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Fredrick-Miller Spring / Riley Creek / Prospect Road Issues

Fredrick-Miller Spring / Riley Creek / Prospect Road

This section of the BIW website is provided as a public service and does not necessarily represent the views of Friends of Birch Island Woods, Inc. or its volunteers.

Updated September 23, 2007

EP CITY COUNCIL ACCEPTS EAW and CHOOSES TO BUILD PROSPECT ROAD.

On May 1, 2007 the Eden Prairie City Council accepted the EAW for road alternates for Eden Prairie south of Riley Creek between Spring Road and Dell Road. The Council also agreed that its own proposed Prospect Road would be built through the Riley Creek Valley.

On September 11, 2007 the City Council approved the plan for Oak Creek at Hennepin Village. That plan includes the city-requested Prospect Road, which will now be extended over the Riley Creek Valley to Eden Prairie Road. The Oak Creek subdivision is that final stage of the much larger Hennepin Village cluster development, a Pemtom Land Company project.

Useful information is included in the rest of this article.

For more information and commentary on the controversial road project, please search the archives of the Eden Prairie News and the Eden Prairie Sun Current.

History of the discussion:

The October 9, 2006 EP Planning Commission hearing on a development near Riley Creek and Fredrick Miller Creek was continued until further notice. This March, the Planning Commission and City Council held public hearings to hear comment on a draft of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet entitled “Hennepin Village Road Alternatives Analysis.” The EAW is sometimes referred to as the “Prospect Road EAW ”.

The EAW will provide the City and the developer, Pemtom Land Company, with more information about the environmental impact of the city-proposed Prospect Road and traffic, density and environmental issues that will be sparked by development west of the Oak Creek development between Eden Prairie Road and Dell Road (see the map below).

Fredrick Miller Spring, Riley Creek, the big woods in the Riley Creek Conservation Area and rainwater runoff from streets, rooftops and roads are among the environmental issues which should be considered by the EAW. It is important that interested citizens use the review process to weigh in on both the EAW. If they do, an environmentally smarter project will result.

More precisely, the EAW is an attempt to evaluate six different road options for the area in Eden Prairie that is situated between Spring Road and Old Dell Road and between Old Highway 212 and Riley Creek. Once a final EAW is adopted, the review process for Oak Creek at Hennepin Village will resume.

For more information go to the city’s website at http://www.edenprairie.org/ Also call Eden Prairie Environmental Coordinator at 952-949-8300 or Mike Boland at 952-934-7279. Mr. Boland heads a citizen’s group that is weighing in on the EAW and the development proposal.

EAW PROCESS DATES:

March - April 2007 - Review of comments on EAW and preparation of the Final EAW (completed)
March 12th - Public Hearing at the Planning Commission (completed)
March 20th - Public Hearing at the City Council (completed)
April 9th - Submittal of Final draft EAW to Planning Commission (completed)
April 11th: End of Public Comment (completed)

On April 23, 2007, the Planning Commission on a divided votes (a) recommended approval of an amended Environmental Assessment Worksheet and then on a strongly divided 4 to 3 vote (b) recommended that Prospect Road be extended over Riley Creek and the steep valley on an embankment with a culvert.

Voting against the Prospect Road Crossing (meaning those supporting the integrity of the valley, the creek, the spring and less intrusive and less expensive roadways) were Commissioner Vicky Koenig, Jerry Pitzrick and Frank Powell. Commission Chair Ray Stolting was not able to attend the meeting.

On May 1, 2007, the CIty Council on a 4 to 0 vote accepted the EAW as being complete and on a 4-0 vote approved the Prospect Road extension over Riley Creek and the valley. Council member Kathy Nelson recused herself on both votes and discussions leading into both votes because her husband works for the law firm of Faegre and Benson. An attorney from that firm had represented a group of home owners on Dell Road/Turnbull Road who had weighed in on the EAW comment period.

Some of those who have opposed the Prospect Road extension indicated that they will continue to seek ways to protect their neighborhood from the extra traffic and what they feel is a threat to their property values. Others are concerned about the loss of more scenic open space in Hennepin Village. One engineering estimate projects that 20,600 cubic feet of fill will be use to cross the creek where numerous springs have been identified. That is the equivalent of 4200 dump trucks of soil.

By accepting the adequacy of the EAW, the City Council has decided that an Environmental Impact Statement is not needed for the areas considered by the EAW. The City staff says that if it identifies an environmental problem, it will alert the City Council. A number of agencies and citizens, however, claim that more information should be collected for this environmentally sensitive area n advance of moving forward with development and road projects.

On June 11th, 2007, the Eden Prairie Planning Commission will resume its review of “Oak Creek at Hennepin Village,” the new subdivision on the west side of the valley over which Prospect Road is now slated to be built.

Contact Summit Oaks resident Jack Rhode at 952-471-1000 to get involved.

 

Click on the small reference map for a larger version of it.

 

Click here a detailed map and plan for the development (in PDF form) .
Drawing water at Miller Spring

The site for Oak Creek is planned to include 93, single-family homes and is situated on the east side of Eden Prairie Road. This is the site of the former Cedar Hills Golf Course and ski area. The City of Eden Prairie and Pemtom Land Company, the developer, have agreed that much of the land along the creek will be dedicated for a natural buffer for the creek. The city has developed a concept plan for a trail in the valley which boasts state park quality scenery. The Metropolitan Airport Commission owns much of the no-build land north of the creek.

WHAT’S HAPPEND THROUGH TO AUGUST 3

As a result of comment, information and questions presented by citizens, the developer and planning commissioners during the project’s first public hearing, discussion of the proposal has been continued to the August 14 Planning Commission meeting.

Wrappng up a long session, Commission Chair Ray Stoelting identified the key issues that commissioners want more information on before making any kind of recommendation to the City Council.

These issues include 1) the environmental impact on the spring and creek of the proposed road over Riley Creek, 2) the use of infiltration ponds and rainwater gardens (recommended by City Environmental Coordinator Leslie Stovring and supported by Pemtom and citizens) which are arguably better for underground aquifers than standard rainwater runoff ponds; 3) the proposed road and the future traffic needs of the larger area east and west of Eden Prairie Road, 4) Pemtom’s request to exchange approximately acres of mostly wooded land on the top of the Riley Creek Valley for 4 acres of land and the old Cedar Hills Golf Course club house for city park land and 5) monitoring and enforcement of silt erosion control requirements during construction.

The Planning Commission also directed pertinent City staff officials to meet with all concerned parties to work out a "compromise” for managing future traffic in the broader area. Development of lands west of Eden Prairie Road to Old Dell Road and between Riley Creek and the crest of the Minnesota River Valley bluffs are expected to be developed over the next five to ten years. The city anticipates that 330 homes will be built in this area translating into approximately 3,500 vehicle trips a day by more than a thousand people.

During its Tuesday August 1 meeting, the City Council, during a briefing provided by the city staff, was told that the staff is considering seven transportation options for this section of SW Eden Prairie. According to one of citizens’ groups leader, Mike Boland, who was on hand, "Cost, not benefit, was emphasized." In most cases, developers build and pay for most new roads and then deed them to the City. Three of the scenarios would improve the connection between Eden Prairie Road and Highway 212; two others involve connecting Eden Prairie Road to Highway 212 via routes further west; another would make the extension of Prospect Road over Riley Creek a bridge rather than an earthen crossing over a culvert, and the final option would be to do nothing.

In terms of protecting the aquifer and springs that feed Miller Spring and Riley Creek, effective treatment of rainwater runoff from current and future roads, driveways and rooftops is a major concern. As a result of discussions with City Environmental Coordinator Leslie Stovring, Pemtom is proposing that it construct rainwater gardens and infiltration ponds in its new subdivision. The City, however, has yet to fully consider how these methods can be applied to handle runoff from Eden Prairie Road or the proposed Prospect Road extension. The earthen fill and stormwater retention ponds needed for the Prospect Road crossing would likely destroy springs which help keep the creek cool, clear and healthy.

ACTION SO FAR

Mr. Boland’s group had filed a petition with the State of Minnesota’s Environmental Quality Board to require an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for Prospect Road but has been asked to get some additional petitioners to sign the request. The City of Eden Prairie might also be requesting an environmental assessment worksheet for the development itself. As of this writing it is not known whether the two entities were actually making those requests. The environmental worksheet process would provide decision makers with more detailed environmental information.

Click here for Eden Prairie Sun Current coverage of the proceedings and issues.

GET INVOLVED IN PROTECTING THE SPRING & CREEK

It is important that citizens participate in City’s review of the proposal. For scheduled hearings held by the EP Planning Commission and the EP City Council, contact the City of Eden Prairie Community Development Planner listed below, check the City’s website at http://www.edenprairie.org/ the legal notice section of the Eden Prairie Sun Current or the Events section of this website.

The Planning Commission makes recommendations and conditional recommendations on development proposals to the City Council based on city ordinance, State law, zoning, Eden Prairie’s Comprehensive Guide Plan, public comment and information supplied by the developer (Hennepin Village Limited Partnership - Pemtom), the City Staff and pertinent public agencies.

Typically, projects will be changed by proponents (developers) to reflect recommendations from the Planning Commission before being sent to the City Council hearing. Because a planning commission recommendation for approval or denial does not necessarily mean the City Council will approve or reject the project, public concern expressed through letters and attendance at public hearings and knowledgeable input at public hearings is critical.

Contact a group which is working to protect the spring and creek:
Jan Mosman: 952/934-7065 or via email at: jmosman@mn.rr.com
Mike Boland 952-934--7279 or via email at: obeollain@aol.com

Contact the City of EP

For information on Oak Creek at Hennepin Village, contact Mike Franzen, the City’s Project Planner at 952-949-8487 or via email: mfranzen@ednprairie.org

See the events section of this website for future meetings pertaining to Frederick Miller Spring and Riley Creek.
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