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VICTORIA PREFERS ORDERLINESS
AND A COMMITMENT TO STANDARDS
Councilmembers voted unanimously on May 11th to deny any modification to the Orderly Annexation Agreement, an agreement that dates back to 1978 and involves parts of Laketown Township being annexed to either the City of Victoria or the City of Chaska.
On May 25th, City Planner Eric Zweber said that he received "a disturbing response" from the City of Chaska regard-ing Victoria's motion.
The story is long and has been taking up a lot of discussion in regard to a 27-acre corner of land currently in Laketown Township. It borders the southern edge of 86th Street in Victoria. It is part of the township that is slated to be annexed into the City of Victoria.
The most recent developer of that parcel (along with adjacent acres that lie within the City of Chaska) is asking that the 27-acre piece be annexed into the City of Chaska rather than Victoria.
In order to maintain orderliness of intersections and street construction in Victoria, Victoria city councilmembers unanimously voted on May 25th to annex the property into the City of Victoria as soon as possible.
Stated Eric, "It will likely be annexed to Victoria on June 22nd. It's nearly impossible for Chaska to do anything quicker than that. We have worked with Laketown Township extensively. They believed it was already in Victoria. They don't have any issues with us on that."
If the parcel would not become part of the City of Victoria as planned these past many years, there'd be no one to pick up the $650,000 tab to reconstruct the unfinished part of 86th Street. Developers in Victoria pay to reconstruct streets adjacent to developments in Victoria.
Also, the City of Victoria currently has control of accesses onto County Road 11 that lie within city limits. Victoria has in the past turned down two development proposals for the acreage in question because the various developers have refused to make one clean connecting intersection at Deer Run Drive.
This third potential developer, Rachel Igel of Igel Properties, and Greg Soule, her legal representation, indicated at the May 11th Victoria City Council meeting they, too, would miss the mark in that re-gard.
This developer proposes a 140-foot separation between an access from their property (on the east side of #11) and Deer Run Drive (on the west side of #11). Regulation of traffic, signals, and stop signs would be cumbersome if not impossible as well as dangerous.
City Planner Eric Zweber stated that the standard in the seven-county metro area for making minor arterial road connections, along a major arterial such as County Road 11, is a quarter mile. Con-nections have been planned that way all along County Road 11, he said.
"Every other county in the seven-county metro area has that quarter mile standard," said Eric. "But for whatever reason, Carver County is unwilling to make that commitment here. It appears the county is buckling under a developer's pressure."
Eric asked, with the odd access, "How would you put in stoplights? There are reasons that you have facing re-quirements."
He outlined six conditions whereby the City of Victoria would agree to allow the small Laketown parcel to be annexed to Chaska, including $650,000 to fix 86th Street plus a connecting street at Deer Run Drive. The developer did not acquiesce, however.
Victoria Councilmember Terry Bish-op asked the developers on May 11th, "Why do you want that land to go into Chaska?"
"And why are you here?" asked Vic-toria Councilmember Richard Tieden.
There was little reply from the devel-oper or her attorney. Stated Mayor Jerry Bohn, "We're happy with the boundary where it is."
Using 2005 dollars, that parcel of land (27 acres) is valued at $16,500,000 and can bring to the City of Victoria $64,000 in annual property tax income if developed similarly to the Allegheny Grove neighborhood, for example.
There are also two pieces of land just to the south of the 27-acre Igel property, including 5 acres (Chris Pyne) and 8.5 acres (Luke Fowler). These parcels also currently lie in Laketown Township and are also slated to become part of the City of Victoria under the orderly Annexation Agreement.
The most recent disturbing news, as reported May 28th by the City Planner, was that the City of Chaska approved the Igel development, placed a conservation easement on the 27-acres that is slated to be annexed to the City of Victoria, continued to encourage access at the odd location on County Road #11, and indicated they would also approve an access onto 86th Street.
"It is legally possible for Chaska to create an access onto 86th Street," said Eric, "but it would then be responsible for Chaska to help Victoria with the maintenance of that road."
The Victoria City Planner said that as long as the parcel remains in Laketown Township, it falls under the jurisdiction of Carver County - which is why the petition to be annexed to Victoria immediately is underway.
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