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An In Depth supplement to the in Touch newsletterfoaused on New Mope busfnesses
<br />Gates of New Hope apartments approved
<br />Gates of New Hope is anew aparnnent complex that will be constructed in southern New Hope,
<br />In May, the City Council approved the
<br />final plat, site plan and a variance to
<br />the building setback for a new apart-
<br />ment building at 9390-9398 Medicine
<br />Lake Road. Gates of New Hope will be
<br />a four-story, 32 -unit apartment com-
<br />plex at the northeast corner of Medi-
<br />cine Lake Road and Hillsboro Avenue.
<br />The secure building will include 10,
<br />one -bedroom apartments of about 800
<br />square feet each, and 22, two-bedroom
<br />units with approximately 1,200 square
<br />feet of space. The developer has com-
<br />bined two lots — one containing a sin-
<br />gle-family home and the other a small
<br />business — to create a 1.6 acre lot. The
<br />property is zoned for multi -family hous-
<br />ing and is surrounded by similar uses.
<br />The developer requested a rear yard
<br />setback variance of 10 feet to accom-
<br />modate a 34 -stall garage while main-
<br />taining the required number of surface
<br />parking spaces and a suitable fire lane
<br />design. The project will also include a
<br />2,600 square foot fenced, outdoor rec-
<br />reation area with picnic tables, a grill,
<br />and play equipment, and three storm -
<br />water ponds to handle the runoff from
<br />the site.
<br />Although 25 mature trees will need
<br />to be removed to make room for the
<br />project, they will be replaced by 27
<br />new trees and additional landscaping.
<br />The building design, which includes
<br />modular brick veneer, steel, vinyl and
<br />cement board siding, and asphalt
<br />shingles, complies with New Hope's de-
<br />sign guidelines. The developer plans to
<br />begin construction this summer.
<br />City requires registration
<br />and inspection of new businesses
<br />In January 2008, New Hope began
<br />requiring every new business to reg-
<br />ister with the city and arrange for an
<br />inspection of their facility before they
<br />open for business. The purpose of the
<br />Business Use Certificate of Occupancy
<br />(or BUCO) program is to ensure that
<br />the new business is safe, appropriately
<br />equipped, and meets building and fire
<br />code requirements for the type of oper-
<br />ation planned. Existing businesses are
<br />not required to obtain a Business Use
<br />Certificate of Occupancy at this time.
<br />The most cost-effective time for a busi-
<br />ness to make necessary modifications
<br />to its building is before it moves into
<br />the building and before it opens for
<br />business. Therefore, it's in the best in-
<br />terest of new business owners in New
<br />Hope to register for the BUCO pro-
<br />gram early.
<br />Before the BUCO program was imple-
<br />mented, many new businesses moved
<br />into New Hope without the knowledge
<br />of city staff. New business owners
<br />sometimes did not have a complete
<br />understanding of all of the fire safety
<br />and building code requirements that
<br />applied to their type of business in
<br />New Hope and, consequently, failed
<br />to comply with some of those require-
<br />ments. Now, new businesses can avoid
<br />potential fire safety and building code
<br />problems by registering with the city
<br />through the BUCO program and
<br />working with New Hope building in-
<br />spectors and West Metro Fire -Rescue
<br />District fire inspectors to resolve
<br />any code issues before they open for
<br />business.
<br />The process begins when a new business
<br />completes an application that provides
<br />the city with basic information about its
<br />proposed operation. The $25 fee, which
<br />accompanies the application, helps to
<br />pay for the program. After reviewing
<br />the application, city inspectors advise
<br />the new business owner of building code
<br />and safety requirements they must com-
<br />ply with. Once a new business owner
<br />believes they are in compliance with all
<br />code requirements, they schedule an ap-
<br />pointment with city inspectors.
<br />After the inspection has been com-
<br />pleted, a business that has met all city
<br />code requirements is issued a Business
<br />Use Certificate of Occupancy certifi-
<br />cate and is able to begin operation. If
<br />the inspection identifies a few minor is-
<br />sues that need to be resolved, the busi-
<br />ness may open with a temporary BUCO
<br />certificate but must make the required
<br />changes within 15 days. If a business
<br />needs more than two inspections, there
<br />is $50 charge for each additional
<br />inspection.
<br />By proactively addressing building code
<br />and fire hazards, the BUCO program
<br />helps to ensure the safety of employees
<br />at local businesses and the surround-
<br />ing community and protect the invest-
<br />ment of commercial property owners.
<br />For more information about the BUCO
<br />program, contact the New Hope In-
<br />spection Division at 763-531-5127.
<br />Program provides technical advice to small businesses
<br />New Hope has collaborated with
<br />the city of Golden Valley and the
<br />Metropolitan Consortium of Com-
<br />munity Developers (MCCD) since 2012
<br />to provide free one-on-one business
<br />advice and counseling to local small
<br />businesses through the Golden Valley/
<br />New Hope Open to Business program.
<br />'Ihe New Hope City Council recently
<br />approved a one year extension of the
<br />contract with MCCD for the program.
<br />Open to Business provides intensive
<br />one-on-one technical assistance to
<br />entrepreneurs who live, own a busi-
<br />ness, or are planning a business in
<br />either Golden Valley or New Hope. An
<br />MCCD advisor can help local busi-
<br />ness people develop a business plan, or
<br />provide guidance on essential business
<br />skills such as record keeping, cash flow
<br />analysis and marketing. Advisors can
<br />also help emerging businesses obtain
<br />loans — either through commercial
<br />banks or the MCCD.
<br />In 2013, the program assisted 20 start-
<br />ups and existing businesses in New
<br />Hope and Golden Valley.
<br />MCCD's Rob Smolund shares his business
<br />expertise with local small businesses.
<br />The Open to Business program is funded
<br />by $2,500 each from the cities of New
<br />Hope and Golden Valley and $5,000
<br />from the Hennepin County Housing
<br />Redevelopment Authority. Local busi-
<br />ness people can arrange to meet with a
<br />MCCD business advisor by contacting
<br />Rob Smolund at 612-789-7337, ext. 260
<br />or rsmolund@mccdmn.org.
<br />New Hope development update
<br />Dominos has completed renovation ofan outdated strip mall.
<br />Dominos Pizza
<br />Domino's Pizza has completed nearly
<br />$200,000 in renovations to the out-
<br />dated commercial building it pur-
<br />chased late last year at 2720 Winnetka
<br />Avenue N. They began by extensively
<br />remodeling the interior of the building,
<br />including the installation of partition
<br />walls to create three tenant spaces.
<br />Exterior improvements included an
<br />updated front facade for the building
<br />with larger windows, stone veneer and
<br />insulated stucco panels. The remainder
<br />of the building was painted to match
<br />the color scheme of the new facade.
<br />Other improvements include a new
<br />pylon sign and updated heating and
<br />cooling equipment. The Domino's Pizza
<br />shop relocated from Midland Shopping
<br />Center to the southernmost bay of the
<br />small remodeled mall in early March.
<br />Auto Zone
<br />Construction of a new Auto Zone store
<br />began with the demolition of the old
<br />)ack's gas station at 7117 Bass lake
<br />Road in April. In August of last year,
<br />the City Council
<br />approved a request
<br />to combine the
<br />parcels at 7117 Bass
<br />Lake Road and 5551
<br />Louisiana Avenue
<br />(the vacant parcel to
<br />the south) into one
<br />parcel that will pro-
<br />vide adequate space
<br />for Auto Zone's new
<br />7,360 square foot
<br />retail auto parts
<br />store. Vehicle access
<br />for the new store
<br />will come off of
<br />Louisiana Avenue.
<br />The current access points off of Bass
<br />Lake Road will be closed, substantially
<br />reducing vehicle conflicts on heavily -
<br />traveled Bass Lake Road. Auto Zone
<br />will construct both an underground
<br />detention tank and an open infiltration
<br />area that will be more than adequate to
<br />handle the additional storm water run-
<br />off that the larger building and blacktop
<br />on the site will generate.
<br />Sol Azteca
<br />A new Mexican restaurant opened at
<br />7112 Bass Lake Road in early May. Sol
<br />Azteca moved into the space previously
<br />occupied by Agua Brava restaurant,
<br />which closed last fall. The new busi-
<br />ness made some minor improvements
<br />including new signage and adding a
<br />couple walls and a bar in the dining
<br />area. The restaurant received an on
<br />sale liquor license for the new establish-
<br />ment in February. Sol Azteca features a
<br />wide range of authentic Mexican family
<br />recipes ranging from tacos and burritos
<br />to grilled items including fajitas and
<br />shrimp.
<br />In Business ,o Spring 2014 5
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