Eagan Lone Oak Road Townhome Plan — 27 Units on LeMay Lake

TLDR

A developer wants to build 27 single-level townhomes at 1360 Lone Oak Road in Eagan, near LeMay Lake.
To do it, he needs the land changed from "low density" to "medium density."
More than a dozen neighbors spoke against it at the July 28 planning meeting.
The commission still voted 6-0 to move it forward — but says it's far from a done deal.

So this was the big fight at Eagan's July 28 planning commission meeting. A developer wants to turn a quiet, wooded parcel near LeMay Lake into 27 townhomes. The neighbors packed the room to stop it. And even though the commission voted to move the plan forward, nobody's calling it finished. Here's the full story.

What's Actually Being Proposed

The property is at 1360 Lone Oak Road. It's about 17 acres, but only around 6 acres can actually be built on. The rest is lake, wetland, steep hills, and woods. There's a single-family home on it that was built way back in 1872, plus an old barn.

The developers — Dustin Neids and his partner Matt Katzenmeyer — want to build 27 townhomes. They're pitching them as single-level, low-maintenance homes for empty nesters who want to stay in Eagan but don't need a big two-story house anymore.

But to build townhomes, they need the city to change the land use from "low density" (1 to 4 homes per acre) to "medium density" (4 to 12 homes per acre). Their plan pencils out to 4.5 homes per acre — basically the very bottom of medium. You can see the property listing here.

This Isn't Their First Try

Here's the backstory. Back in February, these same folks pitched a 100-unit apartment building on this land. The planning commission recommended denial, and they pulled the plan. In June, they came back to a council workshop with 34 townhomes. Now they're down to 27.

The developer leaned hard on that. He said it's a 73% cut from the original apartment idea. They also pulled units off a peninsula near the lake and pushed the buildings back an extra 25 feet from the water. If you've followed how these density fights play out, it rhymes with Prior Lake's recent rejection of a 166-unit apartment.

The Neighbors Came Loaded

This is where it got intense. More than a dozen residents spoke, and nearly all of them said no. Their worries stacked up fast.

Traffic and safety topped the list. Lone Oak Road already carries about 7,000 cars a day. Neighbors talked about a blind hill, the setting sun in drivers' eyes, and no turn lane. School buses won't even stop on the county road, so where do kids walk?

Then there's the lake. LeMay Lake is small, and folks worry about runoff, pollution, and losing wildlife. One neighbor brought a book of animals she's spotted — turkeys, eagles, swans, a blue heron. Another pointed out the lake already had a mercury warning for fish.

And trees. The land is packed with mature woods, and neighbors don't want them cleared. A few also questioned whether the plan really fits the 25% hard-surface limit for lakeshore lots.

The 1986 Promise

Here's the emotional core. Several longtime neighbors said that back in 1986, when the nearby LeMay Lake Apartments were approved, the city promised this specific land would stay single-family. They feel like the city is going back on its word.

The city attorney gave a blunt answer: you can't bind a future council. Whatever was said in 1986 doesn't legally lock in today's decision. Each council makes its own call.

There was also a wild moment from the current owner, Marsha Easton. She's owned the land 45 years and said the city never told her the zoning changed. She also insisted the "wetland" on the property is really just a holding pond for nearby parking lots.

Why the Commission Backed It Anyway

So why did it pass 6-0? A few commissioners made the same point: something is going to get built on this land eventually. And a bunch of single-family homes might actually clear more trees and move more dirt than clustered townhomes would.

One commissioner, who's a real estate developer himself, said single-family could have a bigger impact given the steep grades and trees. Others said the only way to get real answers about the wetland, the trees, and the traffic is to let the project move to the next step, where those studies actually happen.

So they voted to recommend the land use change — not to approve any building. Big difference.

The Bottom Line

This is step one of a long road. The land use change goes to the Eagan City Council on Monday, August 3. If the council agrees, it goes to the Met Council. Only after that would the developer come back with real building plans — and that triggers another public hearing. The wetland line, bluff check, tree survey, and traffic study all come later. If you want to weigh in, the August 3 council meeting is your next shot. You can also follow how Eagan is planning for growth in its 2050 Comprehensive Plan and our Eagan development roundup.

FAQ

Is this a done deal? No. The commission only recommended a land use change. It still needs the city council, the Met Council, and a whole second round of review with actual building plans.

How many townhomes would go in? The concept shows 27. That number could shift up or down a little once the wetland and tree studies are done, but it can't jump way up because of lake rules.

What about all that traffic on Lone Oak? The city says 27 townhomes would add roughly 200 car trips on a weekday to a road that already handles 7,000 a day. Any deeper study would come from Dakota County, since it's a county road.

Could they just build single-family homes instead? Yes, and some neighbors want that (like small-lot "R1S" homes). But commissioners noted spread-out houses might remove even more trees than the clustered townhomes.

When and where can I speak up? The Eagan City Council takes it up Monday, August 3. You can speak there or send comments to the city first.