Planning staff reported to the Minnetonka Planning Commission on Oct. 30 that the city has begun piloting asynchronous public hearings for land‑use applications, aimed at lowering barriers for residents who cannot attend Thursday evening meetings.

Staff (Steph Thomas) said the asynchronous process will post staff presentations online in advance and allow members of the public to view the materials, ask questions of staff and submit formal public‑hearing comments at times convenient to them. Staff will respond to submitted questions and compile the asynchronous comments for the commission prior to the meeting. Staff asked commissioners not to post public comments on the public comment page and invited the public to contact staff directly for questions.

In the same staff report, Thomas said the City Council introduced (then withdrew) a rezoning application for a property on Margaret Place that had been proposed to change from I‑1 (industrial) to R‑1 (low‑density residential); the applicant later withdrew the request and zoning remains unchanged. Staff also said the council adopted the 2026 commission and council calendar. Thomas reminded commissioners their next meeting will be Nov. 20, 2025.

Staff described the notification process for land‑use applications: the city notifies property owners within at least 400 feet of the site, posts plans and information on the city website and, for some applications, places signs on properties and publishes notices in the Sun Sailor newspaper. The staff memo and the asynchronous public‑hearing materials will be provided to commissioners ahead of related public hearings.