Woodbury planning commission backs Bailey West plan, residents press to remove Century Avenue extension from plat

The Woodbury Planning Commission on June 28 recommended approval of the Bailey West comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning and preliminary plat for an approximately 185-acre Bailey Nurseries project that adjoins New Life Academy, moving the application to the City Council docket on July 8.

Planning staff, led by Eric Stang, told commissioners the proposed comprehensive plan change would convert part of the site to public/semi-public to accommodate future sports and recreation expansion for New Life Academy and that zoning adjustments would include retail B3 at Bailey Road and R4 for future residential areas. The staff presentation described phased construction that could begin with grading and utilities this summer and noted that vertical development would likely be earliest in 2027. Staff recommended approval with conditions.

The application includes a regional stormwater approach with the largest basin west of the proposed Century Avenue alignment, a smaller interim basin south of existing buildings, and additional ponding on the New Life campus to support future expansion. Staff said the ponds would be constructed as part of early site work; long-term ownership and maintenance arrangements (including possible developer contributions or vegetation-management requirements) remain to be negotiated.

Residents who addressed the commission focused on a potential second-phase extension of Century Avenue South. Alan McPartland, who said he owns property on Century Avenue South, urged the commission to remove the dashed/dotted extension from the preliminary plat and not to treat the depiction as a commitment. "Carver Lake is protected water," McPartland said, and he warned that traffic, runoff, chlorides and shoreline disturbance could worsen algal problems and harm lake health. Roger Anderson, another nearby resident, said winter driving conditions and steep grades make a lakeshore connection unsafe and suggested considering alternatives such as Jordan Drive or Carver Park Drive. Janelle Ericson, who also lives on Century Avenue South, asked commissioners to "preserve the city's flexibility" and not to make a roadway depiction that could preclude alternatives to the north.

Staff responded that the preliminary plat currently shows the roadway terminus at the property line (access point D) and that the dashed extension beyond that line is intended as a study element to be addressed during the 2050 comprehensive plan transportation review. Stang said the council amended the master plan on June 24 to require that northern Century Avenue connections be evaluated in the 2050 transportation chapter and through subsequent development reviews. Commissioners asked staff to add clearer graphics or legend text to the public record indicating that the dashed segment is for future study and not a firm commitment to connect to existing Century Avenue.

Commissioners also discussed technical issues raised in the staff report, including sequencing of land-use decisions (staff said rezoning for some parcels is deferred pending the 2050 plan), Washington County’s role in reviewing and approving access at county roads, and early traffic controls. Stang said Washington County will review intersection control and that initial evaluations show signalization is more likely than a roundabout at the primary access point (labeled B) because of adjacent signalized intersections and land-use factors. Commissioners asked about erosion control and retaining walls; staff said land-disturbance permits, security and regular inspections will be required for each city’s portion of the multi-jurisdictional project.

A motion to recommend approval of project 119-2025-0000600 — the Bailey West comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning and preliminary plat — including additional conditions related to signage and language preserving study of alternative Century Avenue connections, passed on a voice vote. The transcript records commissioners saying "I" in the roll call on the motion but does not list a roll-call tally or identify the mover and seconder by name in the record. The item will be considered by the City Council on July 8.

The commission and staff repeatedly emphasized that specific design, access and utility details will be reviewed in future site-and-building, conditional-use or planned-unit-development reviews, and that certain zoning changes are being sequenced to follow the 2050 comprehensive plan update. Residents and commissioners asked staff to ensure public clarity by improving the graphics and legend language that depict the potential Century Avenue extension.

Next steps: the recommendation will go to the City Council on July 8, and staff said additional graphics and clarifying exhibit language can be added to the public record before council consideration.