After more than two hours of public comment, the Minnetonka City Council voted to table the feasibility report for the proposed Excelsior Boulevard reconstruction and trail concept so staff can negotiate alternatives with Hennepin County and conduct further community engagement.

Public Works project manager Mike Manchester and Hennepin County staff presented a concept that would reconstruct Excelsior Boulevard (County Road 3) from County Road 101 to Eden Prairie Road, add multi‑use trails on both sides of the roadway, and install three roundabouts at Scenic Heights, Woodland and Williston to improve safety and traffic flow. The design also includes median refuges, stormwater treatment, retaining walls and a major trunk water‑main replacement.

Neighbors and user groups urged changes. Several residents and homeowners objected to trail construction on both sides of the road, saying it would require substantial right‑of‑way acquisitions, remove mature trees and shrink front yards. “It’s a disrupt[ion] of long standing landscaping, including mature trees,” a resident said during public comment, noting an existing recent infill duplex that already reduced front setbacks. Parents and school representatives expressed concern about roundabout pedestrian crossings near Scenic Heights Elementary and asked for targeted traffic‑management solutions at school hours. Mountain‑bike advocates offered an alternate concept — a paved trail on one side and a managed mountain‑bike/soft‑surface trail on the other — to reduce tree removal while expanding recreational opportunities.

Mr Manchester told council staff could pursue negotiation with the county on a single‑side trail option. “We always have an opportunity to negotiate,” he said, while cautioning that the county’s complete‑streets practice typically favors facilities on both sides and that the county’s participation is a major cost driver for the project.

Council members directed staff to return with additional information and engagement; Councilor Schack moved to table and the motion passed unanimously. Council asked staff to clarify what elements are negotiable with Hennepin County (trails on one side vs. two, curb type, tree replacement policies), to estimate cost differentials (staff estimated at least a 25% reduction in trail cost if only one side is built, but said exact savings depend on details), and to follow up on neighborhood impacts and potential mitigations. The decision pauses feasibility action so the city can gather further input without losing the opportunity for county cost‑sharing.