City Officials: Decision Expected Soon on Inver Grove Heights Target

It's a question that Inver Grove Heights Community Development Director Tom Link has heard countless times over the last three years: Is Target coming to town?

City staff may soon have an answer for curious residents, who have been awaiting word on the planned SuperTarget at Hwy. 55 and Robert Street in Inver Grove Heights ever since construction on the project stopped in late 2008. On Monday, City Administrator Joe Lynch confirmed that city staff have spoken twice over the last 30 days with representatives from Target Corp., who told the city to expect a decision on the development of the SuperTarget within 60 days.

Target spokeperson Sarah Van Nevel couldn't confirm the details of the talks, or whether the company has issued a timeline for the project, but said on Monday that Target representatives are "working closely with city officials to explore options for opening a store."

The news comes more than two years after Target suspended the project, which was slated to be one of two commercial anchors in a large commercial and residential development called Argenta Hills.

The plans for the development included more than 400,000 square feet of commercial space, as well as a townhome complex and a number of single-family housing units, Link said. Drawn up by developer MGT Development, the plans also called for two to three mid-sized retailers, as well as one other large commercial anchor, Link said.

The developer made a number of improvements to the site, including the construction of parking lots and streetlights, until the fall of 2008.

“They started their construction, and three weeks later, because of the worsening economic problems, they called us up and said they were pulling their people off their site," Link said.

Since then, Target Corp. has diligently continued paying for roughly $400,000 in assessments leveled against the proposed store site and roughly $600,000 for the construction of a roundabout on Robert Street, Link and Lynch said.

Lynch is cautiously optimistic about the recent talks between city and Target officials. The city administrator believes city officials will hear, one way or another, by early this summer.

“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, because the economy is still sluggish and slow," Lynch said. "[Target] is a private corporation, and they make their own decisions. We are prepared for them to come, we will welcome them if they come, but we’ll have to wait to see what they have to say."