The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend city council approval of final site/building plans and a preliminary/final plat for the 16-unit detached town home development (West Haven) at 11216, 11208 and 11140 Bloomington Ferry Road, the first project reviewed under the city's new missing middle housing standards. Residents raised concerns about storm drainage, building height/color, traffic near the River Bottoms trail, and burial-mound review by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council; staff added conditions addressing these issues. The item goes to city council's consent agenda on May 18, 2026.
Commissioners voted 7-0 to recommend rezoning 7900 Xerxes Avenue South and 3400 American Boulevard West (Wells Fargo Tower site) from CO-1 to C-4, and separately voted 7-0 to recommend approval of a preliminary development plan for two phases (360 units total) and a final development plan for a six-story, 270-unit apartment building, including a shared-parking agreement with the Wells Fargo Tower and roughly 9% of units set aside as affordable housing at 60% AMI. A resident and a Planning Commission member praised the project for proceeding without TIF or other public financing. Goes to city council public hearing June 1, 2026.
The commission approved (5-1, a final decision not subject to city council review) setback and sign-area variances for Krauss Anderson to relocate and rebuild the Southtown shopping center's freestanding highway sign along I-494, moving it from a 20-foot to a 10-foot setback and keeping sign area near its existing 245-247 sq ft (code otherwise caps new signs at 200 sq ft). The move is needed to clear space for construction of the new Dick's House of Sport; the chair dissented, arguing the closer setback went beyond making the applicant "whole" for lost visibility from the 494 reconstruction. Appeal deadline is May 12, 2026.
