by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

While the proposed Steeplechase of Eagan development goes back to the city's Planning Commission, the plan's developer is facing another hurdle from Dakota County.

Toll Brothers is looking to build a mix of townhomes and single-family homes on the 37-acre property that formerly housed the Diamond T Ranch.

The proposed development includes access onto Pilot Knob Road, which is a county road.

Because Pilot Knob would be the development's only outlet, the Dakota County Plat Commission recommended to the Dakota County Board of Commissioners that the plat be denied.

The Plat Commission's concern is that more outlets onto Pilot Knob could result in more traffic accidents, said Jane Vanderpoel, communications manager for Dakota County.

"This is a four-lane county road, a major artery in Eagan,î she said. "The concern is that the spacing is too close to other outlets on Pilot Knob.î

Meeting as the Physical Development Committee, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners will make a decision on the plat at its Feb. 22 meeting.

That decision will then appear on the agenda at the County Board of Commissioner's March 1 meeting for a final vote.

The original proposal called for a cul-de-sac on Wellington Way to be extended and provide another outlet for the development. But stiff resident opposition caused developers to revise the plan, leaving the cul-de-sac intact.

Eagan City Council members have also said they are opposed to extending Wellington Way.

The county has no say about the development proposal itself, Vanderpoel said, only the proposed access onto Pilot Knob Road.

The county sets standards for a reason, she said, and is "pretty reluctantî to deviate from them without good reason.

If the plat is denied, "there is nothing to prevent the developer from coming back to us with something that would work,î she said.

The developer, city and county could also meet and try to work something out, she said.

Because the Eagan City Council has not made a decision on the proposal, city officials did not want to speculate on the potential impact of the county's decision.

On Feb. 1, the Eagan City Council sent the proposal back to the Planning Commission due to extensive revisions. The Planning Commission will hear the revised proposal in March.

But the city could still approve the proposal even if the county denies the plat. If that happens, the onus would be on the developer to reconcile the two decisions.

Toll Brothers representatives did not return phone calls before this issue went to press.

The Dakota County Board of Commissioners meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 22 at the Western Service Center, off of County Road 42 and Galaxie Avenue in Apple Valley, at 9 a.m.

Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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