Cottage Grove council approves Rivera Trails subdivision amid questions about density and Met Council review

The Cottage Grove City Council voted to approve the Rivera Trails preliminary plat and Planned Unit Development on March 18, 2026, authorizing a 575-unit subdivision that includes 269 single-family homes and 306 townhomes on approximately 148.72 acres east of Keats Avenue.

The development proposal, presented by senior planner Sam Peratt, requests rezoning from AG2 agricultural to R4 transitional residential, a minor subdivision splitting 3.77 acres and 24.06 acres to create lots for the plat, and PUD flexibilities including 40-foot wide single-family lots, reduced side-yard setbacks and private streets. Peratt said the plan provides 12.94 acres of parkland dedication and includes trail connections through an existing gas easement and an Outlot L park site.

Why it matters: Rivera Trails would add hundreds of owner-occupied units to Cottage Grove and is part of a broader regional housing supply forecast that staff cited — a Maxfield Research analysis estimated substantial demand for single-family and townhome product through 2035.

Council members focused most of their questioning on density, traffic and the city’s ability to reconcile Met Council land‑use guidance with the proposed lot layout. Council member Theede said he was “really not very pleased” with the proposed density and warned that repeated concessions on lot widths and setbacks have pushed product density higher than he preferred. Council member Olson and others pressed staff to explain differences between the city’s averaged density calculation and a new Metropolitan Council interpretation that requires density to be calculated per land-use sector rather than averaged across a development.

Developer Ben Schmidt of Twin Cities Land Development told the council his team worked with staff through multiple revisions and said, “we're happy with the plan that we've got in place,” adding that resolving Met Council permitting remains a next step before mass grading can begin.

The council adopted three separate actions tied to the project: Resolution 2026-046 (minor subdivisions), Ordinance 1108 (zoning amendment), and Resolution 2026-045 (preliminary plat and PUD). The final vote on the preliminary plat passed four to one.

Traffic and pedestrian safety issues will be studied further by the county’s Technical Advisory Committee, which is reviewing the Keats Avenue corridor; staff said turn lanes and trail crossings are part of the plan and that future traffic controls will be installed if warrants are met. The developer has proposed private streets for portions of the townhouse area; city staff warned residents those private streets will be maintained by an HOA and will not receive typical city pavement-preservation services.

Next steps: City staff will continue to coordinate with the Metropolitan Council on density calculations and sewer-permit timing and will bring the developer agreement and final plat back to council for approval in coming months. In the meantime the approvals allow the developer to advance engineering and grading when site work can begin.

Quote: "The Met Council is driving higher and higher densities," Mayor Bailey said during the discussion, noting the city is working with neighboring communities to raise concerns with Met Council interpretation.