Eagan Advisory Planning Commission Meeting – July 28, 2026

The Eagan Advisory Planning Commission met at the Eagan Municipal Center on July 28, 2026, beginning at 6:30 p.m. and running about three hours. The commission heard four public hearings: a comprehensive guide plan amendment for 1360 Lone Oak Road, a planned development amendment for Easter Lutheran Church, an interim use permit for Hope International Foundation, and a combined conditional use permit/variance request for Bay & Bay Transfer. All four items were recommended for approval for the August 3, 2026 City Council agenda.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the meeting agenda 6-0.
• Approved the previous meeting minutes after a revote; three members abstained after one member noted they had not attended the prior meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

1360 Lone Oak Road – Comprehensive Guide Plan Amendment

• Marcia Easton, the current property owner, protested that the property had been changed from multiple residential to agricultural without notifying her during her 45 years of ownership, and disputed the wetland classification, calling the low area a drainage/runoff area for surrounding parking lots.
• Kevin Conroy (daughter lives at 1382 Lone Oak Road) opposed the redesignation, citing difficult topography, potential west-flowing runoff, loss of mature trees/wildlife, and a history that the property was expected to remain R1. He suggested considering R1S or a pocket neighborhood.
• Tim Neubauer (1320 Tower View Road) opposed, questioning why the wetland line and sanitation/traffic studies had not been completed before the density request, and noting the June 9 commission had asked the applicant to consider R1S. He also asked about two orphan triangles south of Lake Lemay.
• Michael Eckblad (3070 Poplar Lane) opposed, stating every property adjoining 1360 Lone Oak is single-family R1.
• Jason West (299 Eagan Avenue) opposed, saying residents bought for large lots and space, and that recent Lone Oak Road construction was aimed at reducing traffic, not adding more.
• Ian Page (2990 Eagan Avenue) opposed, raising fire truck turnaround, guest/overflow parking, children walking to school, and snow plowing concerns.
• Jen Conroy (1386 Lone Oak Road) opposed, citing environmental impact on Lake Lemay, privacy loss, and that she would not have bought next to a planned 30-unit building.
• Erin Gable (1386 Lone Oak Road) raised environmental concerns, mercury contamination making fish unsafe to eat, wildlife, and asked how much density is too much for a small lake.
• Larry Poplar (330 Poplar Lane) opposed, saying the proposal is incompatible with surrounding low-density housing, provides no economic benefit to neighbors, and primarily benefits the seller and developer.
• Angela Fisher (3045 Poplar Lane) opposed, arguing the plan would wipe out trees for at least 10 units, that 27 townhomes do not fit a single-family neighborhood, that the 25% impervious surface limit appeared to be exceeded, and that emergency turnaround/cul-de-sac standards were not met. She also cited a 1986 understanding that the property would remain R1.
• Mike Tierney (3055 Poplar Lane) opposed, quoting the comprehensive plan to say higher-density redevelopment is intended for special areas, and raising traffic safety, compatibility, and impact on family expectations/property values.
• Troy and Sarah Carson (3010 Poplar Lane) opposed, highlighting a care home on Poplar Lane, narrow streets, emergency vehicle access, and overflow parking.
• Sean/Farnaz Toussi and Farrohe Toussi (3064/3060 Poplar Lane) opposed, recalling they were told 20 years ago the area was R1, and raising traffic and property-value questions.
• Cecilia Berg (3035 Poplar Lane) opposed, saying pollution in Lake Lemay is already severe and more building would make it worse.
• Nina and Julio Morera (1305 Tower View Road) opposed the medium-density change, asking why development cannot proceed within current low-density limits; they described DNR restrictions that forced hand-built erosion repairs on their own lakeside property.
• No public comments were offered for the Easter Lutheran Church, Hope International Foundation, or Bay & Bay Transfer items.

Discussion Items

1360 Lone Oak Road – Comprehensive Guide Plan Amendment from Low Density to Medium Density

• Staff reported the 17+ acre property has about six buildable acres above Lake Lemay's ordinary high water level, is zoned agriculture and guided low density, and a prior high-density proposal was denied/withdrawn. The revised concept shows 27 townhome units at 4.5 units per acre, within the 4-12 unit/acre medium-density range. Wetland delineation, bluff analysis, tree inventory, and civil engineering studies would come with future rezoning/planned development applications.
• The agenda described approximately 30 townhome units, while the applicant and staff presented a revised concept plan of 27 units.
• Applicant Dustin Nides and Matt Katzenmeyer said they reduced the project from an original 100-unit apartment concept to 34 townhomes and then to 27, a 73% reduction from the original proposal and 20% from the last council review. They cited a 300-foot buffer to the east, a 75-foot shoreland setback (50% greater than the 50-foot requirement), removal of peninsula units, and alignment with Eagan's 2040 comprehensive plan for aging-in-place housing. They also noted roughly 70–80% of the Lake Lemay shoreline already consists of multifamily housing, including the 285-unit LaMay Lake apartments.
• Commission discussion focused on process: the land use amendment would not be final until the applicant returns with a rezoning and preliminary planned development. Members also discussed R1S as an alternative and whether single-family development could cause more tree loss/grading than clustered townhomes. When residents cited a 1986 agreement, the city attorney said future city councils cannot be bound by prior council decisions.
• Staff traffic information: approximately 200 weekday trips (16 peak-hour trips) and about 240 weekend-day trips (23 peak-hour trips) for 27 units; Lone Oak Road carries about 7,000 vehicles per day with capacity for more. Stormwater standards require treatment of 1.1 inches of runoff from new impervious surfaces; the 25% impervious threshold triggers mitigation if exceeded. Staff also reported the fire department was comfortable with the layout and emergency vehicle turnaround.
• The commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval, forwarding the matter to the August 3 City Council agenda.

Easter Lutheran Church – Planned Development Amendment

• Staff presented a proposal to add 22 parking stalls, replace one monument sign with two monument signs at the southeast corner, and add entrance signs at the two driveways. The church consolidated operations to the 4545 Pilot Knob Road site after a 2025 building addition. The proposal requires deviations from the one-sign rule and sign setback standards, plus encroachment agreements.
• Applicant Gary Arrett explained the church had operated as two campuses for 25 years, recently consolidated, and needed on-site parking because members were parking at the water treatment plant and Thomas Lake. He described the church's commitment to land stewardship and support for the staff report conditions.
• No public comments were received. The commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval with the six conditions in the staff report.

Hope International Foundation – Interim Use Permit

• Staff described a request for a five-year interim use permit to operate a residential program facility for women with up to 11 beds in six units at 1708 Meadowview Road. The property is zoned I-1 limited industrial, the building began as a 1952 single-family home, and the use required an interim use permit because residential program facilities are not allowed in I-1. The site has 19 proposed parking stalls versus a required 6-7; the pool would remain but would be maintained safely.
• One commissioner asked why an interim use permit rather than a conditional use permit. Staff replied that the city did not want to encourage the use long-term in I-1 or create spot zoning, but extensions could be requested if the use operates well.
• Applicant representative Aksana Perzo, with architect Rolf Lokensgard, described the nonprofit 'House of Hope' program as a structured transitional housing program with non-clinical supportive services for women, particularly immigrant and refugee women, not an emergency shelter or treatment facility.
• No public comments were received. The commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval with the eight conditions in the staff report.

Bay & Bay Transfer Co. Inc. – Conditional Use Permit and Variances

• Staff outlined a request to formally allow outdoor storage of trucks/trailers across 117 parking spots and one shipping container, a truck terminal, and truck/trailer service on 5.4 acres at 1056 Gemini Road. The property has a 1978 conditional use permit for only 27 trucks/trailers that is now expired. Variances requested would confirm existing conditions: zero-foot parking lot setbacks on the east, west, and south property lines; reduction of minimum green space from 25% to 12%; and parking space dimensions of 9 by 18 feet instead of 10 by 20 feet. The applicant also proposed screening shrubs and removal of an encroachment on the neighboring property to the east.
• Applicant Tony Jaworski, vice president of finance, said Bay & Bay has about 300 refrigerated drivers, uses the terminal as a driver home base, and completed a sale-leaseback due to the freight recession; the buyer requested the conditional use permit.
• No public comments were received. The commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the conditional use permit and each of the three variances, for four separate 6-0 votes, forwarding all matters to the August 3 City Council agenda.

Key Outcomes

• 1360 Lone Oak Road: Recommended approval of the Comprehensive Guide Plan Amendment from LD to MD (6-0); forwarded to City Council on August 3, 2026.
• Easter Lutheran Church: Recommended approval of the Planned Development Amendment to amend signage and add parking (6-0); forwarded to City Council on August 3, 2026.
• Hope International Foundation: Recommended approval of the five-year Interim Use Permit for a residential program facility for women (6-0); forwarded to City Council on August 3, 2026.
• Bay & Bay Transfer: Recommended approval of the Conditional Use Permit and three variances (parking lot setbacks, green space, parking dimensions), each by 6-0 votes; forwarded to City Council on August 3, 2026.
• No other business was brought before the commission; the meeting was adjourned.