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City officials review Southwest Chaska Park master-plan engagement and upcoming concept workshop
Summary
City staff reported strong early public engagement on the Southwest Chaska Park master plan, with more than 3,000 website visitors and about 1,400 completed surveys. Staff and consultants will use results to develop three design concepts at a May 8 "Parkapalooza" workshop.
City of Chaska staff on Monday updated the City Council on Phase 1 of community engagement for the Southwest Chaska Park master plan, reporting more than 3,000 unique visitors to the project site and roughly 1,400 completed surveys.
The presentation, delivered by city staff member Marshall, summarized outreach that began in March with a carnival event at the Chaska Community Center and continued with an interactive project website, an idea board where residents could post and like suggestions, seven focus-group meetings, and a market study led by Pros Consulting.
Marshall said survey respondents were predominantly Chaska residents (just over 70%) and skewed toward adults aged 35–54. Respondents prioritized play, sport and nature as high themes for the park and expressed interest in amenities including splash/spray pads, nature trails, year-round restrooms and winter uses such as sledding and an ice trail. "We had over 3,000 unique visitors go to the site, and over 1,400 people take the survey," Marshall said. "Our consultant group, Confluence, has said this is the most they've actually seen on any other project they've worked on."
Staff described the project website as interactive — including an idea board and an online survey — and highlighted follow-up outreach to athletic associations, parks and recreation users, older adults, residents within a half-mile of the park, park-maintenance staff and the school district. The market study noted Chaska meets or exceeds national benchmarks for parks for comparable-size communities, with opportunities to add or better balance rectangular fields and to emphasize nature-based programming using about 10 developable acres adjacent to roughly 40 acres of woods.
City staff and Confluence will convene a "Parkapalooza" design workshop on Thursday, May 8, at the Chaska Community Center to develop three concept plans using survey and focus-group input. Marshall said the design team will refine concepts after the May 8 session, prepare high-level cost estimates for each concept and post interactive versions of the concepts on the project website for further public comment. The concepts will also be displayed at community events such as Fire & Ice and River City Days for additional feedback.
Council members praised the breadth of engagement and the project team’s responsiveness to public input. Several council members noted the site’s slope and woodland areas as opportunities for winter programming and nature-based activities and welcomed the upcoming design exercise.
Next steps for the master plan include the May 8 Parkapalooza workshop, preparation of three concept-level designs with high-level cost ranges, staff review and a subsequent public input round. Staff said additional technical work — including pedestrian connections, utilities and stormwater design — will continue as the design advances.
