Mississippi Landings is due to move in soon, as the final act of a months-long drama took place March 16 at City Hall, when the Council approved two resolutions, the first to adopt Ordinance No. 1053 to approve a zoning amendment to the 228.09 acres of property, and a second to adopt Resolution 2022-048 approving the site plan review for the residential development. With both/ all sides appearing for the preliminary plat approval of March 16, the Council voted unanimously to approve both resolutions, in separate motions.

Motion for the first resolution was made by council member Justin Olsen, then being seconded by council member Dave Thiede. Motion for the second was taken up by council member Steve Dennis and seconded by council member Olsen. Mayor Bailey thanked Mr. Gustafson and the developer for work still to be done following the approval.

“I know that there is some additional work that needs to be done, and I appreciate that you’re going to do that, to make sure that there isn’t anything down on that site,” Bailey said in relation to endangered species that had been listed in the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW).

The action by the Council from March 16 capped a months-long process that saw vigorous opposition from interested residents of both Cottage Grove and nearby communities, for which a summary review is worth recounting: It began in earnest last spring, after the Parks Commission had reviewed a site plan with medium and high density housing which was not approved by the Council, the plan being sent back for a review and adjustment to mostly single- family housing.

“It seems like we have a pretty special piece of property here,” Olsen said in explaining why he couldn’t support the initial medium and high-density housing vision at the site.

With several residents speaking introducing themselves to speak against the development at the May 19, 2021 meeting, the summer dragged on with a lull in the action, before heating back up towards August with reports of surveyors on private property along Grey Cloud Trail South and a rally September 1 to bring attention to the fact that residents didn’t feel heard. The City said it was listening but that its hands were tied as to what it could do, a claim that didn’t go over well in all quarters.

The process then moved to an Open House October 7 followed with another event on November 3, the city seeking resident input on the project, which came out strong on parks and open space.

Following the events from October 7 and November 3 of last year, the Council approved a Master Site Plan for the Dunes site on December 1, with opponents of the development along the Mississippi riverbank and those in favor—the latter just one city resident—making their thoughts known. Council members took time to make extended comments, with newly minted Council member Tony Khambata reading a series of rhetorical questions into the video record for city staff to answer in turn, Khambata stating in frustration that “instead of getting thanked for our efforts, we’re getting complaints.”

Showing up to the December 20 Plan Commission meeting, meanwhile, were residents Sharon O’Boyle and Bonnie Matter, just two who made their thoughts known during the months-long drama that saw a long-running dedication to meeting attendance.

With January 5 of the New Year, former golf course owner William Doebler entered the picture, saying that he didn’t see why Mississippi Dunes couldn’t be made into a playground for those stressed out with modern living as everything was already there. Doebler later brought a proposal that didn’t get very far, while the Environmental Assessment Worksheet made public at the end of November closed out online in early January, the city later deciding not to require an Environmental Impact Statement, the next step in the review process were it to have been deemed necessary. The matter then went to the Plan Commission, which approved the preliminary plat at its February 28 meeting for Council review March 16—and that brings us to the end of things, at least for Mississippi Landings and the present.

“Mayor, may I call a point of order?” Council member Dennis said towards the end of the meeting March 16 as someone spoke out from the crowd. Dennis then pointed the matter had gone on for months and had just been voted on. “There is no rebuttal, “ he said of the 499-unit riverfront development to be called Mississippi Landings. “It is done.”

But with more development reportedly in view for Grey Cloud Island and elsewhere, the question of balancing the environment with human needs, isn’t likely to go away anytime soon.

David Gustafson: “Mr. Mayor, Council members, David Gustafson is my name…now all of you are probably aware that my wife Dawn and I are the owners of the former Mississippi Dunes golf course. We also own a parcel to the west of the golf course that has river access, and that’s part of this development proposal. What you might not know is that we’ve owned that property since 2010. So we’ve been a property owner in CottageGrove for 12 years.”

Paul Heuer of Pulte: “We’re excited to be here this evening. We’ve undertaken a lot of work, but none of this work could really be started until you guys did a lot of work. We appreciate the work that’s gone into the Comp Plan Amendment and especially the Master planning process. We know that between staff, the Parks Commission, the Planning Commission, and the City Council, a lot of thought went into the master planning.”

Bill Enstrom: “The only people that want a development down there are the future residents. Nobody in Cottage Grove wants more cars on the roundabouts. And to take that pristine property. I mean, I looked at that development on Hadley, they can’t put windows on two sides of the houses because they’re so close together you’d see your neighbor…and it’s just, you’restacking houses. Have you looked at where all these cars are going to go from the warehouse?”

William Doebler on a fivestarhotel idea:“We have always been a steward of the property. First of all we wanted to use the property to provide benefits to the city, including the police department and the fire department, including the strawberry fest of Cottage Grove and Heritage Days of St. Paul Park. And we intended to provide benefits to Grey Cloud township and to St. Paul Park…we couldn’t go very far because we didn’t own the property. We were the stewards of the property.”

Korrine Land on city requirements and state law: “It is true that the application was not consistent with the Comp Plan at the time (December 29, 2021). However, it is still a completed application because all of the elements that are required in our ordinances were submitted. And so at that point we have no option to reject the application just because it isn’t consistent with the Comp Plan. Because the solution to that is to amend the Comp Plan, which is then the action we undertook and we were planning to undertake and actually by a different statute are required to undertake. A change to our zoning regulations after we adopt a Comp Plan.”

Sharon O’Boyle: “My grandmother was the one that owned that land before Mr. Doebler did. And when that land was sold—I’ve said this before, it was sold to someone who would make sure that the environment was looked after. When I looked at the newest picture of their proposed development, what they now propose is to tear down the historical house on the corner, which is where I grew up until I was eight years old. That house was built in the 1800s. It is structurally sound. It has been given a historic designation. In the EAW that’smentioned.”

The ice is off Mooers Lake as seen at sunset last Friday, was fast disappearing. Elsewhere on Mooers Lake, animals were busy as the spring thaw brings mating and survival by a different name to the forefront. Photo by Joseph Back.

The William Cowan property with a proposed lift station to move waste, as contained within the March 16 Council packet.