Farmington Fire Department Goes Full-Time, New Acting Mayor, 46 New Homes, and a Downtown Road Rebuild — Feb. 17 Council Recap

TLDR

Mayor Joshua Hoyt is out. Council member Nick Lean is now acting mayor after Hoyt resigned Feb. 4 citing mental health.
Farmington officially swore in 7 new full-time firefighters and fire department leaders — a historic first for the city.
46 new homes approved near Denmark Ave. and 220th Street West (Dakota Meadows Preserve Phase 2).
Second Street from Ash to Spruce is getting a full reconstruction — design starts now, construction runs May through October.
Residents showed up loud and angry about the Tract data center — including playing a recording of what a nearby data center sounds like at night.
Eagan voted the same night to pause new data centers. Residents asked Farmington to do the same.
The data center PUD extension vote is coming in May 2026. That's the deadline residents are watching.

The February 17th Farmington City Council meeting was one of those nights where you felt the weight of everything happening in this city all at once. A new acting mayor opened the meeting by introducing himself to residents. Seven firefighters got sworn in to full-time jobs. And then the public comments started — and the room reminded everyone that the data center fight is far from over.

A New Face at the Head of the Table

Nick Lean is your new acting mayor, and he wants you to know who he is.

He opened the meeting with something you don't often hear from elected officials: a personal story. In 2018, he was hospitalized with near-total kidney failure. Days from his heart stopping. Twelve weeks of chemo. Then six months later, thyroid cancer.

He said all of it changed how he sees people — and how he leads.

"I promise this will be one of the only times I subject you to my life story," he told the room, before getting to business.

Lean is an engineer. An introvert. He said he'd rather listen than speak. And he made clear he's not going to be a big-speeches kind of mayor — but that doesn't mean he doesn't care.

He also addressed the elephant in the room: former Mayor Joshua Hoy resigned on February 4, citing his mental health after months of escalating tension over the data center project. Lean, along with council members Holly Bernats and Steve Wilson, took time to honor Hoy's service — talking about his passion, his work at community events, and his personal advocacy for mental health.

Council member Bernats said she doesn't believe the resignation came from one bad meeting. "I think we lost him after months of escalating hostility. There have been false storylines. There have been personal attacks."

If you want the backstory on what led to Hoy's resignation, South Metro Scoop covered the viral Feb. 2 meeting and Mayor Hoy's resignation here.

Farmington Fire Department: A Historic Night

Before any of the controversy, the meeting opened with something genuinely worth celebrating.

Seven members of the Farmington Fire Department were sworn in and pinned — three full-time firefighters, three captains, and a deputy fire chief. This is part of a massive transition: Farmington's Fire Department officially launched full-time staffing on February 1, 2026, the first time in the department's history that it has full-time crews on 24/7 rotating shifts.

The newly pinned firefighters: Tyler Bowman, Matthew Jans, and Kayn Schaw (who also serves with the Minnesota Army National Guard). New captains: Brian Hansen (15-year veteran), Matthew Denine (17 years in fire service), and Steve Carson (5 years). And new Deputy Fire Chief Caleb Bolton, a 15-year fire service veteran who joined from rural Metro Fire.

Each one was pinned by a family member — a girlfriend, a wife, a mom, a fiancé, two daughters. Acting Mayor Lean called it "probably in the history books of Farmington."

It really was.

46 New Homes Coming to South Farmington

Council approved Phase 2 of the Dakota Meadows Preserve development — 46 single-family lots near Denmark Avenue and 220th Street West, just south of the Dakota Electric facility and west of the fairgrounds.

These are smaller lots (averaging around 5,200 square feet) as part of a planned unit development — denser than traditional Farmington neighborhoods, but that's been the direction for a while.

One caveat worth knowing: some of the lots back directly up to a railroad track. Council member Steve Wilson flagged it. The city says landscaping will be included as screening, but there's no fence planned. If you're house-hunting in this area, that's something to factor in.

Trails, storm water improvements, and park dedication are all included. The Westview Acres Park will eventually serve this development.

Second Street Is Getting a Full Rebuild

If you use Second Street downtown — running from the county road at the south end up to Spruce Street — heads up. That road is getting completely torn out and rebuilt this year.

The pavement condition index on the whole stretch was 23 out of 100 (below 50 is generally considered poor). So yeah — it needed it.

Here's the plan: road narrows slightly (from 36 feet to 32 feet, which is the city standard now), all the underground water main and sewer lines get replaced, and the road gets fully rebuilt. Also included: the concrete walk at Depot Way Arts Park.

Timeline to know:

Neighborhood meeting: early March
Construction start: May 2026
Completion: late October 2026

Total estimated cost: $3.23 million, funded through bonds and utility funds.

The Data Center Battle Isn't Quieting Down

This is the part of the meeting that will keep people talking.

More than a dozen residents spoke during public comment — and almost all of them were there about the Tract data center project. No vote was taken, but the words were sharp.

One resident played a recording from her backyard. She'd calibrated it to 55 decibels — what a resident half a mile from a data center in South Haven, Mississippi hears every night from his home. The low mechanical hum filled the council chambers. "It doesn't end," she said. "It goes around walls."

Another resident — a father of a 9-year-old and a 5-year-old — said he can't afford the estimated $200,000–$250,000 it would cost to sell and move. "You have me in a corner," he told the council. "What do you expect me to do when Tract is my new neighbor?"

Resident Nate Ryan pointed out that Eagan voted the same night — February 17 — to approve a one-year moratorium on new data centers over 20 megawatts or within 500 feet of homes. He urged Farmington to do the same. "You can put parameters on it. It's not a blanket moratorium. It's a way to get them back to the negotiation table."

Multiple speakers noted that Tract (the developer) has been reaching out to residents directly to discuss the project — and said that's backwards. The rules should come from the city, not the developer.

Acting Mayor Lean acknowledged the frustration at the end of the meeting: "I don't know what it looks like to get outside these chambers and fix this problem." He committed to trying to find a path toward conversation — but couldn't offer a specific plan yet.

He also offered this to residents who'd been approached by Tract: if the developer is offering to hear you out, take the meeting. "It's an opportunity. Please don't waste it." That's not what a lot of residents wanted to hear — but he said it anyway.

The next major decision point on the data center: May 2026, when council will decide whether to grant Tract another extension on its plat.

A Firefighter Speaks Out on Mental Health

One of the most powerful moments of the night didn't come from an elected official.

A former Farmington firefighter — who said he'd once stood in that same room and been pinned as a lieutenant — spoke about what happened when his psychiatrist told him he wasn't safe to continue working. He was immediately isolated from his department. No support. No check-ins. Currently driving to Rochester every day for a partial hospitalization program, unable to work his regular job.

"The moment a psychiatrist says you're not safe to do this job, it's done," he said. "The brotherhood, the sisterhood — everything they had — is gone."

He asked the full council to sit down with him after he completes his treatment program to talk about systemic change. "That's why people don't reach out," he said. "Because they know the moment they do, the path forward is isolation."

Quick Hits

Skatepark: Fully funded — $350K from the DNR, $350K from the city liquor store community fund, $300K from park improvement fees paid by developers. $1 million total. Second design workshop just happened.
Girls hockey going to state! Tournament starts Thursday at the Grand Casino Arena.
Boys hockey starts section play Thursday seeded #1.
New sergeant: Officer Katon Rubin was promoted. Pinning ceremony at the next meeting.
Spanish immersion daycare ribbon cutting later this week — the first in Farmington.
FHS Choir Cabaret this weekend. Not the musical — it's a jazz/musical theater variety show. Tickets at the door.

The Bottom Line

Farmington is in a period of real transition. New acting mayor, historic fire department milestone, and a data center controversy that touched nearly every speaker who came to the mic.

The biggest deadline to keep an eye on: May 2026, when council will vote on whether to extend Tract's plat or not. That vote is the next major inflection point in the data center fight.

The next Farmington City Council meeting will be in early March. Check the city's website for the exact date and agenda, including the neighborhood meeting on the Second Street reconstruction.

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