Another luxury apartment complex soon will spring up as part of Maple Grove's effort to create a more urban-style downtown area.

At a Maple Grove City Council meeting last month, the council unanimously approved the first phase of the Skye at Arbor Lakes apartment complex located off Lakeview Drive, next to what will be a 20-acre community park in the coming years -- a "bonus" for future residents.

"This plan really is a glove-fit for our land-use plan," said Maple Grove Community Development Director Dick Edwards.

The first phase of the Skye project will consist of a four-story building with 257 units ranging from one to three bedrooms encircling an enclosed heated garage. It will include amenities like a clubhouse, a pool and a dog park.

Rent is expected to range from $1,050 to $2,100 a month. According to a Maple Grove staff report, the rent on 10 percent of the apartments will be set at 80 percent of the median household income in an effort to provide affordable housing within the city.

Construction of the second phase of the project, which is slated to add a second building with 210 units, will depend on how quickly the units in the first building are occupied, Edwards said.

A leader in construction

Maple Grove has consistently been one of the top five localities in the Twin Cities metro for new residential construction in recent years.

The city tallied 213 permits for all of 2011, according to the Builders Association of the Twin Cities. In December alone, Maple Grove had the third most permits of all cities in the metro area with 19. Woodbury had 25 and Blaine 21.

The developer is expected to break ground on the Skye at Arbor Lakes project this spring, Edwards said.

"Once all that paperwork is out of the way, the developer starts moving dirt," he said.

LeCesse Development Corp. chose Maple Grove for the project because it is at a confluence of major highways and offers local shopping and dining opportunities for residents, said development director Tom Hayden. The company recently finished a similar luxury apartment complex in Woodbury.

He said the Maple Grove project will cost between $70 million and $80 million. The idea of an indoor heated parking garage for "less desirable" weather has been particularly well-received, he said.

Ken Ashfeld, Maple Grove's director of public works and city engineer, said the public infrastructure improvements needed for the project are "straightforward" -- there are no roads or utilities at the site yet. He said nearby properties also will benefit from these improvements.

Edwards said Maple Grove's "downtown" has been designed to be "walkable." Residents are encouraged to walk to local shops, and buildings in commercial areas front directly onto sidewalks, with parking located around back to create an urban feel.

It will be the same for Skye at Arbor Lakes residents, who will have a series of sidewalks to encourage them to make the 10-minute walk to Main Street instead of driving.

Jill Jensen is a University of Minnesota journalism student on assignment for the Star Tribune.