Lakeville Council Approves Pumpkin Creek Residential Development
The Lakeville City Council approved a 26-lot residential development project during its April 21 meeting, following unanimous recommendation from the planning commission.
The Pumpkin Creek development, proposed by Civil Site Group, will subdivide property south of 185th Street and north of 190th Street into single-family lots ranging from 11,000 to 24,000 square feet. The project required rezoning from RS2 to RS3 single-family zoning to match surrounding developments.
David Canaby, civil engineer with Civil Site Group, said the project team worked extensively with city staff to address site challenges, including three wetland areas that required protection and buffer zones. The layout incorporates storm water management requirements while preserving natural features.
Council member Joshua Lee praised the development's design, noting that most lots exceed minimum size requirements and the preservation of wetlands. "It's clear that this took some creativity and some work to make this happen," Lee said, adding that the project maintains water quality standards.
The council also recognized five full-time firefighters who completed their probationary period after being hired in March 2024. Fire Chief Mike Meyer administered the oath of office to the firefighters, who represent the city's transition to a hybrid fire department model combining full-time and volunteer staff.
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Votes (4)
National Day of Prayer Proclamation
Dissent: None noted
Ms. Anderson presented the historical context of National Day of Prayer, tracing its origins to the Continental Congress in 1775 and formal establishment by Congress in 1952. She noted that President Reagan designated the first Thursday in May as the annual observance in 1988. The task force is organizing a community prayer event at noon outside City Hall on May 1st, 2025. Councilwoman Vulk read the proclamation inviting all residents to participate.
Fire Department Badging Recognition - Full-Time Firefighter Probation Completion
Dissent: None noted
Fire Chief Mike Meyer recognized five full-time firefighters who completed their first-year probation: Captain Colin Heagen (A Shift), Captain Zach Weise (B Shift, absent due to expecting second child), Firefighter Steven Moses (C Shift), Captain Tom Ness (C Shift), and Firefighter Dan Parrot. These individuals represent the first full-time staff hired in March 2024 as part of the department's transition from volunteer to hybrid staffing. Four of the five were internal promotions. All completed a joint fire academy with Burnsville, Egan, and South Metro Fire. The firefighters took the oath of office and were badged by family members. Council members praised their service and acknowledged the family sacrifices involved in 24-hour shift work.
Fire Department First Quarter 2025 Quarterly Report
Dissent: None noted
Fire Chief Meyer presented comprehensive Q1 2025 performance data: 886 total calls (65% medical, 17 fires), 236 overlapping incidents, and response time improvements. With full-time staffing, turnout time decreased from 5-6 minutes to under 2 minutes, and overall response time improved to 9 minutes 13 seconds (goal: 7 minutes 30 seconds when second truck is staffed). The department completed 325 inspections and updated 415 pre-plans. Chief Meyer highlighted new EV training capabilities, noting that water cooling and fire blankets are preferred methods for electric vehicle battery fires. The department added cardiac monitors and expanded medical capabilities for EMTs. Sixteen new full-time firefighters hired under the SAFER grant completed joint academy training this week and begin 24-hour shifts Monday. Council Member Walter asked about EV-specific training, which Chief Meyer confirmed is ongoing with specialized equipment and procedures.
Pumpkin Creek Preliminary Plat and Rezoning (RS2 to RS3)
Dissent: None noted
Moved by Council Member John Burmel [2:14:52] · Seconded by Unknown [2:15:12]
Civil engineer David Canaby presented the Pumpkin Creek Residential Development project, proposing subdivision of property south of 185th Street into 26 single-family lots with rezoning from RS2 to RS3. The project extends Exonia Avenue to 185th Street and includes a cul-de-sac. Three wetland areas and their buffers are preserved; storm water management requirements are integrated. Lot sizes range from 11,000 to 24,000 square feet, with most exceeding minimum requirements. The planning commission unanimously recommended approval on March 20th. City staff noted the applicant worked collaboratively to adjust the layout, resulting in loss of a few lots but achieving better overall design. Council Member Lee praised the developer's efforts to avoid minimum-lot-size development and to preserve wooded areas and water quality. The council approved both the preliminary plat and rezoning ordinance unanimously.
Notable Quotes (10)
Americans in every generation have turned to their maker in prayer in adoration and in thanksgiving in contrition and supplication we have acknowledged both our dependency on Almighty God and the help he offers as individuals and as a nation.
Scripture tells us to rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation and constant in prayer our prayer for our nation is that we keep faith that our best days are ahead of us and continue to believe in honesty decency dignity and respect may we see each other not as enemies but fellow human beings made in the image of God.
This group obviously successfully completed their first year probation which included four weeks of a joint fire academy with Burnsville Egan and South Metro Fire. They played a very vital role in our transition to a hybrid department and have been instrumental in preserving and promoting our department's culture.
This is a really historic moment for the city for you guys to be the first part of helping the transition to moving from volunteer to hybrid so we're really excited to have everybody here full-time and look forward to your leadership in our city.
I love seeing your families here. To you all we are very proud of the firefighters that we're ushering in and I know you all are too. Thank you in advance for all the nights that are interrupted and the service that your whole family is doing for the city of Lakeville.
The duty crew you can see that on the far right they're at 700 calls for the first quarter and then the stations you can kind of see those trending downwards as we rely more on that staffed engine but we're still in need of those stations to cover when we have those overlapping calls.
Water is the best thing is you want to maintain or cool the battery if the battery is in a thermal runaway. They're also recommending fire blankets so if it's around another vehicle or an exposure is that we want to try to cover that and then protect the exposure.
In March we started 16 full-time firefighters that were part of the safer grant. As of last Thursday they completed their joint academy fire training. This week they are doing fire inspector one training this week and on Monday afternoon they'll start working 24-hour shifts.
It was a challenging site. They worked hard with us. We pushed them a little bit. Lost a couple of lots in the process which they don't love but we have to abide by our requirements and it turned out to be a really good layout in the end.
I appreciate the work that went into adjusting this. I was hopeful that through this process we weren't going to try to find the most the smallest possible lots for this zoning and you know doing some statistics on the square footage it's clear that most of the properties are larger than the minimum which is appreciated. The preservation of the wetlands is great. Congruence with the properties to the south is clear that this took some creativity and some work to make this happen.
Ordinances & Resolutions (6)
Proclamation designating Thursday, May 1st, 2025 as National Day of Prayer in Lakeville, referencing historical origins and inviting community participation
Preliminary plat for subdivision of property into 26 single-family residential lots with street extensions and wetland preservation
Ordinance amending zoning from RS2 (single family) to RS3 (single family) for Pumpkin Creek development property
Code amendment detailing organization of fire department to reflect transition from volunteer to hybrid staffing model
Quarterly performance report documenting 886 calls, response times, training activities, inspections, and recruitment updates
Federal grant from Department of Homeland Security/FEMA funding 15 full-time firefighter positions over three years (approximately $5.5 million total value)
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Other Topics from This Document
National Day of Prayer Proclamation
Fire Department Badging Recognition and Probation Completion
Fire Department First Quarter 2025 Report
Pumpkin Creek Residential Development - Preliminary Plat and Rezoning
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