Council tables Belle Maple Farms subdivision amid utility, park and easement concerns

The Victoria City Council voted to table three related actions on the proposed Belle Maple Farms residential development after staff and the developer’s engineer explained technical constraints and nearby residents raised concerns.

City planner (presenting) said the applicant proposes a preliminary plat and comprehensive-plan amendment for a roughly 8-acre parcel at 750 Kings Road, adjacent to Chanhassen. The proposal would create 15 single-family lots with a temporary turnaround, a lift station and a stormwater basin; staff said the lots meet the city’s bulk requirements and flagged Shoreland Overlay rules because the site lies within 1,000 feet of two lakes. Planner noted that DNR-area hydrologists had not expressed concern and that the Metropolitan Council must approve any comprehensive-plan amendment.

Staff engineering and watershed presenters explained that the utility extension would encounter 25–40 feet of elevation change that likely requires a lift station and a force main; staff said the developer may need an easement from an adjacent property owner and a permit or license from Carver County to cross the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail. City staff said directional drilling and contractor input could reduce tree and surface impacts but stressed the need to demonstrate feasibility before final plat approval. "It's a pretty long run...we're wondering how you access this area with equipment," a city engineer said.

Council members raised several policy and neighborhood concerns. Some said the plan provides limited parkland and recommended either a public park or larger fee-in-lieu to serve the immediate neighborhood; others sought sidewalks on both sides of the new street. One council member asked to preserve a large tree identified by tree number in the public record. Council members also discussed statutory timelines for preliminary plats and comprehensive-plan amendments (the plat process has a 120-day clock; comp-plan review is usually 60 days but can be extended).

After discussion, Council member Pedersen moved to table the resolution approving the preliminary plat and listed items staff and the developer should address before returning the matter to the council: a contractor-validated feasibility/constructability demonstration for utilities; confirmation of a viable approach to obtain necessary permission from Carver County for any work under or across the regional trail; provision of a public park or an improved park-dedication proposal; sidewalks all the way around the development; a plan to preserve the large tree raised in public comment; and an easement from the western adjoining owner sized to allow public-works maintenance. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Council then separately tabled the proposed easement/right-of-way vacations and the proposed submission of a comprehensive-plan amendment to the Metropolitan Council.

What happens next: The council instructed staff to work with the developer on the constructability demonstration and other items listed in the tabling motion; the developer and engineers may coordinate with Carver County and contractors to provide the technical documentation. The items remain pending and will return to council after staff review and any required permits or design revisions are provided.