Mayor Mark Stephenson and members of the Maple Grove City Council gave updates on economic development and infrastructure on Jan. 6, 2025, saying the city has seen new commercial investments, progress on the community center redevelopment and expects completion of Highway 610 this year.

In a brief state-of-the-city summary, Mayor Mark Stephenson said, "On behalf of the city, I would just like to report that the city is doing great. We have a great city, a great place to live." He pointed to growth in the Arbor Lakes business area and singled out new facilities including MSI and Boston Scientific as examples of recent job-creating development chosen in competition with other cities.

Council Member Christy Janigo, in her third year on the council, described ongoing work on the community center and other public projects. She said construction on phase 1 of the community center is visible, with "the crane [having] installed the precast stadium seating for the new rink" and that in the coming weeks work would shift to roof trusses for a third sheet of ice. She added that phase 2 planning and public engagement will resume later.

Janigo also said Garland Commons, a 55-plus affordable senior community, opened in spring 2024 and that "a lease was signed for the last available unit" last week. She said, "We have a profound need in this community for senior housing across all markets and price points," and described continued planning to address that need.

Both Stephenson and Janigo highlighted the long-running Highway 610 completion through the northwest quadrant of the city. Stephenson said the roadway—land for which was set aside in 1974—should reach final completion this year, a milestone he described as the finishing link of the north crosstown and a cap on decades of metropolitan freeway planning.

Council Member John McCullough described Maple Grove as “an intentional city designed to attract stellar events, trendy shops, delicious dining, thriving business services, and sought out to call home,” and he thanked staff for providing data that helps the council keep tax burdens low while planning long-term capital needs. McCullough also recognized Public Works and its winter response, noting crews cleared roughly 300 miles of roadway and 700 cul-de-sacs during a recent storm.

On environmental work and natural-resource stewardship, Janigo described the city forester's work on tree plantings and emerald ash borer management, stream restoration projects including Rush Creek North Fork, an alum treatment completed on Eagle Lake, and a planned study of internal loading in Rice Lake. She noted water-resource engineers schedule stormwater pond dredging each year and review landscaping plans of new developments for ordinance compliance.

Stephenson and Janigo thanked departing council members Judy Hansen and Christy Barnett for their service and welcomed new council members John McCullough and Mike Osoppi (not in attendance). Both leaders said they expect continued housing and commercial development in the northwest quadrant and said they hope to work with Maple Grove Hospital and state partners on a large hospital expansion in the coming year.

The remarks were delivered as part of the council's regular meeting; no formal vote was tied to the State of the City comments. The council moved from those remarks into routine business and appointments later in the meeting.