As you drive through our beautiful Lakes of Radisson development today, it’s hard to imagine that only 22 years ago, this area was made up of eight sod farms—1,140 acres of land flat as a pancake.

But there was a vision for the future. A company called Main Street 1000 was formed solely to develop what we now call The Lakes of Radisson, with Emmerich Development and Gorham Companies as major partners. Gorham Companies is a family business with a long history of land development and home building, owned by Gary and Chris Gorham, their daughter Lisa DuFault, and son Mike Gorham. After college, Lisa and Mike joined the company directly, and in 2001, they took over all aspects of home building. That allowed Gary to devote all his time to land development and Chris to office management. Gary and Chris live in The Lakes, as does Lisa with her husband, Guy. Mike and his wife, Jill, live in Andover. Gary, Chris, and Lisa have since retired from the company, but Mike continues to build custom homes throughout the area.

Tony Emmerich had long been a land developer. Sadly, he passed away years ago—but not before he was able to see the vision come true.

Their vision, along with that of the City of Blaine, was to create a master-planned community with life-cycle housing that was unparalleled in size, quality, and beauty in the Twin Cities area.

In May 2003, Main Street 1000 purchased the eight sod farms at a cost of roughly $45 million. Prior to the land purchase, the project took more than a year of planning. Engineering was done in collaboration with the City of Blaine, which also coordinated meetings with the Coon Creek Watershed District, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Met Council, the MPCA, and others to gain approvals so construction could begin.

A limnologist was hired to provide expertise on optimal water depth to keep the lake healthy. The average lake depth is 15 feet, allowing for water turnover at ice melt to naturally aerate the lake. A 25-foot-wide buffer zone with a swale and berm was established around the lake to filter out contaminants before they reached the water. Additionally, holding ponds were created throughout the development to collect stormwater from the streets, filtering out the majority of contaminants before the water is released into the lake. Gas-powered watercraft are prohibited, further preserving water quality.

It took approximately 18 months to build the lake and grade the building sites. Sand from the lakebed was used to elevate the building pads so they were all a minimum of 18 inches above a 100-year flood event. In total, about 24 million cubic yards of dirt were moved. Sunrise Lake covers 159 acres, with six miles of shoreline and four bridges. The City of Blaine has built a beautiful public beach on the north end of the lake, along with a splash pad, boathouse with kayak and canoe rentals, a sand volleyball court, and a playground.

There are two large parks, six passive and tot parks, and two private neighborhood parks, along with 14 miles of hiking and biking trails. These trails have since been expanded with the addition of the Wetland Sanctuary Trail. Over 100,000 trees and shrubs were originally planted. Open spaces make up approximately 36% of the 1,140 acres.

The Lakes includes 33 distinct neighborhoods, encompassing all types of housing. Originally, six builders were selected to build in The Lakes—each required to have the financial capability to purchase lots as they became available, due to the high cost of developing a project of this size.

The Lakes development was on the cutting edge of new technology by recycling home building materials. Nitti Companies collected all construction waste from building sites and recycled it, reducing environmental impact.

The entire parkway system, all association-maintained neighborhoods, and the Copper Bay single-family neighborhood are irrigated using lake water, reducing demand on the City of Blaine’s water system.

As the Gorhams drive through the Lakes of Radisson development, they reflect on the great cooperation between our development company, the City of Blaine, and the home builders who helped make this dream and vision a reality.

Now, it’s truly the residents who make this community what it is today.