Council approves preliminary plat, rezoning and conditional use permits for Kwik Trip at County Road 11

The Victoria City Council voted to approve a preliminary plat, rezoning to C-2 (Community Commercial), and conditional use permits for a Kwik Trip convenience store (store 1792) and to authorize submission of a comprehensive plan amendment for the site.

City Planner Brian McCann summarized the application as a multi-part request: a preliminary plat, conditional use permits for an accessory car wash and accessory gas pumps, rezoning from agricultural to C-2 and a comprehensive plan amendment. McCann described the project site as a roughly 4.14-acre parcel within a larger 48-acre tract and said the applicant proposes a 9,100-square-foot convenience store with 10 gas pumps, a single-lane car wash and a total of 63 parking spaces. "They're proposing a 9,100 square foot convenience store with the gas pumps and carwash," McCann said. He also noted the minimum parking requirement in the city's code is 33 spaces and the proposal provides 63.

Staff and applicant materials, including a traffic study, were discussed. The traffic analysis recommended a right-turn lane into the Kwik Trip site from the internal Road A; the applicant has included that lane in the revised site plan. City staff secured a condition required of the applicant to address potential future traffic safety or emergency-response concerns at the Road A intersection: if future traffic warrants additional improvements at that intersection, the developer must fund and perform the warranted analysis and necessary improvements. Planning staff also said the county's full corridor improvements at County Road 11 are not scheduled until 2028; until then the developer must construct temporary full left and right turn lanes to provide safe site access.

Staff outlined site and infrastructure specifics: utilities will be extended from the adjacent Victoria Ridge development; stormwater facilities for this commercial site will be privately located in a drainage and utility easement and will be maintained by Kwik Trip under a stormwater maintenance agreement required by the Carver County WMO; park dedication for the commercial parcel was calculated at roughly $21,000 per the city's fee schedule; and landscape requirements include a 30 percent minimum open space and a 30-foot landscape buffer between the Kwik Trip site and the Victoria Ridge high-density apartments. Planner Kara (planning staff) noted the berm along that buffer had to be reduced to accommodate a required fire turnaround and that the project is deficient by about 14 trees relative to the standard berm requirement.

Applicant representatives responded to council questions. Lisa Watson, Kwik Trip real estate manager, said, "The front of the store is in front of the pumps," and described store layout choices intended to provide multiple customer entrances; she also confirmed the west-side sidewalk would serve pedestrian access and said the applicant would consider adding an additional sidewalk connection when the regional trail is built. The project's civil engineer said they have begun coordinating with Xcel Energy regarding an encroachment/permit for a power-line easement that crosses the site and expect to finalize that during final plat and related permit submittals.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing, published notice and mailed adjacent-property notices; it recommended unanimous approval (7-0) on Jan. 7 with conditions now incorporated into the staff report. After questions and staff clarifications, Councilmember Roberts moved to approve the preliminary plat, rezoning and conditional use permits with staff conditions; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The council then authorized submittal of the comprehensive plan amendment for the site in a separate motion; that motion also carried.

Council action approves the preliminary entitlements and advances the proposal to final plat and detailed site-plan review where architecture, signage, lighting and final engineering will be reviewed and permits obtained prior to construction.