As many as 10,000 new jobs could be headed to Chaska if its concept for a major biomedical park just northwest of downtown comes to fruition.

“That would be a legacy,” announced Councilmember Chad Dockter, as the council reviewed the preliminary plans at a work session following Monday night’s meeting.

City staff is working on an application to get the area extending from the future Engler Boulevard and new Highway 212 interchange down to existing Highway 212 designated as a “bioscience zone,” with the idea that the site could include multiple bioscience facilities (such as medical clinics and/or research facilities), a corporate campus, a residential area as well as a hotel/retail component to serve the businesses.

That could mean anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000 new jobs for Chaska.

“We would end up with two jobs per household in Chaska,” said Mayor Gary Van Eyll. 

Minnesota’s existing Bioscience Zone, between Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester, already “facilitates the development of a research and a development park linked to a higher education facility, the University of Minnesota, and a well-known and respected medical facility, the Mayo Clinic.”

Chaska could join that group, if its application is approved. With a bioscience zone designation, the city would not only get help attracting bioscience companies to the area, but would also be eligible for tax incentives to aid in growth.

“We could get a $2 million infrastructure grant,” said City Administrator David Pokorney. “We’re optimistic we’ll get that.”