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Planning Commission recommends approval for Dakota County CDA senior housing at 9170 Cahill Ave.
Summary
The commission voted 6–0 to recommend approval of a comprehensive plan amendment, PUD amendment, major site plan and utility easement vacation to allow a three‑story, 57‑unit senior housing building on the northern portion of the Hillcrest Point site; staff and the applicant said the design preserves buffers and meets landscape replacement rules.
The Inver Grove Heights Planning Commission on Aug. 6 recommended approval of multiple land‑use actions to allow a three‑story, 57‑unit senior housing building at 9170 Cahill Avenue, a project proposed by the Dakota County Community Development Agency. The commission voted 6–0 to forward the item, with conditions, to the City Council, which is tentatively scheduled to consider the matter Aug. 25, 2025.
City planning staff told commissioners the request includes a comprehensive plan amendment (from Medium‑Density Residential to High‑Density Residential), a planned unit development amendment, a major site plan review and a vacation of a utility easement where an existing stormwater pond sits. Planner Benjamin Schneider said the proposal largely mirrors an existing 66‑unit CDA building on the same parcel and cited the city’s 2040 comprehensive plan and a recent Dakota County needs assessment that identify senior housing as a continuing local need.
“Senior housing is identified as a continuing need in the community,” Benjamin Schneider said, describing why the comp‑plan change is necessary when a project exceeds 12 units per acre. The site plan calls for a three‑story, roughly 35‑foot building, 58 underground parking stalls and 29 surface spaces. Schneider said the design exceeds setback requirements and aims to preserve trees along the eastern property line while meeting tree caliper replacement requirements.
Carrie Gill, representing the Dakota County Community Development Agency, told the commission the applicant held a neighborhood meeting in February, responded to concerns and reduced the building footprint by changing the unit mix (fewer two‑bedrooms, more one‑bedrooms), moved the building approximately 50 feet south and relocated the stormwater pond to increase the buffer to nearby single‑family lots. “We have over a thousand people on our waiting list for the units that we have,” Gill said, explaining the CDA’s rationale for adding another senior building.
Residents at the hearing said they feared a loss of the hill and tree buffer that once separated homes from adjacent commercial uses. Christopher Rees, who lives on Cheney Trail, said promises made when the first CDA building was approved a decade ago — including preservation of a tree‑covered hill — appear to have been reversed and asked the commission to revisit those assurances. Carrie Gill and staff reiterated they made plan adjustments to increase buffering and preserve as many trees as possible.
Commissioners pressed staff on technical items, including the retaining wall height and safety fencing. Staff told the board the highest portion of the retaining wall will be approximately 15.9 feet, which will require structural engineering and a fence where the wall exceeds 4 feet; final railing and safety details will be addressed through building permits and engineering review.
The Planning Commission’s motion recommended approval of the four requested items with the conditions listed in the staff report. The motion was seconded (recorded as Commissioner Tyken) and passed on a 6–0 roll call. The staff presentation said the application will appear before the City Council on Aug. 25, 2025 for final consideration.
