278-unit development clears Victoria City Council vote

The Victoria City Council voted in favor of one of the city’s larger developments in recent memory at its Monday meeting.

The development, known in planning documents as Victoria South, will bring 278 units to the city, split between a subdivision of townhomes and an apartment building near the city’s southern border.

Construction is expected to start in the fall and will span 24 acres, said Victoria City Planner Brian McCann in an interview with Finance & Commerce before the Council meeting. Matt Pavek, vice president at the property’s developer, Golden Valley Land Co., said he expects to start grading in the fall, start constructing the units in 2025 and finish the property by 2027 or 2028.

The first phase will consist of constructing 36 of the 134 townhomes and a community building. The second phase will consist of the 144-unit apartment building, alongside another 34 townhomes. The final phase will be the remaining 64 units of the townhomes.

The contractor for the site, Pavek said, is still being decided.

The apartment will be developed by St. Paul-based Real Estate Equities.

The property is located north of County Road 10 and west of County Road 11/Victoria Drive.

The development will still need to go through a final plat approval process by the city of Victoria, which consists of at least another set of approvals from the planning commission and city council. However, Monday night’s vote cleared a number of hurdles for construction, including annexing the land from the Laketown Township into the borders of Victoria. Laketown Township approved the annexation itself earlier on Monday.

Victoria has a population of just over 10,500 and is located in Carver County, one of the fastest growing counties in Minnesota. According to McCann, Victoria is the fastest growing city in the county. He said that Victoria South will be one of the largest developments he’s seen since he’s worked in the city.

“We’re seeing a lot of housing activity, and I know the council wants a lot of housing varieties contributing to that mix,” McCann said.

This is Golden Valley Land’s third development in Victoria, Pavek said. The group likes the area and thinks it is good for development.

“It’s a really nice community, it’s got great schools, a really neat downtown, parks, golf courses, trails,” he said. “Just a lot of natural beauty in general for the area.”

Pavek said he thinks the property will spur commercial growth in the area that Victoria has been attempting to get off the ground for a couple of years. He thinks the additional “rooftops” nearby will help it get done.

The townhomes will be configured in mostly buildings of six units, according to planning documents, though there will be a handful that are in buildings of four. To increase accessibility, McCann said, 18 of the townhome units will be a single story with the living area behind the garages.

“They would have everything they need on the floor their living room, their kitchen or bathroom, their bedroom, all that it would just be a larger unit on the ground floor,” McCann said.

The townhomes will be at market rate. While details haven’t been worked out, Pavek said there’s a possibility all units in the apartment will be affordable, but he is not sure about details. He said different grants and funds will need to be secured to subsidize the lower rents.

The development will also come with a playground, a pool at the community building, a tot lot playground for smaller children and a dog park.

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