Document - Historical information/data - History of Eagan's growth and development of parks, housing, and commercial areas - 1/1/1973
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The 1950s marked the beginning of the transition of Eagan from farmland
to suburban community. The population had gradually increased as several
small areas mostly in the north part of town were platted. The
following list shows most of the earlier subdivisions in Eagan and the
year in which they were platted:
Sec. 2 McKee 1st Addn. 1954 Sec. 12 Burrview Acres 1954
McKee 2nd Addn. 1955
McKee 3rd Addn. 1956 Sec. 17 Jon Croft Acres 1950
Blackhawk Acres 1959
Sec. 3 Country Home Heights 1949
Sec. 20 Langhoven Addn. 1958
Sec. 4 Post 1st Addn. 1949
Post 2nd Addn. 1954 Sec. 22 Skovdale 1st Addn. 1948
Treffle Acres 1950 Skovdale 2nd Addn. 1954
Zehnder Addition 1950
Riley Addn. 1956 Sec. 26 Lakewood Hills 1956
Valley View 1st Addn. 1956
Valley View 2nd Addn. 1962 Sec. 28 Carlson Acres 1953
Highview Acres 1959
Sec. 31 Slater's Acres 1959
Sec. 9 LeTendre 1st Addn. 1949
McCarthy Ridge Addn. 1951 Sec. 33 Twin View Manor 1958
Timberline Addn. 1961
As the decade was ending, a proposal for a major new housing develop-
ment to be known as Cedar Grove was announced. A news report in the April
30, 1959 issue of the Dakota County Tribune described it as a "30 million
dollar community of 2,000 homes, central water, gas, and sewage, complete
with playground areas and two shopping centers..." Mr. Emil Jandric was
president of the Cedar Grove Construction Co. which at that time had purchased
320 acres of land in the vicinity of Highway #13 and Cedar Avenue, with an
option to buy an additional 1,000 acres. The plat of the first addition
was approved in June, 1959, and the company constructed houses in the
development with prices at first ranging from $12,600 to $16,900. Eventually,
twelve Cedar Grove Additions were platted, which presently contain almost L
1700 housing units. The Cedar Grove Utilities Association operated the
water and sewer system for the development for several years before being
purchased by the township and the lines incorporated into the Eagan utilities.
The subdividing of land in Eagan continued through the 1960s, although
with the exception of Cedar Grove, most of the plats were still relatively
small. It was at this time, and into the early 1970s, that the different
apartment buildings in the town were constructed. Also during the early
1970s, other larger areas of development began, including the Wilderness
Run and Woodgate Subdivisions.
The residential growth was accompanied by an increase in commercial
and industrial development. During the early 1960s, an area of land was
zoned for commercial purposes along Highway #13 east of Cedar Avenue. It
was here that the Cedarvale Shopping Center was constructed, beginning in
1964; later phases were added in 1968 and 1970. Other commercial activity
has developed in this location as well as in other parts of Eagan.
Industry was also encouraged to locate within Eagan, as both the
Planning Committee and Town Board hoped to maintain a balanced community
while realizing the benefit of having a strong and diversified tax base.
Much of the land along the main highways and railroads was intended for
industrial purposes when the first zoning ordinance was approved. Among
the earliest industries to locate within Eagan was Lull Engineering Co.,
which received its building permit in 1956. The two largest employers here
in recent years have been Sperry Univac (since 1967) and Blue Cross/Blue
Shield (since 1970). About the same time, platting of industrial parks
was underway, with Sibley Terminal Industrial Park (1964), Cedar Industrial
Park (1966), and Eagandale Industrial Park (with its first two additions in
1967). Since the mid-1960s, a number of companies have located their operations
within Eagan.
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During the 1950s, Eagan officials initiated a number of measures to
deal with the effects of expanding urbanization within the township.
The Board of Supervisors adopted the township's first ordinance
regulating dumping grounds in August 1954. The next year, Ordinance #3
was passed by which building permits were first required within Eagan.
(Ordinance #2 had dealt with trailer parks). And in anticipation of
development to come', a Planning Committee was appointed in 1956.
In addition to reviewing development proposals, the Planning Committee
(later renamed the Advisory Planning Commission) also worked on the preparation
of a zoning ordinance for the township. Eagan's original zoning ordinance
was approved on February 23, 1960. To supplement the zoning regulations
which deal with such matters as land use and building setbacks a subdivision
ordinance was adopted in July 1961, which established standards and procedures
for the subdividing and platting of land.
Concern for park land preservation and recreational programs increased
as Eagan's population grew. A motion was passed at the Annual Town Meeting
in 1965 to establish the Eagan Park Board. The work of this committee
resulted in the passage of a $1,100,000 bond issue in May 1971. This money,
together with funds from state and federal grants, has been used to acquire
much of the City's present park land. In addition, the County has been
acquiring land for park purposes in recent years. It started purchasing land
near Eagan's southern border in 1969 for the Holland-Jensen Lake Park, a
2200 acre recreational area, including some 1300 acres within Eagan.
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As development activities here increased, it was recognized that
professional engineering assistance was necessary to ensure that the streets
and utilities of the new subdivisions were properly installed and that they
would be consistant with both existing and future facilities of the town.
In July, 1959, the Board of Supervisors hired the company of Comstock and
Davis for engineering work relating to the new Cedar Grove development.
Then, in October, 1960, an agreement was approved with the firm of Bonestroo,
Rosene, Anderlik & Assoc., Inc., for the provision of engineering services
on a consulting basis for the township.
During the early 1960s, engineering studies were undertaken which by 1965
resulted in the preparation of system plans for water, sanitary sewer, and
storm sewer facilities for the entire Eagan area. Periodically updated,
these plans have served as guides in the design and construction of Eagan's
public utilities. The availability of public water and sewer facilities
was important for the continued development of this area. In addition,
tests conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health in 1962 (as reported
in the 1965 water supply study) indicated that as many as 40% of the private
wells in Eagan were contaminated with nitrates to the extent of posing
possible health hazards.
In 1965, in addition to the individual wells used by residents, there
were separate water systems operated in four different housing developments:
Timberline, Valley View, Kingswood, and Cedar Grove. Beginning with the
Timberline and Valley View systems, they were gradually incorporated into
a city-wide network, as water trunk mains and laterals were extended and
water reservoirs constructed. Eagan's water source is a series of deep wells
located within the City.
About the only sanitary sewer system in the township during the early
1960s was the one in Cedar Grove. After 1966, sewer lines were extended to
other parts of Eagan, with treatment provided by two small temporary facilities.
In 1969, it was reported that 450 dwelling units and 40 commercial establish-
ments were connected to this sytem; this excluded Cedar Grove whose utilities
were not taken over by the township until 1971.
In December 1965, a joint powers agreement was entered into among
Bloomington, Eagan, and Burnsville which created the Bloomington - Eagan -
Burnsville (B.E.B.) Pollution Control District, and a study was authorized
to determine the feasibility of having a single sewage treatment facility
to serve the three communities. At the same time, legal action was initiated
appealing the standards adopted by the Water Pollution Control Commission
(the forerunner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency). Included in
the standards was Provision WPC 6 (c), which dealt with the Minnesota River
between Carver and Ft. Snelling, and. which stated in part: "no major
quantities of treated sewage from any source originating after the taking
effect hereof shall be discharged into (these) waters."
If enforced, this regulation would have prevented the construction and
operation of the contemplated B.E.B. sewage treatment facility. Without a
proper sewage system, development in the outlying areas around Minneapolis
and St. Paul would be greatly restricted. Other metropolitan communities,
facing similar provisions preventing construction of treatment plants for
their areas, also appealed these regulations. The B.E.B appeal was delayed
in Dakota County District Court pending an outcome of a court case involving
Coon Rapids and the North Suburban Sanitary Sewer District.
< Meanwhile, a new agreement was signed on September 5, 1967, in which
the three communities decided to proceed with the construction of a single
treatment facility for this area. The company of Black and Veatch from
Kansas City, Missouri, was hired to prepare plans and specifications for
the plant. In October 1968, the State Supreme Court finally ruled in
favor of the localized treatment facility in the Coon Rapids case. This
was followed in December, 1968, with the District Court ruling that B.E.B.
was exempt from the Water Pollution Control Commission's regulations.
However, by this time, the state legislature had created the Metropolitan
Council in 1967 followed by the establishment of the Metropolitan Sewer
Board in 1969. The state law provided that the operation of sewage treatment
facilities in the metropolitan area would become the responsibility of the
Sewer Board. With its plans completed, a construction contract for the
B.E.B. plant was awarded with local financing. In 1971, the B.E.B.
Pollution Control District was legally dissolved and ownership of the plant
transferred to the Sewer Board. Located in Eagan in the Cedar Industrial
Park, this facility has been operational since 1972.