With Recession Fading, Brandtjen Farm Housing Development Amps Up Construction

When it was approved by the city of Lakeville in 2005, the Spirit of Brandtjen Farm housing development was an ambitious undertaking.

The plan called for 2,100 homes to be constructed on the 520-acre site over the course of about a decade. All would have amenities such as sidewalks and front porches and most would be custom-designed and built.

The lengthy recession slowed the development's growth, grinding the Twin Cities real estate market to a halt Today, eight years on, only 160 lots have completed homes or buildings under construction, the Star Tribune reported.

“Obviously, we had high expectations which had to be tempered,” Daryl Morey, Lakeville’s planning director, told the paper.

But since last year, construction has started up again and about 60 single-family homes are expected to be completed this year.

The developer, Tradition Development of Edina, told the Star Tribune that Spirit would be running about five years behind the original plans and the number of custom-built homes will be lower.