About Us

The Jonathan Association is a community of members within Chaska of over 2,300 homes and made up of 8,000 people. As the largest homeowners’ association in Minnesota, the association has partnered with FirstService Residential Property Management to manage day to day operations. Furthermore, the association is governed by nine volunteer board members who meet the third Tuesday of every month at the Karen House – the headquarters of the association and a site with tremendous amount of historical significance.

Each year, members pay annual dues to cover items including, but not limited to:

1. Spring/Fall Yard Waste Clean-ups

2. Trail Maintenance

3. Tree Maintenance and Removal

4. Mail Station Maintenance/Snow Removal

5. Semi-Annual Newsletter

6. Free Community Events

• Annual Festival of Garage Sales

• July 4th Celebration

• National Night Out

• Cocoa and Coasting Family Sledding Event

Made up of twelve neighborhoods, The Association also enforces architectural guidelines to preserve the look and feel of our developers’ original design intent. The Jonathan Silo is our flagship entrance into the association, which was recently given a new facelift and design.

The Jonathan Association is committed to upholding a unique history, offering a beautiful space for families, and supporting a vibrant community life. The Association’s history began with the New Town movement of the 1960s. The founder, Minnesota State Senator Henry McKnight, envisioned a stand-alone community of 50,000 where residents could work, live and play. Following McKnight’s unfortunate, untimely death, financial woes challenged the vision. Decades later, the community lives on in The Jonathan Association. And McKnight’s Vision is very much at the root of everything we do.

Over the last ten years, the board of directors has worked strategically to improve the association’s financial position, to improve and maintain common elements, and to foster a sense of community. This has been the underlying mission aimed at positioning The Association for future sustainability – something important to the lives of our members. A foundation for sustainable progress is crucial to our long-term objectives.

Today, the Jonathan Association continues to reinforce McKnight’s vision while adapting to the needs of members. Through professional property management, leadership from a board of directors, and a keen sense of focus on strategic planning, the association aims to enhance the lives of every one of its 8,000 members.

History

Jonathan’s fascinating history begins with the New Town movement of the 1960s. Jonathan founder, Minnesota state senator Henry McKnight, originally envisioned a stand-alone community of 50,000 where residents could work, live and play. The Jonathan Development Corporation faced financial woes and dissolved in the late 1970s, following McKnight’s untimely death, but the community lives on in the Jonathan Association.

To this day, Jonathan embodies an evolving vision of livable, sustainable communities. Many features that we take for granted–open space, walking paths, network technology connecting residents–were visionary when Jonathan was founded. Jonathan was also a site for architectural innovation, including Ralph Rapson’s “Red Cedar House.” Over the years, Jonathan has been the birthplace of events such as the Renaissance Festival and the “Little Dance in Chaska” Powwow, and served as charter sponsor of Boy Scout Troop 589 for nearly 40 years.

You can read more about important people and places in Jonathan’s development and view a variety of historical documents here.