Victoria committee backs developer’s 7-acre parkland dedication for Astoria Lake Town sketch plat

Brian McCann, the City of Victoria’s city planner, presented the Astoria Lake Town sketch plat and told the Park and Recreation Committee the submission includes a 76-unit senior cooperative, six duplex units, two single-family homes and both surface and underground parking.

"Tonight, we are reviewing a sketch plat for the project called Astoria Lake Town from Ebenezer development," McCann said, describing the sketch plat step as a concept review used to test feasibility before detailed engineering plans. He said the project area includes four parcels totaling about 56.4 acres and that the developer proposes to dedicate the southern two parcels — "approximately 7 acres" — to the city for a future Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail corridor.

McCann also described site constraints that shaped design choices. He said the Minnesota Department of Transportation "will not allow a direct access to this property" from Highway 5 because of proximity to other projects and neighborhood access points, so access would be taken from Sky Drive instead. He noted substantial wetland coverage and a connecting stream between nearby lakes and said the sketch plat shows a mix of public sidewalk, private sidewalks and a private connector the developer would construct.

Under the city’s municipal code, McCann explained, a senior project typically has a reduced parkland dedication requirement, and combined the proposed residential uses would require less than one acre by formula. The committee’s recommendation to accept the 7-acre dedication reflects that the developer is offering substantially more land than required; McCann framed the offer as a voluntary dedication of corridor land rather than immediate trail construction.

Committee members questioned how the dedicated land would link to existing trails, who owns the intervening parcels and whether the city or developer would be responsible for constructing the trail. McCann said the dedicated acreage is contiguous with city-owned parcels but that three adjacent parcels remain privately owned, that staff previously asked those owners about selling and that at the time they were not interested. He added the city cannot legally require the developer to purchase or acquire those private parcels or to construct the entirety of the trail corridor on privately owned land.

The committee moved and seconded a recommendation that the city council accept the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail corridor parkland dedication for the Astoria Lake Town project; the Chair called the motion carried. The committee’s vote is a referral to the council; final land-use entitlements and any decisions about construction funding will be determined later by the planning commission and city council.

The city planner said he will relay committee comments to the developer if the HOA or residents seek alternative trail or boardwalk options and will return any substantive revisions to this committee for further review.