Lakeville Council Approves Zoning Changes, Development Project
The Lakeville City Council approved zoning amendments and a commercial development project during their regular meeting Tuesday, while also hearing resident concerns about a proposed fire station location.
The council unanimously approved zoning code amendments that include new parking requirements for various commercial uses and expanded signage allowances for community parks. The changes also permit commercial recreation facilities in industrial districts and allow limited outdoor vehicle storage for auto repair businesses under specific conditions.
Council members also approved the preliminary plat for Kenrick Corner Second Edition, a 1.6-acre commercial development proposed by Messen Brink Construction. The project calls for a 9,600-square-foot building designed for two tenants, with separate parking areas for each unit. The final plat is scheduled for council consideration at the February 3 meeting.
During public comment, resident Steve Burke raised safety concerns about the proposed Cedar DOD Fire Station near Cherry View Park. Burke, who has lived in the area for nearly 30 years, questioned the location's proximity to 179th Street and Granby, citing traffic visibility issues and potential risks to children using the park. Mayor Luke Kier asked Burke to provide contact information for follow-up discussions with city staff.
The council also received annual reports from the liquor department and economic development office. Liquor Director Michelle Wul reported $22.7 million in sales for 2024, with the department contributing nearly $1.6 million to city funds. Economic Development Director reported $258 million in building permit activity, with Lakeville ranking second in the metro area for residential permits. The city issued 523 total housing units in 2024, maintaining its position as a leading growth community.
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Votes (6)
Cedar DOD Fire Station Proposal - Public Comment
Dissent: No council dissent recorded; item referred to Planning Commission meeting on Thursday for further consideration.
Steve Burke, a 30-year resident north of Cherry View Park, expressed concerns about the proposed fire station location. Key issues included: (1) traffic safety at 179th Street and Grandby intersection with poor sightlines and high curve speeds; (2) risk to children using Cherry View Park and the tunnel crossing; (3) a youth fatality in the neighborhood last June; (4) preference for alternative location near the maintenance facility or water treatment facility where Fire Station 4 was built in 1998; (5) request for historical call data from stations 2 and 4 to understand anticipated call volumes; (6) suggestion for additional evergreen buffering on the north side of 175th Street. Burke noted the proposal aims to save money by avoiding land purchase but questioned whether this would be regretted later.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day Proclamation
Dissent: None.
Mayor Luke Kier initiated and presented a proclamation designating January 27, 2025 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The proclamation commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, honors the six million Jews and millions of others systematically murdered by the Nazis, defines anti-Semitism per the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and reaffirms the city's commitment to promoting tolerance, understanding, and human dignity while standing against all forms of hatred and discrimination.
2024 Liquor Department Annual Operations Report
Dissent: None.
Director Michelle Wul presented the annual report showing flat sales ($22.7M in 2024 vs. $22.76M in 2023) but positive trends in customer counts, gross profit (up $158,000), and e-commerce (nearly doubled). The Emporium room hosted 50+ promotional events and 70 private rentals generating $190,000 in combined revenue. The liquor fund contributed $1.6M to city services, including equipment and police station debt service. Community fundraising totaled $93,000 across four initiatives: Be on the Yellow Ribbon ($33,000), Taste of Lakeville ($20,000), food shelves ($35,000), and Ritter Farm Park children's environmental programming ($26,000). Achievements included top 100 retailer recognition, reader choice award, 90th anniversary celebration with inaugural 5K, staff wine certifications (2 level 2, 9 level 1 in progress), and an exceptional inventory shrink rate of 0.071% (vs. 2% retail average).
2024 Economic Development Annual Report
Dissent: None.
Community Development Director presented comprehensive economic development data: $258M in building permit activity (slightly above 2023's $257.5M); residential construction dominated at 60% of total value with 523 units (285 single-family, 100 detached townhomes, 49 attached townhomes, 89-unit apartment complex); Lakeville ranked #2 statewide in residential permits (behind Woodbury) and #2 in total units (behind Moka). Median home price $415,000; 2,881 households; average household size 2.9 persons. Commercial investment exceeded $75.1M with major projects including RL Cold Storage ($32M), medical office expansions (Children's Minnesota, Al Health, MNGI Digestive Health, Midwest ENT Specialist), and new retail/restaurants (LBC at the Lake, Donut Star, Taco Bell, Kiev Bakery, Farmer's Grandson). Institutional development included Grand Prairie Park construction (main building, grandstand, baseball stadium, pickle ball courts, cricket pitch). Employment grew 3.9% to 2,852 jobs; unemployment at 2.4% (vs. 2.7% county, 2.9% state). Council attended 25 ribbon cuttings and 3 groundbreaking ceremonies. Strategic initiatives included business retention/expansion program (visiting 4 businesses monthly in partnership with EDC and Chamber), rental registration program (650+ properties registered, 61% single-family), and planned CDBG-funded Downtown Development guide update and industry cluster analysis.
Kenrick Corner Second Edition Preliminary Plat and Easement Vacation
Dissent: None. Council Member Lee requested follow-up confirmation on turnaround driveway status prior to final plat.
Moved by Council Member Joshua Lee · Seconded by Unknown
Developer Jennifer Hascamp (Swanson Camp Consulting) presented a replat of a 1.6-acre commercial outlot (C3 zoning, commercial land use per comprehensive plan) for Messen Brink Construction and Engineering. The project proposes a 9,600 sq ft building for two tenants with separate parking areas on either side. Existing landscape screening and buffering will be preserved; additional landscaping will be added along the north property line. Two prospective tenants are in discussion (leases not yet executed); one is identified as a wellness center, the other as commercial space. Access is via private drive. All required parking and setbacks are met. Site plan shows darker brick exterior with metal accents. Planning Commission held public hearing January 9 and unanimously recommended approval. Council Member Lee requested confirmation that an existing turnaround driveway (likely for fire safety) on the east side of the plat will remain; staff agreed to verify via demolition plan prior to final plat approval at the next meeting.
Title 11 City Code Amendment - 2024 Phase 2 Zoning Updates
Dissent: None. Mayor thanked director and Planning Commission for extensive work on amendments.
Moved by Council Member Dan Walter · Seconded by Unknown
Community Development Director Tina presented Phase 2 of 2024 zoning amendments addressing six key areas: (1) Commercial recreation facility definition (indoor athletic/playground facilities like hockey camps, baseball/soccer facilities, indoor pickle ball courts) added to I1 and I2 districts; (2) Parking requirement reductions for manufacturing, warehousing, and fitness centers to reflect automation and reduced demand; (3) Signage amendments for Grand Prairie Park (monument sign on Cedar, wall signage on facilities) and Hamburg Park (second monument sign) to accommodate expanded park facilities; (4) M2U mixed-use corridor density adjustment reducing minimum unit size from 1,675 sq ft to 1,100 sq ft to align zoning with comprehensive plan density range; (5) I1 light industrial auto repair use with limited outdoor storage (max 20% of lot area or 10,000 sq ft, whichever is less) changed from conditional to permitted use with stipulations; (6) I3 administrative use allowance for MAC maintenance building sleeping quarters for staff. Planning Commission held public hearing January 9 and unanimously recommended approval. Director noted a word processing error in the strikeout version regarding fitness center and funeral home parking requirements (not part of proposed changes) that was corrected.
Notable Quotes (12)
I've been a neighbor across on the north side of Cherry View Park for nearly 30 years now... I just feel like with all the changes that have gone on in that neighborhood with the maintenance facility sometime in the last 15 years and Housing Development to the South there should have been an opportunity for reserving land to the South or near that maintenance facility where this fire station might be better located.
One of my main concerns is around 179th Street and grandby... I do not like the sidelines when I come out of there from the north... there's going to be an issue there. I do feel like you'll end up losing more lives. There's already been one youth in our neighborhood that lost his life last summer last June.
If you could publish out essentially a three to five year history about what the calls are for both fire stations two and four which are going to be closed so we can understand what kind of call rates we're looking at over a month's time or something like that I think that's owed to the neighborhood.
Whereas the city of Lakeville reaffirms its commitment to promoting tolerance understanding and human dignity while standing against all forms of hatred and discrimination and whereas it is our duty to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust remain a Cornerstone of our Collective memory and to honor the resilience and courage of those who survived and rebuilt their lives.
Our Perpetual inventory shrink was an amazing 7 1,000th of a percent Point... average retail is around 2% so this was amazing. This is a testament to our staff for being diligent and really paying attention.
I think you know I speak on behalf of all of us we're continue to be so proud of the work that you guys do especially partnering in the community with groups and the ability to raise money that's really important so thank you.
We've experienced a lot of development activity this year with almost 260 well almost $258 Million worth of building permit activity... we receive a lot of continued private sector investment over 75.1 million in different commercial projects as well as Industrial Park projects.
I am personally looking forward to the business retention program I think we're going to find a lot of success there so thank you for both of you guys putting that together.
We're looking at essentially a replat of an existing outlot that was done many many years ago... we are proposing to put some significant Landscaping in and also preserving and protecting the existing Landscaping that was actually required as part of that initial plat process.
I appreciate the preservation of the existing screening and the lack of disturbance to the other properties around it... I think that's a nice feature of this new plat.
We're really trying to reduce the amount of parking for some of our larger uses manufacturing warehousing where a lot of automation can be handled and where we just don't have the need for these large parking areas.
The M2U mixed use Corridor... the current ordinance allows for multifamily within this ordinance and has a per square foot unit of 1,675 which matches the low end of the density range but doesn't match the high end of the density range that was missed and so we have to match the zoning with the comp plan.
Ordinances & Resolutions (7)
Preliminary plat for replat of 1.6-acre commercial outlot with easement vacation; final plat to follow at next council meeting.
Zoning amendments addressing commercial recreation facility definitions, parking requirements, signage allowances, M2U density, I1 auto repair use, and I3 administrative uses.
Proclamation designating January 27, 2025 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day and reaffirming city commitment to tolerance and action against anti-Semitism.
Annual report documenting sales, customer counts, e-commerce growth, community fundraising ($93,000 total), inventory shrink rate (0.071%), and staff achievements.
Annual report documenting $258M building permit activity, residential construction (523 units), commercial development, employment growth (3.9%), and business retention/expansion initiatives.
Ordinance adopted late 2023; first full year of implementation in 2024 with 650+ registered rental properties (61% single-family homes); amended to require Minnesota-based rental manager.
Earlier phase of zoning amendments completed in summer and April 2024, focusing on parking requirements and other provisions.
Source document
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Other Topics from This Document
Cedar DOD Fire Station Proposal
International Holocaust Remembrance Day Proclamation
2024 Liquor Department Annual Operations Report
2024 Economic Development Annual Report
Kenrick Corner Second Edition Preliminary Plat and Easement Vacation
Title 11 Zoning Code Amendments (2024 Phase 2)
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