The Wayzata City Council on Tuesday denied a three-lot subdivision at 565 Ferndale Road West while conditionally approving the Landmark Wayzata mixed-use development at 200 East Lake Street.

The Ferndale Bluff subdivision request by property owner Samantha Capen Moldun was rejected in a 3-2 vote after extensive deliberation about the proposed public road's impact on the neighborhood. The application sought to divide an 11.87-acre wooded lot into three single-family properties, requiring a 526-foot public street with retaining walls up to eight feet high.

Council members cited concerns about adverse effects on the neighborhood's character, scale and pattern. "The proposed subdivision would adversely impact the scale, pattern and character of the surrounding neighborhood by significantly altering the grade, impervious surface, site layout and tree coverage," the council found in its denial resolution.

Despite last-minute collaboration between city staff and the applicant to reduce the road's impact through narrower width and steeper grade, the majority felt the public street remained inappropriate for the challenging topography. The applicant had proposed alternative designs that would reduce retaining wall heights from eight feet to four feet and save additional trees.

In contrast, the council moved forward with the Landmark Wayzata project, a 50-unit condominium and commercial development to replace the former TCF bank building. However, the approval came with a significant condition requiring five full massing breaks from ground to sky throughout the 945-foot-long building.

The planning commission had recommended approval with only two required massing breaks where lake views are possible, but council members expressed concern about the building's length and scale. The project will return to council for final consideration with revised plans incorporating the additional architectural breaks.