Waconia city council affirms denial of sober house request

The Waconia City Council reaffirmed two recent decisions at a short meeting July 1.

One was a decision to deny a zoning accommodation to Battlefield Ministries for a sober living arrangement for up to six persons at a residential property at 415 West First Street. In a lengthy resolution following a June 17 public hearing reported on earlier, the council indicated the applicant did not prove that the requested accommodation is necessary for the amelioration of a disability under provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act or Fair Housing Act.

The council also affirmed its decision to deny after-the-fact approval for private landscape improvements on a property at 854 Beach Road that extend into a portion of city trail corridor. The denial resolution reiterates the city’s position that the request is a fundamental alteration from city code and needed to be proactively addressed before improvements were made, which the applicant did not do.

Park Board

Meanwhile, it was reported that the Waconia Park Board at its latest meeting, on a 3-2 vote rejected a request from a group of pickleball enthusiasts to convert the two tennis courts at Cedar Point Park to six courts for pickleball. The proposal drew extensive discussion at the June 17 city council meeting as reported earlier and was referred to the park board for its review, so likely more conversation to follow after that recommendation.

Police report

In his monthly report to the council, Sgt. Tyler Stahn reported that police calls and criminal activity through the first half of this year are running about on par with levels from last year. Police call volume was 3,269 through June of which 182 were for criminal activity, about a 2 percent increase. Meanwhile, county wide sheriff’s deputies have issued 257 citations so far through a summer speeding enforcement campaign.

Council members after the meeting also toured the recently completed new Waconia Fire Station on West 10th Street. Everyone will be invited to a fire station open house later this summer or early fall.