VISIONS FOR VACANCY: Plymouth Center Off Hwy 55

The Plymouth Center property off Highway 55 and Medicine Lake Road may be empty now, but wait until it gets demolished.

According to Oppidan of Minnetonka, which is set to build on the site this year, has gone through the city's approval process to build a 90-unit senior housing facility on the eight-acre site.

The Minnetonka-based Shelter Corporation was set to operate the housing facility as part of The Waters Senior Living.

Also mentioned in the press release is the possibility of a McDonald’s restaurant and room for up to four acres of future business growth in the area.

Originally, the Plymouth Center was built by the Schiebe family in 1955 for a hardware store, said Plymouth Community Development Director Steve Juetten.

But gradually, the businesses in the center have come and gone until nothing was left in about 2006/2007. MinnWest Bank owns the property and had been trying to find someone to step forward for the three parcels of land.

"Expectations are that in next month or so the buildings there now will be taken down completely," Juetten said. "They will also redo the roadway there and fix drainage issues."

Businesses that had been there include a meat vendor, Latuff's Pizzeria (which has since moved across Hwy 55 and down a few blocks), a barber shop and more.

"The banks was trying to find someone since the last businesses moved out a couple years ago then the water line broke a year and a half ago and they decided not to spend the money to fix that and instead find someone wanting to rebuild on the site," Juetten said.

What do you think? Do you agree with what is proposed for the site? What would you like to see there? What would not want to see built there? Why?