MGM to Take Over Liquorville, Expand Footprint South of the River

As of Tuesday's city council meeting, Liquorville is officially no longer. The store will soon be remade into a corporate-owned location of MGM.

"This is going to be a state-of-the-art store," said Michael Maglich, one of the company's principals.

Maglich told the council that the St. Paul-based franchisor planned to invest $1 million into the storefront at 3050 Highway 13 West. Current property records indicate that the 33-year-old building is worth $395,800, not including the value of the land.

The council granted the company a liquor license with little discussion. Other than company representatives, no one spoke at a public hearing for the measure.

"We're glad you're investing in Burnsville," said Mayor Elizabeth Kautz. "That's a good location there at County Road 15 and Highway 13."

MGM already has a presence in Burnsville. A franchisee-owned store is located about three miles north of the new site, on County Road 42 West.

According to a past article in the Star Tribune, the number of liquor stores allowed in Burnsville has increased since 2009, when the council amended city ordinances to allow a maximum of 12 stores within city limits. Previously, the council capped the number of liquor stores at seven. Burnsville is an especially desirable area for liquor retailers largely because of the restrictive policies of neighboring towns. The market is dominated by municipal liquor stores in three neighboring towns: Savage, Lakeville, and Apple Valley all  city-operated liquor stores.