This is a facility that we have been told it is forthcoming for 20 years and it might not be here for another 10-15 years”

Community Development Director John Hinzman

The Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority (HEDRA) met on Wednesday, Aug. 14 and discussed updates to various projects around town from a new Chase Bank to the Walden development.  

 Walden Development 

The purchase agreement for the 71-acre, 450-unit Walden Development located at the intersection of Highway 316 and Michael Avenue, has again been extended, this time through the end of 2026.  

The project has largely been stalled since the property was annexed in March 2023.  

In February 2024 the city council reviewed the site’s environmental impact statement and waived further requirements for environmental impact.  

The Hastings Planning Commission received a preliminary plat application for the site in March 2024, but those plans were revised in April in order to “deem the application complete,” said Community Development Director John Hinzman at the Thursday, April 11, 2024 HEDRA meeting.  

Since then, little has happened, with Hinzman in March 2025 telling the Planning Commission: “There’s not a lot to report unfortunately” about progress on the development.  

Walden is styled as a “life-cycle housing,” development, meaning it would cater to a broad range of housing from apartments, townhomes, single family homes to senior living and assisted living units across two phases of development.  

“The project aims to incorporate family living in one development. Whether a person is owning their first, having their second child, living their active lives in their senior years or needs assistance and care, they are welcome. The goal is to have families living and thriving in the same development,” according to the project’s December 2022 Environmental Study submitted to the city of Hastings.  

Originally, the first phase of the project was expected to begin in 2024, with the second phase which was solely single-family housing to begin in 2029.  

According to Hinzman, this extension is “a sign that the project will continue,” which would require land use approvals for the site before the end of 2026 barring a further extension.  

As to the timing of the project, “who knows,” said Hinzman.  

LandEquity Development, the developer behind the project, did not respond to calls for comment.  

 Chase Bank 

A new Chase Bank is coming to Hastings, with construction expected to begin this year. The bank will be located in the Cub Foods parking lot, near Highway 55 and General Sieben.  

The Hastings City Council approved this plan on Monday, Aug. 18 at its regular meeting.  

 Met Council Wastewater Treatment Plant 

Commissioners also expressed frustration with the delay of the Metropolitan Council’s future wastewater treatment plant, which was announced to be delayed earlier this year.  

“This is a facility that we have been told it is forthcoming for 20 years and it might not be here for another 10-15 years,” said Hinzman.  

The current wastewater treatment plant just off the banks of the Mississippi represents “a great redevelopment opportunity,” for waterfront property and an extension of downtown, said Hinzman.  

The project had previously been estimated to begin in 2027, with a site selected along Ravenna Trail. That is no longer the case.  

While no date has been set for a future wastewater treatment plant, Hinzman called it a “longer term item right now.” 

Issues with the Ravenna Trail property stemmed from an outfall pipe that was supposed to flow into the Mississippi. According to Hinzman, that pipe came into areas of “cultural significance to the Prairie Island Tribe, so it became too complicated to continue.” 

Given the extended timeline on this project and potential upsides of riverside development where the current wastewater treatment plant sits, Hastings “staff have certainly expressed our frustration with Metropolitan Council on this whole thing,” said Hinzman.  

Red Rock Parking Lot 

The possibility for the Red Rock Corridor reaching Hastings continues to dwindle with current Metropolitan Council projects for transit no longer reaching Hastings, even by 2050.  

Because of the low prospects for the corridor, commissioners discussed potential future uses of the 100-car park-and-ride parking lot located on Tyler Street between Depot Park and Lake Isabel Flats.  

The site has continued to be underutilized in city parking studies, “on average 30% utilized outside of major events,” said Alex Menke, Economic Development Coordinator.  

The lot was created with funds received from the Met Council in anticipation of the future Red Rock Corridor reaching Hastings. Twenty years later that has still not happened and no longer appears to be, leaving commissioners wondering what else could be done with the space.  

Unfortunately, due to how the funds were received by the city of Hastings from Met Council and through state bonding for the site’s initial construction, if the site were to be sold to a developer, the city would be on the hook to pay fair market value back to the state.  

“It’s a more complicated site up front,” said Menke.  

The city is currently working to get the site appraised so that it is ready for a future developer if interest arises.