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Community profile: Edina

Note: This is one of a series of community profiles, intended to highlight issues faced by local governments as they begin the process of updating their comprehensive plans.

Lifecycle housing, redevelopment are key issues for this first-ring suburb

Edina is on the leading edge of a trend that will hit other suburbs in the near future — its population has aged in place. In fact, Edina has the largest percentage of people over age 65 of any community in the metro area, according to James Hovland, the city’s mayor.

“That’s not an accident,” Hovland said. “People love this community and want to stay where they’ve lived all their lives. Edina has kept a sense of the village that it once was.”

Creating new housing opportunities for that aging population is one of the city’s goals, said Cary Teague, Edina’s community development director. Like all first-ring suburbs, Edina faces the ongoing challenges of redevelopment — making better use of existing land that is now vacant or underused.

The city has been successful at redevelopment that mixes commercial and residential uses — Centennial Lakes and Edinborough are considered models — and Edina has other areas that are ripe for redevelopment. But not all redevelopment proposals have been met with open arms. With a lawsuit, residents recently succeeded in stopping a proposed condominium building at Centennial Lakes because of its height.

City addresses growing concern about traffic

Some people are also concerned about the potential for increased traffic with redevelopment projects, Teague said. As part of the current comprehensive plan update, the city is doing intensive traffic modeling to provide a baseline of data and help determine the impact that redevelopment proposed in the future will have on traffic volumes and flow in the city.

In July, the city released a draft of what’s called an Alternative Urban Area-wide Review (AUAR) for the 135-acre Gateway study area between Hwy. 100 and France Avenue, north of I-494. The draft AUAR found that road improvements and sanitary sewer upgrades would be needed for redevelopment. A Wayzata developer has expressed interest in building offices, a hotel and a range of housing choices there for older residents, Hovland said.

To slow the traffic speed and manage volume more effectively in the Galleria area, where a new Super Target and four-star Westin Hotel are under construction, the city this summer is installing three roundabouts on W. 70th St. between France and York Avenues.

Alternative modes of transportation are also being considered by Edina. In 2006, the city formed the Edina Bike Taskforce. The group’s mission is to develop a comprehensive bicycle plan for Edina that supports all levels of bicyclists, connects key destinations including safe routes to schools, and integrates with the Twin Cities’ regional bike network. The bike plan will be integrated into the city’s updated comprehensive plan.

Plan will include vision for Southdale area

The area around Southdale — the nation’s first enclosed shopping mall – is another focus of redevelopment for the city. The city will establish a vision for the area in the comprehensive plan. “We’d like to see it become more of a village where people live and work,” Hovland said, “and less of a concrete desert over time — more walkable and bikeable.”

Redevelopment can also impact existing residential neighborhoods, Teague said. Sometimes a developer will purchase a lot, raze the home and build something much bigger and out of scale with the nearby homes. The city has responded by tightening up its ordinance relating to side yard setbacks and foundation heights. “Our goal is to maintain the overall integrity of the neighborhoods,” Hovland said.

Teardowns of existing housing are making it more difficult to keep a stock of housing affordable to younger residents, Teague said. Edina has some workforce housing, but wants to expand its supply. The city works with developers of larger projects to ensure inclusion of some workforce housing.

City has low property tax rate

With its extensive commercial development, Edina is the fifth largest net contributor to the region’s fiscal disparities tax-sharing program. The city’s property tax rate is among the lowest in the metro area, according to Hovland. Helping to keep taxes down is the city’s monopoly on the liquor business. Edina runs the only three liquor stores in the city, adding more than $1 million annually to the city’s revenues.

Another plus for the Edina is “the tremendous medical response capabilities we have,” the mayor said. Wireless technology allows for quick transmission of medical data from city-run ambulances during an emergency. This means that when the patient arrives at Fairview Southdale Hospital, the cardiology team, for example, has already read the EKG administered by paramedics and is ready to respond.  

Citizens in Edina are highly involved in civic affairs, Hovland said. For example, the city received more than 30 applications for six positions on the newly formed Energy and Environment Commission. The commission is taking over the duties of the former Recycling and Solid Waste Commission, and adding to its portfolio:

• Examining and recommending best practices for energy conservation for residents and business.
• Examining and recommending changes in city purchases and operations to conserve energy.
• Educating the public about energy issues, reduction, conservation and other environmental issues.

Citizens engaged in plan update

By design, citizens have been very involved in the comprehensive plan update. During several listening sessions and an intergenerational dialogue, it became more apparent that a person’s age influences his or her expectations for the community, Teague said. Younger residents would like to see more emphasis in the plan on bike trails and making the city more walkable; some older residents don’t want sidewalks in front of their houses.

A recent survey of Edina residents showed high satisfaction with and support for the city’s 39 parks, Teague said. However, the survey confirmed what the city had heard in the listening sessions – many residents would like additional bikeways, pathways and trails. The city’s park board will use the survey results to make recommendations for the comprehensive plan.

Overall, change may be the biggest challenge — and opportunity — the city faces, Hovland said.

“No city has a right to a good future,” he said. “It’s something you have to work hard at to achieve. We’re a community that is now in transition to another level of maturation.”

More photos of Edina.

-- published August 2007 --