Portion Of Lake Street To Open ‘Over Next Few Weeks’

If you venture downtown Wayzata, you can’t help but notice the construction underway on Lake Street.

This is a part of the Panoway on Wayzata Bay (Lake Effect) Project Phase 1.

Right now, part of it looks like a sandbox (as you can see on the WayzataLive.com web cam), but soon it will transform into something different.

A Plaza Park will replace a surface parking lot at Lake Street and Broadway Avenue.

The Panoway Project is currently in Phase 4B.

Courtesy City of Wayzata

The big question now – when will the project be complete and when will Lake Street open again?

“Full completion is later this summer,” said Wayzata City Manager Jeff Dahl. “We are hopeful, however, to open up the 600 block sidewalk and street to pedestrian and vehicular traffic over the next few weeks.”

The city allocated roughly $9 million toward the first phase of the project.

It recently used $25,000 of a contingency fund to speed up the project and pay overtime for construction workers.

“This will be primarily used to work longer days during the work week as well as on Saturdays,” said Dahl. “We hope that we will gain a week’s worth of work so we can get out of the way even quicker, so our business can get back up and running.”

“We are grateful for the patience and support of the local community and the City as we continue to build momentum on the Panoway Project,” said Jessie Houlihan, President of Stahl Construction.

On Monday, retail businesses in Wayzata were allowed to open with restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, Gov. Tim Walz released plans to reopen restaurants.

He stated that restaurants can open for outdoor sit-down dining beginning on June 1.

There must be six feet between customers. Staff must wear masks. Max capacity is 50 people. Restaurant reservations are required.

“As people venture out and doors open, we hope everyone safely ventures out to support their local businesses,” said Houlihan. “When you do so, please stay mindful of pedestrian and directional signage indicating the available routes.”

Panoway on Wayzata Bay (Lake Effect) Background

In February of 2011, the city council appointed a Lakefront Task Force to research and provide a recommendation for the future of the City’s lakefront.

The city council adopted the Report of the Wayzata Lakefront Taskforce in January of 2012.

In March of 2014, the city council adopted the Wayzata Lakefront Final Framework Report.

Wayzata selected Civitas as the design team for the Lake Effect Signature Park schematic design in September of 2015.

On December 15, 2016, the city council approved an agreement with the Lake Effect Conservancy as a part of Resolution 29-2016 which defined the scope of the Lake Effect Project and its next steps.

That agreement states that the Conservancy will actively raise Private and Philanthropic Funding.

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Portion Of Lake Street To Open ‘Over Next Few Weeks’

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