Chaska planning panel recommends approval of 148,000‑sq‑ft Municipal Services Building and PD‑10 zoning change

The Chaska Planning Commission on Nov. 12 recommended that City Council approve a preliminary site and building plan and a zoning amendment for a new Municipal Services Building (MSB), a 148,000‑square‑foot facility proposed by the City of Chaska with design work by Ortell Architects. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for a final decision at its Nov. 17 meeting.

Liz, a city planning staffer who presented the proposal, said the MSB would sit on the western lot of a multi‑lot property addressed as 451 Creek Road. The project covers roughly four platted lots across about 22 acres, with the primary parcel a 12‑acre site. Liz said the building is proposed at 148,000 square feet, 38 feet high, with a fuel island on an outlot and 118 parking stalls. "This facility would be able to hold 118 employees at its full buildout," she told the commission, and it is intended to consolidate multiple public works functions — streets, parks, stormwater, mechanics, sewer and water and electric operations — into a single complex.

The requested zoning ordinance amendment would update PD‑10 to explicitly permit a municipal services building on lot one, block one; add setbacks from adjacent residential property lines; and allow the fuel island use on outlot B, aligning the zoning text and graphics with the proposed development, Liz said. She also recommended that a trail segment be added along the southern extension of Chaska Creek Boulevard to connect to the Southwest Regional Trail and that staff continue refining stormwater plans before final approval.

Andrew Cooper of Ortell Architects, introduced during the presentation, said the design team used proven solutions to reduce the apparent mass of the long vehicle storage bays, including clerestory windows and varied exterior materials. "There’s only so many different ways to do clerestory when you elevate that glass and get it off the ground," Cooper said, adding the team balanced daylighting and budget constraints.

Commissioners asked questions about future expansion and community services. One commissioner asked whether the design mirrored Maple Grove’s public works building; Cooper said lessons from comparable projects were applied but the team aimed to tailor materials and interventions for budget and context. Staff and the architect said the MSB is intended as a full buildout sized to meet a 20‑year operational projection, and the city intends to retain the existing Victoria Drive facility for exterior storage and potential retrofit.

A commissioner asked whether the MSB would include a composting facility. Liz said no compost facility is planned at the MSB site but staff are in discussions with a nearby community facility to expand resident access and are exploring changes to the city’s biannual yard‑waste drop‑off program.

The public hearing was opened and closed the same evening; no in‑person commenters attended and no online speakers were identified. Following discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the preliminary site and building plan subject to eight conditions enumerated in the staff report; the motion was seconded and carried with one commissioner stating opposition on the record (the transcript does not identify which commissioner opposed). A second motion to recommend the PD‑10 zoning amendment likewise carried with one recorded opposition (opposing speaker not identified in the transcript).

If City Council follows the commission’s recommendation on Nov. 17, the project would proceed to a final application and engineering review; staff told the commission the MSB final plan and related final plat/engineering should return to the commission at the next meeting as a consent item. The commission discussed internal leadership nominations and set the next meeting agenda, then adjourned.

Details to note: the staff presentation identified the site as 451 Creek Road, the main lot as 12 acres within a roughly 22‑acre assemblage, building program at 148,000 square feet and 38 feet in height, 118 parking stalls, and a 20‑year planning horizon for departmental operations. Funding sources, construction schedule and final engineering details were not specified during the meeting.