Housing not the best use for golf course, Eagan Planning Commission says
Erin Johnson, Thisweek Newspapers
Published June 25, 2004
Proposal to develop Carriage Hills is not recommended
Both sides presented compelling arguments, but the Eagan Planning Commission
ultimately sided with those who oppose a housing development on
Carriage Hills Golf Course.
The commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of a land use change
for the project, which would have put 480 units of life-cycle housing on the 120-acre
golf course.
The land, located at 3535 Wescott Woodlands, is currently guided for public and quasi-public facilities.
Wensmann Homes signed a purchase agreement for the land last fall and is seeking a comprehensive guide plan change to convert it to low-density residential.
Current owner Ray Rahn has said he is losing money on the golf course and it is no longer viable on the property. The sale of the land is contingent upon approval of the land use change.
While commission members agreed the housing plans were attractive, the time isn’t right for houses to be built on Carriage Hills.
“Just because something doesn’t work out doesn’t mean that the zoning is wrong,” said Planning Commission Chair Carla Heyl. “It’s not a championship golf course, but there are far more bad golfers in the world.”
Members of the Carriage Hills Coalition, a grassroots protest group, showed up in force, packing the council chambers to overflow capacity. They gave a well-organized presentation that highlighted reasons for their opposition, the primary of which were the loss of green space, the increase in traffic and burden on infrastructure, and the impact on schools.
“Once this open green space is gone, it’s gone forever. We won’t get it back,” said coalition member Claudia Battaino.
The group initially formed in response to the last Carriage Hills housing proposal in 1996, which was ultimately defeated. Efforts were quickly resurrected after the current proposal, with a new Web site and 2,154 signed petitions.
“People are concerned,” coalition member Sue Rybak told the commission. “The community is speaking loudly, and we’d like you to hear us.”
Peter Beck, a representative of the Rahn family, said the golf course has lost more than $800,000 over the last five years.
“They simply cannot continue to operate this golf course,” he said. “Nor can they improve it, because there is not enough land or capital available to make the improvements that would be required.”
A golf course is no longer economically feasible on the site,
said a Wensmann representative, and the land will eventually be developed.
In asking for the guide change, Wensmann proposed a plan of
480 single-family and townhome units with 40 acres of open space
and a two-mile trail system.
“This is the best plan, the best layout of any development we’ve ever done,”
said Terry Wensmann.
But coalition members contend that a golf course is still viable on that property — the Rahns simply have not invested in it. In fact, golf participation is increasing rapidly, growing even more than NASCAR’s fan base, Battaino said.
They also contend that the strength of the city lies in its guide plan, and changing it should require a significant burden of proof that change is necessary.
But guide plans do change, Heyl said.
“It is a guide, and it may be amended from time to time as conditions change,” she said. “The city is to determine if the change is in the best long-range interest of the city.”
The commission agreed, however, that a conversion to low-density residential was not in the best interest of the city and voted unanimously to deny approval of the land use change.
“I don’t think [the change] has been justified here,” said Commission Member Ted Gladhill. “This development would have a huge negative impact on some of the traffic, certainly the school district .... the city of Eagan already exceeds the benchmark range for non-single family homes, and this would contribute to that excess.”
The issue will go before the Eagan City Council on July 20.
