Lake Street Improvements
The need: a stronger connection to Wayzata’s greatest asset – the lake
The Wayzata Conservancy in partnership with the City of Wayzata has been working for nearly a decade to evaluate the needs of the community and to develop a plan to restore, protect and enhance a treasured asset for our community and broader region: Wayzata’s downtown lakefront. The initiative, known as Panoway on Wayzata Bay, solicited input from thousands of people through years of public and private events, meetings and conversations. The previous Lake Effect work created a new vision for Wayzata’s waterfront, an experience that brings people together to relax, refresh and reconnect with each other, while preserving and protecting this resource for generations to come. The public phase of this project – called Panoway on Wayzata Bay – will launch this spring, beginning our work to make this vision a reality.
When complete, Panoway will offer the community new and restored parks and greenspace, a boardwalk along the lakefront, renovated historical landmarks, educational programming, and inspirational spaces that invite personal reflection and community connection.
The work
The first phase of Panoway on Wayzata Bay centers around Lake Street and the surrounding area. Renovation efforts include reconstructing Lake Street from Barry Avenue to Broadway Avenue to be more pedestrian and bicycle friendly; creating a beautiful, multi-use Plaza Park near the lakefront, replacing the existing surface parking lot at Lake Street and Broadway Avenue; and extending the Dakota Rail Regional Trail safely across Ferndale Road to Broadway Avenue. These comprehensive efforts align with Panoway’s overarching mission to better connect downtown with the lake and fully realize the unique potential of our city.
The impact
With many businesses having to reduce services or close due to COVID-19, the City decided to proceed with construction to lessen the impact on businesses and allow construction crews to accelerate their work.
The City of Wayzata remains committed to supporting the business community during and after this pandemic. Once it is safe to resume normal operations, the city will offer a variety of assistance tools to help businesses recover and thrive through the duration of this construction project and beyond.
The timeline
After careful consideration, the Wayzata City Council has decided to move forward with the construction on Lake Street to make vital infrastructure improvements and complete phase one of Panoway on Wayzata Bay. Construction began in March 2020 and is expected to be complete by late summer 2020.
The latest
Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Project Manager Stahl Construction has assured us that they will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of on-site workers and of our community at large as the project progresses. View Stahl’s worksite safety protocols.
The city will be providing ongoing updates about Lake Street construction and the continued progress of Panoway on Wayzata Bay. To stay informed, please sign up for email or text alerts.