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The Blueprint
A local development team hopes to begin construction as soon as next year on a multi-sport entertainment complex in Burnsville — a golf and pickleball-oriented facility that would rise on a former landfill site in Burnsville.
Developers of the $40 million to $45 million project, including landowner Michael McGowan, vow to bring new life to the 30-acre brownfield site, which was previously a dumping ground and has long been a candidate for a higher-and-better use.
A driving range currently occupies the site, known as the Freeway Dump, which is near Interstate 35W and Cliff Road.
“We believe that this is a golden opportunity for the city, for the community, the south metro area to have a spectacular development on a very underutilized piece of property,” McGowan said in an interview.
But before the developers can begin construction, a skeptical Minnesota Pollution Control Agency needs to sign off on the plans.
The Freeway Dump, located directly east of the Freeway Landfill, accepted waste from 1960 to 1969, according to the MPCA.
The “waste footprint of the Freeway Dump extends past the property boundaries and covers approximately 34 acres. The estimated volume of waste in the Freeway Dump is 790,000 cubic yards,” the MPCA says.
According to the MPCA, there were “few design and operational standards for older landfills when they were initially built and operated. There are a number of environmental concerns associated with the landfill and dump that need to be addressed to ensure protection of human health and the environment.”
On its website, the MPCA says one remediation option is to “dig up the existing landfill to allow a new modern landfill to be constructed on the landfill property, replace the waste, then move the Freeway Dump waste to the Freeway Landfill.”
A new landfill could cost about $117 million, according to the MPCA’s website.
The MPCA said in a statement to Finance & Commerce that its authority “involves overseeing contaminated sites to ensure protection of human health and the environment through Minnesota’s state Superfund program.
“The MPCA’s role involves oversight of cleanup and supporting redevelopment at contaminated properties like Freeway Dump where there is contamination at levels of concern. The Freeway Dump, where this development is proposed, was an unlined dump site that accepted waste in the 1960s with a site footprint of approximately 34 acres. Since Freeway Dump is a state Superfund site, any development would need MPCA approval of its plan on how it will address the contamination to protect human health and the environment.
“Beyond the human health and environmental benefits, the MPCA encourages successful redevelopment to help reduce urban sprawl, enhance the livability of neighborhoods, create new businesses and jobs, and add to the tax base.”
For its part, the privately funded Big Hits at the Gateway project would bring about 200 jobs to the city, according to the developers, who liken their plan to other brownfield redevelopments in Minnesota, such as CHS Field in St. Paul.
“Like those successful projects, the Freeway site redevelopment plan addresses the current site status issues on site, using proven protective measures such as constantly monitored vapor mitigation systems, lining portions of the site and capping nearly the entire site and enhancing stormwater infrastructure,” the developers said in a press release.
The Big Hits at the Gateway project would include a three-level golf driving range, 17 pickleball courts, and a conference and an event center with space for up to 400 guests.
Also planned are a children’s playground adjacent to the outdoor courts, nearly 10 acres of pollinator prairie park and a mile of bike and hiking trails that connect to Black Dog Trail, among other attractions.
The developers are expected to submit a formal application to the city on June 16. Next steps include public hearings, city staff analysis, Planning Commission review on Aug. 1 and a City Council vote on Sept. 2.
Pending City Council approval, the developers will submit a “Remedial Action Plan” to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The developers said they plan to use environmental protections “that exceed state guidelines, with all remediation to be conducted at no cost to taxpayers.”
“Burnsville deserves a destination that draws people in, not just for recreation but for community events and economic development,” said Mohammed Lawal of LSE Architects, a member of the project team. “Big Hits at The Gateway will energize this part of the city and create something that’s never been seen before in the metro.”
Lawal added that the project could be a regional draw like the Mall of America or U.S. Bank Stadium.
McGowan said the project is shovel ready and that the project team would like to begin construction in 2026.
“When we have completed the construction of this project, almost the entire facility will have been capped, which is one of the concerns that people have to prevent rainwater, snow melt, infiltrating the surface,” McGown said.