Minnetonka neighbors upset with plans for large church proposal

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Tonight a proposal to build a large church in a quiet Minnetonka neighborhood has many homeowners up in arms. 

The project is being proposed by Eagle Brook Church, a large Christian community with 10 other locations around the metro.

The zoning on the land in question allows for places of worship, but neighbors worry the size of the proposal will throw off their home life. Planning documents call for a 60,000 square foot building, with a 1,200 seat auditorium and two-story parking ramp.

"Everyone is really afraid," neighbor Greg Greffin told FOX 9. 

In response, Eagle Brook held a virtual meeting on Feb. 8 to gather input from the community on Tuesday. Eagle Brook wants to redevelop about 19 acres of land in Minnetonka, but neighbors fear the church would draw hundreds of churchgoers to their quiet side of town.

"The amount of traffic that would be coming through here would be phenomenal," Greffin said.

"This is not a church, per se, this is a mega church," next door neighbor Cindi Britain added. After 34 years in the neighborhood, Britain says if the church moves in, she is considering moving out.

"This is going to impact this street, all the way up there and all the homes behind… I’m sure they don’t want to destroy a neighborhood."

"[A realtor] said you can assume that your house will drop at least 20 percent in value," Ginni Greffin explained. "Because no one will want to live next to this big conglomerate of a big business church."

Now, neighbors are putting up a fight, "We already have a petition that was set up today that has 100 signatures – already within an hour – of people who live in the area," Ginni explained.

Eagle Brook wants to break ground on the project this fall, to wrap things up a year later. But the land includes a marsh and there are environmental concerns about what development would do.

"Most of the 19 acres is wetland," Greg said. "There’s all kinds of wildlife, there’s hawks, there’s deer."

Now neighbors hope to convince the church to either downsize its plans or look elsewhere for a more accommodating industrial area. Meanwhile, the church promises to conduct a traffic study and work with locals to make the changes smoother.

Next, the project will be reviewed by a Minnetonka planning commission on Thursday, Feb. 17, and Minnetonka’s city council on Monday, Feb. 28. But it’s unclear when any final decisions may be made.