The Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 meeting of the Eden Prairie City Council is now called to order. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. It's customary for me to read an open podium invitation to our residents at this time of the meeting. Open podium is an opportunity for Eden Prairie residents to address the City Council on issues related to Eden Prairie City government. Before each council meeting council meetings typically occur the first and third Tuesday of each month. These open podiums occur from 6:30 to 6:55 here in the council chamber. If you wish to speak at open podium, please contact the city manager's office at 952-949-8412 by noon of the meeting date with your name, your phone number, and subject matter so we can be better prepared for you. Open podium is not recorded or televised. If you have questions about open podium, please do contact the city manager's office. Mr. Getchow, we do uh have a proclamation present Well, we have a proclamation to read tonight. I'll turn it over to you. We do, Mayor. Thank you. Before you read the proclamation, uh our Amy our Park and Rec Director, Amy Markle, has a little bit of uh announcement about an event this weekend. Yeah, thank you, Mayor and Council. This Saturday, April 25th, the community is invited out to Starring Lake Park from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will be celebrating Arbor Day with a lot of festivities people can partake in. We'll have kids tree climbing, hands-on art activities, a food truck, trivia. Um we'll be giving away seedlings and compost and bandannas for leashed dogs. And then across the street, if people have ordered trees through our annual tree sale, we'll have them for pick up at Flying Cloud Fields. Thank you, Dr. Merkel. Um and I happen to be picking up two of my trees. So, um on Saturday morning, I'm excited about that. So, I will read um a proclamation from the City Council. It's for Arbor Day. April 25th, 2026. Whereas, Arbor Day provides people in Eden Prairie the opportunity to celebrate the importance of trees and forests to our economy, our health, culture, history, and future of our city. And whereas, trees are of great value as they provide clean air and water and shade, energy savings, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. And whereas, thoughtfully choosing, planting, and caring for a diverse mix of trees, and caring for trees as described in the city's urban forest management plan makes our community more resilient into the future. And whereas, trees play a major role in combating climate change by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, thereby offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. And whereas, trees help Eden Prairie meet the climate action plan goal of community-wide carbon neutrality by 2050. And whereas, Eden Prairie first celebrated Arbor Day in 1982. And last whereas, whereas, Eden Prairie has been recognized as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation and desires to continue its tree stewardship and tree planting practices. Now, therefore, I, Ron Case, mayor of the city of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, do hereby proclaim April 25th, 2026, as Arbor Day in the city of Eden Prairie, and urge all citizens to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands, and to support our city's urban forestry program. And further, I urge all citizens to plant and care for trees to promote the well-being of present and future generations. Ronald L. Case, mayor, on behalf of council members Kathy Nelson, Mark Freiberg, P.G. Narayan, and Lisa Toomey. All right. Mr. Getcho. Whoop. Nope. First agenda. Sorry. Jumping ahead of myself. Um any council members have anything to add to the agenda this evening? If not, is there a motion to approve the agenda as listed? Move to approve the agenda. Is there a second? Second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed. Minutes. We have two minutes from April 7th, the workshop and also our council meeting. Uh council, any um edits or uh questions about what was in the minutes of either meeting? If not, is there someone that would make a motion to approve both of them? I'll move to approve the following city council minutes, the city council workshop held Tuesday, April 7th, 2026, and the city council meeting held Tuesday, April 7th, 2026. Second. Any further discussion? All those in favor, say aye. >> Aye. Aye. All right. Consent calendar, A through M. Um any items that you want to learn more about, you could even have them pulled for a separate vote if you wished. Um council member Freiberg. Um I have a couple of questions uh on L. I'd like to just find out a little more about >> On which one? It's that. Which letter? Letter L. L. Got it. Or, yeah. Um, go ahead. Oh, do you want do you want talk about your questions or >> could just ask the question. >> Please. Okay. I'm not familiar with what with what the uh limits are. I want to refresh myself on that. If someone can help me out. Sure. Um, Council member Freiberg, so this is something um that we do annually and we have um state of Minnesota state statute has a certain um limit for cities throughout the state where our tort liability sits and so each year we have to pass a resolution um where we do not waive the monetary limits on our tort liability. So, if we were to waive the statutory monetary limits on our tort liability and I I would have to research and get back to you what the exact monetary limits are. Um, the city would be exposed if there were particular lawsuits um to what the dollar amounts would be beyond those limits. >> And I I could I could pretty much guarantee that for the last 15 to 20 years that this is something that we've done on an annual basis with our insurance. >> Yeah, I just was wondering because I did not know what the that number is. So, if you ever get it wrong to it if you you know, I appreciate In general under the statute, the limit for a single occurrence is 1.5 million. >> Perfect. Thank you very much. I I guess it's more curious. I wouldn't have asked the question >> but um that I'm going to ask now except that Council member Freiberg, I'm glad you brought it up. The bigger question for me is why does the state require this? It seems like it would be perfunctory or we would just continue it each year automatically. Why do they require that each municipality >> It So, it's it's the it's our insurance carrier that requires it. Yes. So, we're doing this for our insurance carrier. >> Interesting. Huh. Okay. That's good. Any other questions? >> All right. Then, if not, is there a motion then to approve items A through M on the consent calendar? >> Move to approve item A to M on the consent calendar. >> Is there a second? Second. Any further discussion? All those in favor say I. I. I. Any opposed? All right, we do have one public hearing this evening, if I remember correctly. Uh, Mr. Getchell. Thank you, Mayor and Council members. We do have one public hearing. We have an applicant requesting to subdivide a parcel at, uh, 11010 Prairie Lakes Drive into two lots. Uh, initially, the lot split is to, uh, support a refinancing of the two buildings that are on the two lots. Uh, hopefully one lot, with the possibility eventually that one of the lots may be sold at a future date, um, for redevelopment, uh, which would be a future project. Um, the subdivision that would then occur of the lot split would result in some waivers due to the existing site conditions, and those are in the packet, uh, waivers related to parking, uh, building setback, uh, parking and lot width. Um, however, as you can see with what's in the packet and what went through planning commission, there is not a project before you. There There are no planned buildings, landscaping, parking changes. Everything at the site will continue. It is, uh, simply a lot split. Uh, planning commission voted 5-1 to recommend approval of the project at their March 23rd meeting. The applicant is here to go over their proposal with you, and staff and the applicant could answer any questions that you have before or after the public hearing. Great. Um, proponent, please come forward. Name and address, company you work for, and thanks thanks for being here. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Council members, staff, and police officers. Um, my name is Bob Cunningham. I'm with Kraus Anderson Company who happens to be building the addition to City Hall over to our west. Uh, and Kraus Anderson also owns the parcel that we're discussing this evening. Kraus Anderson's address is 501 You want to pull that mic down, lady? >> Of course, sorry. Thank you. Kraus Anderson's address is 501 8th Street, Minneapolis, 55404. And, um, I have just a very brief presentation in keeping with the fact that there's only one item on the agenda tonight. We'll uh keep it going. Oh. My one [clears throat] My one slide seems to be missing, darn it. Um, so, uh, what you're looking at is the pro proposed preliminary plat. This is a 13-acre parcel that is all one lot, one block that contains two office buildings. The office buildings to the one to the in this is plain north. The office building to the north is is perfect rectangle, and in planning commission I called the other building a a rhombus, it's not, it's a parallelogram. Um, so, uh, the idea is to divide these this one parcel into two parcels so that as, uh, city manager mentioned, we could refinance each one of these buildings individually and, uh, in all in in all probability, the parallelogram is going to be, uh, victim of demolition and re and, uh, the beneficiary of redevelopment. The building itself is functionally obsolete. It was built as a corporate headquarters, uh, in the '80s. It's, um, it's got a dep a building depth that doesn't work for any kind of adaptive reuse. So, we're looking to create two lots here that each stand on their own, and I'll go through those slides subsequently. Uh, so that we can refinance each building separately and redevelop the building that is the parallelogram. Uh [snorts] the lot one is the smaller rectangle building. Lot two is the larger parallelogram. And you can see that uh the buildings both uh meet the parking requirements, the ADA parking requirements. Uh in individually, they do to both collectively and individually. Um the uh each building is fully served by utilities. And the there will be a reciprocal easement agreement put into place in conjunction with the re-plat so that utilities can cross each other's site. >> [snorts] >> Uh building drainage uh and I think we've got an exhibit on this. Um will stand alone. And one thing I think this might be a good time to mention that to the extent that the parallelogram building becomes a development parcel, that development will reappear before the city council for your further consideration, no matter what happens there. Um and at that point we'll have to bring the building up to code in terms of whether it's parking, whether it's drainage, whether it's setbacks, or whatever it building or buildings, whatever it might be. Um salt management exhibit, only a civil engineer could really love the salt management exhibit. And the emergency respond response exhibit just simply shows that each building has uh access directly to to the to the adjacent road and has room for emergency vehicles to turn around. And there is the the proof of what I just said. And and it shows it it does show uh the fire truck which is the largest piece of equipment that will access the site. >> [sighs] >> Surely in management review we'll bring that certainly back up to code when and if there's additional development on the parallelogram site. >> [snorts] >> And that is uh the concept behind what we're asking for this evening is to take the 13 acres essentially develop divided into a 6-acre parcel the northerly parcel 7-acre parcel the southerly parcel so that we can again refinance and redevelop the the parallelogram at which point we'll be back in front of the city council. I'm happy to answer [clears throat] any questions. >> So council we will have a public hearing and you can ask questions now if there's something pressing prior to public hearing or or we can have it closed and then continue to ask questions. Anyone have a question they wish to ask now? Stay close and go go ahead and run >> available. Thank you. >> public hearing so So this is a public hearing. Is there anyone in the audience wishing to address the council this evening on this Prairie Lakes Corporate Center development concept division of property. I think I said that correct. So seeing none council I'm not sure if you're going to have too many questions. Let's just close the public hearing though just in the event you do. Um and then we'll do the rest of the motion later. So um would someone make a motion to close the public hearing? >> Move to close the public hearing. >> Is there a second? >> Second. Yeah discussion all those in favor say I. I. All right council. Uh questions of the proponent of staff um it's fairly straightforward but um if some Council Nelson I have a question about how long you think it will go before this building will be torn down. Are we looking at 1 year, 2 years, 10 years, 20 years? I Again, thank you for the question, Mr. Mayor, member of the council. Um, the the question is how long might that building stay in its present condition? And the uh easy answer is I don't know, but the uh more detailed answer is that the building's been largely vacant for quite a while. There's been a couple of tenants in the building that we frankly are trying to move into a vacancy in the other building so that it becomes entirely vacant and there would be no lease obligations that we'd have to maintain. And so the answer to that directly is it will it will not be demolished until we come back through with our next proposal for the redevelopment of the site. We would in all probability would not demolish it in anticipation of that. So, if if it's a takes us a year to plan uh and come back for your consideration, it would be demolished in conjunction with whatever the next development is. Thank you. >> [snorts] >> Council, other questions? If there's not, [clears throat] uh you could still continue to ask questions even after the motion. So, is there somebody that would read the next five bullet points then and make the motion? I will adopt a resolution for a planned unit development concept amendment on 13.07 acres and approve the first reading of an ordinance for a PUD amendment with waivers on 13.07 acres and adopt a resolution for a preliminary plat of one parcel into two lots and adopt a resolution in support of a park dedication fees and direct staff to prepare a development agreement incorporating staff and commission recommendations and council conditions. Is there a second? Second. >> [clears throat] >> I think um I'll just say to any residents that um I'm not sure if there are any in the audience but who are listening that live on the south side and I believe I've driven that quite a bit. I think I feel like there's like four or five buildings with two units each. Am I right? Maybe sevens, six, it got to be even, six, eight, 10, something that contiguously border this property. And of course they've bordered it for they've moved in um bordering it um and have experienced the mostly vacant building these last few years. So I would just say to those residents and any other Eden Prairie residents that have a you know, vested interest in this um whatever happens is that as some proposal comes forward, we will be in direct contact with these residents. We'll as as the proponent and the if there's a developer would as well. Um you know, I don't I don't know right now. I don't know that anybody knows what uh possibilities could go into that area. There have been just down the road on the south side, there was a commercial or was it office uh zoned that um converted into townhomes. Um I would say whatever goes in there will be a nice match for the neighborhood if it's another nice building. Uh we'll be very careful on height restrictions. I one neighbor called and wondered if um or talked to me and wondered if um you know, if a five-story apartment building could go in there and I'm like, well, no. I mean, I we we would have an option. Well, I think zoning-wise it'd be difficult but we as a council get the opportunity to weigh in on that. We would definitely protect as much as we can the contiguous neighbor impact. So, just to let people know that. Um we're just so early in this process. Um no one really knows what will go in there. This is simply giving the the owner now the opportunity to divide the properties and develop the southern develop well, maybe both of them someday, but develop them separately. Uh but for sure the southern property. Uh Mr. Getcho or Miss Klima, do any one do you want to add anything to that or any information on that? Mayor and members of the council, I would agree with all of the commentary that you just provided in all of our conversations with Mr. Cunningham dating back to his initial inquiry. It has been all about positioning this property for marketability for future redevelopment. Perfect. Anything else, council? If not, we've had a motion and a second. So, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? All right. Good. Congratulations on that beginning piece of the this um process. Thank you. All right. Payment of claims. Um any expenses um interesting, you know, I've I've looked through them every now and then and I guess I had forgotten this. May show my ignorance of looking through them weekly, but I didn't realize they were listed in sequential order of most expensive I I thought it was for some reason I remember it more being by date in the past, but I guess not. So, um yeah, that was interesting. Kept getting to get went all the way down to like five went all the way from hundreds of thousands of dollars all the way down to like five dollars. So, uh interesting. Um so, council, any any of those um expenses you wish to learn more about question? If not, is there a motion to approve the payment of claims? Move to approve the payment of claims as submitted. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? Roll call. Council member Freiberg. Aye. Council member Narayan. Aye. Council member Nelson. Aye. Council member Toomey. Aye. Mayor Case. Aye. I think that's all to come before the council this evening. You're looking at me. No, no, Mayor. >> to make sure I didn't forget something. You're looking at me. >> when we were preparing the agenda, um we knew what the weather was going to be like tonight. Well, I just feel bad for uh Mark Weber. He finally gets the job again to come and and write something. And [snorts] um I don't know that he got enough. I hope you got enough to Well, I don't know. Write something. Um all right. With that, is there a motion to adjourn the meeting? Move to adjourn the city council meeting tonight. Is there a second? Second. All those in favor say aye. Opposed? This meeting is adjourned. Well, you got yourself in the minutes.