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Chaska schedules June 15 assessment hearing for $2.7 million downtown street and utility reconstruction project
Summary
The City of Chaska adopted Resolution 2026-47 to schedule an assessment hearing June 15 for a roughly $2.7 million downtown street and utility reconstruction project. Staff said assessments of $7,500 per benefiting property are consistent with prior downtown work; 5–6 landowners along a private drainage channel have agreed to easements.
The Chaska City Council on May 18 scheduled an assessment hearing for the 2026 downtown street and utility reconstruction project, directing staff to set the hearing for June 15 as part of work to move the project toward bidding and construction.
Assistant engineer Alex described the project area — Elm Street just south of Fourth Street, 3rd Street east of Hickory and an adjacent drainage channel — and said the total estimated project cost is about $2,700,000, covering new roadway, storm sewer, water main, sanitary sewer and work to remove a small bridge and fill a channel with an underground pipe. Alex said staff prepared an assessment map identifying properties to be assessed and that some nearby properties were excluded because they were assessed under earlier downtown projects.
City staff said proposed assessments for benefiting properties remain consistent with past downtown reconstruction efforts, citing a typical $7,500 assessment amount per property. Staff also reported they met with the property owners adjacent to the drainage channel (described in the presentation as five or six landowners) and that those owners indicated support for placing a pipe and providing easements so the city may maintain the new storm system. Staff said the city will not purchase the underlying property; instead, property owners would grant an easement that allows city maintenance of the buried pipe while leaving the surface as part of the owner’s yard.
At the close of the improvement hearing, the council moved to adopt Resolution No. 2026-47 to set the assessment hearing for June 15, 2026; the motion was made by Council member Hatfield, seconded by Council member Benesch and approved by voice vote. Council discussion and staff remarks indicated that, if the assessment hearing authorizes the project, the city would authorize bidding, accept bids in late June or early July and aim to construct the work in the back half of summer.
The council and staff emphasized outreach: notices for the improvement hearing were mailed to impacted property owners, neighborhood meetings were held, and staff said property owners will receive detailed assessment terms in advance of the June hearing. The assistant engineer said any properties already assessed through earlier downtown projects were omitted from the current assessment map.
What happens next: the formal assessment hearing on June 15 will provide property owners an opportunity to contest or comment on proposed assessments and for the council to consider final authorization. If the council authorizes the project following the assessment hearing, staff plans to issue bidding documents, accept bids and begin construction later this summer.
Actions recorded: Resolution No. 2026-47 to schedule the assessment hearing was approved by motion and voice vote on May 18. No final assessments were adopted at the May 18 meeting.
