Woodfire grill eatery gets council approval
Old Bakers Square building to be razed to make way for Porter Creek
by John Gessner
Thisweek Newspapers
A former Bakers Square restaurant along County Road 42 in Burnsville will be razed and replaced by a bar and restaurant specializing in rotisserie and woodfire cooking.
The City Council approved plans Oct. 20 for Porter Creek Hardwood Grill, a new restaurant developed by the owners of Doolittles Woodfire Grill.
The new building, at 14201 Burngarten Drive, will be on the south side of 42 between Red Lobster and the Dakota County Library-Burnhaven.
John Sheehan, co-owner and chief operating officer of Doolittles, said his company hopes to open Porter Creek next June. The building that will be replaced has housed several eateries since opening in 1978, most recently a Bakers Square.
The proposal had to overcome parking concerns.
City ordinance requires 155 spaces for the 8,600-square-foot building and outdoor dining areas, but the developer proposed only 130. Plans include outdoor dining under a four-season porch and an open-air section with a fire pit and bar. Total seating capacity is 374.
The Planning Commission recommended that the company subtract 75 seats unless it could come up with the 25 parking stalls.
The seating loss would “dramatically” change the restaurant plan, Sheehan said.
He had approached Dakota County and the nearby Kmart store about shared parking arrangements. Talks with Dakota County had begun.{mospagebreak}
But council members said parking on Burngarten Drive would suffice. The street, which Sheehan said has 44 spaces, is also used by Red Lobster diners when that lot is full.
Planning staff said the on-street spaces cannot be counted as meeting parking requirements unless secured by easement.
The council voted 3-1 to approve the restaurant plans without requiring the additional 25 spaces.
“From my perspective, this is truly common sense to look at Burngarten,” Mayor Elizabeth Kautz said.
“We’ve used street parking in other parts of the city for proof of parking. … I think it satisfies our needs for parking,” Council Member Dan Gustafson said.
Council Member Charlie Crichton cast the lone “no” vote.
The company promised an “earthy and rustic” building with extensive landscaping.
The menu will be contemporary American with “California-Mediterranean influences,” the company says. Signature dishes such as rotisserie chicken and duck, oven-roasted halibut and salmon will be complemented by more than 70 wine varieties, the company says.
Doolittles Woodfire Grill has locations in Eagan, Alexandria, Golden Valley and Fargo, N.D.
John Gessner is at burnsville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.
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