Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff outline planning, community-engagement timeline for Southwest Chaska Community Park
Summary
City of Chaska staff and consultant Confluence briefed the council on the Southwest Chaska Community Park master-plan process, describing the project scope (50+ acres), planned amenities including a Miracle League field and destination playground, engagement timeline and next milestones through fall 2025.
City of Chaska staff and a consultant team told the City Council on Feb. 24 they have launched a master-plan process for the Southwest Chaska Community Park that will include universal-access facilities and community engagement to select final concepts.
The park site — roughly 50-plus acres in Southwest Chaska — is planned to include a Miracle League (accessible baseball) field, a destination-sized playground, a park shelter building and universal-design elements to make the park usable for people of all ages and abilities. Officials said the site also borders about 40 acres of remnant "Big Woods" the city is working to preserve.
Why it matters: The park is large enough to be a regional draw and sits near future development and an elementary school site; decisions about layout will affect neighborhoods, school access and circulation and are tied to stormwater and utility planning.
Marshall (City of Chaska staff, project presenter) said the city selected Confluence through an RFP and has engaged PROS Consulting for market analysis and Stantec for engineering and cost estimation. The project-management team includes several city staff members who said they have met biweekly with the consultant team in recent months.
The consultant team will host a public website and an online survey, and staff plan focus groups with athletic groups, residents within a half-mile radius, high-school students, older-adult groups, disability-service organizations and the school district. A community launch and survey were scheduled to go live in late February or early March; a large design workshop with Confluence is planned for May 8 and three concept options are expected to be released for public review in summer 2025. Staff said the goal is to bring a preferred concept to the Parks and Recreation Commission in April and a final recommendation to council in the fall, with construction potentially starting in 2026.
Council members asked about year-round uses and whether indoor facilities, turf fields, pools or splash pads should be considered. Staff said market analysis will inform trade-offs and that universal design and access for neighbors and nearby schools will be central to the planning. The city will coordinate with the school district on site layout, stormwater needs and whether school playground areas will be public during non-school hours.
Ending: Staff asked the public to watch for the project website and survey and to participate in forthcoming open houses and events planned for spring and summer 2025.
