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A sketch plat from a developer seeks feedback from the council and staff. A preliminary plat is a formal plat which calls for a public hearing; neighbors and affected property owners are invited to the hearing. Recommendations are made by the Planning Commission, Park and Rec Committee, and staff to the Victoria City Councilmembers. The final plat is simply final but, said Holly, "The preliminary plat is the key stage." *** Speaking about the area ready to be developed south of Lake Wasserman in Victoria, Holly said, "This area is uniquely related to topography and presents challenges to both city and developers." The property is not flat but replete with undulating, steep, or wet terrain. Said City Engineer Cara Geheren, "Our growth is planned to move growth south, and we need to get around Lake Wasserman to get south ... "Wetland buffers have doubled in size from 16 to 35 feet. "Lake Wasserman is an impaired lake. It has too much phosphorous. There are steep slopes near the lake and the wetland." Holly explained that in Victoria, "Historically, infrastructure was extended [and paid for] by the developer, and the city would reimburse the developer for oversizing costs. Trunk sanitary sewer and trunk water needs to be looped and extended to serve this area. "Marsh Lake Road is Victoria's new southern city limit [because of recent annexation]. It's a gravel road. It needs to be paved to meet city standards. It is expected to become a county road, a main east-west road, an extension of Pioneer Trail.” *** Ann Mahnke, Director of Victoria Parks and Recreation, said the location of a dedicated park within the proposed area on the southwestern shores of Lake Wasserman is "pretty critical." She said the park could be located adjacent to the lake and the regional Chaska/Victoria trail. "Do we want the park located on the lake shore?" she asked. "Could we move it back to facilitate the development process? There are lots of natural areas that will need to be protected." Ann said the width of corridor trail is 100 feet, which is "pretty significant." *** "Victoria is in a unique situation right now," said Administrator Uram. "We have less than 100 single family lots available to build today. I think we're at 66 new single family homes this year." He said the Segal property is probably the next to develop in Victoria. It will probably be less than 50 lots phased in rather than 300 lots ... Everything we do impacts development. I'm biased in favor of development. Growth has its benefits ... Historically, developers in Victoria paid for everything. Is this something we want to continue? ... There is a fixed dollar amount to extend utilities to that location. If we continue to operate as we have historically, it won't prevent development, but it will slow it down." *** According to Holly, the representative for the property is David Segal. The property owner according to tax records is Minneapolis Jewish Federation. It consists of three parcels totalling 71 acres. The 26-acre parcel and the 5-acre parcel are currently for sale as single family home sites. Approximately 47 of the 71 acres are developable if you exclude the wetlands. City Councilmember Kim Roden stated, regarding Victoria's conservation and preservation criteria, and Administrator Uram's positioning, "We've had a higher threshold than our peers, and so you're asking if we're willing to be flexible. Why does Victoria have higher standards?" City Engineer Cara Geheren replied, "In my perspective, it is the city's conscious effort to preserve natural resources." "So the question is," continued Councilmember Roden, "should we relax our standards? Would anybody be able to tell if we relaxed our standards?" Councilmember Jim Crowley spoke of competing interests; the Metropolitan Council prefers higher residential densities in order to keep sewer construction costs under control while the Minnehaha Creek Watershed likes lower densities to decrease pollution and protect natural resources. *** Administrator Uram referred to the Segal property, the first parcel that would be developed south of Lake Wasserman, that would need sewer and water infrastructure extended from the Waterbrooke Fellowship area on County Road 43.
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December 2011 |
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Swanson Insurance 952-448-4580 |
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David Barsness, CPCU Chaska 952-448-5028 |
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Victoria Bar & Grill Home of the Blue Dog 952-443-2542 |
