In 1999, board members directed its staff to sell the county-owned property, which lies in the north central section of Eden Prairie, near the Minnetonka border.

Led by Parks and Recreation Service Area Director Bob Lambert, city officials sought to obtain the land and add it to Eden Prairie’s Birch Island Park. The county had the land appraised and said Eden Prairie could have it for $1.23 million.

At the end of 1999, the City Council asked the county to delay selling the land for two years, while city staff tried to find enough grant money to purchase the land. County officials responded by giving the city until mid-February to decide if they could or would buy the property.

Lambert applied for a Metro Greenways Grant, which is offered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. However, the DNR won’t decide who will receive the grant until later this year, so city officials again asked the county for more time.

The county has since agreed to give Eden Prairie until Dec. 31 to commit to buying the land or agree to pass on the deal.

“The transaction would not have to close by the end of the year, but the commitment to purchase must be firm,” stated Randy Johnson, chairperson of the county board in a letter to Eden Prairie resident Jeff Strate. “I cannot in good conscience keep land for which the county has no operating use off the property tax rolls indefinitely.”

The county has no legal authority to operate parks, according to the letter.

To help the city in its efforts to acquire the land, Strate founded the Friends of Birch Island Woods, a group of Eden Prairie and Minnetonka residents.

Members of the Friends of Birch Island Woods are researching other grant programs, attempting to find additional money to buy the undeveloped land, Strate said. Also, they have developed a concept plan for use of the land if it becomes part of the city park. The plans include a site for camp fires and camping, a bird watching deck and a boardwalk through the area’s wetlands.

“This [the deadline extension] is good for us because we don’t have to do a lot of lobbying and rushing about the Hennepin County Government Center,” Strate said.

Strate’s group has suggested the county give the land to the city of Eden Prairie, but Johnson stated in his letter that that option was not possible.

“… If the county did that with all of our surplus property without receiving any money in return – and we frequently receive similar requests – then our property taxes would rise to even more intolerable levels as the levy was applied to fewer parcels,” Johnson

Reproduced here by permission of Eden Prairie Sun Current.