Parks commission backs staff recommendations for five development projects, asks council to reallocate Greyco credit

The Dayton Parks Commission on March 3 reviewed five planning projects tied to the city's comprehensive plan and voted to forward staff recommendations — with two exceptions the commission asked the city council to consider.

John (Presenter) summarized the commission's role and the legal framework for park dedications, saying, "The Minnesota statute allows cities to require a reasonable portion of buildable land to be given from the developer to the cities. If the city determines that there's no suitable area for a land dedication, the city can require park and trail dedication fees instead." He explained the city's current fee schedule: roughly $11,000 per acre for non-residential projects, about $7,300 per single-family house, and about $5,600 per apartment unit for higher-density housing.

Staff presented five projects under review in March: a Graco building on the Greyco campus near French Lake; the Reserve at Vineyard Meadow (12 single-family lots); Sundance Greens (a planning-unit amendment tied to Dayton Farms Park); Dubet Lake Preserve (concept plans of 453 or 478 lots); and Stenley Stern (a concept for 172 townhomes). For Graco, staff calculated park/trail dedication fees at about $109,000 but said Greyco negotiated a $200,000 credit toward development fees that would eliminate that park fee unless the city reallocated the credit. Commissioners questioned which fee the credit would offset and noted the council will decide final allocations.

The Dubet Lake Preserve drew extended discussion. Staff identified trail and park priorities for the project: a trail along the north side of 117th Avenue, extension of a north-south corridor along the power-line easement, a trail around Dubet Lake, and a possible neighborhood park (Area 18) or, alternatively, planning for a larger community park and civic campus. Staff estimated park and trail dedication fees between $3.3 million and $3.5 million depending on final lot counts and emphasized the project will require an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW).

On the Stenley Stern concept (172 townhomes), staff estimated park and trail dedication fees at about $1.2 million and noted the developer would likely contribute toward a planned roundabout at County Road 81 and Territorial Trail; commissioners raised concerns about additional congestion on County Road 81.

A commissioner moved to forward staff recommendations on all five items with two enumerated exceptions: that the council consider splitting Greyco's $200,000 credit so the park/trail dedication account does not fully absorb the offset, and that the commission continue discussions with the council about a community park in the Dubet area (including snowmobile-trail considerations). The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Next steps: projects will continue through the planning commission and onto the city council (staff indicated the planning commission hearing is scheduled for Thursday and the city council for March 10 for at least the Graco/Greyco item). The commission asked staff to provide additional detail on credits, fee allocations, and community-park options ahead of council consideration.