Plan Commission favors rezoning 40 acres for Hartland Park expansion after resident concerns

The St John Plan Commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to Town Council on March 19, 2025, to rezone roughly 40 acres donated to the town for a proposed Hartland Park expansion from RC2 PUD (residential planned-unit development) to a Public zoning district. The commission recorded a 5-0 vote in favor with one member abstaining.

The zoning change is intended to allow a public-park style development that the town has described as including an amphitheater, walking trails, a splash pad and on-site restrooms. Town staff said the rezoning is a necessary step under the town's zoning regulations; without it the project would require a separate variances process.

Why it matters: rezoning the parcel clears a regulatory hurdle so design and site plans can move forward; it will also determine what uses are permitted on the property and trigger follow-up Town Council approvals.

At the public hearing, multiple nearby residents asked for details on location, buffering and event operations. Joyce Pivovar, a resident of Golden Grove in Silver Leaf, asked why the town approved the band shell and questioned the community survey that informed the project. "I'm wondering, first of all, why you okayed, the Banshell when, as I understand it, and I could be incorrect, the, vote was so low for it," Pivovar said.

A town staff member clarified the scope of the meeting: "This proceeding that's here tonight is just to rezone that land so the project can move forward," the staff member said, noting that final site plans have not yet been completed and that the Park Board or Town Council would handle later site-specific decisions.

Residents asked about proximity to homes and the walking trail. One commenter said the trail would be "only gonna be 25 feet from my sunroom" and opposed the project on that basis; staff and commissioners repeatedly responded that the amphitheater site is located in the lower-right corner of the donated parcel (near 109th and White Oak), that the amphitheater would be more than two football fields from many homes, and that landscaping and a slope are planned to reduce sound transmission. A town staff member told a resident, "We won't put [porta-potties] next to your house. I promise you that," when asked where temporary facilities would be placed for large events.

Staff said parking would be provided on-site with overflow parking, and estimated the project would provide more than 300 spaces; they also said they were not planning national-scale concerts and expected uses mainly on summer weekends at reasonable hours. The specific stage size and many site details remain in planning and were described as "not specified" at the hearing.

On process and outreach, staff said the community survey was distributed through the Clerk-Treasurer's office, the town website and social media and that roughly 3,500 votes were cast in the survey distributed by the town. Several residents said they had not received or seen the survey.

The commission closed the public comment period and then voted to recommend approval of the rezoning to Town Council. Commissioners and staff reminded residents the Town Council will consider the final zoning action and encouraged them to attend the council meeting and provide comment.

The commission's favorable recommendation means the rezoning will appear on an upcoming Town Council agenda; no site-specific permits or final designs were approved by the Plan Commission at this meeting.