Weston Woods homeowners back Flower Field development, urge Flowerfield Road upgrades

Andrew Eisenzimmer, president of the Weston Woods on Rice Creek Homeowners Association, told the Blaine City Council during the open forum that his group supports a proposed 32-home development, called Flower Field, by Fenway Land Company but warned the city that access via Flowerfield Road is unsafe as currently configured.

Eisenzimmer said the planned development would sit on the southeast portion of the city and that Flowerfield Road would provide the only access to the new neighborhood as currently drawn. He said Weston Woods on Rice Creek has 68 townhomes, several of which face Flowerfield Road, and that other streets in Weston Woods (Fraser and Gia) intersect Flowerfield Road from the south.

"If you look at Flowerfield Road at that spot . . . it is narrower than other city streets, it has no shoulders or curbs, and no sidewalks," Eisenzimmer told the council. He said the road is "not safe for pedestrians, it's not safe for bicyclists, it's not safe for buses, or even for cars," and that school buses and parents driving to Golden Lake Elementary School heighten safety concerns during the school year.

Eisenzimmer also said many streets inside Weston Woods are private and not dedicated to the city, so they are not plowed or maintained by municipal crews. He told council members the HOA has already contacted the developer and two council members and asked the city to "seize this opportunity" to update or improve Flowerfield Road, and to consider rerouting traffic if warranted. He said the group is willing to work with the city, staff and the developer to identify solutions.

Mayor Sanders opened the open forum at the start of the meeting and closed it after public comments; the council did not take action on Flower Field at the meeting. No formal staff response or specific road-design commitment was recorded in the public remarks.