City of Eagan will fight plan for housing on golf course
Erin Johnson, Thisweek Newspapers
Published January 20, 2006
In an unexpected reversal of its decision to settle a lawsuit over housing on Carriage Hills Golf Course, the Eagan City Council announced Tuesday it would continue to fight to keep the property green.
“Everybody was shocked,” said Jim Taylor, a member of the preservation group the Carriage Hills Coalition, “and ecstatic.”
The council received a standing ovation when it said it would deny a proposal by Wensmann Homes to put 480 units of housing on the 120-acre property.
Instead, the council said, it will continue to challenge a lawsuit brought by Wensmann and Carriage Hills owner Ray Rahn after the city denied a land use change from parks, open space and recreation to residential.
Rahn has maintained that he has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because a golf course is no longer viable on that property.
The city became gun-shy after losing the first round of the lawsuit, so it decided to set aside its appeal and reach a settlement agreement with Wensmann. The settlement allowed the developer to submit a new plan for the site.
“We recognized (the settlement) would provide much greater control over housing on the site, and ensure significantly more open space on the property than the city would normally see through the regular developmental process,” said Mayor Pat Geagan.
On Dec. 27, the Eagan Planning Commission recommended that the council approve the settlement plan.
But a recent ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court has given the City Council “reason to view a possible outcome of our appeal differently than we did one month ago,” Geagan said.
The Minnesota Supreme Court, on a 4 to 3 vote, sided with the city of Mendota Heights last week in its battle against a housing development on a golf course. The court agreed that the city’s comprehensive guide plan trumps the residential zoning of a golf course property.
That decision has emboldened the city of Eagan, and Geagan shocked residents in the packed council chambers Tuesday night when he said the city should proceed with its appeal.
Council Member Peggy Carlson said that an application submitted last Friday to change the land use of Parkview golf course to residential “pushed me over the edge.”
Parkview, an 18-hole golf course located at 1310 Cliff Road, was designed and originally owned by Rahn. It is now owned by Parkview Golf Associates.
“It was bad form and it was bad timing,” she said. “I’ll go the distance.”
Council Member Cyndee Fields said the issue is about more than just two golf courses, “it’s about the rest of Eagan. We need to make sure that we do what’s right for our city.”
Council Member Mike Maguire likened the issue to a high-stakes poker game, saying he struggled with each and every decision along the way.
“Last week we were dealt a real power card by the Supreme Court,” he said. “If the neighbors in the area want to push all of our chips in together, I guess we’re all aware of the risks. And I just hope we win.”
Wensmann had no comment after the meeting, but members of the Carriage Hills Coalition, who have been fighting development on that property for almost a decade, said they were thrilled.
“We think this is a great day for us,” Taylor said. “Hopefully the council realizes they did the right thing. Nobody will fault them if they lose this, as long as they fight the good battle.”
