Maple Grove Council Approves Concept Plan for AMC Theater Redevelopment
The Maple Grove City Council approved a concept plan Monday night that will help shape part of the city’s retail future.
As CCX News previously reported, Atlanta-based Floor & Decor will replace the former AMC Arbor Lakes 16 movie theater. The company is new to Minnesota, specializing in tile, stone, wood, laminate and vinyl flooring.
“It’s a flagship store for the state of Minnesota. There won’t be many of these in Minnesota. It will drive a lot of interest in the community outside of Maple Grove as well as within the city,” said Dan Regan, principal with Maplewood-based Launch Properties, the lead developer.
Floor & Decor will gut the interior of the theater and make extensive improvements to the exterior.
In addition to Floor & Decor, Regan said Launch Properties is working hard to bring “unique concepts” to the area. Part of the concept plan includes constructing three new buildings on the nearly 10-acrea movie theater site.
One of the buildings would go east of Malone’s Bar & Grill. Regan said the building would be either retail or a restaurant.
A second building is proposed west of the former Patrick’s Restaurant & Bakery and south of Red Lobster. Regan mentioned a sit-down restaurant with a patio as a possibility for that building.
A third building would go up west of Floor & Decor. It’s uncertain what type of tenant would fill that spot.
‘We’re very interested in this area’
Maple Grove City Council members acknowledged that the theater’s closure was a setback, but hoped the area will make positive gains.
“It’s really hard to lose a theater for a community,” said Maple Grove City Council member Judy Hanson. She added, “Arbor Lakes has just put a lot of investment into making things look very nice and we’re also renovating Main Street, so we’re very interested in this area.”
City officials say one issue that will have to be resolved is the Elm Creek Boulevard-Main Street intersection. While Floor & Decor won’t generate the vehicle traffic compared to a movie theater, that will change once expected restaurant and retail tenants move into the other buildings.
“It’s one of the problem intersections we have in the city already,” said Maple Grove Mayor Mark Steffenson. “We need to do something that fixes it if we’re going to fix it.”
The area grew busier after Total Wine moved in next to Nordstrom Rack in 2015. And city officials believe Sierra, an outdoor gear and apparel store, will generate more traffic once it opens in the spot of the former LifeWay Christian Store.
Also See: Also See: Maple Grove AMC Theatre Abruptly Closes
