Author: Mark Weber

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Mark Weber

Mark joined the Eden Prairie News as a reporter in 1979, just five years after its start, and spent the next 34 years in various roles including editor and publisher, as well as general manager of the parent company, Southwest Newspapers. He also published Edible Twin Cities magazine. His encore career was serving the nonprofit Eden Prairie Community Foundation as executive director. Mark is now retired. He and his wife, Roma, have two grown sons and a daughter-in-law, as well as a grandson. They have lived in Eden Prairie since 1984. "I hope the many words I have typed over the years have helped people understand the world around them."

Discussion of a 2023-27 strategic plan for community development is expected to be part of the Tuesday, Nov. 1, meeting of the Eden Prairie City Council. The plan outlines the priorities for the city’s Community Development Department for the next five years within its wide range of responsibilities: redevelopment as well as “infill” development on small vacant parcels, but also initiatives in the areas of affordable housing and economic development. Stimulating investment and development near Eden Prairie’s future light-rail stations is an example of ongoing initiatives that are part of the plan. Tuesday’s city council meeting begins at 7 p.m.…

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They sometimes called him The Bürgermeister – which translates to “town master,” or mayor – as a nod to Wolfgang Penzel’s Eden Prairie elected role and his German heritage. “I used it affectionately and humorously,” recalled Dean Edstrom, who served on the Eden Prairie City Council when Penzel was mayor. “He was a really good mayor, in my view. A strong mayor. He would exercise his authority to the max, and I think that was good.” Penzel, who served as Eden Prairie mayor in the late-1970s and early ‘80s, passed away on Oct. 7 after struggling with kidney and heart…

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Developers of the Asia Mall in Eden Prairie say they are planning for a Thursday, Nov. 10, opening of their 100,000-square-foot project, an Asian-themed mix of grocery, restaurant, retail, and office uses in the former Gander Mountain building along Technology Drive, east of Costco. The opening comes 15 months after the City of Eden Prairie approved the project in August 2021. It’s been a long and tough process, said co-owner Amor Zhao, primarily because supply-chain problems slowed down the project. “We’ve tried the best we can to get it done,” he added, noting that Asia Mall will be about 75%…

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Ryan Companies is considering changes to an apartment plan rejected by the Eden Prairie City Council in August, hoping there’s a path toward city reconsideration and approval of the project. The potential changes were outlined in a city council workshop Tuesday, Oct. 18. While there were no votes taken or commitments made, council members indicated that the revisions address many of their earlier concerns, and they have no objections to the revised plan being resubmitted for consideration, as long as the developer also meets with neighbors. On Aug. 16, the council rejected on a preliminary 4-0 vote a Ryan Companies…

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The Eden Prairie City Council is poised to take the final step in creating a replica of the water tank and train depot that, when railroads ruled, stood east of Eden Prairie Road and south of the historic Smith-Douglas-More House. Those original railroad structures are long gone, and the replica depot isn’t identical to the so-called Washburn train depot that was an Eden Prairie transportation hub for many years, starting in 1871, when the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad tracks were built here. But, the new buildings will return to life some of EP’s earliest “downtown,” which not only included…

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Eden Prairie city officials are taking lessons learned from their 3-year-old Staring Lake Park building and putting them into plans for a new building at Round Lake Park. They’ve incorporated a rentable community room into the design for a new, 4,293-square-foot building that would replace the 40-year-old restrooms and skating rink warming house at Round Lake. That’s because the current, smaller building isn’t rented at all, whereas the relatively new park building at Staring Lake Park is tallying more than 60 rentals a year, according to Matt Bourne, the city’s parks and natural resources manager. Bourne, who presented park-building plans…

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For Roy Terwilliger, a lifetime of community service – most of it in Eden Prairie – was sparked by his family’s involvement in a tiny town in South Dakota. “One of my most vivid memories – I was 4 or 5 – was of an old guy who lived by himself in a tarpaper shack in town,” Terwilliger recalls. “His house caught on fire. The town fire truck wouldn’t start. My dad went over with his truck, his gas truck, (and) pulled the fire truck to the fire, so they could use the pumping mechanism and pour water on the…

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Rose and Jim Bitter of Eden Prairie think their next vehicle might be a fuel-efficient, plug-in hybrid, and it’s not just about saving money on gas. “I want to do it for our children, our grandchildren,” said Rose, alluding to the global push to reduce fossil-fuel emissions to avoid climate changes that could be disastrous. “This is the right thing to do,” she added. The Bitters were among people attending Monday evening’s Electric Vehicle Ride and Drive Event, organized by the City of Eden Prairie’s Sustainability Commission to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). People attending the event at…

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A preliminary 2023 budget and tax levy that would increase the city portion of property taxes on a $513,200 home by $106 were set Tuesday, Sept. 6, by the Eden Prairie City Council. The council expects to hold a public meeting on the final tax levy and budget Dec. 6, and make final decisions at that meeting or by Dec. 28. The city is only one portion of the property tax bill received annually by homeowners; the schools and Hennepin County are also major parts. Approved unanimously Tuesday was a preliminary 2023 city tax levy of $44.9 million and a…

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It’s a tale of two Eden Prairie Burger Kings: The long-vacant Burger King on Flying Cloud Drive has now been demolished, possibly making way for redevelopment, while construction of a new Burger King at Highway 5 and County Road 4 remains on hold. No plan to redevelop the site at Flying Cloud Drive and Prairie Center Drive, southwest of Eden Prairie Shopping Center, has been submitted to the City of Eden Prairie for review, said Julie Klima, director of community development. The demolition simply cleans up an eyesore and makes way for something new. Klima said the city is assuming…

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