Politics & Government

Climactic Vote on Controversial Parkview Development Will Have to Wait

The Eagan City Council won't be voting whether to approve a 177-unit housing development on the Parkview Golf Course property until April.

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The Eagan City Council's climactic vote on a controversial housing development may be delayed for several months while the council waits for an updated traffic study to be completed.

For months, Eden Prairie-based Developer Hunter Emerson has been working to revise its plans for a 177-unit housing development on the 80-acre Parkview Golf Course property along Cliff Road in Eagan.

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The council was expected to review those plans on Feb. 5 and vote whether to approve a subdivision and preliminary planned development agreement that would allow Hunter Emerson to move forward on the project.

But that vote will likely be delayed until April, thanks to the Dakota County Platting Commission, Assistant City Engineer John Gorder said.

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The platting commission comprised of Dakota County staff, has the authority to review and approve or deny housing developments that would impact county roads—like Cliff Road in Eagan, according to Assistant County Engineer Brian Sorenson.

Because the proposed development is adjacent to a county road, the commission reviewed Hunter Emerson's proposal on Jan. 22, Gorder said.

Although the commission eventually approved the proposed development, it recommended that Hunter Emerson move the entrance from the proposed development to Cliff Road 400 feet to the east to maintain adequate space between that proposed intersection and other nearby intersections in the area.

The commission also recommended several changes to restrict access at the intersections of Cliff Road, Dunberry Lane and Park Cliff Lane to improve traffic flow and safety on portions of Cliff Road.

“the bottom line for us is making sure these intersections wil operate safely well into the future," Sorenson said. "We don’t want a new development to go in and not look far enough down the road and end up having safety issues."

The sweeping modifications to the intersections mean city and county officials must conduct another traffic study in the area, Gorder said. The study will likely be completed on Feb. 18, but statutes dictate that city officials allow for a 30-day comment period following the study.

The comment period will give local residents vehemently opposed to the Dakota Path development more time to respond to the proposed intersection changes. Since the project was initially unveiled last spring, Eagan residents living in adjacent neighborhoods have fought to maintain parkland, a golf course or some other public use on the Parkview Golf Course site.

A 177-unit housing development would be detrimental to traffic safety and quality of life in the area, opponents say. But Eagan city officials maintain that the development, if completed, would not cause unsafe traffic volumes on local roads.

Eagan residents aren't the only ones opposed to the development; the Dakota County Parks Department registered its opposition at a recent Eagan Planning Commission meeting. The proposed development, Dakota County Parks Director Steve Sullivan said, would negatively impact Lebanon Hills Regional Park, which lies adjacent to the Parkview property.

In part because of those environmental concerns, the planning commission voted to reject Hunter Emerson's proposal at its January meeting.

If the council votes to approve the subdivision and planned development agreements in April, the housing development would appear once more on a council agenday for a final planned development agreement vote. But that action is largely a formality, and would be placed on the council's consent agenda only, Gorder said.

To read more about the proposed redevelopment of Parkview Golf Course, click on the links below:

  • Community Members Fight Residential Development Plans
  • Parkview Golf Course Fight Coming to Eagan Planning Commission
  • Planning Commission Deals Blow to Parkview Golf Course Redevelopment Plans
  • Parkview Redevelopment Proposal Draws Opposition from Friends of Eagan Core Greenway
  • Memory of Carriage Hills Hangs Over Eagan's Latest Golf Course Battle
  • Council Preview: Parkview Redevelopment Fight on the Agenda
  • Death Threat Underscores Controversial Golf Course Redevelopment Meeting
  • PHOTO: Death Threat Sent to Eagan Council Over Parkview Issue
  • Mayor Maguire: Saving Parkview Requires a Community Plan
  • Parkview Redevelopment Plans Move Through Met Council Committee
  • Met Council Signs Off on Parkview Land Use Change
  • Eagan Planning Commission Says No to Parkview Redevelopment Proposal


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