The operator of another senior living development in Eagan is planning
to build a similar development, 173 units with an attached preschool, on
Discovery Road near Yankee Doodle Road. Below is a sketch of the
proposed development.
to build a similar development, 173 units with an attached preschool, on
Discovery Road near Yankee Doodle Road. Below is a sketch of the
proposed development.
Commission approves senior development
EAGAN, MN – The Advisory Planning Commission (APC) unanimously approved rezoning and other requests that will allow construction of a 173-unit senior living facility on Discovery Road.
The project was proposed by the developer of Eagan Pointe Senior Living, another senior development on Blackhawk Road. When questioned about the demand for senior housing in Eagan, a representative from Eagan Pointe told the commission that development is full, with a waiting list of 100 people.
The commission approved the plans following a public hearing during which a residential neighbor and the director of a private school on Discovery Road expressed concerns about traffic in the area.
The project is slated to include a preschool as well as independent senior living units, assisted living, and memory care. Following approval by the APC, the development proposal will be presented to the Eagan City Council in mid-September.
Fast-talking city council breezes through agenda
EAGAN, MN – In less than an hour Tuesday night, the Eagan City Council approved a host of agenda items, including the sale of one of the city’s decommissioned fire stations, changing the city’s recreational fire rules, restricting parking on the newly built Quarry Road and approving changes that will allow construction of a Costco retail warehouse and the expansion of a local freight company.
The city council also set the date for a public hearing on its proposed property tax hike and 2019 city budget. The hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4.
Commission splits on freight company's plans
EAGAN, MN – The long struggle of a local trucking company to build an addition continues this week after the Advisory Planning Commission (APC) divided on a vote that moved the project forward for action by the Eagan City Council Sept. 4.
The commission split 4-3 on three votes, narrowly approving expansion plans submitted on behalf of Justman Freight, a trucking company operating at the 4855 S. Robert Trail site for since 1980. The company, a postal service contractor that employs about 60 people, submitted plans build an addition on the property more than a year ago. The freight company was originally in compliance with the city’s zoning laws but, in 1984, the site was rezoned from agricultural to residential, which would make the proposed addition non-compliant with the city’s zoning laws. Justman Freight has been seeking approval of the expansion plans for more than a year.
“I think it’s time we just declare that this is something that had been there for a very long time so I’m okay with the rezoning,” commission member Ben Weimert said, moving the issue to a vote.
The 1984 rezoning was part of a comprehensive plan to accommodate residential development in the area. Among the three requests narrowly approved by the Advisory Planning Commission Aug. 28 rezone the site of Justman Freight from residential to a planned development, which would allow operations not typically permitted in a residential area. By the same voting margin, the commission also approved a request that would allow parking for up to five more tractor trailers at the site. The commission’s approval sends the issue to the Eagan City Council for review.
In discussing the requests, the planning commission noted the tension between accommodating the operations and expansion needs of an existing business and adhering to the comprehensive plans for the city’s future. In this case, the existing business is a trucking company now on the edge of a residential neighborhood.
“This is a tension that is going to arise more and more in Eagan,” APC Vice Chair Dan Sagstetter said.
“I know this has been a longstanding business for Eagan, but it’s zoned residential and has been zoned residential for 30 years,” said commission member Bruce Goff, who voted against the rezoning. “The comp plan for 2030 and 2040 lists it as residential….I’m struggling as to why we would go against a well-known and well-documented long-term plan.”
APC member Angela Torres agreed, also voting against the plan. “One of really hard parts of being on commission is upholding the plan,” Torres said. APC Chair Jane Vandepohl cast the third vote against the proposal.
Neither neighbors to the property nor anyone else spoke out for or against the plans at the APC’s public hearing.
City plans to eliminate more free parking
EAGAN, MN – The Eagan City Council is preparing to ban parking on Quarry Road, the city’s new roadway in the Yankee Doodle Road area that is becoming the site of a credit union, grocery store, hotels, and senior living.
The proposed parking ban, scheduled for a vote at the City Council’s Sept. 4 meeting, would prohibit parking on both the north and south sides of Quarry Road from Coachman Road to Central Parkway. The issue is scheduled for inclusion on the city council’s consent agenda, a list of items typically voted on summarily without individual discussion.
The ban would prevent street parking near Quarry Park, an issue for parents and others attending games at the park’s ball fields. In support of the ban, the city claims the expansion of the Quarry Park parking lot will eliminate the need for street parking.
The reasoning provided for the proposed ban is to “provide adequate emergency vehicle access and other vehicle circulation.” During a previous meeting discussing Quarry Road development, city officials discussed a resident’s concern about the issue, explaining the road would be wide enough for emergency vehicles to pass even if cars were parked there. The road has recently been lined with cars and trucks parked on both sides during construction.
The restriction follows a trend of street parking restrictions imposed in such areas of the city as Cedar Grove Parkway and O’Neill Road, near the new Vikings headquarters. In those areas, parking areas charging a fee replaced the free street parking prohibited by the city council.