Council approves first-reading land‑use package for Valley View hotel and parks acquisition

The Eden Prairie City Council on Oct. 21 approved, on first reading and by resolution, a package of land‑use actions to allow CSM Development to build a 157‑room hotel and an approximately 8,600‑square‑foot restaurant at the northeast corner of Valley View Road and Highway 494, and for the city to acquire the northerly 53.01 acres of the nearly 59.6‑acre site as parks and open space.

The action combines a comprehensive plan amendment, zoning changes, a planned unit development (PUD) concept review, site plan and preliminary plat approvals, and direction to prepare a development agreement incorporating staff and Planning Commission recommendations. The Planning Commission recommended unanimous approval at its Sept. 22 meeting.

John Ferrier, vice president of architecture and development for CSM Corporation, told the council the project responds to changes in the hotel brand’s prototype and operational model. "Marriott in recent years has indicated that this residence inn concept is obsolete and needs to be replaced with a new prototype," Ferrier said. He described the proposed Residence Inn as a…