ABOUT

Lake West Development

At Lake West Development, we specialize in land development with purpose. We don’t just prepare land—we shape future communities, one site at a time.

Our work begins with a strong foundation: deep market insight, a disciplined approach to planning, and a commitment to delivering quality, build-ready land to homebuilders, investors, and commercial partners.

Meet Our
Leadership Team

Our team is comprised of professionals with deep expertise across the continuum of development disciplines, bringing together a wide array of skills and experiences to execute successful residential, multi-family, and commercial developments and redevelopments.

Kelsey Thompson

Executive Development Director 

Mandy Cullen

Accounts & Property Management

Curt Fretham

CEO and Chief Manager

Flexible By Design,
Building Opportunities.

Curt Fretham started Lake West in 1994 with a single house and an oversized yard in Minnetonka. From there the company has evolved – from creating duplexes, to one and two-property subdivisions, to large mixed-use developments of single and multi-family residences, and commercial buildings. For over two decades Lake West has been acquiring, renovating and developing underutilized properties in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs – and creating exceptional new places for people to live and work.

Our tour de force is creating infill developments on underused land in a way that adds real value to a community. Projects that require flexibility, creativity and imaginative solutions to challenges are our specialty.

 

Years of Experience

20+

Projects Completed

20+

OUR VALUES

Our values are the foundation of everything we do. Through thoughtful development, exceptional service, and a commitment to quality, our values guide us in creating exceptional spaces and meaningful experiences.

We help businesses grow by providing premium commercial sites and buildings. There is a direct connection between a community’s character and its economic and social well-being. That’s why we approach our projects from the perspective of character. Our mission is to create commercial developments that add beauty, increase convenience, provide more options for residents, and help generate jobs in the community. We mean for our commercial developments to be corporate good neighbors, sensitive to the character of the surrounding community.

New retail and office spaces can contribute to the vitality of a community. New commercial developments help generate jobs for the neighborhood’s residents, provide important services, improve neighborhood safety, and create a favorable environment for business. All of it adds to a community’s overall vibrancy and economic health.

We are flexible in our approach to commercial land development and leasing. When we have committed tenants, we collaborate closely with them to bring their unique visions into reality. We engage the city, community members, and business owners to create a viable, long-term environment that benefits everyone involved. We are creative and nimble in our approach to commercial land development as a positive social process, not just a real estate transaction—one that helps build prosperity in the surrounding community for generations to come.