Published: July 9, 2005
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Edition: METRO
Section: HOMES
BUILDER NOTES Plowshares' master-planned project will have 500 homes By Jim Buchta Staff Writer   

Plowshares Development , a Twin Cities-based developer, is building one of the only master-planned communities in the west-metro suburbs. Modeled after mega-housing projects such as Dancing Waters in Woodbury, Waterford of Waconia is a 160-acre housing development about a mile from downtown Waconia that will have more than 500 home sites, including single-family and attached housing.

The project, which broke ground this week, is being built on the Siegle family farm, which has been in the same family since the late 1800s. They ran it as a dairy farm but also raised crops, including corn, soybeans and alfalfa. In recent years the open spaces around Waconia, which is about 45 minutes west of Minneapolis, have slowly disappeared as longtime landowners have bowed to the rising demand (and prices) for land and sold their property to developers such as Plowshares. The company's chief executive, Todd Simning, said he's going to try to preserve some natural spaces for Waterford residents by building a 6 1/2-acre pond with a decorative fountain, surrounded by 3/4 of a mile of walking paths. There also will be a swimming pool, recreation area and community club house. "We believe so deeply in the city, and we saw a distinct need for a development like this," Simning said. "The people of Waconia have embraced this concept, and we are excited to be able to create such a wonderful opportunity for families of every life stage to call home." The project is just south of Hwy. 5 and west of Hwy. 284. Rowhouses will start at $199,000; single-level townhouses will start at $250,000, and single-family houses on both small and large home sites will range from $275,000 to $650,000. For information about Plowshares or its Waconia development, go to www.plowsharesdevelopment.com.