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HomeMy WebLinkAbout000b Executive Summary 12-31-19 i Executive Summary Why plan? Some ask “Why bother to predict the future?” However, when a community prepares a Comprehensive Plan, it is not trying to predict the future – the distant future in particular. Through comprehensive planning, a community examines trends, challenges, and opportunities, studies the potential forces of change from within their community and from without, and contemplates possible futures. Through these activities a community can prepare for what may come to pass. By building on its vision and values, a community can also decide what kind of future looks best and steer itself in that direction. Minnesota State law requires that cities’ comprehensive plans must be updated at least once every ten (10) years. This Comprehensive Plan fulfills the City’s responsibilities in growth management as required by the Metropolitan Land Planning Act (Section 462.355, Subds. 4, 473.175 and 473.851 to 473.871) and ensures consistency with and support of Thrive MSP 2040, which documents the Metropolitan Council’s vision for the Twin Cities metropolitan region over the next 30 years. Thrive MSP 2040 anticipates future needs in the region and identifies each community’s role and responsibility in bringing the region’s vision to life. Purpose of the Comprehensive Plan: Making the Right Choices The Edina Comprehensive Plan is designed as a framework for guiding future development, redevelopment, and community enhancement. By integrating social, physical, economic, and broader environmental perspectives into the community’s decision-making, the Comprehensive Plan provides direction to matters that can improve the everyday lives of residents, workforce, and visitors. It is a guide for making the right choices to shape Edina’s collective potential future growth, to protect what Edina values, and to create an even more attractive, sustainable, and welcoming Edina. The Edina Comprehensive Plan lays out a unified “big picture” for seeing connections and understanding the consequences of our choices. This plan was developed around a strategy that recognizes that most of the community is fully-developed. Therefore, growth, redevelopment, and public investments are directed to neighborhood nodes through Small Area Plans for Wooddale/Valley View, 44th and France, 50th and France, 70th and Cahill, and in the City’s southeast quadrant with the Greater Southdale District Plan. This strategy to focus growth preserves the integrity of single-family and low-density neighborhoods, makes good use of existing infrastructure capacity and planned improvements, and encourages Edina’s Vision Statement Edina holds a well-earned reputation as a city of choice. It is a model of successful mature, and progressive urban community that strives to lead in a modern and evolving world. We maintain our heritage and attractiveness, and afford our residents the highest quality of life, while actively embracing the future. Edina’s defining features: • Inclusive and Connected • Built-to-Scale Development • Sustainable Environment • A Community of Learning • Future-Oriented Source: City of Edina: Strategic Vision and Framework (May, 2015) Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 ii efficiency in new infrastructure investments in streets, sidewalks, transit lines, water and sewer lines, stormwater management, and parks. Plan Development During 2017 and 2018, City of Edina Comprehensive Plan Task Force (CPTF) of the Planning Commission led a work program that organized the City’s other commissions in a collaborative effort with City staff and a team of professional consultants to examine and update the various topical chapters of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, consider current and future issues, and propose new directions where appropriate and warranted. The planning process was initiated in April, 2017 with two workshops. The first workshop, conducted over two days, was “Bridging Between Vision and Planning. During the first day, participants reaffirmed findings from “Vision Edina,” a city-wide visioning document completed in 2015 and identified “Big Ideas” that should be considered in the development of the Comprehensive Plan. The second day was focused on mapping the “Big Ideas. In early May, another workshop, “Comprehensive Planning 101” was sponsored by the Comprehensive Plan Task Force for all City Commissions. A Community Kick-Off Meeting was held in mid-May, 2017 to officially begin work on the Comprehensive Plan. Through dozens and dozens of meetings and work sessions, resident and business Work Groups led the preparation of each of the draft neighborhood node Small Area Plans and the District Plan for Greater Southdale, with those processes also including public open houses for review and comment. Throughout this process, over 170 meetings, workshops, and open houses were held. Plan Organization The Edina Comprehensive Plan is designed: (1) to be a readable and functional decision-making framework to guide future growth and change in Edina and (2) to fulfill Edina’s regional responsibilities for land use, housing, transportation, water resources, and regional parks and trails. Edina: A Community of Learning An additional focus of Edina’s local planning is “EDUCATION.” This element of life in Edina has long served as a major attraction for families who decide to move to the community, and the quality and achievement levels of Edina’s public schools are second to none in the State of Minnesota. But the Planning Commission has asked, “Why should high quality education be limited to the public schools? Shouldn’t education be woven into the fabric of the community in as many ways as possible; in artistic and cultural expressions, in the parks, in public infrastructure, in community gatherings, in community health, in policing, in heritage preservation, etc.?” Thus, goals, policies, and implementation steps presented in this plan update place an emphasis on information demonstrations, exhibitions, sharing, Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 iii communication, and expanding residents’ awareness . . . all in an effort to ensure that learning extends beyond formal classroom settings. Each chapter of the plan that discusses the thirteen (13) substantive resource areas (e.g., land use, housing, arts and culture, transportation, economic development, water resources, etc.) includes examples of how EDUCATION and the benefits of learning can be extended across generations and into the fabric of the community This plan is organized into these basic components: 1. An Executive Summary 2. Chapter 1: Introduction and Vision which makes the connection between the previous 2008 Comprehensive Plan, other “foundation documents” such as Vision 2015, Parks, Recreation, and Trails Strategic Plan, Living Streets Plan, and Affordable Housing Policy. The public engagement process is also described in more detail. 3. Topical chapters (2-14), each of which describes existing conditions/context, explores trends, challenges, and opportunities, and formulates goals and policies to achieve Edina’s vision. • Chapter 2 Community Profile • Chapter 3 Land Use and Community Design • Chapter 4 Housing • Chapter 5 Transportation • Chapter 6 Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources • Chapter 7 Water Resources • Chapter 8 Energy and Environment • Chapter 9 Community Services and Facilities • Chapter 10 Economic Competitiveness and Economic Development • Chapter 11 Human Rights and Relations • Chapter 12 Health • Chapter 13 Heritage Preservation • Chapter 14 Arts and Culture 4. Chapter 15: Implementation which contains the (1) recommended actions and activities that emanate from the goals and policies, (2) timelines, (3) and roles and responsibilities for the various departments and agencies designated to carry out the actions and activities. Small Area Plans are incorporated by reference into the Comprehensive Plan: • Wooddale / Valley View Small Area Plan • Small Area Plan for 44th and France Neighborhood Node • Small Area Plan for 50th and France Neighborhood Node • Small Area Plan for 70th and Cahill Neighborhood Node • Greater Southdale District Plan Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 iv Chapter Highlights Chapter 2: Community Profile provides data trends and future projections of basic demographic elements including population, housing, and employment. The intent is to provide context that will inform both the vision for growth in the community, and the recommended direction for policy. • The City of Edina is expected to continue to grow in population, households, and jobs. • Demographic trends such as an increase in children, as well as the overall aging of the population, will shape the future of the city. • The population is still fairly racially homogenous and affluent, but is steadily becoming more diverse, particularly with newer and younger residents. • Edina’s population is older than the state overall, with more than one third of Edina households including at least one older adult. • Edina’s median household income is well above metro and state averages. • Household sizes are declining overall, but there is evidence of the appeal of Edina to families with school aged children, with a large share of married couple families and one or both parents less likely to be working outside the home. • The housing stock continues to diversify over time, though housing affordability remains a consistent challenge, especially for first time homeowners and seniors, due to very high land values. • Edina retains its role as a regional employment destination, building on its centralized location and established economic base. Chapter 3: Land Use and Community Design provides not only guidance for land use and development within the city, but some of the organizing principles for the city itself. This chapter also provides guidance for the character, scale, and built form of development. • The land use vision for the City of Edina will guide the future distribution, mix, and intensity of uses to optimize the current and future vitality and livability of the community. • The biggest land use changes in the city will be in targeted areas of change – including those identified through the small area planning processes. These places are potential opportunities for shifts in uses and intensities, supporting larger community goals. Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 v • While much of the city’s land area will not be targeted for change, it will not remain static or frozen in time. Continued investments in these primarily single-family areas are needed to maintain and update aging buildings and infrastructure to meet the needs of the people and businesses that use them. • Overall community character and livability are greatly valued in Edina. There will be a continual need to balance protecting what is valued and responding to needed and ongoing changes. • Land use bears a close and vital relationship to public infrastructure, utilities, and services. The City will need to plan and invest responsibly in these systems – both to maintain existing facilities and to provide new ones in response to changing and expanding needs. This is addressed in more depth in other chapters. • Sustainability is an important value throughout this plan. In terms of land use, it has implications from the small scale (e.g. how buildings are constructed and maintained) to citywide (e.g. responsible use of resources, preparing a community to respond to climate change). This is addressed in more depth in other chapters. Chapter 4: Housing provides an overview of (1) existing housing conditions, (2) trends and challenges related to housing, (3) discussion of future housing needs including the need for affordability, (4) goals and policies, and (5) an implementation plan. • The housing vision for Edina will guide policies related to housing affordability, choice, quality, and community context. • Affordability will remain a central issue and challenge for Edina in the coming years as it seeks to provide a range of housing options to meet the needs of Edina residents at all life stages and income levels. • The City of Edina has taken proactive steps regarding affordability via its Housing Succession Plan and the subsequent adoption of its Affordable Housing Policy, but evaluation is needed to determine if this is sufficient. • Changing needs and preferences in Edina regarding housing type, size, style, and location will have Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 vi implications both in areas of change and areas of stability citywide. • Interactions between housing and other community elements (including schools, employers, transportation, parks, retail and services, etc.) are critical to the long-term sustainability of the community. • Safe, secure, and affordable housing is essential to the healthy development of individuals, families, businesses, and communities. The City of Edina recognizes the need to provide affordable housing to a broad range of people who live, work and attend school here. It serves to preserve, create, and maintain an equitable community that promotes racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. • Diversity of housing is essential to the creation of innovative and sustainable communities that will succeed in a rapidly changing society. • Affordable housing is also a region-wide issue of vitality and sustainability. Regional vitality depends upon all municipalities, including Edina, providing their fair share of affordable housing. Chapter 5: Transportation discusses the transporta- tion network, its existing and planned future design, function, and operational characteristics. Current and future conditions are considered against three aspects of movement: (1) to and from, (2) within, and (3) through the City. Edina is a nearly fully developed community, and the existing roadway network is essentially complete. Today’s primary transportation planning focus is not on building new roads or new alignments but on: • Renewing, managing, and improving the existing transportation system (network). • Ensuring the transportation system can accommodate travel demand imposed by new developments. • Improving the City’s non-motorized transportation system to facilitate pedestrian and bicycle movement and increase active transportation. • Supporting and encouraging transit use. • Increasing safety for all modes and users. • Implementing the City’s Livable Streets Plan to ensure that the transportation needs of all users will be considered and all modes will be appropriately accommodated. • Ensuring that the City will manage the existing and future Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 vii transportation systems in an efficient and responsible manner to achieve livability, sustainability, and a high level of environmental quality. Chapter 6: Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources uses the following six key points to guide the development of goals and policies presented in this chapter. • Commit a minimum of 15 percent of Edina’s land area to be used as parks and green space. (As of the most recent census, we are right at this threshold.) Future standards will need to consider changing demographics along with population increases, as a percentage of land area is not necessarily a good measure or threshold. • Prepare an updated Master Plan for all Community and Special Use parks to guide use, growth and future development. Every Park Master Plan will include an approach to best maintain, improve and promote its natural resources. Some parks will be developed from the removal of parking lots or buildings, where natural resources have long since been eliminated. • Connect our neighborhoods via a Grand Rounds concept and in coordination with the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. • Be intentional on the use of benchmarking to assess progress against strategic objectives. • Explore alternative funding models to support future growth and accomplishment of the Edina Park and Recreation Department Mission Statement: To create parks, facilities and programs that foster a healthy inclusive community. We accomplish this through creative leadership, collaborations, environmentally sustainable practices and the responsible use of available resources. • Establish park facilities within a one-mile distance of each Edina resident Chapter 7: Water Resources provides a citywide perspective on all water resource utilities: Sanitary Utility removes wastewater from residences, businesses, and institutions for treatment. Stormwater Utility maintains resources and facilities for the citywide management of stormwater. Water Utility treats and supplies drinking water to residents, businesses, and institutions. Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 viii • Improvements to the utilities are done according to established standards to meet expectation for high quality service. • Concepts of one water, sustainability, and conservation guide the City in ongoing improvements to the systems. • While the utility system is largely established citywide, it needs ongoing maintenance and renewal to continue to function. • With regular maintenance and planned improvements, the water resource utilities will have adequate capacity to accommodate growth within the city through 2040, consistent with other sections of the comprehensive plan. Chapter 8: Energy and Environment outlines existing conditions and progress to date on promoting more comprehensive recycling, smart building, and energy efficiency practices, as well as a framework for recommendations for the future to ensure the economic and environmental health of the community. • The people in the City of Edina strongly value building and maintaining a sustainable environment, although that has not always been matched by actions. • The City of Edina will take actions to address climate change, including greenhouse gas reduction and solid waste reduction. • Climate change will have an increasing impact on Edina, as evidenced by a recent United Nations report as well as by atmospheric processes, land-atmospheric interactions, and greenhouses gases responses research studies carried out by the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota. • Sustainability aligned with equitable distribution of benefits should be a foundational element of the City’s decision-making process. Chapter 9: Community Services and Facilities inventories and examines existing services and facilities, identifies future needs, determines the requirements for maintaining and enhancing these services and facilities to meet Edina’s growing and changing population. Community services and facilities are publicly-accessible resources that (1) Help make lives safer, healthier, and more enjoyable, and (2) Enhance skills and abilities to enable residents, workers, and visitors to lead more rewarding and productive lives. This chapter addresses Public Safety (Police and Fire) and Education / Lifelong Learning (Schools and Libraries). Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 ix • Population growth, demographic changes especially in the 65+ age category, a growing workforce, and an increased pace of redevelopment, especially in the Greater Southdale District, will require an increased public safety response, including consideration of alternative non- traditional styles of policing and addressing growing diversity through the lens of equity and inclusion. • Increased building activity, primarily in the form of multi- unit residential and mixed-use structures, place high demands on both the Fire and Building Inspection Divisions of the Fire Department. • Current and future redevelopment activities and the concomitant population increase in the Greater Southdale District point to the need to relocate and expand Fire Station No. 2 towards the northwest area of this District to address the rising increase in response times, and to accommodate additional Emergency Management Services (EMS) resources, possibly as a joint Police/Fire facility. Also, it is anticipated that in 5-10 years, there will be a need for (new) Fire Station No. 3 in the northeast quadrant of the City. • Enrollment projections in the Edina Public Schools (ISD 273) do not point to a need to expand existing facilities. However, in recognition of the fast-paced redevelopment activity and the changing demographics in the Greater Southdale District, Edina Public Schools is monitoring these changes to determine the impact on future enrollment and the broader range of services they provide. • Hennepin County Library plans no significant facility or programmatic change to the Grandview Library. However, Hennepin County Library does plan to replace the Southdale Library by rebuilding the new library at a new location as part of the Southdale Center shopping mall. • An opportunity is identified for Hennepin County Library to partner with Edina Public Schools and others such as Fairview Southdale Medical Center, City of Edina Departments, Southdale Center Mall, Southdale YMCA, and Minnesota State University-Mankato at Edina to provide “outside-the-box” multi-generational and lifelong learning programs, especially in a re-location and re-design of the new Southdale Library to better match the pattern and character of the Greater Southdale District’s evolution. Chapter 10: Economic Competitiveness and Economic Development discusses Edina’s important role in the regional economy by providing employment locations for high-wage industries in its business and industrial parks, and serving as a regional hub for health care, retail, hospitality, dining, and entertainment. • Workplaces are changing and many are being designed to attract the next generation of workers. Edina’s business and industrial parks are aging and there are opportunities for updating and revitalization. Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 x • The health care sector is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy nationally and regionally. Growth is expected to continue as the large “baby boom” generation creates an increased demand for medical services. This has implications for the strong health care sector in the Greater Southdale area. • The retail industry is experiencing significant transformation as consumer shopping patterns change. Retail stores and shopping centers are rethinking their role and exploring ways to adapt successfully. • Smaller commercial nodes in Edina serve important functions in their neighborhoods, providing goods and services to area residents and building a sense of community and place. These are areas where smaller, locally-owned businesses typically find more affordable rents, property ownership opportunities, and access to a customer base. • Goals developed for this chapter are focused on: o Revitalizing Edina’s business and industrial parks o Capitalizing on expected growth in the health care sector o Attracting high quality employment opportunities o Successfully adapting to dynamic market changes in regional retail areas o Encouraging vibrant neighborhood commercial nodes o Ensuing the availability of a skilled, productive workforce o Expanding the city’s broadband infrastructure and capacity • Chapter 11: Human Rights and Relations describes the Edina’s goals and policies that have been developed to ensure that City departments, programs, officials and staff are working to “Build a Human Rights City with Race Equity For All.” Before outlining these specific goals and policies, the chapter discusses the difference between “equality” and “equity;” two words, which at the surface, imply the same thing and are often used interchangeably. At a deeper level, however, these two words are related but have different meanings. Together, with equality as a base and equity as an aspirational end, they define how the City will operate to ensure that all residents are given the opportunities they need to enjoy and benefit from living in Edina. One of the aims of this chapter is to ensure that steps are taken to ensure that the City looks at its departments, program, services, and practices through the lenses of equality and equity and, thus, truly established itself as a “Human Rights City.” Of particular concern is equality and equity in the areas of: housing, community services and Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 xi facilities, parks and recreation, and environment. Goals discussed in this chapter are focused on: • Establishing a race equity plan. • Ensuring equal access and opportunities for all residents. • Ensuring that the City welcomes all members of the community to participate in its social, employment, economic, political, and recreational activities. • Ensuring that the City supports and fosters economic equity and justice for all residents. • Ensuring that economic harm should not be an intended or unintended consequence of City programs, initiatives, or activities. Chapter 12: Health states that the mission of the Edina Public Health Division is to protect the health and promote the general well-being and welfare of the City’s residents, and to prevent disease and illness in the community. This chapter provides a policy framework for continued progress on the division’s mission and goals. This chapter also outlines a “health in all policies” approach wherein health is systemically addressed and included in policies throughout the plan. • Edina strives for a high standard of health overall, although specific concerns and racial and economic disparities exist that need to be addressed. • Understanding of health concerns is limited by the lack of community-specific data. • Changing demographics and aging in the community will continue to change health outcomes and needs. • Public health is impacted by a range of social and environmental factors that require a multi-faceted approach across all of the city. • Health in all policies provides an approach to comprehensively address health concerns across the full city government in cooperation with partners. Chapter 13: Heritage Preservation discusses the City’s Heritage Preservation Commission and its ongoing efforts to recognize, honor, appreciate, and make accessible the City’s past. It is the mission of the Commission to preserve the City’s historically significant resources (sites, districts, buildings, and objects) and ensure that they will be available for future generations to provide a sense of identity and Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 xii continuity in a fast-changing world. It is the belief of the Commission that these things reflect and shape values and aspirations and thereby contribute to the City’s identity. This chapter describes the process by which historic resources gain Heritage Landmark designation and provides a description of existing heritage resources and their historical contexts. The city heritage preservation program, as well as its goals and policies, are organized into six program areas, reflecting the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and guidelines for historic preservation as well as current professional practices in heritage preservation planning. • Program Area 1 - Preservation Planning • Program Area 2 - Identification of Heritage Resources • Program Area 3 - Evaluation of Heritage Resources • Program Area 4 - Designation of Heritage Landmarks • Program Area 5 - Design Review and Compliance • Program Area 6 - Public Education and Outreach Chapter 14: Arts and Culture examines arts, creative expression, and culture in the City of Edina and the Arts and Culture Commission’s efforts to tie these to the community in ways that will enrich residents and visitors and contribute to a high quality of living. The following six goals were developed to guide the development of the Arts and Culture Commission’s annual work plans for the next ten years: Goal 1: Distribute and promote arts and culture across all of Edina to provide opportunities for people to come together in the creation and celebration of art and culture, building inclusive communities. Goal 2: Leverage the Edina Arts and Culture Commission (ACC) to form strong and enduring collaborative partnerships between the ACC and other Edina commissions and associations to incorporate arts and culture into planning and implementation processes. Goal 3: Improve and maintain dedicated spaces and venues for arts and culture; activate each with dynamic programming that includes a broad array of art forms and expressions accessible to all. Goal 4: Expand and continue to drive awareness of and participation in Edina’s Public Art program and art collection. Edina Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary 12-31-19 xiii Goal 5: Establish a formal role for artists and other creative thinkers to participate in forward-looking plans for Edina. Goal 6: Research, decide on, and implement the necessary funding and governance plans for supporting arts and culture in Edina. Chapter 15: Implementation contains the recommended actions and activities that emanate from the goals and policies, along with timelines for completing them. Together, these actions, activities, and timelines define an overall strategy for executing the Comprehensive Plan. This chapter describes the official controls (such as ordinances, and zoning and subdivision regulations), public programs and policies (such as the Affordable Housing Policy), funding partners, and fiscal devices (such as the Capital Improvement Program). Also, this chapter designates implementation roles and responsibilities that will ensure implementation and efficient management of public infrastructure and investments. Primary responsibility and decision-making authority lie with the City Council. Appointed Boards and Commissions provide oversight, input, and guidance related to focus areas for the community. City staff carry out implementation actions through departmental work programs and budgets. Many other organizations and agencies are an important part of the implementation process to achieve the intended outcomes. Examples of these include Hennepin County, the Edina School District, Hennepin County Library, Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, adjacent cities, and various neighborhood groups and community associations in Edina.