Pizza Ranch Plans New Apple Valley Location

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If plans are approved, Apple Valley could have a new pizza restaurant in Cobblestone Lake's commercial development.

The Apple Valley Planning Commission last week voted in favor of the proposed mapping and a site plan and building permit authorization for a new Pizza Ranch franchise at the northeast corner of 157th Street West and Pilot Knob Road. Next, the proposals will go to the Apple Valley City Council.

The proposed restaurant would be nearly 7,000 square feet, with 252 seats. The lot would be 1.4 acres and would also have 102 parking spaces, according to a commission memo.

Mapping, or platting, of this site also would create a 7,125-square-foot retail space just to the east, to be developed later.

Pizza Ranch offers pizza and chicken, as well as a buffet of many of its items. Many Pizza Ranch locations also offer some gluten-free items, according to its website.

It has 25 locations in Minnesota, including restaurants in Lakeville and Shakopee in the metro area. Pizza Ranch .

Apple Valley's planning commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the plat, and 6-1 to authorize a site plan and building permit. They spent much of their meeting discussion on how to lay out sidewalk access to the restaurant.

"In my opinion, I don't think that we need to design what it is," Commissioner Keith Diekmann said at the meeting. "I think that we need to say that we want an access point from 157th to the front of the building. ... We want to encourage walking, biking ... and we want to make sure that people know that that is the way in."

Commissioner Paul Scanlan expressed concern about forwarding an incomplete plan to the city council. He said he still had some concerns about "shortcomings" of architectural components in relation to surrounding buildings.

Previous planning commission discussions lead to an extension of the porch designed to go around the building.