hot pink and size triple X.

Snubbed by the city, Hoyt decided to paint an existing abandoned building on the property a blazing pink. It stands out among the elegant beige and brick facades like a garishly painted toenail. Then a sign appeared this week on the building suggesting that an adult bookstore was imminent.

Asked if the pink porn palace was intended as a poke in the eye to the city, Wayzata Mayor Ken Willcox replied: "Exactly."

But in an interview Friday, the sly Hoyt dismissed his critics at city hall. His daughter, who survived leukemia, chose the color, he said. The "XXX Adult Books" sign was erected by someone who had planned to lease the site, but they backed out after the outraged reaction, Hoyt said.

Hoyt has been known to pal around with controversy. He's launched a half-dozen lawsuits on development deals in the Twin Cities; the best known may have been after his failed attempt to build a skyscraper near Loring Park.

When his bid to erect a 21-story tower was rejected by the Minneapolis City Council, Hoyt sued Minneapolis and Council Member Lisa Goodman. He won, but did not get the multimillion-dollar judgment he was asking for.

In the Wayzata dispute, Hoyt says he is the victim of "MacMillan Town," a reference to the billionaire MacMillan family of Cargill. He says that in Wayzata, like in the book "Animal Farm," everyone is equal, but some people are more equal.

He points to the sprawling development at the opposite side of the downtown, a mixed-use project that rises nearly 70 feet above the street, approximately the height Hoyt wants for his property.

Willcox said Wayzata only made an exception for the new Wayzata Bay project because it is being built on swampland and is blighted property. The only way it was economically feasible was to build it taller, Willcox said, but the city is determined to block height "creep" from the rest of the downtown.

Hoyt scoffs at the excuse.

"Of course it's on bad soil," Hoyt said. "The whole city is on a peat bog. It's exactly the same as mine. They have the same zoning district. It's spot zoning, and it's against the law."

"I've probably gotten more calls on this in the past couple of days than I have in my six years as mayor," said Willcox. "Most of it is supportive of the city."

Asked if hot pink fit with the city's aesthetic, Willcox didn't hesitate. "Ah, no. It's amazing," he said.

Willcox said Hoyt was not treated differently from anyone else.

"He wanted a five-story building in an area zoned for three," Willcox said. "It was not a difficult decision. We sometimes wrestle over a foot. If you come in with a proposal for three stories, you'll probably get it."

Hoyt said he's had "two years of frustration and delay" from the city and paid more than $3 million in property taxes on the site. Friday, Hoyt said he resigned from any role in Continental Properties, which he put in a trust for his children, to do battle alone.

Hoyt said he's determined to keep fighting against all odds, just like he did in Minneapolis. Though he said the courts ruled in that case that the city "trampled on my rights, I got nothing from it but cancer," Hoyt said.

"Stay away from stress," he added. "It'll kill ya."

jtevlin@startribune.com • 612-673-1702