Council approves preliminary plat and annexation for West Creek Village, with sidewalk condition added

The Victoria City Council approved the preliminary plat and preliminary PUD for the West Creek Village residential development, adopted a resolution approving annexation from Lake Township, and authorized submission of a comprehensive-plan amendment to the Metropolitan Council. The project, proposed by LAR, covers roughly 89 acres and includes a mix of product types: approximately 50 single-family homes, 56 town homes and several twin-home units, trails, sidewalks and stormwater facilities.

City staff presented the project’s design elements, deviations and infrastructure plan. Staff noted impacted shoreland areas along West Chesca Creek that require per-lot 25% impervious limits and a 75-foot minimum lot width for tributary-adjacent lots. The developer proposed several deviations (reduced minimum lot area/width for some R1 lots, smaller setbacks, and a modest increase in impervious allowance for select R3 town-home lots from 75% to 80%). Staff also described park-dedication requirements (approximately 4.3 acres or a cash-in-lieu of about $452,000) and a trail connection to the Marsh Hollow neighborhood.

City engineer/staff discussed the street network and the planned mix of public and private streets modeled on nearby Victoria Ridge; one private street portion would require an association for maintenance, and emergency gated access to County Road 10 was proposed for emergency use only. Council debated sidewalk placement (one side vs. both sides of Street D) and fiber/utility corridor constraints, and some members urged additional sidewalks to improve walkability and safety. The council amended the preliminary-plat approval to require sidewalks along the east edge of Street D as a condition of the preliminary plat motion.

All three motions (preliminary plat/PUD, annexation and comprehensive-plan submittal) were moved and carried; the comprehensive-plan amendment requires a supermajority for final adoption and will be sent to the Metropolitan Council for review. Council asked staff and the applicant to continue refining engineering details related to drainage, lot grading, tree preservation and roadway maintenance in the development agreement.

Next steps: staff will finalize conditions of approval, the development agreement and the submissions to the Metropolitan Council; engineering submittals and future permitting will address the technical concerns raised in council discussion.