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Council approves two 10‑bed residential care homes at former school site on Hopkins Crossroad
Summary
After planning review and neighborhood outreach, the council approved a conditional-use permit to remove a century-old school building and build two single-story, 10-bedroom licensed residential care homes with stormwater rain gardens and a tree‑replacement plan.
The Minnetonka City Council on April 13 approved a conditional-use permit for redevelopment of the 2.5-acre site at 2000 Hopkins Crossroad. The proposal, submitted by the Excelsior Group on behalf of English Rose, would remove the existing school building and construct two single-story licensed residential care homes, each about 8,000 square feet with 10 bedrooms and shared common spaces.
Planning staff (Miss Thomas) recommended approval, finding the proposed residential care use is consistent with the residential zoning and noting that the project meets conditional-use standards. Staff outlined the site work required — earthwork and grading that would affect several high-priority trees and the provision of three rain gardens to manage stormwater. The applicant, Jill Kiner of the Excelsior Group, described a cluster layout intended to fit the residential context, three rain gardens as both stormwater management and amenity features, and multiple measures to memorialize the historic school (photographic record, a plaque, and reuse of exterior brick in sidewalks and signage).
The project received two written neighborhood comments (both supportive) and the planning commission had recommended approval. Councilmembers acknowledged the difficulty of retaining the old school building given cost constraints but commended the developer’s tree-replacement, memorialization and site design; the council approved the conditional-use permit on roll call.
Why it matters: The decision converts a vacant historic school site into two licensed residential care homes serving people with dementia and similar needs, which will add a specific type of residential capacity to Minnetonka’s housing mix while prompting tree‑removal and site-regrading trade‑offs.
What’s next: The developer will finalize construction documents, implement tree-replacement and rain-garden work as part of site permits, and return to staff for applicable building and site approvals.
