Breck School - A Long-Range Plan for the Future

A PUD (Planned Unit Development) is a tool that helps the City and neighbors understand how an institution like Breck plans to use its land over time. It covers things like building placement, parking, traffic flow, and green space. Breck’s current PUD was adopted many years ago — and now we’re updating it to reflect today’s needs and tomorrow’s goals.

The last neighborhood meeting was held on April 2, 2026, at Golden Valley City Hall. The next neighborhood meeting is not yet scheduled, but will be posted here when information becomes available.

April 2026 Update:

Breck is requesting an extension of the Preliminary PUD approval period to allow for continued coordination between the City, the school design team, and the Bassett Creek Watershed District, which is tentatively scheduled to be heard on June 2, 2026, at the City Council meeting. Since the Preliminary PUD approval was granted, Breck is continuing to further evaluate site design, stormwater management, and is also integrating an additional property acquisition along Lilac Drive into the comprehensive site plan. The additional time will allow Breck to seek approval of the Final PUD in Fall of 2026, with anticipated construction kick-off in Summer of 2027. Breck believes that the additional time will result in a stronger overall project, better integration with City and Watershed District objectives, and a more efficient construction process once work begins.

March 2026 Update:

In January 2026, the City of Golden Valley approved Breck’s preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD) application. Breck has now submitted an application for final approval of this PUD application. As part of this process, we invite you to a neighborhood meeting to continue our conversation about these plans. The PUD guides how our property is used and improved. The final PUD plans align with our 2050 Comprehensive Site Plan and with the preliminary plan approved by the City.

Next Neighborhood Meeting

April 2, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.

Golden Valley City Hall: Council Conference Room (7800 Golden Valley Road)

January 2026 Update: Moving Forward Together

We are pleased to share that our 2050 Comprehensive Site Plan has reached a significant milestone in the city’s approval process. Following months of collaborative work and community dialogue, the Golden Valley Planning Commission reviewed our application at their December 8 meeting and recommended the plan for approval.

Next Steps: City Council Review

The project will now move to the Golden Valley City Council for formal consideration. The Council will review the Preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Preliminary Plat, which outline the long-term vision for our campus infrastructure, including stormwater management, middle school reconstruction, and athletic facility improvements.

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Neighbors

As we reach this stage, we want to extend an immense note of gratitude to our North Tyrol Hills neighbors and the broader Golden Valley community. Since our first neighborhood meetings in May 2025, your feedback has been instrumental in shaping this vision. Whether you attended a traffic-focused session, joined us for a site walk, or sent us your questions, your input has helped us create a plan that better serves both our students and our shared neighborhood.

We remain committed to this spirit of "good listening" as we move into the next phases of planning and eventual construction.

June 2025 Update:

• Breck hired consultants including traffic engineers, architects, wetland specialists and civil engineers to advise and consult on how Breck can make improvements to its campus within the confines of both the City Code and neighborhood expectations.   
• On June 24th, the City’s Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) will be on campus to review the wetlands on site. The TEP is a panel of wetland professionals that determine whether a wetland requires protection or can be replaced or filled. The TEP ensures compliance with the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act.  
• Further engineering and design work can continue after the TEP panel has made its decision. The site plan will be updated at that time. 

   

May 2025 Update

Changing a PUD requires two steps: approval of a preliminary development plan and approval of a final development plan. At this time, Breck has not prepared or submitted a preliminary development plan application to Golden Valley. Breck has hired consultants including traffic engineers, architects, wetland specialists and civil engineers to advise and consult on how Breck can make improvements to its campus within the confines of both the City Code and neighborhood impacts. When Breck submits a preliminary development plan, the school and the City will call a neighborhood meeting to be held at City Hall. We will post that application here once submitted. The City will set a public hearing for Breck’s future application at the Planning Commission who will make a recommendation to the City Council. Mailed notice will be provided by the City for these meetings. Please reach out to Breck staff or the City with any questions about this process. 

A key focus of our planning is to improve the safety and efficiency of how cars, buses, bikes, and pedestrians move through and around campus. A traffic study, prepared by SEH, a third party engineering consultant, is currently underway.  In March and April of 2025, SEH collected data on parking, number of cars and vehicle speeds both on campus and within the surrounding neighborhood. SEH will use that data to make recommendations on daily operations and physical improvements to campus that can benefit the neighborhood as well as faculty, staff and students. SEH is preparing recommendations based on the data collected and neighborhood feedback received on May 27th. 

Preliminary recommendations will be shared with the neighborhood prior to PUD application submission.   Please attend our traffic-focused neighborhood meetings to learn more, provide feedback and ask questions. 

Thanks for your interest! We appreciated the opportunity to hear from many of our most impacted neighbors earlier this spring. This website will be updated with additional engagement opportunities, city meeting dates, and information as the project progresses. We are committed to listening and responding as the process continues.  For now, please join us at our summer meetings focused on park improvements and traffic control plans. 

Contact information for City of Golden Valley Staff
Planning: Chloe McGuire: cmcguire@goldenvalleymn.gov 
City Engineer: Michael Ryan: mryan@goldenvalleymn.gov

Yes. After the neighborhood meeting in May, Breck met with its consultants and design team. The most significant change to the plans so far is to ensure that there is a softball field located on Breck property. Breck is still interested in partnering with the neighborhood to consider investments in Natchez Park.
Breck is continuing design work with its traffic engineering team and hopes to have additional plans to present on the traffic study and proposed mitigation strategies this summer. 

For more details, please visit the PUD application in the "Where are we in this process" tab.

We heard the neighborhood clearly — there is broad concern about structured athletic use of the public park space. In response, we are now exploring options to relocate the softball field onto Breck Property. 

Our design team is reviewing space, access, grading, and water management to identify a suitable on-site alternative. This approach respects neighbor input while still meeting the school’s athletic needs and provides an opportunity for collaborative investment in park improvements, guided by neighborhood priorities. Please attend our park- specific engagement meetings or reach out to the Breck team to provide additional feedback or comments. 
 

Changing a PUD requires two steps: approval of a preliminary development plan and approval of a final development plan. At this time, Breck has not prepared or submitted a preliminary development plan application to Golden Valley. Breck has hired consultants including traffic engineers, architects, wetland specialists and civil engineers to advise and consult on how Breck can make improvements to its campus within the confines of both the City Code and neighborhood impacts. 

When Breck submits a preliminary development plan, the school and the City will call a neighborhood meeting to be held at City Hall. We will post that application here once submitted. The City will set a public hearing for Breck’s future application at the Planning Commission who will make a recommendation to the City Council. Mailed notice will be provided by the City for these meetings. Please reach out to Breck staff or the City with any questions about this process. 
 

The last neighborhood meeting was held on April 2, 2026, at Golden Valley City Hall. The next neighborhood meeting is not yet scheduled, but will be posted here when information becomes available. 

Contact for more information:

Jacquelyn Kramer, Senior Planner, City of Golden Valley
763-593-3987
jkramer@goldenvalleymn.gov

Mike Thorson, Director of Facilities, Breck School
763- 381-8100
mike.thorson@breckschool.org

Stay Connected
Please continue to check the website for updates and share this information with your neighbors who may want to get involved. If you have questions or would like to schedule a one-on-one conversation, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Breck parents/caregivers and students are asked to follow the guidance in this video for how to navigate Breck's car line.