Still no response from city on golf course ruling
Deadline to appeal or comply with judge’s orders is approaching
Erin Johnson, Thisweek Newspapers
Published May 20, 2005
The city of Eagan still has not decided whether it will appeal a court ruling in favor of allowing housing on Carriage Hills Golf Course.
A judge ruled last month that Eagan must either allow the golf course to be guided for housing, or it must begin the process of eminent domain to acquire the property by the end of May.
The City Council held its third closed session with attorneys Tuesday night but has yet to reach a decision.
A statement released by the council states that there are “significant consequences and impacts” to each of the city’s options, so a careful analysis is needed.
Golf course owner Ray Rahn and developer Wensmann Homes sued the city after it refused to change its guide plan to allow housing on the property.
The land is currently guided for public and quasi-public facilities.
Wensmann wants to build 480 units of housing on the property, and Rahn wants to sell the 120-acre golf course that he said has cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A golf course is no longer a viable use of the property, according to Rahn.
District Court Judge Patrice Sutherland agreed, calling the burden on Rahn “grossly disproportionate” as the city receives the advantage of property rights for which it did not pay. If the city wants to preserve all 120 acres as open space, it must acquire the property, she said.
With only a week until the deadline, the city has added another attorney to its legal team and is working to determine its course of action “as soon as possible,” the council stated.
Meanwhile, members of the Carriage Hills Coalition, who oppose developing the property, are exploring their own options to challenge the ruling.
