Council gives cautious support to Kwik Trip concept; asks for smaller footprint, buffer and traffic study

A concept plan for a Kwik Trip convenience store and fuel facility along Minnetonka Boulevard and the Highway 169 interchange drew significant council and neighborhood attention on June 8. Kwik Trip representatives presented a roughly 7,000‑square‑foot store concept with fueling canopy and emphasized grocery offerings, job creation and landscaping commitments.

Neighbors and some commissioners raised concerns about increased traffic on an already constrained two‑lane corridor, deliveries and heavy‑vehicle movements, proximity to Minnehaha Creek (site ~200 feet from the creek), light and noise, and the loss of three single‑family homes. Staff and Kwik Trip said semis can make fuel deliveries but that the site cannot accommodate large semi fueling bays; the company offered to increase landscape buffering, adjust lighting and consider EV chargers and other mitigation.

Council members generally agreed the site has merit for mixed‑use development under the comprehensive plan and that the existing property is deteriorated, but they repeatedly asked Kwik Trip to reduce the facility’s scale (fewer fueling positions and less impervious surface), maximize landscaping and tree preservation, stagger delivery times to reduce neighborhood disturbance and coordinate a traffic study with Hennepin County. Several council members also urged close attention to stormwater controls because of the creek’s proximity.

No formal vote was taken at concept stage; staff will advise whether the applicant should proceed to formal development review after the company responds to neighborhood concerns and submits detailed plans and traffic studies.