Author: Mark Weber

Eden Prairie may no longer be the fast-growing suburb it was in the 1980s and ‘90s, but even with slower growth there are adjustments to make. One is adjusting to the ebb and flow of sports participation and its impact on facilities built and maintained by the City of Eden Prairie. A new report gives some insight on changes that are ahead. For example, some racket and paddle sports like pickleball and badminton are on the rise and may need more courts, according to the report provided April 6 to the Eden Prairie City Council. To that end, the city…

Pulte project near Frederick-Miller Spring prompts growing opposition Neighbors opposed to a plan to build homes near Fredrick-Miller Spring in southwestern Eden Prairie have raised $3,200 to hire an environmental lawyer to help them fight the project. The GoFundMe effort called the Fredrick-Miller Spring Friends Lawyer Fund was started last week by Justin DeAngelo of Chaska, who said he’s an “environmentalist at heart” and adds that the 50-house plan by Pulte Homes will impact wildlife and plants, and not just the quality of water produced by the popular spring. He and Sue Bennett, a 35-year Eden Prairie resident, say they…

Eden Prairie City Council members on Tuesday will hear about trends in sports participation as they weigh future needs for ball fields and city staffing. The forecast is one of a number of items on the city council’s agenda for April 6. It’s a meeting that begins at 7 p.m., is streamed on Facebook, and also includes several other notable items, including: Results of the city’s 2020 Quality of Life survey.Review of plans to build a Chase Bank to replace the vacant Bakers Square restaurant near the intersection of Plaza Drive and Prairie Center Drive.And, approval of a $191,000 to…

The Fredrick-Miller Spring has become a flashpoint in the debate over a 50-home development proposed near the southwestern Eden Prairie landmark. Pulte Homes plans to build houses on steep land known as the Riley Creek Tree Farm along the east side of Spring Road between Lions Tap restaurant and the Hennepin Village neighborhood. But many opponents believe the nearby natural spring will suffer as a result. “We have 1,087 people today who are asking you not to rezone,” Rebecca Prochaska, referring to a petition to oppose the project, told the Eden Prairie Planning Commission at a hearing Monday. “My family…

Eden Prairie city officials will see an influx of COVID-19 relief dollars from the federal government as soon as April. That payment is expected to be the first half of $7.12 million that’s been allocated to the City of Eden Prairie as a result of the American Rescue Plan approved by Congress and signed into law earlier this month. The second half of that relief package will come in about a year, said City Manager Rick Getschow. “It’s definitely good news,” he added. “The anticipation is to fill a gap of lost city revenue,” he said, including revenue lost at…

It snowed a couple of inches in Eden Prairie on Monday. On Tuesday, the contractor for the Southwest LRT project poured almost a football-field sized concrete slab for the main floor in the new park-and-ride ramp and combined bus and LRT station, all next to the existing SouthWest Station. That’s Purgatory Creek in the background, and Technology Drive. The train loading platforms are to the right of the new slab. Far right will be the bus assembly area. The cement gets a blanket and heat after pouring. Read the longer construction update for the Eden Prairie segment of the Southwest…

Topics being addressed at the Eden Prairie City Council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, at the Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road, include the following: Pull-tab gambling permits for the Eden Prairie Hockey Association to implement at Green Mill, Bowlero, and Champps restaurants.Amended plans for the operation of a community solar garden atop the Eden Prairie Community Center.Changes to plans for the annual Drop-Off Day allowing residents to drop off bulky refuse and other items. City council meetings are also broadcast. For more information, go to the City of Eden Prairie website, www.edenprairie.org.

Plans to build a Chase Bank in place of the closed Bakers Square restaurant near Lunds & Byerlys supermarket are heading to the Eden Prairie City Council for review. The redevelopment plan was approved March 8 by the city Planning Commission. The bank is proposing to build a 3,300-square-foot, single-story building with a drive-up ATM machine on about the same footprint as occupied by the restaurant, located at 928 Prairie Center Drive. The restaurant has been vacant since early last year, when American Blue Ribbon Holdings, parent company of Bakers Square and Village Inn, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection…

Eden Prairie last year experienced a huge jump in firearm permits, similar to what was seen in Minnesota and nationwide. The Eden Prairie Police Department processed 1,029 applications for permission to purchase a firearm, which was more than the total numbers in 2018 and ’19 combined. In 2019, the department processed 311 permit applications; in 2018 the number was 340. Residents who receive the city permit typically also apply to Hennepin County for a permit to carry a handgun, and last year Hennepin was Minnesota’s top county for permits issued, with 11,346. Statewide in 2020, the handgun carry permits established…

Plans to improve a section of Duck Lake Road near Prairie View Elementary School have changed to include a 235-foot-long bridge over Duck Lake. The change raises the project’s cost to $4.7 million, and is necessary because Eden Prairie city officials have learned that simply widening and improving the current road – which crosses the lake on an earthen berm that has existed for decades – won’t get the required environmental permits. The city has been looking to improve Duck Lake Road between Pavelka Way and Duck Lake Trail for years. Public Works Director Robert Ellis called it “probably one…