Can We Not Be Eden Prairie, Please?

Don't get me wrong, Eden Prairie is great. I go there often for the mall, its big box stores, its many, many chain restaurants and its engineered parks that look more Disney than prairie. But I wouldn't want to live there. I moved to Shorewood to escape the density, the geometric layout, the highways. I love what Shorewood is - a city that values open space, trees, wetlands, the fresh air of Lake Minnetonka and natural woods.

But I can't help but sense that the Shorewood City Council doesn't feel the same way - how else to explain their compulsion with turning Shorewood into Eden Prairie? Must every green nook and cranny of Shorewood be developed? Must hundreds of trees be destroyed when dozens would be enough? Why run for City Council of Shorewood if you want to be in Eden Prairie?

This isn't a theoretical debate, recent development has had huge impacts on Shorewood and the pace of development is only increasing - in fact, we now have one of the most egregiously bad developments we've seen ready to be approved, destroying unique old growth woods and wetlands in Watten Ponds. This is one of the last large-scale natural environments in the city, and in months, it will be gone. If we don't say "enough" at some point, and some point very soon, we'll wake up and realize we're another EP.

Peach Circle is a story of the city's failure.

The Cautionary Tale of Peach Circle, Shorewood

The city's 2040 Comprehensive Plan is clear that protecting Shorewood's unique character is a key policy area, with policies that include these:

• New development and the expansion of existing activities shall be restricted and regulated where environmental damage may result.

• Development on or near shorelands, wetlands, floodplains and other natural features which perform important environmental functions in their natural state shall be restricted or prohibited.

• Environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands and wooded areas are to be acquired or publicly controlled, when necessary to preserve their integrity as funds are available.

• Conservation easements and similar methods of preserving open space shall be pursued to ensure that such areas remain in open space indefinitely.

• Land uses and environmental quality are to be maintained and, where necessary, upgraded.

• Community development is to be compatible with features of the natural environment and is to be accommodated without destroying environmental features and natural amenities.

• Neighborhoods are to be maintained and where necessary, strengthened in character, while at the same time improving and reinforcing community identity

But the City Council and Planning & Protective Inspections Department go out of their way to ignore these policies - in fact, their view is that they are PROHIBITED from even considering these factors. At the instruction of the Planning Department, the Planning Commission states that they can only consider whether a project satisfies zoning requirements, and cannot and will not consider any of the factors set out above. Protecting what is unique about Shorewood is off limits to this City Council and Planning Department.

We don't live in the past. We know that development is needed. But we would like to maintain the character and unique charm of Shorewood while still supporting responsible development - development that has benefits that justify the impact, development that fits into our city.

Not every suburb has to be a grid, a little city that looks like every other city. But once the charm and uniqueness of Shorewood is destroyed, it's gone forever. You can't go back from being Eden Prairie. We hope you'll join us in our efforts to draw lines where they need to be drawn.