Lake Elmo City Council — Transcript
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Inwood Town Homes Development Approval
Friends of Sunfish Lake Park Grant Support
Former Fire Station and Parks Building Redevelopment
CSAW 14 Water Main Improvements
Community Service Announcements
Votes (4)
Inwood Town Homes first edition final plat pud and easement vacation along with the public hearing
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [06:01] · Seconded by Unknown [06:02]
Miss Jensen presented the Inwood Town Homes first edition final plat, PUD, and easement vacation. The project involves 54 attached units (11.7 units/acre) on high-density residential zoned land, consistent with the city's comp plan. An existing drainage/utility easement will be vacated and re-dedicated. Staff found the project met PUD minimums and objectives (transitions, housing types, architectural coordination). Agency reviews noted permits (watershed), standard comments (fire, landscape architect), and revisions (attorney, engineer). A new crosswalk policy may allow for resident access to Ivywood Park. Public hearing was held with no formal public comment. A Council Member expressed prior density concerns but voted in favor as nothing changed from preliminary approval.
Friends of Sunfish Lake Park recommendation letter
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [12:35] · Seconded by Unknown [12:47]
Assistant Public Works Director Swanipole presented a request for council support for three Friends of Sunfish Lake Park proposals seeking a 3M settlement Priority 2 grant: forestry/trail recreation (buckthorn removal), a 300-foot boardwalk, and a fish advisory study. Discussion addressed long-term maintenance of the boardwalk (city responsibility after two years, no snow plowing), the design process, and the competitive nature of the grant. Council members expressed strong support, highlighting the community benefits and appreciation for the applicant's efforts.
RFP, former fire station and parks building
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Jagasich [30:03] · Seconded by Unknown [30:09]
Director Stoa presented the EDA committee's recommendation to select the Tap & Ladder Machete proposal for the former fire station and parks building. The plan proposes converting the fire station into a self-pour tap house/restaurant and the parks building into a Mexican restaurant, emphasizing historic preservation, family-centered amenities, and public parking. Discussion points included the multi-step negotiation process (closed session, appraisal, survey, potential business subsidy policy), ensuring project delivery via clawback provisions in a Purchase and Development Agreement, and addressing parking concerns. Applicants confirmed public parking availability and flexibility for a potential rooftop patio. Council members widely supported the recommendation, noting its alignment with community desires for downtown revitalization and family-friendly gathering spaces, while also suggesting exploring other proposals for different city locations. The need for professional assistance in analyzing potential business subsidies was also raised.
Authorized design services for 14 water main improvements
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member [36:26] · Seconded by Unknown [36:29]
City Engineer Nathan Stanley requested authorization for Bolton Mink, Inc. to prepare plans for water main improvements on CSAW 14. The 6-inch main has experienced 7 breaks in 6 years (5 in the last 3), reaching the end of its service life. The project involves upsizing to a 12-inch main and directional drilling to minimize disruption, with an estimated cost of $850,000. It is not in the county's CIP, so the city is moving forward independently, intending to fund it from the water enterprise fund. Discussion covered the urgency, future-proofing with upsizing for potential redevelopment, and the availability of restricted funds in the water enterprise account.
Notable Quotes (11)
Um when I talked to public works they indicated that it meets right now.
I I know I brought it up at the uh the preliminary plat. I I do have some concerns for the the density um that I brought up at that time, but from the preliminary to the final um everything appears to be the same. So that is why I'll be voting in favor.
So, yes, that was brought up to the applicant uh as well. The public works or the city would be responsible uh going forward.
I just want to thank Tony number one for taking the time to issue these and to ask the settlement team for it. Don't know if he'll get it or not, but there's there's a set amount of money and we know members of other communities are asking for dollars from the same fund. So, if we have a chance to add assets to the community because a member of our community stepped up, we are better for it.
Definitely a couple steps. So the first step would be close session looking at pricing conditions and working through those issues. We also have to have an appraisal done with their preferred layout. So we need to know what the layout looks like and then get that appraised.
So in the beginning we worked on what a clawback provision would look like and we decided working with our advisor to wait and that would be processed through the close session and create those terms and conditions. So the idea is if some if they didn't perform there could be a clawback provision taking the property back.
No. Uh, so we submitted about eight different potential layouts. Um, so that was just one of them and the range was about 30 to 50. Obviously, once we figure out the actual plat and work with uh our estimators and architects to figure out what the best layout would be, we assume that would fall within that range. Um, and our plan is to leave the parking lot open to the public all the time.
This one does align with what the council was asking for. Uh it aligns with what the community has been saying. I I cannot say how many times I have heard is the fire station up for sale? No. Patience is up for sale soon. But the next conversation is usually God this is what I want to see there. like and we listen and many many comments the most common one has been some form of a restaurant brewery some type of place where family gathers I don't think I didn't necessarily think as EDA member or council the possibility of two I I I never conjured up that possibility and now we have a proposal with two and I I think what we've seen over the last week especially has been very strong feedback from the community saying, "Heck yeah.
Um unfortunately it it still is not in in the CIP and the and the the water main has deteriorated to a state where we are um facing um it's it's it's reached the end of its natural life or its service life rather. Um there has been uh seven breaks in the last six years with five of those coming in the last three.
The upsizing of the main is meant to uh provide additional redundancy and um be able to serve these this the potential redevelopment in the area.
In our water and sewer fund, the whack and sack charges and the connection fees are restricted by council policy for either uh asset renewal and replacement or payment of debt service. And so my guess is, and I don't remember what we had in that fund, it seems to me it was like six or seven million of those um restricted funds...
Ordinances & Resolutions (17)
Approved on consent agenda
Approving easement vacation request by M&I Homes for Inwood Town Homes
Approving final plat and final PUD for Inwood Town Home Development by M&I Homes
Approved flexibilities related to lot size, setbacks, impervious surface, public street frontage, and spacing for Inwood Town Homes
Grant for projects restoring aquatic resources, wildlife habitat, fishing, outdoor recreation in PFAS-affected areas
Issued for the former fire station and parks building on June 17, 2025
Guides land use, Inwood Town Homes guided as high-density residential
Included in Inwood preliminary plat approval
Approved June 2025 for Inwood Town Homes
Approved for Inwood Town Homes first edition
Approved for Inwood Town Homes first edition
Approved for Inwood Town Homes property
Approved on consent agenda
County's CIP did not include CSAW 14 water main; city's CIP mentioned for water fund management
Next step for former fire station and parks building sale
Needed for potential business subsidies for fire station project
Published September 26th and mailed September 22nd for Inwood easement vacation