Author: Mark Weber

If you are waiting to play volleyball, tennis, pickleball, or basketball at Riley Lake Park, or just taking a break, your comfort level may soon go up. Included on the Eden Prairie City Council’s meeting agenda for Tuesday, Oct. 3, is the purchase of two structures that will provide shade near the volleyball, tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts at the southwestern Eden Prairie park. The contract up for approval by the city council calls for a $21,884 expenditure for the shade structures, which will be installed over a concrete plaza expected to be built this fall, according to a city…

It will be the largest project that Facilities Manager Rick Clark has overseen in his 10 years with the City of Eden Prairie: Remodeling of city hall’s west end to accommodate larger quarters for the Police Department. Another early step in that process was given the green light Tuesday, Sept. 19, by the Eden Prairie City Council. Its members agreed to hire Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. to manage the project, oversee the bidding, and guide the work, which is expected to be completed in spring 2026. Why it matters: More office space and a garage for dozens of police vehicles now…

Neighbors who objected to a 42-townhome plan for southwestern Eden Prairie won on some, but not all, of their challenges Tuesday, Sept. 19, as the city council voted 4-1 to approve the project. The council attached several conditions to their approval of the Pulte Homes project called Kinsley Townhomes that would be built southeast of the intersection of Pioneer Trail (County Road 1) and Dell Road. But, they decided not to have Pulte Homes extend Valley Road – which now dead-ends in the neighborhood of single-family homes to the east – as part of this project. City staff wanted Pulte…

A townhome development opposed by many neighbors and the hiring of a firm to help construct new quarters for the Police Department are among items on the Eden Prairie City Council’s regular meeting agenda Tuesday evening, Sept. 19. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road. It includes a public hearing on Kinsley Townhomes, a Pulte Homes plan to construct 42 townhomes on a 6.13-acre “infill” piece of property southeast of the intersection of Pioneer Trail (County Road 1) and Dell Road in the city’s southwestern corner. The parcel…

Eden Prairie may have a larger median household income than Minnesota overall, and a much smaller percentage of the city’s population lives in poverty. But the numbers of Eden Prairie individuals and families seeking social services are significant and, in many cases, growing, nonprofit leaders told city officials this week. Among the numbers shared Tuesday, Sept. 5, with city staff and Eden Prairie City Council members: Similar stories of help were shared by leaders of Bloomington/Eden Prairie Meals on Wheels and by Senior Community Services. The five nonprofits serving Eden Prairie residents in need – and in some cases, residents…

A cadet program designed to help build a more diverse police force by helping pay for law enforcement schooling is among new initiatives in the City of Eden Prairie’s proposed budget for 2024. Also included is funding for a study to help determine whether the Eden Prairie Fire Department should modify or abandon its duty-crew model, in which paid volunteers work assigned shifts rather than remain on-call all the time. For many fire departments, the duty-crew model is a step before resorting to all part-time or full-time firefighters. These and other projects are part of a $60.3 million total city…

Preliminary approval of the City of Eden Prairie’s 2024-25  budget and tax levy is among the items on the city council’s Tuesday, Sept. 7, meeting agenda. The regular city council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road. The preliminary budget and levy for 2024 specifically need to have final approval from the council by the end of 2023. Proposed by city staff is a budget of about $60.3 million and a property-tax levy of just over $47.1 million. The proposed budget for 2024 is up $2.9 million over 2023,…

In Eden Prairie, public transit is in transition. SouthWest Transit has been rocked by COVID-19-related drops in express-bus service, buoyed by the popularity of small-trip Prime, and challenged by an aging population, the pending arrival of light-rail service, and the need to electrify its bus fleet. Erik Hansen, the newly hired chief executive officer who began work on June 5, is responsible for navigating that transition. He’s a former city administrator, county commissioner, and local government executive. And, oh yeah, he’s filling the shoes of former CEO Len Simich, who retired after guiding SouthWest Transit for a quarter century and…

All of the usual pain associated with infill development, and then some, was on display Monday, Aug. 28, at a public hearing for a 42-unit townhome development proposed southeast of the corner of Pioneer Trail and Dell Road. In the end, the Eden Prairie Planning Commission recommended over the objection of neighbors, on a 4-3 vote, that the city council approve the Kinsley townhome development by Pulte Homes, including a Valley Road extension that’s being urged by city staff. The project in southwestern Eden Prairie is considered “infill development” because it’s on a vacant parcel, just 6.13 acres, and bordered…

A grand opening of Paravel Apartments on Thursday, Aug. 17, serves as a reminder of how new apartments continue to dominate home construction in Eden Prairie. Last year the city issued building permits for 28 single-family homes compared to 271 multi-family homes, mostly apartments. The Paravel ribbon cutting held by developer Timberland Partners this week signals the addition of 246 luxury apartment units at 8300 Commonwealth Drive, next to the Flagstone senior living complex and near new commercial such as Chick-fil-A restaurant and a Bank of America branch. Together, all of that redevelopment where Castle Ridge Care Center and Broadmoor…