By the Closer Look Inspectors team · Facts checked October 2026 against the sources listed below · About our inspectors
Orono's own plan calls both its lakeshore and its rural areas primarily residential, relying on Navarre and nearby cities for shopping, employment and entertainment. A commercial property inspection tells a buyer or lender what shape a marina, shop or apartment building is in; the plan says Orono offers public lake access through five commercial marinas.
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Commercial buildings in and around Orono
Two communities in one, mostly residential
Orono's 2020-2040 plan describes two distinct personalities, the historically developed lakeshore and the rural woods, fields and open spaces. It says both are primarily residential, relying upon the existing town center of Navarre and nearby cities such as Long Lake, Spring Park, Wayzata, Mound and Maple Plain for shopping, employment and entertainment.
A transportation chapter adds that existing residential development is low density and commercial land uses are separated from residential land uses.
The plan's table lists 1,562 jobs in 2010 against 7,437 residents, with a forecast of 1,800 jobs in 2040. That is roughly one job for every five residents, in a city the plan calls primarily residential.
Railroad stops, marinas and lakeshore buildings
The plan's timeline says James J. Hill's spur line to Minnetonka Beach opened in 1882 with the Hotel Lafayette, helping to make Lake Minnetonka an internationally known resort destination, and that development grew up around railroad stops such as Crystal Bay and Navarre. Long Lake was incorporated from Orono Township in 1906, and Orono Village was incorporated in 1955, taking in the settlements of Navarre, Crystal Bay, Orono and Bederwood.
Orono offers public lake access through five commercial marinas within its boundaries, the plan says. Marina buildings and docks spend their lives in damp air, wind-blown rain and ice.
The timeline also records a tornado on May 6, 1965 that devastated parts of Orono, with Navarre hard hit, municipal sewers reaching the Navarre area in 1963 and a municipal water system there in 1970. A building's connection to sewer and water, and how it has come through storms, are fair questions in a lake community with that history.
Apartments and senior housing along Highway 12
The plan says the number of multi-family housing units has increased substantially since 2000, primarily along the Highway 12 corridor with the addition of the Orono Woods Senior Housing building and the Stonebay development. Its dwelling-unit table shows units in buildings with five or more units rising from 62 in 2005 to 215 in 2016.
Buildings of that size are the part of Orono's housing stock that a commercial inspection applies to. A senior housing building or apartment complex concentrates roofs, balconies, heating plants and common-area systems in a few structures, so the age of one roof or one heating plant can matter for dozens of households.
Commercial buildings we inspect
Quick answers
Where are Orono's commercial buildings?
The city's plan points to the town center of Navarre and nearby cities such as Long Lake and Wayzata for shopping, employment and entertainment, and counts five commercial marinas that give public lake access. Apartment and senior housing buildings have been added along the Highway 12 corridor. Beyond those, the plan calls the city primarily residential.
How do lakeshore conditions affect a marina or waterfront commercial building?
Lakeshore buildings face constant humidity, wind-blown rain, ice and, at docks, moving water. Orono's plan counts five commercial marinas. Moisture in framing, corrosion of metal parts, and the condition of piers, roofs over boat storage and electrical service to docks are the usual points of wear. An independent inspection gives a lender or buyer the building's condition in plain terms.
Can thermal imaging help with a senior housing or apartment building?
In a multi-unit building, infrared images of roofs and exterior walls show where heat is escaping, and images of electrical equipment show connections running warmer than they should. Wet insulation can also read as a different temperature from the dry insulation around it. Orono's plan notes the Orono Woods Senior Housing building and the Stonebay development along Highway 12, so larger residential buildings are part of the local stock.
Sources
- City of Orono: Community Management Plan 2020-2040, Part 2 Foundation
- City of Orono: Community Management Plan 2020-2040, Part 3C Housing
- City of Orono: Community Management Plan 2020-2040, Part 4A Transportation
- City of Orono: Orono History
Nearby towns
Commercial property inspection in Minnesota and Iowa · Home inspection in Orono
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