Fate of Parkview Golf Course Decided After Six-Hour Debate

Once bitten, twice shy.

The Eagan City Council said yes on Tuesday night to a proposal to convert the 80-acre Parkview Golf Course property into a 170-unit residential development, with many council members citing an all-too-similar 2007 court ruling and settlement against the city as a significant factor in their decision.

The council's climactic decision came after roughly six hours of emotionally-charged discussion and testimony. One Eagan resident left the council chamber after hurling an insult at the mayor. Following the meeting, Mark Skweres, spokesperson for a neighborhood coalition opposed to the Parkview redevelopment, accused Mayor Mike Maguire of biased behavior and bullying community members in a statement given outside the council chambers.

What do you think of the council's decision? Will you be sad to see Parkview Golf Course go? Weigh in by posting a comment below.

Despite the passion of Parkview supporters, the council voted 4-1 to approve a land use change, rezoning, subdivision, site plan and environmental review for the 80-acre Parkview site. A purchase agreement between developer Hunter Emerson and the current golf course owners was contingent upon council approval.

Shadow of the Past

Hanging over the lengthy proceeding was a 2007 Minnesota Supreme Court decision against the city of Eagan regarding Carriage Hills Golf Course.

In 2004, Eagan officials refused to permit a developer to build a residential neighborhood on the golf course, which was located off Yankee Doodle Road.

The developer sued and the case eventually went to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which questioned whether the city’s denial was unfairly restrictive for the property owners, who claimed they were left without any reasonable use for the land.

The Carriage Hills situation bears more than a passing resemblance to the Parkview debate. In both cases, residents urged the city to preserve the property as green space. In both cases, the owners of the golf courses said operating the courses was no longer financially viable.

Time and again, council members referenced Carriage Hills during the Tuesday debate, with the majority of the council expressing fears that—if the city were to deny Hunter Emerson's Parkview plans—it would again be on the business end of a lawsuit.

"As the fiduciary officer of the city of Eagan, if I vote to invite a lawsuit with the exact same fact pattern as I faced in 2007, I’m effectively inviting that judgment when I knew much, much better," Maguire said. "The question has to be, 'Have we learned anything since 2007, or do we want to spend a lot of time and a lot of money to relearn what the courts first suggested?"

Third-Party Buyer Dismissed

Complicating the decision was .

Last year, Maguire urged residents to find another viable buyer willing to preserve the golf course. Doing so would effectively sidestep the tricky legal precedent set by Carriage Hills and allow the golf course to remain green space.

Last week, Varela announced he had submitted an offer on the property, but the majority of the council didn't find Varela's offer credible on Tuesday night.

The $1.5 million offer was far too low to be viable on a site with an assessed value of at least $3.5 million, Maguire said.

Eagan Councilor Cyndee Fields also criticized the sincerity of Varela's offer.

"A week prior, you put in an offer that was very low in my opinion," Fields said. "I think this was done to circumvent the process, because everyone knew this was coming up."

But Eagan City Council member Paul Bakken—who voted against the redevelopment, said he was willing to explore Varela's offer. He also criticized the Parkview owners for a lack of transparency regarding the golf course's financial state and questioned whether the situation was as dire as it seemed.

Parkview owners declined to release complete financial information regarding the course, saying it is private business data.

"I don’t think there have been any misrepresentations in material presented by current owners, but I do think the information presented to the council is selective and filtered," Bakken said.

Although an earlier version of Hunter Emerson's Parkview plans called for 177 units, the developer reduced the number of proposed homes by seven to make way for more open space.

Clarification: This article has been changed to reflect a clarification. Save Parkview Coalition spokesperson Mark Skweres comments regarding Mayor Mike Maguire's behavior at the Tuesday council meeting came following the meeting.