Stretch of Lawndale, Dunkirk Lanes to Be Renamed Maple Grove Parkway
On the west side of Maple Grove, Lawndale Lane is the main road people take to drive north and south. That is until the road abruptly changes and becomes Dunkirk Lane.
Then a couple of miles later, Dunkirk Lane inexplicably turns into Maple Grove Parkway.
“There’s been comments for years about wayfinding issues on Dunkirk and Lawndale Lanes,” said Joe Hogeboom, community and economic development director for Maple Grove. “We have one street in the city and it changes names twice — three different names — so that’s always been sort of on the back of our minds.”
Hogeboom says that the city decided it was finally time to remedy the name inconsistency.
Starting in March, the entire stretch of road will take the name of Maple Grove Parkway.
“Other suburban communities — Woodbury, Burnsville, Golden Valley, Plymouth — they all have long stretches of roads that are named after the city that they’re in,” Hogeboom said. “So we think this is just about time that we get that for Maple Grove as well.”
The city council officially approved the name change Jan. 3. Over the next couple of months, city staff will get to work on all that encompasses the renaming of a road, such as notifying the post office and GPS providers.
“It’s just a matter of getting things lined up, getting signs ordered, getting them installed, working with the residents,” Hogeboom said.
A map showing the stretch of road that will be renamed Maple Grove Parkway.
Resident and business impact
A total of 38 addresses are impacted by the name change, which means residents will need new driver’s licenses and passports, and businesses will have to update any materials that reflect their old address.
Yet Hogeboom says there’s been no pushback from the public.
“Thirty-eight, in the grand scheme of things, really isn’t a lot of addresses,” Hogeboom said. “We’ve received no pushback. A lot of support from the people that have reached out to us about it. So we really think it is worth it to get this name finalized and get Maple Grove Parkway to run through the whole city.”
