Prior Lake City Council — Transcript
Monday, April 6, 2026
Combined Preliminary and Final Plat and Easement Vacation for Ridgewood Court
Amendments to City Code for Motor Vehicle Sales Without Inventory
Votes (2)
Public Hearing: Combined Preliminary and Final Plat and Easement Vacation (Ridgewood Court)
Dissent: None
Moved by Unknown [1:02:18] · Seconded by Unknown [1:02:20]
The discussion centered on the subdivision of a 2.5-acre outlot into two single-family lots and the vacation of an existing easement. Staff outlined the environmental considerations (wetlands, buffers, stormwater management, NPDES permit) and utility requirements (shared sewer, grinder stations). Commissioner questions focused on tree preservation, the timing of stormwater reports, the suitability of lot sizes despite wetlands, and the impact of easement vacation. The applicant clarified ongoing work on stormwater reports and the intent to minimize tree removal with custom home designs. Public comments raised significant concerns about potential noise pollution from Mushtown Road, the appropriateness of two lots versus one, and especially safety implications of new driveways accessing Ponds Parkway, a route heavily used by children going to local parks. Staff addressed the timing of the project and the commonality of driveways crossing trails, emphasizing average vehicle trips per day and the difficulty of restricting such access across the city.
Public Hearing: Amendments to Prior Lake City Code Section 10-268 Related to Motor Vehicle Sales Uses
Dissent: None
Moved by Unknown [1:17:41] · Seconded by Unknown [1:17:43]
The staff presentation detailed the proposed amendments to address the growing trend of office-based motor vehicle sales operations without on-site inventory. The current code requires a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) due to its focus on traditional dealerships. The proposed amendment creates a new 'permitted with conditions' use, specifying limitations such as no outdoor storage, no on-site repair, and compliance with parking rules. Commissioners inquired about the scope of vehicles, the precision of language (e.g., 'limited'), the applicability in different zoning districts, and the enforceability of conditions. Staff confirmed the intent to clarify regulations, adapt to new business models, and assured that conditions would be enforced, with potential consequences for non-compliance. No public comments were received.
Notable Quotes (8)
Our standard lot size that we're seeing right now in Prior Lake are about 8,500 to 10,000 square feet. So the idea of two lots on 50,000 square feet of buildable area does not seem like a lot to staff.
My second point is a better idea is to have this be just one property and then this would be the house. Okay. The one the one that's more to the north would be uh their primary residence. And then this would be some kind of an out building like a garage detached garage which could double uh as uh as sound abatement and that would kind of mirror what is done on the other side of the road in the sense they have a bigger lot.
Has safety been thought of there on baseball nights, softball nights, big weekends? That road is busy. Um the trail has numerous numerous kids walking, scootering, biking, and I mean I I would just be concerned with their safety because they're going back and forth from what I call a gem of power of Prior Lake.
But we have, like I said, this situation all over the community and it's very difficult to design neighborhoods and and build homes if we wouldn't allow driveways to cross sidewalks and trails.
The problem with the current ordinance is that it's designed around the traditional dealership model. Um it assumes that they're going to be displaying automobiles and our code does really well for that because what we're trying to do in our code right now is control the on-site making sure that it's compatible and that we don't have an effect out beyond the border property of the the business.
Again, the idea is that this lower intensity, this is lower intensity than the regular dealership model. that minimizes noise, lighting, and traffic and impacts that a normal dealership would have. It's consistent with office types uses, and it helps to adapt to the different involving business models.
I just have a comment. I think, um, uh, I think clearing this all up will be very helpful. Um, I do think there's some verbiage in there that I would really like to see tightened up. Some use of words like limited. What does that mean?
I just I just want to comment that I to kind of commend you to find an opportunity to open more commercial into town. I I think that's a great This is really creative and is a good move.
Ordinances & Resolutions (7)
Docket ID for the combined preliminary and final plat and easement vacation request.
Property Identification Number for the easement vacation.
Prior Lake's comprehensive plan, which designates the property for low-density residential.
Required for sites exceeding one acre of disturbance prior to construction.
Document containing comments and conditions for the plat approval.
Section of the city code related to motor vehicle sales uses, proposed for amendment.
Additional section of the city code recommended for amendment in conjunction with 10-268.