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Home My WebLink AboutCity Council - 03/03/2026 - WorkshopEden Prairie City Council Workshop Minutes – Approved 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026 City Center Heritage Rooms, Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 ATTENDEES City Council Members: Mayor Ron Case, Council Members Kathy Nelson, Mark Freiberg, PG Narayanan, and Lisa Toomey City Staﬀ: City Manager Rick Getschow, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Julie Klima, Parks and Recreation Director Amy Markle, Police Chief Matt Sackett, Fire Chief Scott Gerber, Administrative Services/HR Director Alecia Rose, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Maggie Neuville, and Recorder Sara Potter Guest Speakers: Planning Commission Chair Andrew Pieper, Planning Commission Staﬀ Liaison Jeremy Barnhart, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Chair Patrice Erickson WORKSHOP AGENDA Heritage Rooms 1. Planning Commission Work Plan Getschow introduced Planning Commission (PC) Chair Andrew Pieper and PC Staﬀ Liaison Jeremy Barnhart. Case commented that Piper has served as Chair for eight years and thanked Pieper for his time. Pieper shared the PC’s Charter Statement to provide an open process and balanced review of development proposals. Pieper shared the PC Members for 2025 and thanked Barnhart for his help as Staﬀ liaison. Pieper explained the PC reviewed ﬁve comprehensive plan amendments and eight developments in 2025 including Roers EP Apartments, Valley View Development, Veridian Credit Union, Wings Credit union, and Aspen Estates. Piper shared photos of each development proposal and information about each project’s number of residential units, aﬀordable units, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, and trail amenities. The PC used to request EV charging stations, nowadays EV chargers are often automatically included by the developer. The Valley View Development Residence Inn preserved many acres of open space. Pieper detailed the Aspen Estates assisted living development project, featuring 50 units on Aztec Drive. Case asked if ground had broken on this project. Barnhart conﬁrmed this project broke ground in late 2025. Pieper detailed focus areas coming up including reviewing new development and redevelopment applications, the 2050 comprehensive plan update, zoning code amendments, and training in new planning commission members. Pieper explained serving as a PC member is easy in a well-run City with a civic minded Council. Case asked what Pieper’s biggest hope for Eden Prairie in the next 25 years is. Pieper stated he is interested in seeing the light rail completed. The City has done an excellent job of planning for the light rail. Case shared the light rail has cost $2.8 billion to build, but it has already generated $6.2 billion of new development along the light rail line. Case explained a housing bill is currently being evaluated in the legislature that includes items such as Accessory Dwelling Units and allowing multifamily residential properties in commercially zoned areas. Many of the bill components from prior sessions the City disagreed with have been removed. Getschow explained the bill is less concerning for Eden Prairie as the City is almost completely built out. Eden Prairie already allows multifamily residential properties in commercially zoned areas. 2. Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission Work Plan Getschow introduced Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission (PRNRC) Chair Patrice Erickson. Erickson explained the Parks and Recreation department oﬀers many events, programs, and activities for all ages, cultures, interests, and seasons. Erickson outlined the PRNRC members and student members. Case asked how many student members attend meetings. Markle stated usually four to eight student members attend. Erickson detailed 2025 PRNRC accomplishments including a new athletic facilities policy, aiding the design of a new bike park at Cedar Hills Park, and a new scholarship program for summer staﬀ. The Parks and Recreation department received over $33 thousand of donations in 2025. Narayanan asked for details on the scholarship program for summer staﬀ. Markle explained this is a scholarship opportunity for summer playground staﬀ who are pursuing a degree working with children. Narayanan asked how many recipients were chosen. Markle conﬁrmed two recipients received $1 thousand each. Erickson explained other topics discussed by the PRNRC. Each month Parks staﬀ present on topics such as the Art Center and Outdoor Center. New PRNRC members are always surprised with how many facilities, trails, and buildings the Parks and Recreation department maintains. Case shared there are 276 trail miles within the City. Narayanan asked if Eden Prairie has the most miles of trails. Case noted if Eden Prairie doesn’t have the most its close. Erickson explained the PRNRC did a deep dive of Quality of Life survey results in June. Eden Prairie parks are always rated very highly. Erickson noted the Senior Center oﬀers many programs and has over 20 thousand visitors per year. Other topics discussed by the PRNRC include aquatics facilities and programming and ice rink activity. The PRNRC also recapped summer programming, youth programming, theater productions, and the Community Band. Narayanan asked if the Community Band is a nonproﬁt. Markle conﬁrmed it is part of the City. Toomey asked how many members there are. Markle stated there are over 60 members. Narayanan asked if members are paid. Markle conﬁrmed members are volunteer, but the City has a part time performing arts coordinator. The Community Band and EP Players are unique oﬀerings, participants have created a strong community. Erickson stated public art has been a topic of conversation for the PRNRC. Toomey asked if there will be new public art for the light rail stations. Markle conﬁrmed it could be an option. Parks partners with Community Development to encourage new developments to install public art. The City will help commission an artist and review the proposals. Narayanan asked if the City pays for public art. Markle answered the City has a public art budget, it is not substantial. The developments often pay for their installments. Erickson summarized the features of the new parks and recreation app, which has almost one thousand subscribers. Case asked when summer registration opens. Markle answered summer registration opens tomorrow at seven a.m. This will be the ﬁrst year individuals can register using the app. Erickson added another focus area for 2026 is the Dorenkemper bookstore. Markle conﬁrmed the bookstore will open this summer. The PRNRC has been collaborating with the HPC on this project. Narayanan asked if the historical site can be modiﬁed to include features such as a deck. Markle conﬁrmed this is a possibility but would depend on setbacks. Toomey asked if the Dorenkemper building is historic. Case conﬁrmed the Dorenkemper house is historic and is one of four log cabins from 1855. Markle provided updates on upcoming projects. The City will install a full sized cricket pitch at Flying Cloud Fields Park in partnership with the Minnesota Cricket Association. Cricket is scheduled every Sunday from sunrise to sunset. Case asked if the space will be shared with soccer programs. Markle conﬁrmed the space will be shared. The soccer nets and goals will be on wheels to be moveable. Case asked what will happen to Flying Cloud ﬁeld if the Flying Cloud Airport builds another tower. Markle conﬁrmed the City is working on contingency plans to move the soccer and lacrosse ﬁelds. Markle shared another upcoming Parks and Rec project, renovating the Homeward Hills playground. The space will have farm related play features and a splashpad. The playground will be accessible, have shaded areas, and many new features including nine square and a ga-ga ball pit. Homeward Hills park is one of the most popular summer playground camp sites. The Cedar Hills bike park is also upcomnig. A bike committee was formed including resident bike enthusiasts. The location will include a bike skills park feature, giving users the ability to gain the conﬁdence to navigate ramps, berms, and jumps. Case asked for the cost of the bike park. Markle conﬁrmed the bike park will cost mid $300 thousand. Case asked where the land for the bike park is in relation to the airport and who owns the land. Markle conﬁrmed the land is south west of the airport. The land is owned by the airport, but the City has a Park agreement for the property. Toomey asked if Eden Prairie high school has a mountain bike team. Markle conﬁrmed there is a high school mountain bike team. The team currently travels to neighboring cities to practice and will appreciate having a facility closer to home. Markle stated the Staring Lake Dog Park is closed during winter when it’s used by the Nordic Ski Club. The City has been reviewing options for an additional dog park. Three acres of ash and oak trees behind the Staring Lake Amphitheater were recently cut due to emerald ash borer and oak wilt. This area can serve as the new dog park. It will be fenced and can be used anytime, but winter use is encouraged. Narayanan asked what is needed for a dog park besides fencing. Markle conﬁrmed the Parks Maintenance team will build new dog apparatus, such as ramps and tubes. It is in an excellent location at Staring Lake, which is already plowed, lighted, and has a bathroom. Markle shared a few event updates. This year’s Fourth of July will be the 250 year anniversary. The City will have a family friendly band on July 3, and an Americana concert July 4. A new company is handling the drone show. Narayanan asked the cost of the drone show. Markle noted the drone show costs $20 thousand. Toomey noted she thought of a few additional sponsors. Markle stated the City is looking at transportation improvements, such as providing a bike corral and a shuttle service. Council Chambers 3. Open Podium 4. Adjournment