Chaska — The Chaska City Council on Nov. 17 voted to approve preliminary site and building plans and adopt a zoning amendment to allow construction of a new Municipal Services Building at 4501 Creek Road.

City planning staff told the council the project, proposed in partnership with Ortel Architects, would occupy roughly 22 acres and include a 148,000-square-foot facility roughly 38 feet tall, a fuel island on Outlot B and about 118 parking stalls. Planners said the building will house public works operations — streets, parks, sewer and water, mechanics, building maintenance and the municipal electric department — and is sized for an anticipated workforce increase from roughly 90 current employees to about 118, with seasonal staffing bumps in summer.

"The item in front of you tonight is the second phase of planning for our Municipal Service Building," said Matt (city staff), summarizing the project's shift from conceptual approval to the preliminary (technical) stage. Planning staff said the proposal includes landscaping, berming to screen nearby residences and a trail connection to improve pedestrian access to Creek Road and the Southwest Regional Trail.

Council and staff discussed utility constraints. Planning staff and the applicant said the high-voltage transmission lines on the site are transmission (not distribution) lines and must remain in place within an easement. Mayor Taylor Hubbard said earlier cost estimates to relocate those lines to expand the existing Victoria Drive facility rose from an initial roughly $700,000 to about $3,000,000 when refined, prompting the city to pursue the new site as a more cost-effective, long-term solution.

Architects and planners described design decisions intended to reduce industrial impacts on adjacent residential lots, including siting, berming, landscape buffers and translucent glazing in vehicle areas to diffuse daylight without full visibility into secure bays. The plans also show vehicle storage, wash bays, mechanic bays and separate workshop spaces for departments.

Council Member Shevlin moved to adopt Resolution 2025-83 approving the preliminary site and building plan; Council Member Benesch seconded. The council approved the resolution by voice vote with no recorded opposition and then adopted Ordinance 1074 to amend Planned Industrial District (PID) 10 to permit the municipal services use and adjust applicable setbacks.

Next steps outlined by staff include minor final plan refinements — adding a trail segment on Chaska Creek Boulevard, clarifying plan details and returning to the council for final approval after addressing the listed conditions.

Resolution number: 2025-83. Ordinance number: 1074. Planning case: PC #2025-18.