There's a vacant parcel of close to two acres on the 14900 block of Manitou Road. It has no street address. The city got it in 1994 through tax forfeiture, and it came "with the intent it would be used for park purposes," according to Prior Lake News Compass. It still counts as part of the Raspberry Woods Park area on the city's park and trail map and in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
On Sept. 22, the City Council started the process that could split it into single-family lots and use the money for parks somewhere else. That one parcel shows how Prior Lake has been funding parks since November 2025. The money comes from smaller sources, and the council approves each one separately.
What voters turned down, and what the city still says it needs
The $60 million parks-and-trails bond referendum failed in November 2025. Prior Lake News Compass reported 3,934 no votes and 2,864 yes votes, which works out to about 58% against. The concepts on the ballot included $20 million each for Lakefront Park and Spring Lake Park, plus $10 million to $12 million for smaller neighborhood parks and trails.
That $60 million was only half the list. City Manager Jason Wedel told News Compass in April that the parks master plan, eight years in the making, identified $120 million in improvements needed in existing parks. Mayor Kirt Briggs explained the gap in the same article:
"There are 49 parks in the city of Prior Lake. This is four times the number of parks in other cities of our population size."
He added that many of those parks "are now over 30 years old and showing their age as maintenance costs mount." With 49 parks to maintain and the bond money gone, the city has to choose which parks to keep improving and which parcels it can let go.
Four smaller funding sources instead of one bond
In the months after the vote, city staff and the council described an alternative approach in public. Taken together, their statements point to four sources:
- Consolidating parks. The city is looking at combining parks that sit close together and have similar amenities, to cut down on "duplicative and worn-out features," according to News Compass.
- Selling parcels. Proceeds from land sales would go back into parks and trails.
- Grants and partnerships. The city says it is applying for outside funding.
- Cash reserves. According to the city's preliminary 2027 budget notice, leaders are building reserves so routine replacements like playgrounds and other equipment rely less on debt.
At the May State of the City, Briggs summed up what the vote meant to the council. "We got the answer we needed," he said, "which was live within your means," as News Compass reported. He also said the council hadn't been required to put the park improvements to a public vote and could have used bond funding instead.
Reserves are covered by the annual budget vote, which comes up below. So far, land sales are the only one of the four sources that has led to a council vote on a specific property.
The first parcels up for sale are on Shady Beach Trail and Manitou Road
On Sept. 22 the council took up three vacant lots the city had held since 1994 after the owners stopped paying taxes. The lots are very different sizes and sit on different kinds of land:
| Shady Beach Trail | Manitou Road | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Two lots, 14300 block | One parcel, 14900 block |
| Size | Close to 0.7 acre | Close to 2 acres |
| Constraint | Sits below the 904-foot ordinary high water level, leaving about half developable | Still listed as part of the Raspberry Woods Park area |
| Staff recommendation | Combine and sell as one single-family lot | Divide into several single-family lots that match the surrounding neighborhoods |
| Council action Sept. 22 | Sale approved | Voluntary public hearing and comprehensive plan amendment requested |
The council approved the Shady Beach sale at that meeting. Manitou Road takes more steps because it is still a park parcel. Before it can be sold as housing lots, the planning commission has to review an amendment that removes it from the park and trail system plan. The council also asked for a voluntary public hearing because more than 30 years have passed since the land was transferred to the city. Several residents who live near both properties spoke against the sales and future development at the meeting.
The city expects a second benefit beyond the sale price. Once a lot sells and someone builds on it, it starts paying property taxes. City code lets the council choose how to sell forfeited property, whether by sealed bids, quotes, negotiation or another method.
Ponds Park was already funded this way
Partnership funding was standard at Prior Lake's busiest athletic complex well before November 2025. The Ponds Park rebuild came in two phases, and both relied on outside money. The 2023 figures come from Minnesota Softball's report on the renovation, and the 2026 figures from News Compass:
| Project | Cost | Who helped pay |
|---|---|---|
| Ponds playground and ballfield renovation, 2023 | $350,000 playground; $1.05 million fields and other improvements | $299,485 Minnesota DNR Outdoor Recreation grant; $185,000 donation from Prior Lake Athletics for Youth |
| Ponds Park Phase 2, ribbon-cutting May 12, 2026 | About $2.5 million for ballfield enhancements, fencing, a shelter, trails and landscaping | Prior Lake Athletics for Youth "contributed greatly"; several grants |
The 2023 phase moved two ballfields farther apart and added double batting cages, hillside spectator seating and ADA-routed trails. The new playground has a zip line, shade structures and accessible surfacing. Prior Lake Athletics for Youth uses the complex for tournaments like its Rock the Ponds softball event, held June 12–14, 2026. The group lists scoreboards on fields 1 through 6, lighted and fenced fields, and covered dugouts.
Thomas Ryan Memorial Park at 4600 Busse Parkway SE follows the same pattern. The city provided the land for Miracle Field, which was finished in 2025, and private donations covered the other costs. The city is now looking for grants to update the accessible playground equipment there. A master plan for Memorial Park was in its early stages in May and is expected to take about a year.
The grants-and-partners approach the city described after the referendum is the same one that paid for Ponds Park and Miracle Field. The difference now is that it has to cover a 49-park system.
Smaller projects still move through the regular budget
Routine replacements still go through the normal budget. A city survey says the Capital Parks Plan pays for new playground equipment at Deerfield and Meadowview parks. Residents were asked to pick from designs that include swings and a spinner, with selections in October 2026 and installation in 2027.
The city's share of property taxes covers part of this. On Sept. 8, the council approved a preliminary 2027 levy of $22.63 million, up 6.05% from 2026. The city says about 1% of the proposed levy supports replacing equipment, parks and facilities. The city estimates that the owner of a median-valued $461,700 home would pay about $70 more a year in city property tax for 2027, an increase of 4.8%. The preliminary levy is a ceiling. The final number will be set after the budget hearing on Dec. 8. These are the city's own estimates and general information, not tax advice. Your actual bill depends on your property, so check your own situation with Scott County or a tax professional.
Trails follow the same piece-by-piece pattern. The Highway 13 trail connection from County Road 42 to Oakland Beach was finished in 2025, helped by $1 million in federal funding. On Oct. 13 the council renewed its $40,000-a-year state lobbying contract with Lockridge, Grindal and Nauen. The city's Oct. 19 update says that in 2027 the firm will keep pushing for the Highway 13 trail between County Road 42 and downtown, because the steep terrain and construction costs "require significant investment."
Where the next park decisions get made
The next round of park decisions will come through council and planning meetings, not another ballot. These are the ones on the calendar or in progress:
- Manitou Road parcel. A voluntary public hearing, then planning commission review of the comprehensive plan amendment. Neither has a date yet.
- Dec. 8, 2026. Public hearing on the final 2027 budget and levy.
- 2027. New playgrounds installed at Deerfield and Meadowview.
- About mid-2027. The Memorial Park master plan, about a year after work began in spring 2026.
- Ponds Park and Fish Point Park. Both were stops on the 21-mile council bus tour on Oct. 13, which covered park improvements and future plans. The city's tour summary didn't describe the plans it discussed for either park.
The city hasn't published a list of which parks it might consolidate or sell. Briggs told the Chamber that future decisions on park land would be "among the most significant opportunities presented to the council." Until a list comes out, the council's agenda is where the next parcel will show up first, the way Shady Beach Trail and Manitou Road did on Sept. 22.
If you live near a park parcel and want to know how lot splits or new homes nearby could affect your property, Huerkamp Home Group can walk you through recent sales near you. Start with our Prior Lake neighborhood page or get your free market valuation.
