Summary   
5:30 P.M. - WORK SESSION (TRAINING ROOM) 

Commission Interviews 

The City Council conducted interviews for applicants seeking appointment to several advisory commissions, including the Planning Commission, Economic Development Commission, Park and Recreation Commission, Environmental Commission and Commission on Aging. The interviews were part of the city’s regular appointment process, as several current commissioners’ terms were set to expire this year and a small number of vacancies needed to be filled. Following the work session interviews, final commission appointments were scheduled to be considered by the City Council at a future regular meeting. 

Market Boulevard Improvement Project   

The City Council reviewed construction staging options for the upcoming Market Boulevard Improvement Project, a planned 2026 roadway reconstruction effort that will require temporary street closures and coordinated access planning for nearby businesses. During the work session, staff presented two potential phasing approaches along with feedback gathered from affected business owners, continuing the Council’s ongoing planning discussions focused on minimizing disruption and maintaining access throughout construction.  

Staff explained that both options include phased construction involving roadway widening, utility work and trail improvements, with construction anticipated to begin in early May and continue through the fall. The first option, which received support from approximately 80 percent of surveyed businesses, would complete several work areas concurrently, allowing the most intensive closures to occur earlier in the season and enabling the corridor to reopen fully by the Fourth of July holiday. Under this approach, remaining work would continue in staged segments through the summer and early fall while maintaining business access via designated detour routes.  
 
The second option would involve a longer full-closure phase beginning after the Fourth of July, concentrating the most disruptive construction activities into a single extended period of approximately 13 weeks before transitioning to later finishing phases. While this option simplifies traffic control and construction sequencing, business outreach indicated a preference for the shorter, earlier closures associated with the first option.  

Councilmembers discussed traffic management considerations, including maintaining access at key intersections such as 79th Street and Great Plains Boulevard, coordinating with nearby construction activities and ensuring clear detour routes for customers and delivery traffic. Staff also outlined next steps in the project schedule, including finalizing bid documents, opening bids in late March, hosting a public open house in early April and bringing the project forward for assessment approval and contract award prior to a planned early-May construction start. 

 7:00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL MEETING (City Council Chambers) 

Consent Agenda  

The Council unanimously approved the following items on the Consent Agenda. They were: 

-Approve City Council Meeting Minutes dated January 26, 2026
-Approve City Council Work Session Minutes dated January 26, 2026
-Receive Park and Recreation Commission Minutes dated November 25, 2025
-Receive Park and Recreation Commission Minutes dated December 9, 2025
-Receive Commission on Aging Minutes dated November 21, 2025
-Receive Commission on Aging Minutes dated December 12, 2025
-Approve Claims Paid dated February 9, 2026
-Award Bid and Contract for Trail and Parking Lot Construction at Lake Ann Park Preserve
-2026 Fleet Purchase - #487 Polar Track
-Replacement of Fuel Dispensers at Public Works Facility
-Approval for ESRI Software Agreement with Carver County
-Resolution 2026-XX; Cooperative Agreement for Highway 41 & West 78th Street Pedestrian Underpass
-Ordinance XXX: Rezoning from Rural Residential to Single-Family Residential for the property located at 7750 Crimson Bay Road (Planning Case #2025-19) 

Heritage Tree Ordinance  
 
The City Council discussed the proposed Heritage Tree Ordinance, which established a formal definition of “heritage trees,” updated the definition of significant trees and outlined replacement requirements intended to support long-term tree preservation. The ordinance represented a continuation of discussions that began at a 2025 Council roundtable, followed by a September 2025 Council work session and a December 2025 Planning Commission public hearing, where the Planning Commission ultimately recommended adoption. Council consideration at this meeting reflected the next step in finalizing the ordinance after earlier review, public comment and staff revisions.  

During the presentation, staff reviewed the engagement process, which included multiple commission discussions, public hearing testimony, written comments and follow-up meetings with an interested property owner. Staff explained that the ordinance lowers the threshold for identifying “significant trees” from 12 inches to 5 inches in diameter, formally defines “heritage trees” as healthy trees measuring at least 25 inches in diameter, establishes a defined critical root zone standard and creates both incentives and replacement requirements designed to encourage preservation of large trees during development. The ordinance also provides a 25 percent removal allowance for heritage trees, with any removals beyond that threshold requiring replacement at a one-to-one ratio, and includes additional incentives allowing preserved heritage trees to count toward replacement requirements in certain cases.  

Councilmembers asked several questions regarding how the ordinance would function in practice, including whether the replacement fee structure would meaningfully incentivize developers to plant replacement trees rather than pay a fee, how arborists conducting required tree inventories would be qualified and how the requirements might affect smaller infill or redevelopment projects where additional survey costs could be more noticeable. Staff explained that certified third-party professionals would conduct required surveys, that the ordinance is intended to scale with the size and tree coverage of a development and that staff would continue working with property owners during the design process to help preserve trees when feasible. Councilmembers also asked about earlier public comments requesting that trees located within tree nurseries be excluded from the ordinance definitions; staff noted that this exemption was not included in the draft ordinance but could be addressed on a case-by-case basis if needed. 

Following discussion, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the Heritage Tree Ordinance.