Eagan Planning Commission recommends approval
of Carriage Hills housing
Erin Johnson, Thisweek Newspapers
Published December 30, 2005
A controversial development proposal caused tempers to flare at Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting, where members voted 4 to 3 to recommend approval of housing on Carriage Hills Golf Course.
Wensmann Homes is requesting a land use change to build 480 units of housing on the 120-acre property, which owner Ray Rahn said is no longer viable as a golf course. The land is currently guided for parks, open space and recreation.
The Planning Commission and City Council both rejected a similar proposal by Wensmann last year, prompting a lawsuit by Wensmann and Rahn.
A district court judge ruled in favor of Wensmann and Rahn, ordering the city to allow housing or buy the property.
The city appealed, but recently agreed to a settlement that put the lawsuit on hold and allowed Wensmann to submit a new plan for the site. If the plan is approved, the lawsuit will be dismissed. If the plan is not approved, the lawsuit will continue.
The new plan is similar to the original, with mixed-use housing including single-family homes, condos, townhomes, villas and senior housing.
But the proposal now includes a nine-hole public golf course on 30 acres around the outside of the development, which would be owned and operated by a homeowner’s association.
Terry Wensmann of Wensmann Homes said he kept the golf course around the perimeter of the property so that neighbors who currently look out onto a golf course “would also have some benefit.”
The golf course would have a conservation easement so it could not be developed in the future, he said.
Planning Commission members who recommended approval admitted they weren’t crazy about the plan, but they found the alternative even less palatable.
“My hunch is that the city made a very strategic decision to settle. If we lose the appeal, we’re screwed. It’s just as plain as that,” said Commission Member Steven Chavez, an attorney.
Commission Member Duey Bendt said he is concerned about the city losing control of the property.
“There’s no one up here who’s cheering to develop this,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to come up with a decision where we have some control over the outcome. The bottom line is, this isn’t that bad.”
But members who voted against the project said it wasn’t their job to consider the consequences of the lawsuit.
“If we lose the case, I’m not sure it would result in anything worse than the 480 units,” said Commission Member Ted Gladhill. “I believe we’re being asked to make a decision on the information put before us and not let the threat of legal action change what that decision would be.”
Gladhill and fellow commission members Jennifer Matthees and Dana Keeley voted against recommending the project, but were outnumbered.
Many residents opposed to the development put decorum aside and shouted out comments and questions throughout the meeting, even after the public comment period had ended.
One man repeatedly heckled the commission, first shouting that he couldn’t hear commission members, then making accusations of conspiracy when he was told the large-screen projector wasn’t working. When the man was offered another seat from which he could see a smaller TV screen, he declined.
Carriage Hills Coalition member Jim Taylor said that the heckler wasn’t part of the coalition’s core group, but members were frustrated that they weren’t allowed to respond to information given by Wensmann.
“We didn’t have the opportunity, even though Mr. Wensmann did, to rebut,” he said.
The Carriage Hills Coalition, a local activist group, has been fighting development on the golf course for years, citing concerns about the loss of green space, increased traffic, decreased property values and the density of the housing. The group helped defeat a similar housing proposal on the site in 1996.
“Don’t push this through just because there’s a lawsuit,” said coalition spokesman Mike Haugen, who spoke at the meeting. “The decisions made by our city officials should take into account the wishes of the residents, taxpayers and the people who vote. Nothing has changed since your last vote other than a lawsuit.”
Residents also questioned why the city isn’t challenging the lawsuit.
“Why was the City Council afraid to fight for our rights? I really would like to have a clear explanation of why they backed down,” said Michelle Harrington.
The commission ultimately recommended approval of the plan with some conditions, including more green space, fewer lots, fewer units and an exit to the south of the development.
The proposal is scheduled to go before the City Council for a final vote on Jan. 17.
Taylor said the Carriage Hills Coalition is in the process of preparing litigation against the city and will run its own candidates against current council members next year.
“We will be a fly in the ointment every step of the way,” he said.
