Commission recommends approval of Flower Field subdivision, urges council review of Flower Field Road

The Blaine Planning Commission on Jan. 13 recommended that the City Council approve a three‑part land‑use application for a proposed subdivision called the Flower Field Plat: rezoning about 3.92 acres from single‑family (R1) to Development Flex (DF), preliminary plat approval to subdivide the site into 32 single‑family lots and outlots, and a conditional use permit to allow the proposed housing types. Commissioners also agreed to forward a recommendation asking the City Council to evaluate improvements to nearby Flower Field Road after hearing substantial neighborhood concern about roadway safety.

City staff (Sean) explained the project would include 18 single‑level villas and 14 single‑family homes, with lots ranging from approximately 6,250 to 20,000 square feet. Staff said the proposal yields about 2.56 units per acre, consistent with the city’s low‑density residential standard for the zoning requested. The developer’s landscape plan calls for 110 new trees and staff said 58 replacement trees are required by ordinance; staff recommended approval with conditions outlined in the staff report.

Project engineer Theresa told the commission that traffic counts collected in 2025 show a little over 1,000 vehicles per day on Flower Field Road, which staff said is under the typical residential design capacity (staff cited ~1,200 vpd as local road capacity). Based on that count, staff said they would not require developer‑funded roadway improvements; they noted petition and separate council procedures are available if neighbors request dedicated improvements.

More than a half‑dozen neighbors spoke during the public hearing. Andrew Eisenzimmer, president of the Weston Woods on Rice Creek Homeowners Association, said his HOA supports the housing type but urged the commission to recommend the City Council evaluate safety and capacity on Flower Field Road, noting narrow shoulders, no sidewalks, and traffic backups during school periods. Several neighbors asked for stronger tree preservation buffers, expressed concern about removal of century‑old oaks, and requested a DNR endangered‑species survey for plants and habitat in the wetland areas. Others raised private‑well concerns and asked whether grading, dewatering or runoff from the development could affect on‑site wells; staff said well impact would depend on individual well depths and locations and that staff would follow up.

Commissioners discussed the neighbors’ concerns and agreed it was appropriate to add a recommendation to the council asking them to review potential improvements to Flower Field Road; they characterized that language as a recommendation rather than a condition on the developer. A motion to recommend approval of the rezoning, preliminary plat and CUP with the staff conditions and the added recommendation passed by voice vote. The item will be scheduled for City Council consideration on Feb. 2.

What happens next: the council will receive the commission’s recommendation and the developer will need to satisfy conditions in the staff report (including final grading and tree‑protection measures and any required permit reviews such as wetland delineation and threatened/endangered species surveys) before final plat and permit approvals.

Direct quotes and exchanges during the hearing included multiple neighbors’ descriptions of traffic danger on Flower Field Road and requests that the council be asked to study that road; staff repeatedly noted that the DNR and Rice Creek Watershed District reviews govern threatened‑species and stormwater work.