OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Eagan Advisory Planning Commission Meeting – March 19, 2026

City CouncilThursday, March 19, 2026
BodyEagan, Minnesota
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, March 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
4:44

There we go.

4:55

Let's begin by standing and saying pledge allegiance to the play.

5:01

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

5:08

One nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

5:17

Thank you, everyone.

5:19

Mr.

5:20

Schultz.

5:21

Any changes or corrections to the agenda that's before us?

5:24

Mr.

5:25

Schwanke Chair, there's no changes to the agenda.

5:28

I do want to make sure that people note that the first item involving the interim use permit for Iron Gate has been postponed until the April 28th planning commission meeting.

5:42

There were some changes that the applicant was requesting that were not part of the original consideration.

5:48

So the decision was made to uh have them request postponement till uh till that date certain.

5:54

Okay, very good.

5:56

Thank you, Mr.

5:56

Schultz.

5:57

Is there a motion to approve the agenda?

5:59

As a move.

6:00

Is there a second?

6:01

Second.

6:02

And all in favor.

6:03

All right.

6:05

Any opposed that passes unanimously.

6:08

We're on to the minutes of uh February 24, 2026, advisory planning commission meeting.

6:14

Any changes or corrections to that, Mr.

6:16

Schultz?

6:18

Members, any changes or corrections?

6:21

All right, wonderful.

6:22

Is there a motion to approve?

6:23

So move.

6:24

Second.

6:25

Second.

6:26

Thank you.

6:26

All in favor, say aye.

6:28

All right.

6:29

Aye.

6:29

And that is unanimous as well.

6:32

We are at the point in the agenda now where we do take public comment from the public on any item, any item that's not on the agenda tonight.

6:42

So if there's anyone here who does desire to make public comment on any item on the agenda, please come forward to the podium and we'd love to hear what has to be said.

6:52

Seeing no one moving towards the podium, we'll close that part of the uh agenda and move on now then to the public hearing part of business tonight.

7:03

So as Mr.

7:04

Schultz just mentioned, we do have an item on the agenda that is postponed until April 28th.

7:10

We'll move automatically then down to our second item on the agenda, which is an application by Lewis House, 360 communities requesting approval of a rezoning to PD plan development, and a preliminary plan development to allow residential shelter consisting of 14 units serving up to 50 residents for property located at 4345 Nichols Road, and that is lot one black one Cedar Ridge First Edition.

7:40

And Ms.

7:40

Douzier is making the presentation.

7:43

Thank you, Mr.

7:44

Chair.

7:44

I miss the commission.

7:46

The applicant is requesting a rezoning from limited business to plan development for this property to allow a residential shelter with 14 units for up to 50 residents with on-site supportive services.

7:56

As a single lot development, approval of the preliminary plan development would constitute the final plan development for the property upon execution of the agreement.

8:05

The property was platted in 1977, and a shelter for people experiencing domestic abuse was constructed in 1985 pursuant to a conditional use permit.

8:45

The 2.18 acre property is platted with access from Nichols Road.

8:49

The building and parking lot are located on the front half of the site.

8:57

Surrounding uses are church to the north, commercial uses to the south, and single family residential across Nichols Road to the east.

9:04

The applicant is proposing to rezone to plan development to allow construction of a new residential shelter with greater capacity, increased security, and improved resident amenities with expanded on-site support services.

9:17

The proposed plan development serves in lieu of the conditional use permit and accommodates deviations which would otherwise require variance under straight zoning.

9:25

The proposal does deviate from neighborhood business standards in regard to building height, parking style size, and building materials.

9:32

The project will be undertaken in two phases with construction of the new building on the western half of the site in phase one.

9:39

The existing building will be raised and the front parking lot and stormwater management system will be constructed on the east half of the site in phase two.

9:47

The site is located in an extended area of aircraft noise impact along the Cedar Avenue corridor.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Homelessness██████████████████████████████████████38%
Zoning And Land Use████████████████████████████28%
Procedural████████████12%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Community Engagement█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Eagan Advisory Planning Commission Meeting – March 19, 2026

The Eagan Advisory Planning Commission met on March 19, 2026, at 6:30 PM at the Eagan Municipal Center. The Commission unanimously approved the agenda and the minutes of the February 24, 2026 meeting. The only substantive item was a public hearing on the Lewis House / 360 Communities proposal for a new residential shelter. No public comments were received. The Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of both the rezoning and the preliminary planned development, with staff conditions, for consideration by the City Council at its April 7, 2026 meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • Adoption of Agenda: Motion to approve the agenda (with noted postponement of the IronGate Data Center Interim Use Permit to April 28) passed unanimously.
  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the February 24, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Visitors to Be Heard: No members of the public came forward to address items not on the agenda.
  • Public Hearing on Lewis House: The public hearing was opened and closed with no speakers from the public.

Discussion Items

  • Lewis House / 360 Communities – Rezoning and Preliminary Planned Development
    • Applicant: Jeff Mortensen, President & CEO of 360 Communities, presenting for the Lewis House shelter at 4345 Nichols Road.
    • Proposal: Rezone from LB (Limited Business) to PD (Planned Development) and approve a preliminary Planned Development to allow a new residential shelter with 14 units serving up to 50 residents, plus on-site supportive services. The site currently houses a 23-bed shelter built in 1985 under a conditional use permit.
    • Staff Presentation (Ms. Douzier): The new building would be 44 feet 2 inches high, exceeding the NB (Neighborhood Business) standard of 30 feet, and would use only 30% Class I materials (vs. the required 65%). These deviations are handled via PD zoning. The project will be built in two phases: Phase 1 constructs the new building on the west half of the lot while the existing shelter continues operation; Phase 2 demolishes the old shelter and develops the east half (parking, stormwater pond, landscape berm). A future trail along Nichols Road will be graded but not paved at this time. Staff recommended approval subject to 29 conditions.
    • Commission Discussion:
      • Commissioner Wegener asked how the city handles height and design deviations when a PD is used. Staff responded that the PD process allows flexibility; a conforming NB building would have been flatter but lost safety features (raising residential units off the ground floor).
      • Mortensen answered questions about security enhancements (e.g., a covered garage for anonymity, learned from survivor feedback) and the need for larger capacity: the new shelter doubles current beds (23 to 50) and adds a survivor support center. Existing neighbors were reported to be supportive.
    • Positions: The applicant expressed full support for the project and thanked the city for collaboration. No opposition was voiced.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on Rezoning: Motion to recommend approval of rezoning from LB to PD for the property (4345 Nichols Road, Lot 1, Block 1, Cedar Ridge First Addition) passed unanimously (all ayes).
  • Vote on Preliminary Planned Development: Motion to recommend approval of the preliminary Planned Development (14 units, up to 50 residents, with on-site supportive services) subject to the 29 conditions in the staff report passed unanimously.
  • Next Steps: The item will appear on the Tuesday, April 7, 2026 City Council consent agenda (or regular agenda, as noted in the agenda).
  • Postponement: The IronGate Data Center Interim Use Permit (Item IV.A) was postponed to the April 28, 2026 APC meeting.

Meeting Transcript

There we go. Let's begin by standing and saying pledge allegiance to the play. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, everyone. Mr. Schultz. Any changes or corrections to the agenda that's before us? Mr. Schwanke Chair, there's no changes to the agenda. I do want to make sure that people note that the first item involving the interim use permit for Iron Gate has been postponed until the April 28th planning commission meeting. There were some changes that the applicant was requesting that were not part of the original consideration. So the decision was made to uh have them request postponement till uh till that date certain. Okay, very good. Thank you, Mr. Schultz. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? As a move. Is there a second? Second. And all in favor. All right. Any opposed that passes unanimously. We're on to the minutes of uh February 24, 2026, advisory planning commission meeting. Any changes or corrections to that, Mr. Schultz? Members, any changes or corrections? All right, wonderful. Is there a motion to approve? So move. Second. Second. Thank you. All in favor, say aye. All right. Aye. And that is unanimous as well. We are at the point in the agenda now where we do take public comment from the public on any item, any item that's not on the agenda tonight. So if there's anyone here who does desire to make public comment on any item on the agenda, please come forward to the podium and we'd love to hear what has to be said. Seeing no one moving towards the podium, we'll close that part of the uh agenda and move on now then to the public hearing part of business tonight. So as Mr. Schultz just mentioned, we do have an item on the agenda that is postponed until April 28th. We'll move automatically then down to our second item on the agenda, which is an application by Lewis House, 360 communities requesting approval of a rezoning to PD plan development, and a preliminary plan development to allow residential shelter consisting of 14 units serving up to 50 residents for property located at 4345 Nichols Road, and that is lot one black one Cedar Ridge First Edition. And Ms. Douzier is making the presentation. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I miss the commission. The applicant is requesting a rezoning from limited business to plan development for this property to allow a residential shelter with 14 units for up to 50 residents with on-site supportive services. As a single lot development, approval of the preliminary plan development would constitute the final plan development for the property upon execution of the agreement.

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