Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/01/2004

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.' EDI.'TORI'ALS EAGAN Cul,de.-sac culture Clash W hen i.s that most. suburban of creations, the cul-de- sacl not a cul-de-sac? When it's a "stub street" slated for eventual extension. That's the prospect' facing the residents of bucolic Wellington Way, ~cked into a sheltered comer of southern Eagan, who believed that they were livifig on a cul-de-sac ending at a regional park and one-time horse ranch. Now, the developer of a planned cluster of luxury homes nearby wants to extend Wellington through its development to busy Pilot Knob Ro~td. · ~ ' But this isn't a 'tale aboUt an CIJI-cle-S'a(:rlle!le- ."evil" developer and "tmcaring" city Developer of luxury homes wants government setting ou~ to make life to extend Wellington Way cul- miserable for -the. good folks of the de-sac to Pilot Knob Road, which. Brittany: Estates neighborhood, has residents upset.. - Instead,. it is a cautionary tale for home-buyers: Things aren't' always as they seem. It always pays to check them out before you buy. Wellington Way has never been ~onsidered a "cul:de-sac" -- in fact, city maps have had it penciled in for eventual extension to Pilot Knob Rba/i since 1985, said gagan Public Works Director Thomas A. Colbert.. His advice: Give the city a call before signing that purchase offer. "People call all the time, 'Hey, I'm ~hinking of buying this property. What can you tell me about it?.'" he said. "We wish more people would d~ that before buying a home." This is not just an issue on PIONEER PRESS' Wellington Way, Colbert says, but a pr_ oblem throughout the growing suburb as people discover their cul-de7 sac is to be extended'or nearby "parkland" is to sprout a shopping center. Many people hire a professional to check the roof, windows and fur- nace' before buying a new home. A quick visit ~o City Hall to check the five~year capital plan and to take a peek at zoning and planning maps could save a lot of additional heartache years down the road. We can certainly sympathize with the Wellington Way neighbors, who strenuously object to the upsetting of the smms quo- after all, their street would be extended to one of the city's busiest arteries. The cul~de- sac,.i where their children have played safely for close to two decades Would become a through street; undoubtedly carrying more traffic. iBut the city has not hidden its plans for Wellington. Way. And city cials ask a good question: Should the 16 or so homes on Wellington be able to deny the hundreds of other homes in the neigl~borhood a Second acc. ess to a major north;south street? iEx'tending "stub streets" like Wellington Way provides better access for fire, a.mbulan'ce and police, as well as school buses and service vehi- cle~. Too, completion of such through streets better disperses traffic in neighborhoods. Some residents of streets near Wellington, in fact, have spc}..ken in favor of tile extension, city officials add. .For now, the developers of the Imau~ home commumty a~ the site of th~fo~Tner Diamond T Ranch have pulled back their rezoning applica- tion · after it drew ~'e at a recent Planning Commission meeting. But th({y could be back before the board as soon as June 22. ,The dilemma facing the city as it sorts out the issue holds a lesson for 75'