Council approves Inwood commercial preliminary plat with added screening condition

The Lake Elmo City Council on a voice vote approved a preliminary plat for a five-lot commercial subdivision in the Inwood development, adopting staff findings and conditions intended to address traffic, stormwater and neighborhood screening.

Planning staff presented the proposal, explaining the roughly 17-acre site is already zoned commercial and lies in a shoreland overlay that limits impervious surface to 30 percent. "The request before you tonight is for a five lot subdivision," planning staffer Miss Jensen said during her presentation, summarizing the applicant’s request and the staff recommendation of approval with 17 standard conditions and several site-specific items.

Residents who spoke during the public hearing urged additional measures to limit headlight glare, noise and construction impacts. Dolly Ladner told the council she was concerned about privacy and safety along the residential edge and urged the city to require more than landscaping to buffer nearby homes. Other neighbors asked for berms, fencing or retaining walls in areas where grades may reduce the effectiveness of plantings.

Staff noted stormwater capacity for the development was planned into the area's regional pond system and that one lot is proposed for a gaming café, which would require full tenant review. The presentation also highlighted that the site is partly within a shoreland overlay, which restricts hard-surface coverage and increases the need for careful landscaping and infiltration design.

At the Planning Commission’s June 8 meeting, members recommended approval six to zero and added a condition calling for enhanced screening on the east side of Irene Avenue to address neighborhood comments about vehicle headlights. City staff told the council the developer agreed to review the feasibility of additional screening prior to final plat and that any screening installed in the right of way would become a city maintenance responsibility.

Council members discussed the limits of right-of-way space for berms and walls and emphasized vegetation and berming as preferable long-term solutions to address both headlights and aesthetics. After debate, Council adopted the staff findings, conditions and the additional Planning Commission screening condition as part of resolution 2026-041.

The approval sets the project up to proceed to final plat review, where tenant buildouts, parking, signage and any CUPs (conditional use permits) will be reviewed in detail. The city's staff report says more specific infrastructure, grading and screening details will be required before building permits are issued.