At his State of the City address Thursday evening, Mayor Andrew Mullin announced that the Wayzata City Council has selected Aurora Yager as the city’s next City Manager.
“Earlier this week with the city council, and the vital support of our designated community and employee panels met with our finalists, and after this rigorous process I am proud to announce that Aurora Yager has been selected as our next city manager,” Mullin said to a round of applause.
After the applause subsided, Mullin added with a smile, “Thank you Aurora, for good or bad, we will be partners in crime for the next several years.”
The appointment follows a national search process that drew more than 30 applicants. The City Council reviewed nine semi-finalists before narrowing the field to three finalists, each of whom participated in multiple rounds of interviews involving councilmembers, senior staff, and community representatives.
Yager, who has served as Interim City Manager since October 2025 and previously as Deputy City Manager since 2019, ultimately emerged as the council’s choice .
In her role as Deputy City Manager, Yager served as Director of the Administration Department with oversight of Finance, Human Resources, Communications, and DMV services. She partnered closely with the City Manager and City Council to advance strategic priorities and organizational performance .
Her portfolio has included leading Wayzata’s annual budget process for an approximately $23 million consolidated budget and overseeing updates to the city’s 10-year, $47 million Capital Improvement Plan. She has also directed debt issuance processes and led bond rating calls to maintain the city’s AAA bond rating .
Yager has supervised department heads and administrative staff while supporting the management of roughly 175 employees citywide . Her work has included negotiations on collective bargaining agreements, long-range financial forecasting, and implementation of strategic initiatives such as the city’s first Quality of Life Community Survey .
Before joining Wayzata, Yager served as Assistant City Administrator in Howard Lake, where she managed public works operations along with finance, HR, and communications functions . She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Kansas.
Reached by email Friday morning, Yager shared the following statement:
“I am truly honored to continue serving the Wayzata community as its next City Manager. Over the past six years as Deputy City Manager, I have developed a deep appreciation for Wayzata’s strong sense of community, its outstanding City staff, and its dedicated City Council. I am grateful for the opportunity to help lead Wayzata into its next chapter.”
Having observed a portion of the finalist interviews firsthand, it was clear Yager brought both command of operational detail and a steady, composed presence to the process. Her familiarity with Wayzata’s ongoing initiatives and institutional knowledge stood out during questioning.
With the council’s selection now formalized, Yager transitions from interim leadership into the permanent role as the city continues navigating major development discussions, infrastructure planning, and long-term strategic priorities.
Stay tuned for more on the State of the City Address from Mayor Andrew Mullin.
The Wayzata Lions’ annual waffle breakfast at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church drew a strong crowd Saturday morning, with neighbors lining up for hot waffles, coffee, and conversation.
Photos from the event show a full gymnasium, busy volunteers behind the griddles, and families gathered at tables throughout the morning — a clear sign the longtime fundraiser was both well attended and warmly received.
Lion Tim Anderson said, “We had a great time at the Wayzata Lions annual waffle breakfast. Thanks for coming out!”
Organizers called the event a success, with proceeds staying in the local community.
WAYZATA — The Wayzata City Council voted 4–1 to approve Resolution 12-2026, advancing a planned unit development (PUD) general plan and preliminary plan for the Walser project at 1022 and 1042 Wayzata Boulevard East — the site currently occupied by Mulberry’s and a long-vacant former gas station parcel.
The action approved a package of requests that included a PUD general plan, preliminary plat and plan, five variances, and two design deviations. Several council members emphasized that the project’s next step — the final development agreement and final PUD documents — will carry added scrutiny and will be the mechanism for putting operational “guardrails” in writing.
“This site doesn’t lend itself to really that,” Council Member Ken Sorenson said, referring to higher-traffic retail uses the corridor often seeks. “I think the real critical issue on the site is access. And it begs for a low amount of traffic.” He added that the “real key issue” now is “making sure [the] development agreement [is] as specific as possible in the operation of [the] facility… if it really does operate like it’s being presented it’s a good use of the site but the concern is it kind of over time they move into something a little bit different.”
A Challenging Site With a New Proposal
City staff described the redevelopment as a full reset of the two-parcel site — demolition of the remaining dry cleaner building, combined parcel planning, and a new commercial building intended for boutique luxury auto sales and service.
Council discussion repeatedly returned to the location’s physical constraints: the unusual access patterns, the proximity to homes and apartments, and the legacy layout of curb cuts and grades.
Mayor Andrew Mullin noted he tried to pin down the timeline of the former station’s closure while reviewing the record. “I couldn’t identify exactly when the gas station had closed,” he said. “I can give you personal reference on when the gas station closed in 2010 or 2009… But the gas station had closed before I made that move.”
Walkability and the Sidewalk Buffer
One of the evening’s clearest points of alignment was the desire to improve walkability along Wayzata Boulevard East — and to use this redevelopment to move the corridor closer to the city’s long-term vision.
Council Member Alex Plechash said he was glad the plan no longer tried to “wrap a Lamborghini dealership around the dry cleaner,” which he said was the reason he opposed an earlier round. “It just didn’t make sense to me,” he said. “So I’m really happy that that result.”
Plechash also referenced the corridor’s design standards and the future the city has tried to shape. “We had this vision of Wayzata… 10, 20, 30 years from now,” he said. “And one feature of that was walkability and setback from the road which was a safety and aesthetic.”
Mayor Mullin said he appreciated the applicant’s willingness to adjust the sidewalk configuration to support that direction. “The willingness to partner with us on a change in how the sidewalk is configured for that buffer… now that you understand the context of kind of the migration that we’re trying to make over time all along the corridor,” he said.
The final motion to approve included an added condition aimed at a buffered sidewalk with standard trees and a public-private approach as the project proceeds into the final development agreement.
Setback and Residential Edges Remain a Flashpoint
The project’s most consistent tension point was how tightly some site elements sit near residential neighbors — particularly the parking setback and the overall feel of a commercial use pressing up against homes and apartments.
Council Member Molly MacDonald said neighborhood support weighed heavily in her decision, even as she remained uneasy about the project’s proximity to residences.
“The neighborhood support really weighed heavily on me,” MacDonald said. “Even with my own resistance to this idea, the neighbors supporting it is more important than my personal opinion.”
Still, she described lingering discomfort with the setback. “Our neighborhoods are… what makes Wayzata so special,” she said. “And having a commercial business so close to a residential neighborhood… I don’t love that idea.”
MacDonald pointed to the fence improvements but said she wished setbacks had been treated as non-negotiable. “The fence and the capacity of the fence is a really, really nice thing to do,” she said. “But I think it would have been a wonderful addition to abiding by the setbacks for the residents.”
She also noted the building’s growth from earlier iterations. “The building grew a thousand square feet,” she said. “So perhaps it could go back to its original size and then we would still be protected.”
MacDonald also asked the applicant to provide real-world benchmarks — test drives, appointments, and service volume — from other boutique Lamborghini dealerships. Walser responded that comparable stores are private businesses and often aren’t willing to share internal metrics, and said some of those operations don’t track test-drive counts in a way that produces clear monthly figures, which kept the discussion focused on writing enforceable operational limits into the development agreement.
Support from Nearby Neighbors
Two speakers spoke in support during public comment, including Gordy Straka, who urged the council to weigh existing noise and enforcement realities along the corridor.
“They’ve been really good to deal with,” Straka said of the applicant team. On concerns about engine noise, he added: “this noise thing, everybody concerned about it, it’s ridiculous… If you’ve got a law, let’s enforce it.”
Straka also argued the proposed use is preferable to other high-traffic concepts the city has seen. “And we’re all in favor of this because it should be a little volume than what the last thing you proposed with a drive-through coffee,” he said.
A second supportive speaker, Greg Hoglund — an owner of the adjacent apartment building — told the council he and his wife support the project despite being among the closest impacted neighbors.
“Normally the person next to the development is opposed to it,” he said. “I and my wife are in favor of it, okay?”
He said stormwater and drainage have been longstanding problems. “There is probably 50 years of water damage,” he said. “Number one, you’re gonna fix your water problem for a lot of residents. That is a big thing.”
He also credited the applicant’s outreach. “They have been extremely collaborative and open-minded and willing to work with us,” he said, calling it “the opposite of any developer I’ve ever dealt with living next to it.”
Future Use Guardrails and the Development Agreement
Even with approval, multiple council members stressed that the development agreement must be precise about what the business is — and what it cannot become later.
Mayor Mullin said he shared concerns about “unintended consequences for a future user.”
“We wouldn’t want unintended consequences of somebody picking up this for a car use that is different than what we intended in terms of boutique sales,” he said.
Mullin said his comfort level increased if the operation is lower-intensity than past or current uses. “What gave me some comfort is if the use is lower than the existing dry cleaner,” he said, adding that the city wants “parameters in that development agreement that prevent future change… because it runs in the land.”
Council Member Dan Koch said he viewed the proposal as a quieter option than some past ideas. “I think this is a much better use,” he said. “I think it will be quieter… as good of a use for this property with traffic and noise as we can get.”
What Happens Next
While the council approved the PUD general plan and preliminary plan, staff and council made clear that additional actions remain ahead, including final PUD documents and a development agreement intended to incorporate the council’s operational conditions and the updated sidewalk-buffer concept.
Council members signaled that future review will focus on ensuring the final language matches the intent expressed during the meeting — particularly around residential edges, walkability and the long-term limits on how the site can be used.
As Sorenson put it, the project can be a fit — but only if it stays true to what’s being presented now. “If it really does operate like it’s being presented it’s a good use of the site,” he said.
“Bode McConnell’s puck-bouncing, crossbar straddling goal sparked the Edina boys hockey team to a 3-1 win over Wayzata in the Section 6AA final. McConnell’s went on to score the next two goals, including an empty-netter in the third to help the Hornets beat the Trojans for a fourth straight time in the 6AA title game. Eli Molde’s goal put Wayzata on top in the first period. McConnell’s two goals in the second were just a minute and nine seconds apart from each other. Edina will advance to the Class AA state tournament. Wayzata finishes its season with a 14-12-2 record.” via CCX Media.
The Wayzata City Council voted 4–1 this week to grant a four-month extension for a proposed 40-unit senior living and memory care facility at 1405 Holdridge Terrace and 15419 and 15429 Wayzata Boulevard East.
The project, brought forward by Carecliff LLC and previously marketed under the name Cantissimo and later Harbors, sits along the northeastern edge of the city near the Minnetonka border. The 2.49-acre site was formerly single-family residential and has since been reguided and rezoned for institutional use.
A Project Years in the Making
City staff walked councilmembers through the timeline:
February 2022 – PUD concept plan approved
March 2023 – PUD general plan, variance, rezoning and reguiding approved
February 2024 – First one-year extension granted
April 2024 – Development agreement and final PUD plan approved
March 2025 – Second one-year extension granted
The current request was for an additional one-year extension through March 2027. According to staff, the applicant cited financing challenges and assembling project partners as the primary reasons for delay.
Notably, the rezoning and reguiding of the property remain in place regardless of the extension vote. The action before council applied only to the Planned Unit Development (PUD), variance approvals, and development agreement.
Council Questions Precedent and Viability
Several councilmembers expressed concern about granting what would effectively be a third extension of the PUD approvals.
While acknowledging broader macroeconomic financing challenges affecting development across the region, councilmembers said they were seeking more specificity. The applicant did not attend the meeting, and discussion reflected frustration over the absence of direct answers.
Some councilmembers emphasized compassion in light of reported health issues affecting the development team. Others cautioned against establishing precedent that projects can remain in limbo without clear forward momentum.
Council discussion centered on three themes:
Whether financing difficulties alone justified another year-long extension
The importance of developer communication and presence
Avoiding an open-ended cycle of extensions without demonstrated progress
Councilmember Alex Plechash voted against any extension, citing concern that the developer did not appear to answer questions.
A Compromise: Four Months
Rather than deny the request outright — which would have forced the applicant to restart the PUD and variance process entirely — the council opted for a shortened extension of approximately 120 days, expiring July 5, 2026.
The intent, according to discussion, was to provide a bridge period allowing the applicant to return with clearer information and demonstrate viability, without granting another full year automatically.
The modified resolution passed 4–1.
What Happens Next
If the applicant returns within the four-month window and provides additional details on next steps, the council could consider a longer extension at that time.
If no action is taken before the July deadline, the PUD and variance approvals would lapse, requiring a full reapplication process. The underlying institutional zoning designation would remain intact.
A Broader Context
Senior housing remains a critical component of regional planning discussions, particularly in communities like Wayzata with aging populations and limited land availability. At the same time, the city has historically approached PUD extensions cautiously to balance flexibility with predictability.
For now, the Holdridge Terrace proposal remains alive — but on a shorter timeline and with a clear signal from council: more clarity is needed before any longer runway is granted.
“For a fourth straight year, it’ll be Wayzata and Edina facing off in the Section 6AA boys hockey final. The Trojans are coming off a massive 5-2 upset over Rogers in the 6AA semifinals. The Royals were ranked first in the state in Class AA and hadn’t lost since early December. Edina and Wayzata split their regular season matchups with both teams winning at home. Puck drop for the Section 6AA final is at 6:00 PM on Wednesday night at Ridder Arena.” via CCX Media.
A heavy snowfall swept across the north side of Wayzata High School last evening, softening the brick and glass under a steady swirl of white.
What stood out most wasn’t just the storm — it was the light. Dozens of windows glowed warmly against the dark sky, a bit of a surprise on a snowy night. Inside, the gyms were still humming with practices, the steady rhythm of winter sports carrying on despite the weather.
Outside, fresh drifts covered the lot in silence. Just another installment in our recurring series: Scene in Wayzata.
Wayzata High School High Kick team. Submitted photo / Wayzata Trojet Dance Team Facebook page.
The Wayzata High School High Kick team capped off an exceptional season by placing 3rd in the 2026 Class AAA State Tournament, adding to its résumé as Conference Champions and Section Champions.
Wayzata High School High Kick team. Submitted photo / Wayzata Trojet Dance Team Facebook page.
Beyond the podium finish, the Trojans also demonstrated excellence in the classroom. The team received a Gold Team Academic Award from the Minnesota Association of Dance Team Coaches (@madtcoaches) for posting an impressive 3.84 cumulative GPA.
Four seniors earned Academic All-State honors, each maintaining a personal GPA above 3.85: Katie Anderson, Libby Bruns, Makenna Pawlowski, and Ella Schlecht.
Wayzata High School High Kick team. Submitted photo / Wayzata Trojet Dance Team Facebook page.
On the performance floor, seniors Katie Anderson and Makenna Pawlowski were inducted into the 2026 Class AAA High Kick All-Tournament Team, recognizing their standout contributions at state.
In Wayzata, championships matter — but so does character. This year’s High Kick team proved it can do both.
The Wayzata Lions Club will host its annual community waffle breakfast event on Saturday, February 21, 2026, welcoming neighbors for a warm winter tradition that supports local needs.
The breakfast will be served from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at St. Bartholomew Church, located at 630 E. Wayzata Boulevard.
Tickets are $10 per person, with children five and under free. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance by contacting Pat Moran at (612) 799-7884.
All proceeds from the event remain in the Wayzata community and benefit local residents in need through the charitable work of the Wayzata Lions.
Event Details
What: Wayzata Lions Waffle Breakfast
When: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Time: 8:30–11:30 a.m.
Where: St. Bartholomew Church narthex, 630 E. Wayzata Blvd.
WAYZATA — The City of Wayzata has announced three finalists in its search for the community’s next City Manager: Andrew Letson, Charlie Miner, and Aurora Yager.
The finalists were selected by the Wayzata City Council from a pool of five semi-finalists through an executive search conducted by MGT Impact Solutions.
Selecting a city manager is among the most consequential responsibilities of the council in Wayzata’s council-manager form of government. The city manager serves as the chief administrative officer, overseeing day-to-day operations, implementing council policy, managing staff, and guiding long-term financial and operational planning.
The three finalists bring varied public sector backgrounds spanning county administration, municipal leadership, law enforcement, and higher education.
Andrew Letson
Andrew Letson currently serves as County Administrator for Meeker County, Minnesota (population 23,400), where he oversees 215 employees and a $46 million budget.
Letson brings more than 15 years of experience in local government. Prior to his county role, he served as Public Works Director for the Village of Lincolnwood, Illinois.
He holds a Master of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration/Policy Analysis and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Letson also previously served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
Charlie Miner
Charlie Miner currently serves as Mayor of Long Lake, Minnesota (population 1,900), and works as a Professional Services Specialist for Lexipol, a national provider of online policy manuals for government agencies.
Miner brings more than 30 years of public sector experience. He previously served as a police officer before advancing into progressive leadership roles at the University of Minnesota. As Deputy Chief of Police (Administration), he oversaw approximately 300 staff members and a $9 million budget.
Miner holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and Law Enforcement from Minnesota State University–Mankato.
Aurora Yager
Aurora Yager currently serves as Interim City Manager for Wayzata (population 4,400), a role she assumed following the departure of former City Manager Jeff Dahl in July 2025. Yager has served as Wayzata’s Deputy City Manager since 2019, overseeing the Department of Administration.
Wayzata employs approximately 175 staff members and operates with a $23 million budget.
Yager brings 10 years of local government experience, previously serving as Assistant City Administrator for Howard Lake and earlier as an Administrative Intern for Eden Prairie.
She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Social Welfare from the University of Kansas.
Public Interviews Set for February 24
Finalist interviews will take place Tuesday, February 24, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Wayzata City Hall and the Wayzata Library.
Three interview panels will participate in the final selection process:
The Wayzata City Council
The Staff Leadership Team
Invited community members representing city commissions, boards, the business community, and residents
The interviews are open to the public to observe in person. A detailed schedule will be included in the February 24 City Council agenda packet.
Former City Manager Jeff Dahl served Wayzata for more than nine years before accepting the position of City Administrator for Woodbury, Minnesota, in July 2025.
The council is expected to continue its deliberations following the February 24 interviews.
You must be logged in to post a comment.