A major new development is in the works in suburban Oakdale, as reports just recently surfaced regarding the sale of 206 acres that were previously owned by 3M Co. According to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Minneapolis-based Maplewood Development acquired the property for $6.9 million and is already planning a new 1,500 unit residential community that would include both single-family homes and multifamily units as well. 

If approved, it’ll be Oakdale’s largest master-planned residential development to date. 

A plan to bring 1.8 million square feet of industrial space was previously in place for the development site, which is now just vacant land, however that project never came to fruition. Now, it appears as if residential development will now occupy the property, which sits just east of Interstate 694, providing easy access down to Woodbury, and even over into St. Paul. 

A new concept plan has already been unveiled by the would-be developer, which includes 300 to 350 single-family residences and around 1,150 multifamily units that would consist of either apartments or townhomes. Also included could be a number of athletic fields, community parks, and even preserved wetlands and other open spaces, but nothing is concrete as of now. 

It’s expected the city of Oakdale will eventually approve the project sometime this spring, and when fully built-out, the community will add nearly 4,000 residents to a city that has a population of just over 28,000 people currently.