Special City Council Meeting - November 10, 2025
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Special City Council Meeting - November 10, 2025
The Eagan City Council held a special workshop meeting on November 10, 2025, at 5:30 PM. The meeting included a public comment period and three substantive agenda items: the 2026 Eagan Convention and Visitors Bureau (ECVB) budget, feedback on a consultant request for proposals (RFP) for the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, and an update on the Highway 3 Corridor Study. Council members discussed future plans, provided direction, and expressed varying levels of support for regional planning requirements.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sally Smith (resident) expressed strong opposition to a warehouse and data center development at the corner of Mickey Google and L (part of the Thompson Reuters redevelopment). She stated that the development is "monstrous," much larger than anticipated, and that the council "overdid what the people in the neighborhood wanted." She requested information on the project's size and utility impacts.
Discussion Items
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2026 Eagan Convention and Visitors Bureau Budget:
- Brent Corey and Shana Kiana of ECVB presented the proposed 2026 budget, highlighting a new AI-driven website launching January 1, 2026, featuring a custom ChatGPT for Eagan information. They reported record increases in advertising (7%, pushing campaigns past $500,000) and promotions (15% increase). The combined advertising and promotions budget matches ECVB's entire 2016 operating budget.
- Key initiatives include hosting the Ethiopian soccer tournament (45 teams, 8 days) over July 4th weekend, potentially generating 1,500–3,000 room nights, and hosting the largest group tour "fam tour" in Eagan's history, incorporating attractions like Paisley Park.
- Council Member Sabine asked about security of the AI tool; ECVB assured vendor protection. Council Member Fields inquired about the Canadian travel market; ECVB noted current sales missions to Manitoba and potential to expand to Saskatoon. Council Member Bizal noted a small miscellaneous income line item that more than quadrupled due to leftover pandemic funds being invested in advertising.
- The budget is expected to appear on a future consent agenda.
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2050 Comp Plan Consultant Feedback:
- Staff (presented by a city planner) reviewed the timeline for the 2050 Comprehensive Plan update, required by the Metropolitan Council with a December 31, 2028 deadline. The system statement from the Met Council sets a 974-unit affordable housing allocation (up from an earlier 647) and requires guiding land at 10 units per acre by 2040. Strategies discussed include medium-density redevelopment along arterials, redevelopment of Class C offices, and revising density categories.
- The RFP is to be released in early January 2026, with two phases of public engagement (summer 2026 and summer 2027). The budget includes $85,000 in 2026 with additional funding in 2027.
- Council Member Bakken expressed skepticism about Met Council projections, citing concern that Eagan’s population is near carrying capacity (around 80,000) and that continued densification may change the suburb's character. He asked staff to add an appendix noting his disagreement with regional assumptions. Other council members acknowledged the need to comply but reiterated the plan is a guide.
- Council unanimously supported the project components, made no changes to the draft RFP, and directed staff to place the RFP on the December agenda for approval.
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Highway 3 Corridor Study Update:
- Joe DeVore of KLJ Engineering presented an update on the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) study for the 12.5-mile corridor from Rosemount to Inver Grove Heights. Phase one public engagement (about 300–350 in-person contacts, 500 online interactions) is complete. Key issues in Eagan include crashes at three major intersections (Cliff Road, Red Pine Lane, and Diffley), a constrained railroad bridge, and limited right-of-way for multimodal improvements.
- Council Member Fields recommended reaching out to parents at Red Pine Elementary and other nearby schools, as they frequently use Highway 3. Council Member Sabina noted the perilous conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians on the narrow section between Diffley and Cliff, and difficulty making left turns near St. Thomas Beckett Church.
- Concepts under consideration include roundabouts, grade separation at Cliff Road, and potential four-lane expansion (though full expansion is unlikely). A flashing yellow arrow and ADA improvements at Red Pine Lane are planned for next summer. The study will develop recommendations through concept analysis and a second phase of public engagement.
Key Outcomes
- The ECVB 2026 budget was presented and will be placed on a future consent agenda for approval.
- Council directed staff to proceed with the 2050 Comprehensive Plan RFP, placing it on the December 2, 2025 agenda for consideration of approval. Council supported the identified project components and deliverables, with Council Member Bakken requesting a note of disagreement with Met Council projections.
- For the Highway 3 Corridor Study, council asked staff to include outreach to parents of students at local elementary schools. No formal vote was taken; staff will incorporate feedback into ongoing concept development.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everybody to the November tenth workshop meeting of the Egan City Council. It's our first uh workshop meeting of the month of uh November. Uh we have a fairly substantive, um, but I think uh uh brief uh agenda tonight, so we should be able to get through things pretty quickly. Um Ms. Miller, are they changing the agenda for today? No, Miss Mayor. Uh council, same question, any changes together. No, sir. For motion. Council Member Biden. Second. It's moved and seconded any further discussion on the agenda. Seeing none. All in favor thing I oppose nay, that motion carries. Uh, and we have an agenda for the evening. We'll start off with visitors to be heard. Is there any visitors to be heard an item is not on tonight's agenda. Would you like to discuss that? I would like to discuss the corner of Mikey Google and uh L. Okay, fine. What's happening there? Uh, it's a I mean, it's a development for uh it's a townhouse development. Oh, no, no, no, I'm talking about the warehouse that continually grows every day. It's uh that's an approved plan, uh as part of the redevelopment of the um Thompson Warriors project. There were a number of really understand the size and the capacity of it. There were a number of public hearings about it. Okay. And now I'm also wondering about the data centers. That might be a part of it. Yeah, if you have a statement to make the council more than willing to listen to it. Um, beyond that, we don't we don't get into a back and forth and listen to it. Okay, then where can I get information on it? Because it is hideous. Uh you can talk to uh city administrator um uh Miller, uh, or our economic development director. You can talk to uh uh city administrator um uh Miller uh or our economic development director, uh Jill uh um Hootmacher, uh and they can give you the background on the project and uh public hearings and the council's uh consideration of it. Well, I will just say that I think the council um I think the tax base overdid what the people in the neighborhood wanted and even expected. It is monstrous, and it just makes me really sad. So I just decided to come tonight because every time I pass it, and I can't be the only resident in that area that feels this way. It is so much more than what we anticipated, and I just want to know because I remember hearing that the electricity in the water wasn't gonna be more than what they took away with Ryder. Uh with I don't know, the the place before. And I can't even imagine. Yeah, well again, I'll refer you to uh Ms. Hootmacher or Ms. Miller. Have you seen it? Have you actually gone to the corner and seen it? I have. Yeah. Um again. If you have questions about it, uh uh Ms.
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