Jonathan, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Jonathan, Minnesota is a homeowners' association that is a remnant of a planned community
development within the city of Chaska, Minnesota
in Carver County. It was named for Jonathan Carver, for whom Carver County also is named. In 2008, it is the largest homeowners' association in the State of Minnesota, with 2,300 households. It was planned by the Jonathan Development Corporation and begun in 1967. It was the idea of Minnesota State Senator and real estate developer Henry T. McKnight. The planners chose a site outside the Twin Cities
urban area and Interstate 494
/694 belt line. The town site was centered on the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 41
and the Pacific Extension of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
.
In 1970, Jonathan became the first new town in the United States to receive a guarantee of financial assistance from federal government as part of Title IV of the Housing and Urban Development act of 1968
.
The development corporation folded in 1979, and Jonathan was annexed by the city of Chaska.
Between 2005 and 2007, a majority of the Jonathan board was supporting an effort to break up the group by allowing some neighborhoods to leave. In 2007 a new board was elected to keep the association together. In October 2007, the association voted to go to court for a declaratory judgment as to whether or not neighborhoods brought into the association after the 1979 demise of the Jonathan Development Corporation were annexed properly.
. Current Chaska city council member Robert J. ("Bob") Lindall was the president of the Jonathan Development Corporation from 1974 through 1979. Other board members included J. F. Deckenbach, Lewis Krohn, J. Kimball Whitney, Mandell L. Berman, Robert J. Dahlin, Ben C. Cunningham, Duane E. Joseph, and H. Richard Korsh.
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
development within the city of Chaska, Minnesota
Chaska, Minnesota
As of 2005, there were 22,467 people and 8,194 households residing in the city. The population density was 1,640 people per square mile . There were 6,235 housing units at an average density of 454.1 per square mile...
in Carver County. It was named for Jonathan Carver, for whom Carver County also is named. In 2008, it is the largest homeowners' association in the State of Minnesota, with 2,300 households. It was planned by the Jonathan Development Corporation and begun in 1967. It was the idea of Minnesota State Senator and real estate developer Henry T. McKnight. The planners chose a site outside the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
urban area and Interstate 494
Interstate 494
Interstate 494 is a loop route making up part of a beltway of Interstate 94, circling through the southern and western portions of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota...
/694 belt line. The town site was centered on the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 41
Minnesota State Highway 41
Minnesota State Highway 41 is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 169 in Jackson Township near Shakopee and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 7 in Shorewood....
and the Pacific Extension of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
.
History
A large single town center was envisioned to straddle the railway between McKnight Lake and Jonathan Lake, and have shops and higher density housing. Surrounding the center were to have been smaller villages. It was expected to have a total population of 50,000 by the 1980s.In 1970, Jonathan became the first new town in the United States to receive a guarantee of financial assistance from federal government as part of Title IV of the Housing and Urban Development act of 1968
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
.
The development corporation folded in 1979, and Jonathan was annexed by the city of Chaska.
Between 2005 and 2007, a majority of the Jonathan board was supporting an effort to break up the group by allowing some neighborhoods to leave. In 2007 a new board was elected to keep the association together. In October 2007, the association voted to go to court for a declaratory judgment as to whether or not neighborhoods brought into the association after the 1979 demise of the Jonathan Development Corporation were annexed properly.
Personnel
Minnesota State Senator and real estate developer Henry T. McKnight was the chief executive. Chaska resident Julius C. "Jules" Smith served as counsel during the development and now serves on the Metropolitan CouncilMetropolitan Council
The Metropolitan Council or Met Council is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area. The Met Council is granted regional authority powers in state statutes by the Minnesota Legislature. These powers...
. Current Chaska city council member Robert J. ("Bob") Lindall was the president of the Jonathan Development Corporation from 1974 through 1979. Other board members included J. F. Deckenbach, Lewis Krohn, J. Kimball Whitney, Mandell L. Berman, Robert J. Dahlin, Ben C. Cunningham, Duane E. Joseph, and H. Richard Korsh.
External links
- Chaska City Website
- Jonathan Association
- Executive Summary February 1970 (PDF of scanned typed document)