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Eagan council tables Blue Cross site comp‑plan amendment after packed public hearing; Opus to refine concept
Summary
After hours of public comment focused on traffic, neighborhood compatibility and notification, the council voted 4–1 to continue consideration of Opus Development Company's request to change the Blue Cross Blue Shield site to a mix of business park, townhomes and up to 500 apartments. The applicant will meet with staff and return June 16.
The Eagan City Council on June 2 heard extensive public comment and council discussion on Opus Development Company’s request to amend the comprehensive guide plan for the former Blue Cross Blue Shield site at 3535–3545 Blue Cross Road to allow a mix of business park, medium‑density townhomes and high‑density apartments.
City planner Schultz (S8) told the council the concept covers about 41.5 acres and illustrated potential allocations: roughly 24.5 acres proposed for business park (approximately 466,000 square feet across several buildings), about 10.5 acres for medium‑density townhomes (up to 126 units), and approximately 6.5 acres for high‑density residential (up to 500 units). Schultz emphasized the submission is a conceptual land‑use amendment and that a mandatory environmental review (AUAR or EAW thresholds under state statute) will be required because of the scale of the proposed redevelopment.
Kit Bennett (S7) of Opus said the filing is intended to allow the city and applicant to study multiple development scenarios through the AUAR, traffic and utility analyses, and neighborhood input. “Today, I just would like to reiterate this is purely just land use...the densities here are just mirroring city code,” he told the council.
Public comments were numerous and pointed. Neighbors raised repeated concerns about traffic on Ashbury, Blackhawk and Yankee Doodle roads; pedestrian safety near Great Oaks Charter School; the visual and tree impacts of large new buildings; and neighborhood notice and outreach. Tom McLaughlin (S15) told the council the concept “doesn’t complement the neighborhood,” citing existing parking on Ashbury during park activities and the limited capacity of connector roads.
Resident speakers also asked whether the existing Blue Cross building had been evaluated for reuse; staff and several council members said they had received no viable adaptive‑reuse proposals and that prior reuse analyses (discussed for other sites such as Thomson Reuters) found structural and cost constraints that often make reuse financially infeasible.
Planner Schultz and other staff answered technical questions: the formal noticing area is 350 feet; base zoning height maximums cited were 45 feet for business park uses, 60 feet for high‑density residential and 35 feet for medium density; sewer and traffic capacity will be part of AUAR analyses; and the site lies in School District 197.
Council members debated whether the speculative business park component (which could, under current code, allow certain industrial uses) was appropriate without identified users, and whether a request to send the amendment to the Metropolitan Council was premature. Kit Bennett asked for time to consult with Opus leadership and staff. The council then voted to continue the item to the June 16 meeting (motion carried 4–1), giving the applicant time to refine the proposal and address neighborhood concerns.
The continuation preserves the AUAR and Metropolitan Council review timeline options but pauses any final city action while staff and the applicant work on revised materials and outreach.
