HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-10-11 EEC Meeting PacketAgenda
Energy and Environment Commission
City Of Edina, Minnesota
City Hall Community Room
Thursday, October 11, 2018
7:00 PM
I.Call To Order
II.Roll Call
III.Approval Of Meeting Agenda
IV.Approval Of Meeting Minutes
A.Minutes: Energy and Environment Commission September 13,
2018
V.Community Comment
During "Community Comment," the Board/Commission will invite residents to share relevant issues
or concerns. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The Chair may limit the
number of speakers on the same issue in the interest of time and topic. Generally speaking, items
that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment.
Individuals should not expect the Chair or Board/Commission Members to respond to their
comments tonight. Instead, the Board/Commission might refer the matter to sta% for
consideration at a future meeting.
VI.Reports/Recommendations
A.Comprehensive Plan
VII.Correspondence And Petitions
A.Food Waste Policy Proposal
VIII.Chair And Member Comments
A.2019 Work Plan Update
IX.Sta0 Comments
A.SolSmart Update and Proposed Zoning Amendments
B.Comp Plan Chapter 8 Water Draft
X.Calendar Of Events
A.EEC Meeting Schedule and Roster List
XI.Adjournment
The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public
process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing ampli7cation, an
interpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861
72 hours in advance of the meeting.
Date: October 11, 2018 Agenda Item #: IV.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Minutes
From:Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:Minutes: Energy and Environment Commission
September 13, 2018
Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
Motion to approve the September 13, 2018 Minutes for the Energy and Environment Commission.
INTRODUCTION:
Receive the Energy and Environment Commission Minutes of September 13, 2018.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Minutes of Sept 13,2018
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Minutes
City Of Edina, Minnesota
Energy and Environment Commission
Edina City Hall Community Room
Thursday, September 13, 2018, 7:00 PM
I. Call To Order
Chair Jackson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
II. Roll Call
Answering Roll Call were Chair Jackson, Commissioners Horan, Hussain, Kostuch, Manser, Seeley,
Lanzas, Hoffman, Glahn, Fernands, Maynor
Late: Satterlee
Staff Present: Liaison Brown, Casey Casella
III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda
Commissioner Seely made a motion to approve the September 13, 2018 meeting agenda. Hoffman
seconded. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Commissioner Satterlee arrived at 7:02 PM
IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes
Motion made by Seeley to approve the Aug 9, 2018 minutes. Motion seconded by Hoffman. All voted aye.
Motion carried.
V. Special Recognitions and Presentations
A. Welcome new EEC Commissioner
Chair Jackson introduced Commissioner Maynor as a new member of the EEC.
B. State of the Infrastructure
Ross Bintner, Engineering Services Manager, shared the annual State of the Infrastructure report. Mr.
Bintner discussed the value of infrastructure. Mr. Bintner shared a personal carbon footprint calculator to
illustrate return on investment of sustainable actions and behaviors. The presentation reviewed
infrastructure replacement in Edina. Currently, the City is in the “rebuild” stage of its infrastructure which
was built, for the most part, in the 1960’s.
C. Street Sweeping Report
Ross Bintner, Engineering Services Manager, answered questions about street sweeping. Mr. Bintner
referenced the street sweeping report he presented to the EEC in 2015.
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Chair Jackson asked what is involved with increasing the street sweeping schedule. Mr. Bintner answered
it is a goal for Water Resources, but the 2019 Water Resources Management Plan focuses on flood
protection.
Mr. Bintner passed around a draft of chapter 8 of the Comprehensive Plan regarding water. Chair Jackson
asked a clarification question on how the EEC should reference subject matter in chapter 8 of the
Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Bintner stated he will send an updated draft to the Commission.
Commissioner Kostuch asked about the consultant study in the report that showed costs of street
sweeping. Mr. Bintner estimated $200,000 for a new street sweeper plus personnel costs. Commissioner
Manser asked about water quality and treatment capacity for the future. Mr. Bintner mentioned water
capacity is part of the chapter 8 Comprehensive Plan draft, called “One Water”.
VI. Community Comment
Chair Jackson mentioned the letter from Matt Samuel about Climate Action.
VII. Reports/Recommendation
A. Energy and Environment Comprehensive Plan
Chair Jackson reminded the Commission the draft chapter should focus on the Commission’s goals. The
Chair stated opposition to the draft chapter as it is currently written. Chair Jackson handed out her memo
of objections to Comprehensive Plan draft chapter including content, process and policy objections.
The Commission asked about the process of drafting the Comprehensive Plan. Staff Liaison Brown stated
the consultant received the EEC’s goals and drafted the chapter in a similar manner to other leading
documents like Vision Edina. There was discussion on the level of detail the Comprehensive Plan should
have. The Chair felt there was too much detail in the current draft. Other Commissioners agreed.
Commissioner Glahn made a motion to not recognize the draft Comprehensive Plan
chapter as the Edina Energy and Environment Commission. It is not correct in tone or in
scope. The EEC is not in concurrence with this chapter. For more detail, reference the
memorandum by Carolyn Jackson on Sept 13th. Kostuch Seconded. All voted aye. Motion
prevails.
B. 2019 Work Plan Discussion
Chair Jackson presented the results of the work plan survey the Commissioners completed earlier this
month to rank their top five work plan initiatives.
The Commission had a discussion on the order of the initiatives in the work plan.
Commissioner Satterlee made a motion to move the Climate Action Plan initiative to #5
initiative on the work plan and move the Pollinator initiative off the workplan and on the
parking lot. Manser seconded the motion. Commissioners Kostuch and Glahn oppose. All
others voted aye. Motion prevails.
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Upon further discussion, another motion was made to change the work plan order.
Commissioner Manser made a motion to remove the Street Sweeping and other Water
Quality Improvement actions initiative off the workplan and on the parking lot. In its place,
re-add the pollinator resolution as #4 initiative on the work plan. Lanzas seconds.
Commissioners Glahn and Kostuch oppose. All others voted aye. Motion prevails.
Chair Jackson entertained a discussion on the order of the Climate Action Plan initiative. No motion was
made on the topic.
Commissioners finalized the 2019 EEC Work Plan and selected the actions under each initiative. The final
draft Work Plan will be sent to City Council for review and approval.
VIII. Correspondence And Petitions
A. Working Group Minutes
• Minutes received from the Education and Outreach Working Group.
• Minutes received from the Business Environmental Working Group.
IX. Chair And Member Comments
A. Chair Jackson provided a handout of Edina’s energy actions from the State Fair Eco Booth.
Liaison Brown mentioned the Department of Commerce will send the extra handouts from the
State Fair to the City to use for new resident packets and for the City Council to use.
X. Staff Comments
A. Open Streets and EV Ride and Drive
Staff Liaison Brown reminded the Commission of the Open Streets Event on September 23, 2018. There
will be an EEC booth and an EV Ride and Drive event.
XII. Adjournment
Motion made by Manser to adjourn the September 13, 2018 meeting at 8:56 p.m. Motion seconded by Seely.
Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Casey Casella
City Management Fellow
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Date: October 11, 2018 Agenda Item #: VI.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
From:Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator
Item Activity:
Subject:Comprehensive Plan
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
INTRODUCTION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Chapter 10 Draft with no markup
Tentative Comprehensive Plan Schedule
Question for EEC on Chapter 10
Chapter 10 Draft with markup
Content to reference for appendix discussion
Health Chapter Draft
Example for discussion Arden Park
Human Rights and Relations Chapter Draft
Comprehensive Plan Discussion
Directions to writers of Comp Plan: When writing the new chapter, keep it concise. Current chapter is
too long with too much backstory. Chapter should be a summary, ideally less than 6 pages, with an
appendix that can provide a history and examples that are more specific. When maps are added (i.e.
gross solar potential map), add that the fact that the map was a point in time. If possible, add real-time
or updated maps over time.
Throughout the plan, EEC wants to see:
• City operations be a leader.
• City staff consider the impact of climate change on making decisions on staffing and services.
• Environmental sustainability and stewardship framed in practical outcomes.
Chapter template – Review layout and the purpose of each section.
1. Chapter highlights Keep section, review content
2. Introduction – This is the manifesto. This is driven by EEC Keep section, review content
3. Background - Includes statutory duties and past actions Keep section, review content
4. Definitions Keep section, keep
recommendation these are
added to the intro chapter
5. Current Conditions – level set of what’s going on at the time of the
chapter draft. Data points. Gives context to recommendations, goals
and policies.
Change content, keep section
brief. May be a potential to
merge the two sections.
6. Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities – Education tool to assist
readers in understanding why recommendations were chosen. Gives
context to recommendations, goals, and policies.
7. Recommendations – Community priorities and avenues for a
sustainable future
Content should reflect EEC’s
recommendations
8. Goals & Policies - Content should reflect EEC’s
recommendations
Chapter Highlights
•Edina has a strong interest in taking a leadership role on sustainability. There are many options for how
this can be pursued – from the scale of an individual household to national policy advocacy.
•The climate is changing in ways that will increasingly impact life in Edina, including warmer winters with
more freeze and thaws, more extreme precipitation, strong storms and winds, and high summer
humidity. As a community, Edina will need to respond with plans to mitigate climate impacts on the
community and respond to local factors impacting the community.
•An approach to sustainability can focus on key subject areas (e.g. energy, waste, air quality, natural
habitat), but also should be reflected in city design, development, and function.
•Key decisions involve how the City operations leads by example, and what the community requires of
each other, including residents, commercial businesses and industrial businesses.
Introduction
The citizens of Edina are ready for Edina to be a leader in sustainability and quality of life. Each
development decision must consider the ‘triple bottom line’ – people, planet and profit – so that the
economic factors are not favored over the health and welfare of the City’s natural environment and/or
its residents in present and future decisions.
The City of Edina supports environmental policy and practices values that positively impact the
community. Environmental stewardship was identified as one of seven key strategic focus areas for the
City. Vision Edina stated: “Community residents and stakeholders believe that Edina can take an active
and ambitious internal and regional leadership role in embedding environmental stewardship principles
through actions such as promoting more comprehensive recycling, smart building and energy efficiency
practices.”
•This includes clean energy, reduction of GHG emissions, clean water, responsible management of solid
waste, clean air, transportation, ecological health, and wise management of natural resources.
•This means actions throughout the city which includes all parts of the city: city operations, commercial,
industrial, and residential.
•This addresses trade-offs that occur when working to meet multiple goals, including environmental,
fiscal/economic, and quality of life.
•This proactively pursues resiliency and adaptation in the face of a changing climate.
This chapter outlines existing conditions and progress to date as well as a framework for
recommendations for the future to ensure the economic and environmental health of the community.
Background (Edina’s Commitment to Sustainability)
From the early 1970’s, with the establishment of its first Environmental Quality Commission,
Edina has sought to be on the forefront of environmental and natural resource issues. The past
decade in particular has represented strong action in that area, particularly around energy and
climate change topics.
The City of Edina established a citizen Energy and Environment Commission (EEC) in 2007 to
promote sustainability initiatives and to advise the City Council. The commission is comprised of
Edina residents focused on specific sustainability topics. The commission creates a work plan
annually, and recent focus has been on carbon emission reduction.
Since its founding, the EEC has overseen a number of sustainability initiatives, as summarized in
the sidebar to the right. An early focus has been on municipal facilities, looking for opportunities
for the city to lead by example.
In 2007, the City Council set specific goals related to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction:15%
reduction by 2015, 25% reduction by 2025, and 80% reduction by 2050 (based on the state 2007
Next Generation Energy Act). These goals were incorporated in the city’s 2008 comprehensive
plan. When the 2015 goal was not met, this was a wakeup call to do more. The Conservation
and Sustainability Fund was created to fund a dedicated resource to manage and measure carbon
reduction actions.
An important tool in meeting future goals was the development of an energy action plan, to
develop a citywide strategy for energy use reduction. In 2016, the City completed its Electricity
Action Plan, the first element of this plan. Additional action plans are anticipated to be completed
in the following years, as outlined in this plan.
Current conditions
Pick out a few pieces that correlate with trends and challenges and insert it there.
Trends and challenges
Climate change – Climate change is a global challenge, with local implications regarding impacts and
policy. Addressing this will require coordinated change on many fronts – including reduction of
emissions, promotion of alternative energy sources, and alterations in consumption patterns and waste.
Climate resilience – In response to the impacts of climate change, there is a need to develop climate
resilience – defined as the ability to absorb and respond to stresses, and to adapt and evolve accordingly.
The key changes in weather patterns that the MN DNR Climatologist is predicting include warmer
winters, more extreme precipitation, strong storms and winds, and high summer humidity. Developing a
resilience strategy will include identifying and responding to climate vulnerabilities in the community, in
terms of both people and resources.
Energy –Sustainability best practices support continued energy efficiency and expanded use of alternative
energy sources which replace large GHG emissions sources. Costs for renewable energy have reduced
significantly at a commercial level. The cost of wind is on parity with coal generation. However, there
are still issues regarding the availability and affordability of renewable energy generation on small
residential scale (solar photovoltaic systems on a home). Conversion to renewables cannot be done
overnight as there is significant infrastructure investment around current energy generation that will
take time and resources to replace. Additionally, continued focus on efficiency use of energy generated
will be critical to reducing emissions and keeping costs down.
Waste - Sustainability also leads to an increased focus on a reduce/reuse/recycle approach to resources
– with the goal of reducing overall waste generated. It is critical to capture materials from the waste
stream that can be reused. The market for materials continues to change which makes recycling
expensive to complete. These macro level systems will be challenging for a small community, like Edina,
to change. However, education and behavior changes for city operations, residents and businesses to
alter their purchasing and disposal practices will be critical for successful recycling and waste reduction.
Leading by Example – The City of Edina can set an example for sustainability best practices through its
own operations and facilities. It will be important to look at the complete lifecycle of purchases and
processes to determine the opportunities to meet sustainability goals and improve the community’s
health and resiliency. This will need to be done through a triple-bottom line lens, which identifies the
true financial, environmental, and societal costs to allow productive discussion and decision making
about the level of commitment needed.
Natural Habitat - Much of the land in Edina has been removed from its original ecological and natural
function to make way for human development. While development impacts will remain, there are
opportunities to retain, restore, and connect natural habitat areas within the city. A fuller picture
emerges when looking at how this developed area fits into the larger ecological context of the region.
Water – Water quantity and quality must be wisely managed to deliver core services of drinking water
distribution and source protection, sanitary sewer service, flood protection, runoff management, and
clean surface water (lakes, creeks, ponds, and wetlands). Climate change and land use decisions have the
biggest impacts on the resilience of our water resources systems. See Chapter 8 for more information
and direction on water resources
Density and Development – As the City considers development and density options, they must consider
the trade-offs to the environment. Meeting the carbon reduction goal will necessitate discussions on
tradeoffs in development, density, and their carbon impacts. For example, density can provide a lower
carbon footprint per resident and new development can be more energy efficient. But increasing the
population through density may increase the community’s overall carbon footprint.
Recommendations
Utilize a myriad of tools available. There are different tools for the City to use and support
the community’s goals. The right tool depends on the need and goaled outcome:
• Policy – The city will focus through staff and commission to amend and approve policies and its
regulatory framework that support sustainable actions, meet sustainability goals, and meet the
needs of the community.
• Education – We encourage city to connect on policies, learn best practices.
a. We will use opportunities with city staff, EEC, organized neighborhoods, neighbor-to-
neighbor, and business organizations to promote sustainable actions.
• Alliances – Edina is a part of a larger community. It is important to build alliances across City
Commissions, with Edina School District, Chamber of Commerce, Hennepin County, and other
government entities within the region to connect on policies, learn best practices, and share
resources.
• Measurements – Develop and utilize existing tools for benchmarking and metrics to monitor
and reach stated goals
Understand there are different actors and their roles and impact on sustainability varies:
• City operations and budget– City facilities, capital budget, operating budget and operating decisions
will lead by example and commit resources to achieving our sustainability goals. This would include:
o Integrating strategy, planning, and budgetary decisions
o Encouraging city staff to embed sustainability into decision-making, budget process, capital
improvements and build alliances across City Departments.
o Operations – Green building policy, net new city buildings
Operational aspects (like irrigation, tree canopy and green space).
Share resources example (South Metro training center).
o Reporting – setting baselines and report out on (e.g. energy utilization, purchasing, new
buildings)
• Commercial and Industrial Facilities – In addition to private businesses, this includes non-city owned
government and nonprofit entities, as well as multifamily and mixed-use development
o Constructions and Design – encourage green buildings, energy guidelines, give to get
options, deconstruction
o Operations – encourage energy consumption and efficiency, minimize waste and optimize
processing of waste stream with zero waste being target goal, water quality, water drainage
o Capturing opportunities to educate (with appendix of big ideas)
o Drainage and impervious surfaces, run-off plans
o Energy efficiencies and renewable energy options
o Lawns and plant diversity – permeable lawn, grass (appendix the weed ordinance), tree
policy
o Rebate and financial options
• Single family Residential
o Utilize policies available to support green buildings (design, materials, etc.), energy efficiency
and residential energy options, responsible demolition, pervious surface use, smart water
use (e.g. irrigation), reduction of waste, and increase in plant biodiversity (including tree
canopy and green space).
Give to get options was mentioned as a policy form.
o Continue to reassess policies that impact drainage and impervious surfaces (i.e. construction
permits needing runoff plans) and look for ways to stack benefits (i.e. utilizing native plants
that can absorb runoff, support pollinators, and clean water versus use of a buried cistern)
o Support pollinators, tree canopy, biodiversity and native plants
o Beyond policy, look for opportunities to educate (with appendix of big ideas)
Incorporate Sustainability into Land Use Decisions
On the regional scale, it is generally more sustainable for development to be located in developed
communities that are well-served by infrastructure, rather than on the outskirts where undeveloped
land is being consumed and infrastructure is being created and extended, creating a larger carbon
footprint. However, at the local level, as the City considers development and density options it must
consider local impacts to the environment. Meeting the carbon reduction goal will necessitate
discussions on trade-offs in development and density and their carbon impacts. For example, growth can
provide a lower carbon footprint per resident and new development can be more energy efficient. But
increasing the population would likely increase the community’s net carbon footprint overall (though
possibly not at a per capita level). Stopping density within the city will not solve sustainability problems
and meet sustainability goals, but accommodating growth does require investigation of ways to grow
more sustainably, and to seek to decouple carbon increases from economic growth.
There are key areas to focus sustainable action
• Solid waste – Encourage all to think of their waste footprint, use the waste reduction pyramid
(i.e. rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle), and anti-littering to reduce waste and its impact on the
environment.
o As we manage waste (i.e. trash, recyclables, and organic recyclables), continue to find
ways for reduction via pick up options, hazardous waste, green demolition, sharing
economy, and the circular economy.
• Energy – The city will consider energy resources and reduction and their impact on our city’s
goals.
o Continue to look for opportunities for renewable resources
• Water – See Water Chapter and notes below. Water is governed by the water chapter. Here
are the guiding principles:
o Sewage management – Monitor environmental opportunities such as grey water
o Surface water management - Create resilience plan for severe weather events and
volatility. Consider the effects of development and increased impervious surfaces on
stormwater management. Encourage resiliency systems.
o Water quality – Protect water quality including the connection between stormwater and
groundwater policy and continue to consider the factors affecting water quality
o Wetlands – value the protection of wetlands
o Water supply – value the protection of the water supply
• Air Quality – Promote clean energy and other actions to improve air quality such as reducing
transportation emissions
• Trees – Tree canopy has many stacked benefits (carbon sequestering, reduction in heat island
effect, storm water mitigation, supporting wildlife, etc.). Review policy and actions that support
tree canopy and benefits.
• Natural Habitat – Consider other natural resources such as soil, natural habitat, and sunlight.
• Environmental Contamination – Reduce pesticide and fertilizer use.
Goals and Policies
Goals are our way to prioritize actions, get resources, and measure our actions. Meeting these goals will
require trade-offs by communities.
• GHG goal: 30% Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction by 2025, 80% emissions reduction
by 2050.
• Waste goal: Reduce residential waste 75% by 2030.
• Additional ways to promote action planning.
• Other government entity and community goals (reference water section for water goals)
• Equitable distribution of environmental benefits
Definitions
Environment includes factors that act upon a community and ultimately determine its form and
survival, including the impact humans have on natural resources.
Sustainability means protecting regional vitality for future generations by preserving our capacity
to maintain and support our region’s well-being and productivity.
Resilience is the ability to recover from a disaster that could have been prevented or mitigated
with sustainable practices.
***END***
-Page 1-
CITY OF EDINA
2018 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
DRAFT SCHEDULE
September 2018:
▪ City-Wide Comprehensive Plan:
- 9/23/18 50th & France Open Streets public engagement
▪ Consultant team revises and refines comprehensive plan chapters
▪ Human Rights and Relations Commission, Edina Housing Foundation, and Edina Neighbors for
Affordable Housing:
- 9/10/18 Submit comments on the Housing chapter
▪ Comprehensive Plan Task Force :
- 9/12/18 Wrap up discussion on Housing Chapter (10 minutes), review/discuss draft project
schedule (15 minutes), and review/discuss Economic Competitiveness Chapter (65
minutes)
- 9/19/18 CPTF submits final comments on Land Use, Housing, and Economic Competitiveness
chapters (Complete and submit spreadsheet comment form to consultants)
- 9/26/18 Review/discuss draft Greater Southdale District Plan
▪ 50th & France Small Area Plan Work Group:
- 9/18/18 Review work on preferred concept alternative(s) and provide direction to
consultants
▪ 70th & Cahill Small Area Plan Work Group:
- 9/21/18 Submits final comments/suggested revisions to consultant team.
▪ Greater Southdale District Plan Work Group:
- 9/6/18 Review draft District Plan with staff and Work Group
- 9/13/18 Work Group works on revisions to Draft District Plan
- 9/20/18 Work Group submits draft District Plan to CPTF and releases for public review
- 9/26/18 Present draft District Plan to CPTF for discussion/review
October 2018:
▪ City-Wide Comprehensive Plan:
- One public engagement event (date to be determined)
▪ Consultant team revises and refines comprehensive plan chapters and delivers to CPTF for review
and discussion at October work sessions and regular sessions
▪ City Council Work Session:
- 10/16/18 Present progress report on 50th & France Small Area Plan (25 minutes)
Present progress report on 70th & Cahill Small Area Plan (15 minutes)
Draft Edina Comprehensive Plan Schedule
-Page 2-
▪ Comprehensive Plan Task Force:
- 10/10/18 Review/discuss Comprehensive Plan chapters:
Work Session --- Land Use and Water Resources
Regular Session --- Community Health, Heritage Preservation, Arts and Culture,
Human Rights and Relations
- 10/24/18 Review/discuss 70th & Cahill SAP, Southdale Design Experience Guidelines, and
Comprehensive Plan chapters:
Work Session --- 70th & Cahill SAP and Southdale Design Experience Guidelines
Regular Session --- Human Relations, Environment, Parks, and Community Facilities
▪ 50th & France Small Area Plan Work Group:
- 10/9/18 Review work on preferred concept alternative(s) and provide direction and prepare
for third Community Meeting
- 10/23/18 Third Community Meeting
▪ 70th & Cahill Small Area Plan Work Group:
- 10/18/18 Submit draft SAP to CPTF and release for public review
▪ Greater Southdale District Plan Work Group:
- 10/4/18 Work Group reviews Experience Guidelines
- 10/11/18 Public Open House
- 10/18/18 Submit draft Design Experience Guidelines to CPTF and release for public review
November 2018:
▪ City-Wide Comprehensive Plan:
- One public engagement event (date to be determined)
▪ 50th & France Small Area Plan Work Group:
- 11/8/18 Submit draft SAP to CPTF and release for public review
▪ Greater Southdale District Plan Work Group:
- 11/8/18 Work Group reviews Experience Guidelines and prepares for 11/14/18 Public Hearing
▪ Planning Commission:
- 11/14/18 Work Session – Discuss/review Transportation chapter and draft 50th & France SAP
- 11/14/18 Regular Session – Public Hearings on Southdale Design Experience Guidelines and
70th & Cahill SAP
- 11/28/18 Regular Session – Public Hearings on Southdale District Plan and 50th & France SAP
▪ City Council:
- 11/20/18 Council Check-In to:
Review/discuss overall project schedule, Greater Southdale District Plan, and
Economic Competitiveness chapter.
Draft Edina Comprehensive Plan Schedule
-Page 3-
December 2018:
▪ City Council:
- 12/4/18 Southdale Experience Guidelines Public Hearing
- 12/4/18 50th & France Public Hearing
- 12/18/18 Greater Southdale District Plan Public Hearing
- 12/18/18 70th & Cahill SAP Public Hearing
January 2019:
▪ Consultant team:
- 1/15/19 Draft Comprehensive Plan released for public review and 30-day comment period
begins
- 1/23/19 CPTF reviews/discusses draft Comprehensive Plan
- 1/20/19 Open House for public comment on draft Comprehensive Plan
February 2019:
▪ Consultant team:
- 2/18/19 Comment period ends
- 2/27/19 Planning Commission Public Hearing on Draft Comprehensive Plan
March 2019:
▪ Consultant team:
- 3/8/19 Responses to Comments document submitted to CPTF and released for public review
- 3/13/19 CPTF review/discuss Responses to Comments document
- 3/19/19 City Council Public Hearing on draft Comprehensive Plan
- 3/20/19 Six-month review begins on adopted draft Comprehensive Plan
Post Six-Month Review 2019
▪ Consultant team:
- 10/21/19 Revisions to adopted draft Comprehensive Plan are completed
▪ Planning Commission:
- November Planning Commission reviews revised adopted draft Comprehensive Plan
▪ City Council:
- December City Council Public Hearing on revised adopted draft Comprehensive Plan
▪ Staff:
- December Adopted Comprehensive Plan is submitted to the Metropolitan Council
Questions for Energy and Environment Commission October 11, 2018 Comprehensive Plan Discussion Below are current sections for Chapter 10 and their purpose to assist users in the context of this chapter. Note that these represent a combination of the draft elements produced by EEC, as well as the general format developed for the full comprehensive plan document. At the October 11 EEC meeting, we will ask the questions in the final column to ensure tone and content align with EEC’s recommendations. The overall goal is a chapter that is a helpful tool for City, EEC, and other implementing partners for the next 10+ years. Chapter Sections and Purpose Proposed Approach Questions for EEC Meeting 1. Chapter highlights • High level summary of what’s most important • For people quickly skimming the chapter Keep section, review content Does this summarize what’s most important to know? 2. Introduction – • This is the manifesto. This is driven by EEC. Keep section, review content Does this set the stage for what this chapter is about, and what is the focus for action? Simply stated, what are the overall principles that should guide all decision making and action? 3. Background • Includes statutory duties and past actions • Shows how current direction fits in context of prior decisions and actions Keep section, review content Does this succinctly tell the story of Edina’s accomplishments and decisions to date? 4. Definitions • Defines technical terms for purpose of clarity Keep section, keep recommendation these are added to the intro chapter Are there any terms missing? Any adjustments to these definitions? 5. Current Conditions • Level set of what’s going on at the time of chapter draft. Include data trends/current snapshot, with potential link to page for future ongoing updates. • Gives context to recommendations, goals and policies. Change content, keep section brief. May be a potential to merge the two sections. What information is most essential that the non-expert reader needs to know to demonstrate why this chapter’s approach is needed? (e.g. on topics of climate, emissions, resilience, energy, waste, leading by example, water, and development) 6. Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities • Education tool to assist readers in understanding why recommendations were chosen. • Gives context to recommendations, goals, policies.
Chapter Sections and Purpose Proposed Approach Questions for EEC Meeting 7. Recommendations • Community priorities and avenues for a sustainable future Content should reflect EEC’s recommendations Does this provide enough direction in terms of what to do? Where does there need to be more detail in terms of approach on these topics? 8. Goals & Policies • Provides standards and accountability to guide actions towards desired ends; general enough to be flexible but not so much that measurement is impossible Content should reflect EEC’s recommendations What specific goals, policies, guidelines, indicators, etc., should be in place to guide actions and justify future time, expense, and effort? What topics are more settled/decided, and which ones need more exploration? 9. Appendix • Provide helpful resources and supporting information that do not need to be in the main document, but should be readily available for reference. • Used in part to ensure main chapter is not overly long or technical Content should reflect EEC’s recommendations What additional information is useful for context, but would make the main chapter too long? (e.g. existing trends and conditions, important supporting documents and studies, documentation of decision and process, etc.) What resources, ideas, tools, etc. should be available to guide decisions?
FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
• Get page counts for other chapters to assist in context on length (example Health is 13 pages
long).
Comprehensive Plan Discussion
Directions to writers of Comp Plan: When writing the new chapter, keep it concise. Current chapter is
too long with too much backstory. Chapter should be a summary, ideally less than 6 pages, with an
appendix that can provide a history and examples that are more specific. When maps are added (i.e.
gross solar potential map), add that the fact that the map was a point in time. If possible, add real-time
or updated maps over time.
Throughout the plan, EEC wants to see:
• City operations be a leader.
• City staff consider the impact of climate change on making decisions on staffing and services.
• Environmental sustainability and stewardship framed in practical outcomes.
Chapter template – Review layout and the purpose of each section.
1. Chapter highlights Keep section, review content
2. Introduction – This is the manifesto. This is driven by EEC Keep section, review content
3. Background - Includes statutory duties and past actions Keep section, review content
4. Definitions Keep section, keep
recommendation these are
added to the intro chapter
5. Current Conditions – level set of what’s going on at the time of the
chapter draft. Data points. Gives context to recommendations, goals
and policies.
Change content, keep section
brief. May be a potential to
merge the two sections.
6. Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities – Education tool to assist
readers in understanding why recommendations were chosen. Gives
context to recommendations, goals, and policies.
7. Recommendations – Community priorities and avenues for a
sustainable future
Content should reflect EEC’s
recommendations
8. Goals & Policies - Content should reflect EEC’s
recommendations
Chapter Highlights
•Edina has a strong interest in taking a leadership role on sustainability. There are many options for how
this can be pursued – from the scale of an individual household to national policy advocacy.
•The climate is changing in ways that will increasingly impact life in Edina, including warmer winters,
more extreme participation, strong storms and winds, and high summer humidity. As a community,
Edina will need to respond with plans to mitigate climate impacts on the community and respond to
local factors impacting the community.
•An approach to sustainability can focus on key subject areas (e.g. energy, waste, air quality, natural
habitat), but also should be reflected in the way the city is designed, developed, and functions.
•Key decisions involve how the City operations leads by example, and what the community requires of
each other, including residents, commercial businesses and industrial businesses.
Introduction
The citizens of Edina are ready for Edina to be a leader in sustainability and quality of life. Each
development decision must consider the ‘triple bottom line’ – people, planet and profit – so that the
economic factors are not favored over the health and welfare of the City’s natural environment and/or
its residents in present and future decisions.
The City of Edina supports environmental policy and practices values that positively impact the
community. Environmental stewardship was identified as one of seven key strategic focus areas for the
City. Vision Edina stated: “Community residents and stakeholders believe that Edina can take an active
and ambitious internal and regional leadership role in embedding environmental stewardship principles
through actions such as promoting more comprehensive recycling, smart building and energy efficiency
practices.”
•This includes clean energy, reduction of GHG emissions, clean water, responsible management of solid
waste, clean air, transportation, ecological health, and wise management of natural resources.
•This means actions throughout the city which includes all parts of the city: city operations, commercial,
industrial, and residential.
•This addresses trade-offs that occur when working to meet multiple goals, including environmental,
fiscal/economic, and quality of life.
•This proactively pursues resiliency and adaptation in the face of a changing climate.
This chapter outlines existing conditions and progress to date as well as a framework for
recommendations for the future to ensure the economic and environmental health of the community.
Background (Edina’s Commitment to Sustainability)
From the early 1970’s, with the establishment of its first Environmental Quality Commission,
Edina has sought to be on the forefront of environmental and natural resource issues. The past
decade in particular has represented strong action in that area, particularly around energy and
climate change topics.
The City of Edina established a citizen Energy and Environment Commission (EEC) in 2007 to
promote sustainability initiatives and to advise the City Council. The commission is comprised of
Edina residents focused on specific sustainability topics. The commission creates a work plan
annually, and recent focus has been on carbon emission reduction. As of 2016, the EEC has been
supported by a full-time staff sustainability coordinator.
Since its founding, the EEC has overseen a number of sustainability initiatives, as summarized in
the sidebar to the right. An early focus has been on municipal facilities, looking for opportunities
for the city to lead by example.
In 2007, the City Council set specific goals related to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction:15%
reduction by 2015, 25% reduction by 2025, and 80% reduction by 2050 (based on the state 2007
Next Generation Energy Act). These goals were incorporated in the city’s 2008 comprehensive
plan. When the 2015 goal was not met, this was a wakeup call to do more. The Conservation
and Sustainability Fund was created to fund a dedicated resource to manage and measure carbon
reduction actions.
An important tool in meeting future goals was the development of an energy action plan, to
develop a citywide strategy for energy use reduction. In 2016, the City completed its Electricity
Action Plan, the first element of this plan. Additional action plans are anticipated to be completed
in the following years, as outlined in this plan.
Current conditions
Pick out a few pieces that correlate with trends and opportunities and insert it there.
Trends and challenges
Climate change – Climate change is a global challenge, with local implications regarding impacts and
policy. Addressing this will require coordinated change on many fronts – including reduction of
emissions, promotion of alternative energy sources, and alterations in consumption patterns and waste.
Climate resilience – In response to the impacts of climate change, there is a need to develop climate
resilience – defined as the ability to absorb and respond to stresses, and to adapt and evolve
accordingly. The key changes in weather patterns that the MN DNR Climatologist is predicting include
warmer winters, more extreme precipitation, strong storms and winds, and high summer humidity.
Developing a resilience strategy will include identifying and responding to climate vulnerabilities in the
community, in terms of both people and resources.
Energy –Sustainability best practices support continued energy efficiency and expanded use of
alternative energy sources which replace large GHG emissions sources. Costs for renewable energy have
reduced significantly at a commercial level. The cost of wind is on parity with coal generation. However,
there are still issues regarding the availability and affordability of renewable energy generation on small
residential scale (solar photovoltaic systems on a home). Conversion to renewables cannot be done
overnight as there is significant infrastructure investment around current energy generation that will
take time and resources to replace. Additionally, continued focus on efficiency use of energy generated
will be critical to reducing emissions, keeping costs down,
Waste - Sustainability also leads to an increased focus on a reduce/reuse/recycle approach to resources
– with the goal of reducing overall waste generated. It is critical to capture materials from the waste
stream that can be reused. The market for materials continues to change which makes recycling
expensive to complete. These macro level systems will be challenging for a small community, like Edina,
to change. However, education and behavior changes for city operations, residents and businesses to
alter their purchasing and disposal practices will be critical for successful recycling and waste reduction.
Leading by Example – The City of Edina can set an example for sustainability best practices through its
own operations and facilities. It will be important to look at the complete lifecycle of purchases and
processes to determine the opportunities to meet sustainability goals and improve the community’s
health and resiliency. This will need to be done through a triple-bottom line lens, which identifies the
true financial, environmental, and societal costs to allow productive discussion and decision making
about the level of commitment needed.
Natural Habitat - Much of the land in Edina has been removed from its original ecological and natural
function to make way for human development. While development impacts will remain, there are
opportunities to retain, restore, and connect natural habitat areas within the city. A fuller picture
emerges when looking at how this developed area fits into the larger ecological context of the region.
Water – Water quantity and quality must be wisely managed to deliver core services of drinking water
distribution and source protection, sanitary sewer service, flood protection, runoff management, and
clean surface water (lakes, creeks, ponds, and wetlands). Climate change and land use decisions have
the biggest impacts on the resilience of our water resources systems.
Density and Development: As the City considers development and density options, they must consider
the trade-offs to the environment. Meeting the carbon reduction goal will necessitate discussions on
tradeoffs in development, density, and their carbon impacts. For example, density can provide a lower
carbon footprint per resident and new development can be more energy efficient. But increasing the
population through density may increase the community’s overall carbon footprint.
Recommendations
Utilize a myriad of tools available. There are different tools for the City to use and support the
community’s goals. The right tool depends on the need and goaled outcome:
• Policy – The city will focus through staff and commission to amend and approve policies that
support sustainable actions, meet sustainability goals, and meet the needs of the community.
• Education – We encourage city to connect on policies, learn best practices.
a. We will use opportunities with city staff, EEC, organized neighborhoods, neighbor-to-
neighbor, and business organizations to promote sustainable actions.
• Alliances – Edina is a part of a larger community. It is important to build alliances across City
Commissions, with Edina School District, Chamber of Commerce, Hennepin County, and other
government entities within the region to connect on policies, learn best practices, and share
resources.
• Measurements – Develop and utilize existing tools for benchmarking and metrics to monitor
and reach stated goals
Understand there are different actors and their roles and impact on sustainability varies:
• City facilities – City facilities and operations will lead by example and commit resources to achieving
our sustainability goals. This would include:
o Integrating strategy, planning, and budgetary decisions
o Encouraging city staff to embed sustainability into decision-making, budget process, capital
improvements and build alliances across City Departments.
o Operations – Green building policy, net new city buildings
Operational aspects (like irrigation, tree canopy and green space).
Share resources example (South Metro training center).
o Reporting – setting baselines and report out on (e.g. energy utilization, purchasing, new
buildings)
• Commercial and Industrial Facilities – In addition to private businesses, this includes non-city owned
government and nonprofit entities, as well as multifamily and mixed-use development
o Constructions and Design – encourage green buildings, energy guidelines, give to get
options, deconstruction
o Operations – encourage energy consumption and efficiency, minimize waste and optimize
processing of waste stream with zero waste being target goal, water quality, water drainage
o Capturing opportunities to educate (with appendix of big ideas)
o Drainage and impervious surfaces, run-off plans
o Energy efficiencies and renewable energy options
o Lawns and plant diversity – permeable lawn, grass (appendix the weed ordinance), tree
policy
o Rebate and financial options
• Single family Residential
o Utilize policies available to support green buildings (design, materials, etc.), energy
efficiency and residential energy options, responsible demolition, pervious surface use,
smart water use (e.g. irrigation), reduction of waste, and increase in plant biodiversity
(including tree canopy and green space).
Give to get options was mentioned as a policy form.
o Continue to reassess policies that impact drainage and impervious surfaces (i.e. construction
permits needing runoff plans) and look for ways to stack benefits (i.e. utilizing native plants
that can absorb runoff, support pollinators, and clean water versus use of a buried cistern)
o Support pollinators, tree canopy, biodiversity and native plants
o Beyond policy, look for opportunities to educate (with appendix of big ideas)
XXXXXX
1. Density and Development: As the City considers development and density options they must
consider the trade-offs to the environment. Meeting the carbon reduction goal will necessitate
discussions on trade-offs in development & density and their carbon impacts. For example,
density can provide a lower carbon footprint per resident and new development can be more
energy efficient. But increasing the population through density would increase community the
community’s carbon footprint.
2. On the regional scale, it is generally more sustainable for development to be located in
developed communities that are well-served by infrastructure, rather than on the outskirts
where undeveloped land is being consumed and infrastructure is being created and extended,
creating a larger carbon footprint. However, at the local level, as the City considers development
and density options it must consider local impacts to the environment. Meeting the carbon
reduction goal will necessitate discussions on trade-offs in development and density and their
carbon impacts. For example, growth can provide a lower carbon footprint per resident and new
development can be more energy efficient. But increasing the population would likely increase
the community’s net carbon footprint overall (though possibly not at a per capita level).
Stopping density within the city will not solve sustainability problems and meet sustainability
goals, but accommodating growth does require investigation of ways to grow more
sustainably, and to seek to decouple carbon increases from economic growth.
There are key areas to focus sustainable action
• Solid waste – Encourage all to think of their waste footprint, use the waste reduction pyramid
(i.e. rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle), and anti-littering to reduce waste and its impact on the
environment.
o As we manage waste (i.e. trash, recyclables, and organic recyclables), continue to find
ways for reduction via pick up options, hazardous waste, green demolition, sharing
economy, and the circular economy.
• Energy – Commission to review the LoGoPEP work
o The city will consider energy resources and reduction and their impact on our city’s
goals.
o Continue to look for opportunities for renewable resources
• Water – See Water Chapter and notes below. Water is governed by the water chapter. Here are
the guiding principles:
o Sewage management – Monitor environmental opportunities such as grey water
o Surface water management - Create resilience plan for severe weather events and
volatility. Consider the effects of development and increased impervious surfaces on
stormwater management. Encourage resiliency systems.
o Water quality – Protect water quality including the connection between stormwater and
groundwater policy and continue to consider the factors affecting water quality
o Wetlands – value the protection of wetlands
o Water supply – value the protection of the water supply
• Air Quality – Promote clean energy and other actions to improve air quality such as reducing
transportation emissions
• Trees – Tree canopy has many stacked benefits (carbon sequestering, reduction in heat island
effect, storm water mitigation, supporting wildlife, etc.). Review policy and actions that support
tree canopy and benefits.
• Natural Habitat – Consider other natural resources such as soil, natural habitat, and sunlight.
• Environmental Contamination – Reduce pesticide and fertilizer use.
Goals and Policies
Goals: Goals are our way to prioritize actions, get resources, and measure our actions. Meeting these
goals will require trade-offs by communities.
• GHG goal: 30% Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction by 2025, 80% emissions reduction by
2050.
• Waste goal: Reduce residential waste 75% by 2030.
• Facilities lower and report electricity greenhouse gas emissions annually to meet 30% reduction
goals by 2025
a. 750 homes take energy savings actions each year, saving 562,000 kWh annually, or 395
metric tons of CO2 equivalent.
b. 100 new Windsource or Renewable Connect subscribers annually
c. Reduce and/or offset 2% of electricity usage annually, which is 7.3 million kWh,
equivalent to 5,140 metric tons of CO2.*
• Additional ways to promote action planning.
• Other government entity and community goals (reference water section for water goals)
• Equitable distribution of environmental benefits
Definitions
Environment includes factors that act upon a community and ultimately determine its form and
survival, including the impact humans have on natural resources.
Sustainability means protecting regional vitality for future generations by preserving our
capacity to maintain and support our region’s well-being and productivity.
Resilience is the ability to recover from a disaster that could have been prevented or mitigated
with sustainable practices.
***END***
Notes for Other Chapters and Commissions:
Planning
• Density and Development discussion: Overall impact of density within the geographical outlines.
Density can provide a lower carbon footprint per resident, but increase the population would
increase community the community’s carbon footprint.
• Live, work, and play. Development that is more efficient has mixed use, which allows people to
cut their transportation carbon footprint when they live and work in close proximity.
• Look for opportunities for district level sustainable, environmental, and resiliency benefits.
Water – Questions for the Water section when reviewed
• Sewage management – No comments. Will grey water come into effect?
• Surface water management -
o Stormwater - Creating resilience plan for severe weather events and volatility.
Encourage resiliency systems
o Water quality - Consider the connection between stormwater and groundwater policy
o Wetlands - Do we talk about the relationship development and wetlands? Ask Jess if
we have a map on wetland
• Water supply – No comments
Appendix: Collection of Sustainability Ideas and Specifics
Solid Waste
- Incorporate consideration of waste into every aspect of plan - think of the waste hierarchy: reduce,
reuse, recycle
- Any new commercial development should incorporate 3-stream waste collection
- Consideration for organics both in production and collection - i.e. new food establishments take
packaging and waste collection into consideration
- Keep all new technologies and innovations in regards to waste on the table
- Educate citizens on waste at every opportunity
- Public spaces need to have 3-stream waste receptacles conveniently located for citizens
- Events should consider waste in their planning. Both packaging and waste collection should be part
of permit/expectation
- Consider opportunities for citizens to dispose of waste materials at centralized location - i.e. a day
where there is an electronics collection at a central drop-off
- Construction and demolition requirements or options for greener practices. This could include
reusing materials and/or more environmental considerations when building
- Parks using a percentage of compost in turf management and in planting beds
Energy
-Consideration of self generation or self sourced generation:
-Look into costs for on site generation or programs to source directly from remote sources
-Consider long term environmental impact relative to city goals
-Consider carbon free sources or programs giving Renewable Energy Credits to end users
-Explore benefits of all electric sites and partnerships with utilities to off set potentially higher bills
-For larger developments consider on site generation, district energy systems, or district thermal options
(Natural Gas use on site will always have carbon emissions)
- Consider the impact of community solar gardens
-If the new home construction boom continues, consider local rebates/incentives to make homes more
efficient, resilient , & sustainable. Consider incentives for reused materials or products sourced through
in-state companies. (Discount on permit fees? Free LEDs throughout the house is builder/owner meets
____ efficiency level or a percentage of recycled materials.
Wetland
- Achieve no net loss of wetlands
- Discourage wetland alteration.
- administering the Wetland Conservation Act
- update the wetland inventory data
- restore previously existing wetlands
- buffer zones of native vegetation
- minimization of water level fluctuations
- Involve the appropriate regulatory agencies (MPCA, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and the MnDNR) in the planning of any proposed water quality or
flood control facilities
Natural Habitat
- Address invasive species
- Encourage native plants, especially pollinator-friendly plants
- Encourage large tree preservation
- Encourage increasing tree canopy
- Capture education opportunities for teaching eco-systemsReduce pesticide and fertilizer use
Water
- Road salt best practices for overall reduction of chlorides to surface water receptors
- Irrigation system best practices including upgrades and incentives for overall water use reduction
- Incentives for potable water use reduction (business, residential)
- Long term drinking water sustainability, well redundancy, and water quality (including emerging
chemicals of concern)
- Leveraging available new technologies that optimizes electricity usage and well maintenance.
- Resilient storm water management
- Incentives to reduce the proliferation of single use plastic water bottles
- Building / new structure enhancements that optimize water usage including options for gray water
systems
- Continued long term water use coordination with water water shed agencies, County, and adjacent
communities.
- Innovative use of rainwater run-off for activities such as watering plants (refer to U of M
operations example)
Below is content from EEC recommendations and content created specifically for
Edina created from EEC Recommendations, content shared at Comprehensive
Plan meetings, and City strategy plans like Vision Edina. After review of Chapter
10. Consultant will ask a few questions on EEC’s recommendations of need for
an appendix and direction for content to insert in an appendix.
Collection of Sustainability Ideas and Specifics from EEC
Solid Waste
• Incorporate consideration of waste into every aspect of plan - think of the waste hierarchy:
reduce, reuse, recycle
• Any new commercial development should incorporate 3-stream waste collection
• Consideration for organics both in production and collection - i.e. new food establishments
take packaging and waste collection into consideration
• Keep all new technologies and innovations in regards to waste on the table
• Educate citizens on waste at every opportunity
• Public spaces need to have 3-stream waste receptacles conveniently located for citizens
• Events should consider waste in their planning. Both packaging and waste collection should
be part of permit/expectation
• Consider opportunities for citizens to dispose of waste materials at centralized location - i.e.
a day where there is an electronics collection at a central drop-off
• Construction and demolition requirements or options for greener practices. This could
include reusing materials and/or more environmental considerations when building
• Parks using a percentage of compost in turf management and in planting beds\\
Energy
• Consideration of self generation or self sourced generation:
• Look into costs for on site generation or programs to source directly from remote sources
• Consider long term environmental impact relative to city goals
• Consider carbon free sources or programs giving Renewable Energy Credits to end users
• Explore benefits of all electric sites and partnerships with utilities to off set potentially
higher bills
• For larger developments consider on site generation, district energy systems, or district
thermal options
• (Natural Gas use on site will always have carbon emissions)
• Consider the impact of community solar gardens
• If the new home construction boom continues, consider local rebates/incentives to make
homes more efficient, resilient , & sustainable. Consider incentives for reused materials or
products sourced through in-state companies. (Discount on permit fees? Free LEDs
throughout the house is builder/owner meets ____ efficiency level or a percentage of
recycled materials.
Wetland
• Achieve no net loss of wetlands
• Discourage wetland alteration.
• administering the Wetland Conservation Act
• update the wetland inventory data
• restore previously existing wetlands
• buffer zones of native vegetation
• minimization of water level fluctuations
• Involve the appropriate regulatory agencies (MPCA, U.S. Army Corps of
• Engineers, and the MnDNR) in the planning of any proposed water quality or
• flood control facilities
Natural Habitat
• Address invasive species
• Encourage native plants, especially pollinator-friendly plants
• Encourage large tree preservation
• Encourage increasing tree canopy
• Capture education opportunities for teaching eco-systems
• Reduce pesticide and fertilizer use
Water
• Road salt best practices for overall reduction of chlorides to surface water receptors
• Irrigation system best practices including upgrades and incentives for overall water use
reduction
• Incentives for potable water use reduction (business, residential)
• Long term drinking water sustainability, well redundancy, and water quality (including
emerging chemicals of concern)
• Leveraging available new technologies that optimizes electricity usage and well
maintenance.
• Resilient storm water management
• Incentives to reduce the proliferation of single use plastic water bottles
• Building / new structure enhancements that optimize water usage including options for gray
water systems
• Continued long term water use coordination with water water shed agencies, County, and
adjacent communities.
• Innovative use of rainwater runoff for activities such as watering plants (refer to U of M
operations example)
Below is content created for Chapter 10. It will be important to include
some data to show a baseline and the ‘why’ behind chosen topics and
goals. This can be done by writing into the chapter, an appendix, and
providing references or links where data will be found in the future.
Current Conditions
Much of the data in this section is drawn from Edina’s participation in the Regional Indicators Initiative,
a Twin Cites metro project to measure municipal performance data. Cities who participated in this
initiative did so as part of a commitment to increase their overall efficiency and level of sustainability.
Data was collected across areas of energy, water, travel, and waste, and corresponding GHG emissions
and costs were calculated for each area. For the purposes of comparison, data are also included for
several adjacent communities with comparable conditions.
Energy Use
Energy use in Edina and comparable communities has been gradually decreasing over time, coinciding
with a focus on increasing energy efficiency. Commercial energy use accounts for a larger portion of the
city’s energy use than residential, which aligns with the fairly high ratio of jobs to residents in Edina. An
analysis of electricity use from 2014 showed that the community used a total of 584 million kWh of
electricity. Commercial and industrial use accounted for 60% of the total, residential use was 34%, and
municipal and school operations were 5%.
When considering energy used per capita, Edina consumes the second largest amount of energy (behind
Bloomington). In 2013, Edina consumed 27.6 tons of carbon dioxide worth energy per capita per day.
However, this may be changing; Edina may drop to third largest consumer due to a combination of Edina
residents’ decreased energy use and increased energy use per capita of Minnetonka residents.
When digging into the numbers, Residential energy use per capita is higher than other comparable
suburbs and uses 25% more electricity per capita than the average Minnesota city.
Water Use
Edina’s water use decreased from 2007 to 2010 and has been increasing since. Among neighboring
cities, Edina consumes the third most amount of water (behind Bloomington and Eden Prairie, and just
ahead of Minnetonka). Unlike energy, more of the city’s water use comes from single family residential
uses. Commercial water use in the city had been one of the lowest among neighboring cities, but it has
been increasing since 2009 and is now the second highest among neighboring cities. This change is likely
due to both increased commercial water use in the city (including from new multifamily development)
and decreased commercial water use in Eden Prairie and St. Louis Park.
Compared to the peer cities, Edina consumes the most water on a per capita basis, at around 133.8
gallons per capita per day.
Vehicles Miles Traveled
Compared to neighboring cities, Edina has a median value for total vehicle miles traveled. From
20072013, total vehicle miles have fluctuated between 495 million and 510 million miles annually (about
13,600,000 range). Most cities experienced similar ranges, except for Bloomington. Bloomington saw a
sharp decrease in the number of vehicles miles traveled in 2010 (about 200 million miles fewer), and
total miles have remained close to 2010 totals since.
In 2013, total vehicle miles traveled per capita per day was 27.88 miles. This rate has been very
gradually decreasing since 2007 when the total was 29.69 miles per capita per day. Among neighboring
cities, Edina falls in the lower half of total vehicles miles traveled
Waste Production
Given available data, most communities have somewhat plateaued in terms of waste reduction efforts.
Edina and neighboring communities cut tons of waste and tons of CO2 emitted from 2007 to 2010 but
have struggled to make further reductions. In 2013, Edina produced nearly 55,000 tons of waste,
creating about 9,900 tons of CO2 emissions. Waste per household per day has decreased in Edina and
neighboring communities, but the rate of reductions decreased after 2009. In Edina, the amount of
landfilled and incinerated trash has decreased while the amount of recycled trash has remained fairly
constant.
MPCA’s Metropolitan Solid Waste Mater Plan 20162036 was approved on April 6, 2017 and outlined the
goals of municipal solid waste with a goal of recycling 75% of waste by 2030. To meet this, the state and
County are focusing on diverting organic food waste from landfills. Hennepin County is proposing to
amend Ordinance to require cities like Edina to provide residents the opportunity to recycle organics by
2022.
Solar Access Protection
One important contribution the City can make in the transition to renewable energy sources is to
protect the access that individual residents, businesses and industry have to renewable sources of
energy. Active solar rooftop collectors and passive solar technologies require maximum exposure to
sunlight, which may be challenging in a developed environment. To help ensure that sufficient exposure
is available for all homeowners and businesses, the City already has ordinances for building setbacks,
building height restrictions, and maximum lot coverage. At present, there are still very few houses with
solar energy systems, likely due to high costs and logistical considerations associated with installation.
The University of Minnesota has developed a highresolution statewide solar resource map that allows
cities to calculate how much electricity they could potentially receive from locally installed solar energy
systems. These data (see Figure XX) were used to calculate Edina’s solar resource, in terms of potential
for energy generation. The solar map shows the location of the best sites solar installations and helps
identify where there may be potential land use conflicts with solar development. Table XX shows the
amount of solar energy reasonably available for development in Edina. The gross potential includes the
total available resource, regardless of location; rooftop capacity and generation include only the
resource available on the rooftops of commercial buildings located in the city.
Table XX – Hopkins Gross and Rooftop Solar Generation Potential
Total Generation Potential (MWh/year) 16,700,686
Rooftop Potential (MWh/year) 2,739,861
Gross Generation Potential (MWh/year) 1,670,068
Roof Generation Potential (MWh/year) 273,986
These calculations assume a 10% conversion efficiency and current (2016/17) solar technologies. The
average home in Minnesota consumes between 9 and 10 Mwh/year (Solar Energy Industries
Association; US Energy Information Administration). Using only Edina’s rooftop generation potential,
27,00030,000 homes could be powered by solar energy annually – more than the total number of
existing units in Edina.
Actions by the City of Edina that promote solar access and energy usage – such as facilitating financing
mechanisms like PACE financing and maintaining updated development regulations and incentives – can
result in wider adoption of solar energy in Edina. Another alternative is participation in community solar
gardens, which provide people an opportunity to support renewable energy through membership in a
large solar array located in a sunny open area. The Edina Community Solar Garden, located on the roof
of the Public Works and Park Maintenance Facility, is fully subscribed at the time of this writing with 68
households participating.
Environmental Stewardship
In Vision Edina (2015), the city’s strategic vision framework, environmental stewardship was identified
as a strategic focus area. Participants in the process were more supportive of environmentally
responsible policies and practices than any other issue area. This reflected an awareness of the impact
of the built environment on the natural environment, and a sense of individual and collective
responsibility to address this. There also was a strong belief that that Edina can and should take an
active and ambitious internal and regional leadership role in embedding environmental stewardship
principles through actions such as promoting more comprehensive recycling, smart building, and energy
efficiency practices. The process cited a number of issues to be addressed, including lack of financial
incentive for the private sector to pursue environmentally sensitive practices, lack of coordination in
waste removal and other environmental services, and increased pressures on City infrastructure and the
environment resulting from growth and change.
Climate Change
The role of a community in addressing the global issue of climate change is necessarily limited as a
smaller city not on the global stage. However, the City of Edina has committed to several actions within
the community to support this goal. In 2007, Edina joined over 700 cities in signing the U.S. Mayors
Climate Protection Agreement. The same year, the City Council voted to join the International Council of
Local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI) Cities for Climate Protection (CCP). Copies of these agreements and
their related milestones and objectives can be found LINK/APPENDIX.
The significance of these actions is a commitment on behalf of the city to identify actions to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in the community, primarily through reduction of dependence on fossil fuels.
Strategies covered include pursuing clean and efficient energy alternatives, supporting sustainable
development approaches, promoting alternative transportation options, encouraging green building
techniques, using energy efficient equipment and fleets, increasing water system efficiency, encouraging
recycling, maintaining urban forests, clean water landscaping, native prairie restoration, and many
related initiatives.
Since addressing climate change covers a broad range of topics, they are each discussed in more detail
in the following sections
Energy Efficiency and Alternatives
Addressing energy efficiency and promoting the use of renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels is a
key part of the climate change agenda. At present, the majority of energy consumed in Edina uses non-
renewable sources, and (though progress has been made) Edina consumes energy at a higher rate than
many other communities. Through the City’s Electricity Action Plan and other assessment work, the City
has been engaged in understanding energy usage patterns in the city, and identifying strategies to
promote solutions that fit for the community.
The approach to addressing energy efficiency and alternatives in Edina has been focused on two main
areas of influence: leading by example through municipal facilities and operations, and encouraging and
incentivizing private sector action. Solar access protection, a state-required element, is also part of the
City’s approach to promoting alternative energy.
Municipal Facilities and Operations
A core priority of the City and the EEC has been to lead by example by operating city facilities
sustainably. To ensure action, City Council setup the Conservation and Sustainability Fund to establish a
dedicated resource and funding for initial energy efficiency investments. Currently, the efficiency
projects are focused on facilities with a high Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and purchasing high efficiency
products when a system, like lighting or HVAC, come up for replacement.
Transportation is another GHG emitter. The current fleet is being reviewed and recommended actions
are being implemented to meet a 30% reduction goal.
Private Sector Development
The City’s influence on the private sector is less direct, but no less important. The City has taken on a
role of supporting community education around energy efficiency and other sustainability initiatives.
Examples of initiatives include home energy fairs and energy house parties. These efforts also involve
partners such as the Home Energy Squad or Center for Energy and the Environment, and tabling at other
community events.
Education with businesses in the community regarding opportunities to increase energy efficiency, such
as utilizing programs, have proven more challenging as there are many decision makers between tenant,
property manager, and building owner. Cities have taken on green building policies, energy
benchmarking, and other policies to ensure data and standards are available to assist in encouraging
sustainable building construction and maintenance. To date, the City has created a toolkit for builders
when applying for permits that encourages sustainable practices. There may be additional need to
revisit regulations to determine if additional incentives or requirements are merited to further
encourage sustainable development.
Sustainable Buildings and Sites
The built environment has a significant impact on the natural environment, particularly in a city like
Edina that is already fully developed. Investment in sustainable building and site practices – either in
new or renovated projects – can have a significant impact on energy efficiency and reduction of energy
costs and GHG emissions.
On the regional scale, it is generally more sustainable for development to be located in developed
communities that are well-served by infrastructure, rather than on the outskirts where undeveloped
land is being consumed and infrastructure is being extended, creating a larger carbon footprint.
However, at the local level, as the City considers development and density option they must consider
local impacts to the environment. Meeting the carbon reduction goal will necessitate discussions on
tradeoffs in development and density and their carbon impacts. For example, growth can provide a
lower carbon footprint per resident and new development can be more energy efficient. But increasing
the population would likely increase community the community’s carbon footprint overall (though
possibly not at a per capita level). Stopping density is not the answer but growth does require
investigation of ways to grow more sustainably, and to seek to decouple carbon increases from
economic growth.
For building construction and design, particularly in the case of larger scale development, the City
encourages developers to consider and pursue green building standards and sustainable energy
guidelines. The “give to get” city development review process provides an opportunity to discuss how
the developer and City can achieve a project that benefits the community. A green building policy will
provide clear direction to developers.
The City encourage best management practices in building and site design and maintenance that:
• Support green building development, including design, materials, and operations
• Encourage responsible demolition practices
• Promote energy efficiency and renewable energy options
• Minimize waste, and optimize processing of the waste stream with zero waste being the
target goal
• Reflect best practices to support water quality through drainage plans, stormwater
management, and limitations on impervious surface
• Encourage sustainable lawn management, plant biodiversity, and tree canopy development
• Investigate ways to stack benefits, such as native plants that absorb runoff, support
pollinators, and help clean water
• Support smart water use policies that conserve and reuse water, such as grey water
Education and outreach is always the first step, and can be incentivized with tools such as rebates and
other financial options. Education and outreach are useful tools that we should continue to use;
however, we should recognize that the impact of education alone is limited. Beyond these actions, many
cities explore regulatory tools, either at the local level or through state action, that provide additional
reinforcement and consistency to sustainable practices.
Natural Environment
Protecting the natural environment in Edina is an overall goal for the community. In a practical sense,
that means addressing impacts of development and human activity on natural resources, and addressing
ways to mitigate those impacts. Focus areas include waste reduction, water quality, air quality, ecology
and habitat, and the city’s tree canopy.
Waste Reduction
The City of Edina has pursued waste reduction and recycling programs since the 1970’s, and continues
its commitment to the present day. The City has adopted the long-standing Minnesota waste hierarchy
to prioritize policies and actions:
• Rethink. Rethinking how to approach waste can provide new directions for how to use
resources. The City encourages all to think of their waste footprint as a starting point to
reduce waste and its impact on the environment.
• Reduce. Recent emphasis on the “sharing economy” – where people share resources
rather than purchase their own – is very consistent with reduce policies. Opportunities
to efficiently share vehicles, space, tools, or other elements can be both cost effective and
good for the environment. Limiting the use of disposable materials at the City operations
level can also help in this area.
• Reuse. Reuse policies fit in well with sustainable building and design practices, which
include green demolition approaches as well as use of reclaimed and recycled materials
over new ones. The concept of a circular economy (where resources are repeatedly used
to extract the maximum usage, before recovery and regeneration) forms a model for
how resources can be used more sustainably than a traditional linear system.
• Recycle. The City’s current recycling program involves biweekly curbside single sort
collection. Drop off sites are available at the county level for larger items, and items with
hazardous content.
Air Quality
Outdoor Air Quality
The quality of the air in Edina is a significant determinant to the health and comfort of the city’s
residents. Pollutants in the air can cause anything from minor irritations or annoyances to serious
respiratory health problems. In Edina, the outdoor air quality is generally very good; however, there are
certain sections of the city, which are at particular risk for degradation of air quality – mostly due to auto
emissions during traffic congestion.
Air quality in a metropolitan area is greatly influenced by factors outside the control of an individual
community. However, the City can seek to promote cleaner air through policies that reduce mobile
source emissions, namely automobile traffic, by encouraging alternative forms of transportation. On a
more granular scale, the City can limit practices such as open burning and small engine equipment which
high levels of emissions.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is also a consideration, though with different factors to consider. Poor indoor air
quality is typically linked to presence of contaminants and/or poor building system condition or
maintenance. Remedies are typically consistent enforcement of building codes and public health
standards, which are largely already addressed in city and state regulations.
Ecology and Habitat
While natural ecological system and habitat have been significantly impacted by development in Edina
over the past century, they are still present. A diverse array of plants and animals live alongside people
in the city – and positive steps are possible to ensure ecological functions are protected, enhanced, and
restored.
Protecting, enhancing, and restoring ecological systems in Edina involves a range of best management
practices to mitigate impacts of pollution and runoff. This can include brownfields remediation in the
case of contaminated soils or groundwater. It can also involve promoting connectivity in green space, to
allow for more functional habitat for plants and wildlife. The City’s actions will be a blend of regulation,
education and encouragement, programmatic approaches, and capital investment. Programmatic
approaches would include municipal best practices, and operations and maintenance such as street
sweeping.
A couple focus areas of the city related to this topic have been reduction of excessive pesticide and
fertilizer use, and promotion of plantings that support pollinators. These are related to goals regarding
biodiversity and the use of native plants where possible.
An example is Braemar Golf Course’s Academy 9 native restoration, completed in 2016. The restoration
included more than 13 acres of prairie and oak savanna restored, more than 29,000 square feet of
wetland buffer planted, and expansion of a water quality pond. Managing and expanding this native
restoration is a long-term commitment.
Tree Canopy
The City of Edina has a substantial tree canopy throughout much of the city. Tree canopies have many
stacked environmental benefits such as carbon sequestering, reduction in heat island effect, storm
water mitigation, and supporting wildlife. Actively managing the tree canopy diversity will be important
maintaining its health and resiliency to the changing climate and diseases like Emerald Ash Borer. The
City should review policies and actions that support the establishment and maintenance of a tree
canopy and benefits.
Water
Water resources are an essential element of the City’s environment, and a key element for its life and
health. The Water Chapter covers this topic in depth. Some potential priority areas related to water and
environmental sustainability are listed below:
• Water supply. PLACEHOLDER – COMPLETE WITH INPUT FROM ENGINEERING
STAFF
• Surface water management. PLACEHOLDER – COMPLETE WITH INPUT FROM
ENGINEERING STAFF
• Water quality. Encouraging more sustainable practices related to salt usage to reduce
pollution of waterways.
Goals and Policies
Environmental Stewardship
Goal: Take a leadership role in promoting environmentally responsible policies and practices.
1. Develop a comprehensive citywide environmental management plan that explores
and includes best practices in water management, biodiversity, green space
management, streetscape enhancement and waste management.
2. Partner with energy and utility service providers to educate residents on the
importance of energy efficiency in their daily living and promote energy efficiency and
smart building practices at all City-owned properties.
3. Continue to identify a series of environmental flagship pilot projects to bring
stakeholders together and begin exploring creative solutions.
4. Develop incentives for individual households to take an active role in the overall city
responsibility for environmental management.
Climate Change
Goal: Support statewide and national efforts to meet or beat targets for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions.
1. Support state and federal efforts to implement policies and programs in support of
greenhouse gas emission goals, including reduction of dependence on fossil fuels.
2. Strive to meet or exceed Paris Climate Accord and Next Generation Energy Act targets for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Inventory greenhouse gas emissions in city operations and in the community and set
reduction targets and timelines to reduce those emissions.
4. Create a holistic climate action plan that tackles both climate mitigation and climate
adaptation.
Energy Conservation and Alternatives
Goal: Improve energy efficiency consumption in the city, and replace fossil fuels with renewable sources
where possible.
1. Increase the use of clean, alternative energy by advocating for the development of
renewable energy resources.
2. Make energy efficiency a priority across city programs, policies, regulations, and
investments.
a. Create benchmarks of current energy use in all public facilities and set a goal to
reduce energy use and costs.
b. Monitor energy usage at public facilities and make changes and investments as
needed to increase overall energy efficiency and reduce cost.
c. Pursue the reduction of emissions from municipal fleet vehicles through “green
fleet” practices, including the use of high efficiency and alternative fuel vehicles, no-
idling, reduction of discretionary trips, and vehicle sharing.
d. Implement purchasing guidelines for city procurement that address energy
efficiency and alternative energy.
e. Work with public and private institutions to support the development of renewable
energy pilot projects in the city.
3. Develop goals for energy efficiency, implement through policies and programs, and
monitor and verify results.
Goal: Encourage private property owners to pursue energy efficient practices in the construction
and maintenance of their homes, businesses, and commercial properties.
1. Inform residents of the opportunities available to them to control and reduce their energy
consumption.
2. Create incentives in the form of tax rebates and low interest financing to reduce residential
energy demand and promote renewable energy and low-carbon energy use.
3. Promote the adoption by homeowners, builders, and remodelers of city and state government
energy guidelines, with the goal of meeting LEED certification standards for new constructions.
4. Encourage the use of green building materials and sustainable site design to reduce the need for
summer cooling and winter heating.
5. Inform and educate builders, property owners, and businesses about energy conservation and
alternative energy opportunities, including tax incentives or rebates.
6. Support the development of locally generated renewable energy by to power part or all of the
energy needs of a private development.
7. Explore opportunities for establishing district energy systems where appropriate, to promote a
more efficient and cost effective energy solution.
Goal: Meet or exceed state standards regarding solar access protection.
1. Continue to enforce setback, building height, and lot coverage ordinances that can serve as
protection to solar access
2. Become SolSmart certified to ensure policies, permitting, and inspections processes do not
inhibit solar access.
3. Consider access to solar protection when reviewing variance requests.
4. Promote the use of active and passive solar energy for heating, lighting, and other aspects in
design, construction, remodeling, and operation of City buildings.
5. Leverage the Solar and Wind Access Law to establish polices that restrict development for the
purpose of protecting solar access.
Sustainable Sites and Buildings
Goal: Encourage sustainable development patterns that reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
1. Adopt and enforce land use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve open space, and create
compact, walkable urban communities.
2. Promote transportation options such as bicycle facilities, commute trip reduction programs,
incentives for carpooling, and public transit.
3. Encourage and incentivize sustainable building practices using the Minnesota B3 Guidelines, U.S.
Green Building Council's LEED program, or other standards.
4. Evaluate adopting ordinances and policies to provide incentives for energy efficiency, renewable
energy, and reductions in greenhouse gases.
5. Continue to implement City’s sustainability purchasing policy that considers the environmental
impact of City purchases.
Environmental Quality
Goal: Pursue a reduction in overall waste through initiatives to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials.
1. Continue to operate a household recycling program for single-family and multi-family housing,
encouraging the 3 R’s, reduction, reuse, and recycling.
2. Encourage home composting of organic wastes, including food scraps and yard waste.
3. Support citywide co-collection of Source Separated Organics with yard waste.
4. Encourage local businesses to participate in waste reduction programs such as the Minnesota
Chamber of Commerce’s WasteWise program.
5. Encourage proper disposal of hazardous and other problem materials such as e-waste through
public education about opportunities and regulations around disposal.
6. Educate consumers on how to avoid purchasing products with environmentally harmful
ingredients and instead buy “green.”
7. Recommend changes to the City purchasing policy to encourage the use of materials that are re-
usable, recycled, compostable, or which use minimal packaging. Incentivize city vendors to
deliver products in reusable containers.
8. Expand the range of plastics that can be included in residential recycling as markets permit.
9. Encourage greater recycling among local businesses.
10. Identify an Edina site that would produce renewable energy from city waste, such as an
anaerobic digester, away from residential areas.
Goal: Encourage best practices to reduce air pollution and maintain good indoor and outdoor air quality.
1. Cooperate with enforcement of the Clean Air Act and other laws and regulations relating to air
quality including the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act.
2. Encourage and consider requiring mechanical ventilation systems in new homes.
3. Provide incentives for building practices that improve indoor air quality.
4. Encourage property owners to plant trees along roadways where possible to help reduce traffic
noise and absorb CO2.
5. Maintain healthy urban forests on public lands and streets to increase shading and absorb CO2,
and encourage private property owners to do the same.
6. Enact an ordinance that restricts vehicle idling in Edina and post ‘No Idling’ signs at all schools
and public parking lots.
7. Promote the use of renewable energy sources at the local and state levels to reduce the amount
of particulate matter generated by coal plants.
Goal: Support the protection, enhancement, and restoration of natural ecological systems and habitat, in
the context of a developed environment.
1. Support the cleanup and remediation of brownfields where appropriate.
2. Encourage open space and site design that provides connectivity in green space, and supports
habitat and ecological function.
3. Investigates strategies to reduce of excessive pesticide and fertilizer use and to limit runoff.
4. Promotion of plantings that support pollinators, and encourage biodiversity and the use of
native plants where possible.
5. Encourage the development and maintenance of a healthy urban tree canopy.
Implementation
Implementation Strategy
The City of Edina has a range of tools and strategies that it can use to implement these goals and
policies. These include:
• City Budget and Operations. The most direct control the City has is over how it manages its own
internal systems. Implementation strategies will include:
o Addressing sustainability through strategy, planning, and budgetary decisions.
o Embedding sustainability into decisionmaking, budget process, capital improvements,
and inter-departmental initiatives.
o Operating city facilities in sustainable manner, including supporting green building
policies, net zero goals for new buildings, and efficient/shared use of existing facilities.
o Setting baselines and reporting on goals and benchmarks, such as energy utilization,
purchasing, and performance standards.
• Policy and Regulations: The city will work through staff and commission to amend and approve
policies that support sustainable actions, meet sustainability goals, and meet the needs of the
community. This will include:
o Creating incentives for sustainable practices in policy and regulations, to encourage and
guide property owners, developers, and others to adopt best practices.
o Where appropriate, evaluate creating regulatory requirements and/or options (such as
“give to get”) to promote sustainable practices.
• Education: The city will continue to pursue and learn about best practices across a range of
topics, and to share that information with the community. This will include:
o Participating in regional, state, and national conversations and initiatives regarding
moving forward on sustainability goals.
o Using opportunities with city staff, EEC, neighborhood organizations, neighbor-to-
neighbor interactions, business associations, and other community partners to promote
sustainable actions.
o Appendix XX has ideas for education and outreach.
• Alliances: Edina is a part of a larger community, and that can bring advantages – particularly
regarding taking on projects that are beyond the scope or scale of an individual city.
o Building alliances among city commissions, Edina School District, Chamber of
Commerce, Hennepin County, neighboring jurisdictions, and other governmental
entities within the region to connect on policies, learn best practices, and share
resources.
• Goals, Metrics, and Benchmarking: Setting specific goals, metrics, and benchmarks can provide
focus and accountability when working toward a long term vision.
o Continuing to develop and utilize benchmarking and metrics to monitor and reach
stated goals. Some of the ones that have already been developed are included below.
Citywide Goals
Goals are our way to prioritize action, get resources, and measure our actions. Meeting these goals will
require trade-offs by communities. Current adopted City goals related to sustainability and the
environment include:
1. Greenhouse Gases. 30% Greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2025, 80% emissions reduction
by 2050.
a. Municipal: Lower the City’s GHG emissions by 7.5% over 18 months; reduce the City’s
GHG emissions 30% by 2025 from a 2012 baseline
b. Residential: 750 homes take energy saving actions each year; double the number of
subscribers to Windsource®, and double the average subscription amount within 18
months
c. Business: Reduce and/or off-set 2% of electricity usage annually
2. Waste: Reduce residential waste 75% by 2030.
3. Add goals arising out of the Partners in Energy Program (To be determined in Summer 2018)
along with additional ways to promote action planning.
4. Other government entity and community goals (reference water section for water goals)
5. Equitable distribution of environmental benefits
6. WATER GOALS
Page 1
I. Health
Chapter Highlights
• 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.
Introduction
Public health is the art, practice and science of protecting and improving the health of the population.
Public health is about what makes us healthy, what makes us sick, and what we can do together about it.
When we think about health, what often comes to mind is the individual and ways he or she can stay
healthy. Public health shifts the focus to the population – from me to all of us.
Research suggests that around 80% of health outcomes are influenced by the environment and by human
behavior. As a result, comprehensive planning can have a significant impact on the factors that
contribute to health, by shaping the environment and helping to positively impact behavior in ways that
lead to healthier communities and people.
There are a number of principles underlying public health:
• Public health is about prevention. This means intervening early and keeping people from
getting sick or injured.
• Public health is about populations. This means focusing on groups of people rather than
single individuals.
• Public health is about overall wellness. This means the broadest possible view of what
makes and keeps us healthy including our mental health, everyday health choices, and our
surroundings – not just health care services.
• Public health is about local needs. This means identifying what a community needs to
improve health and assuring effective action which uses local assets to solve unique
challenges.
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. Accomplishing this mission involves a range of programs and initiatives, run directly
by the City and through its public partners. This chapter provides a policy framework for continued progress on the division’s mission and goals.
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However, the vision for a healthy community in Edina is
bigger than just the charge to one division. This chapter
also outlines a “health in all policies” approach, wherein
health is systematically addressed and included in policies
throughout the plan. Addressing health and wellness is
essential to ensuring a sustainable community, and to
maintaining the high quality of life enjoyed by Edina’s
residents.
Background
The city has long had a Public Health Department, and the promotion of public health is a core value which is
promulgated through numerous regulations and initiatives
– both directly through the City and in partnership with
others.
The City of Edina is designated as a Community Health
Board (CHB) by Minnesota Statute 145A. A CHB is the
legal governing authority for local public health in
Minnesota, and community health boards work with the
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to promote the
public's health. The City Council acts as the CHB
governing body and is responsible for fulfilling the
statutory duties of a CHB, which are to:
1. Assure an adequate local public health
infrastructure by maintaining the basic foundational
capacities of a well-functioning public health
system that include: o Data analysis and utilization o Health planning o Partnership development and community
mobilization o Policy development, analysis and decision
support o Communication o Public health research, evaluation and
quality improvement
Example: Assess health priorities with community
input; develop community health improvement plans to
address identified needs and monitor progress.
2. Promote healthy communities and healthy
behavior through activities that improve health in a
population, such as: o Investing in healthy families
Definitions
Chronic disease: A disease that is
permanent, causes disability, is
caused by a nonreversible
pathological alteration, and/or
requires a long period of
supervision, observation or care.
Behavioral risk factors: Behaviors that cause or contribute to
accidents, injuries, disease, and death
during youth and adolescence as
well as significant morbidity and
mortality in later life.
Environmental hazards:
Situations or materials that pose a
threat to human health and safety in the built or natural environment.
Health disparity: When a health outcome is seen to a greater or
lesser extent between specific
population groups.
Health equity: Achieving the
conditions in which all people can
realize the highest level of health
possible, without limits from
structural inequities.
Morbidity: Illness or lack of health
caused by disease, disability, or
injury.
Mortality: A measure of the
incidence of deaths in a population.
Social determinants: Structural
factors and conditions in which
people are born, grow, live, work
and age, that impact health.
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o Engaging communities to change policies, systems or environments to promote
positive health or prevent adverse health o Providing information and education about healthy communities or population
health status o Addressing issues of health equity, health disparities, and the social determinants
of health
Example: Minimize tobacco use and exposure among residents through policy change such as
raising the purchasing age to 21 years (“Tobacco 21 Ordinance”).
3. Prevent the spread of communicable disease by preventing diseases that are caused by
infectious agents through:
o Detecting acute infectious diseases o Ensuring the reporting of infectious diseases
o Preventing the transmission of infectious diseases o Implementing control measures during infectious disease outbreaks
Example: Monitor immunization levels and perform outreach to high-risk groups; run
immunization clinics; investigate outbreaks and conduct contact interviews with exposed
individuals.
4. Protect against environmental health hazards by addressing aspects of the environment
that pose risks to human health, such as: o Monitoring air and water quality o Developing policies and programs to reduce exposure to environmental health
risks and promote healthy environments o Identifying and mitigating environmental risks such as food and waterborne
diseases, radiation, occupational health hazards, and public health nuisances
Example: Conduct restaurant and swimming pool inspections, respond to reports of unsanitary
and uninhabitable housing conditions, and inspect indoor air quality of parking garages in multi-
unit dwellings.
5. Prepare and respond to emergencies by engaging in activities that prepare public health
departments to respond to events and incidents and assist communities in recovery, such
as:
o Providing leadership for public health preparedness activities within a community o Developing, exercising and periodically reviewing response plans for public health
threats o Developing and maintaining a system of public health workforce readiness,
deployment and response
Example: Share resources with Bloomington and Richfield for Public Health Emergency
Preparedness activities; hold events simulating natural disasters or mass dispensing of medication
in response to an outbreak or other threat.
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6. Assure health services by engaging in activities such as:
o Assessing the availability of health-related services and health care providers in
local communities o Identifying gaps and barriers in services o Convening community partners to improve community health systems
o Providing services identified as priorities by the local assessment and planning
process
Example: The City’s annual agreement with Edina Public Schools to provide funding for chemical
dependency services.
Current Conditions
Municipal Structures
The Edina Community Health Commission (CHC) is comprised of volunteer residents serving in an
advisory capacity to the Edina CHB (City Council). A representative of the CHB is appointed annually to
represent the City on the State Community Health Services Advisory Committee (SCHSAC). A CHC
member has filled the SCHSAC seat in recent years.
The Health Division of the Edina Police Department provides Environmental Public Health services to
residents, such as regulation of food, pool, lodging, body art, and massage establishments, housing and
code enforcement inspections, noise complaint response, and public health nuisance investigations.
Additional Public Health services such as health education and promotion, communicable disease
prevention programs, public health nursing services, home health visits, maternal and child health
services, health assessments and public health emergency preparedness are provided to Edina residents
through a contract with Bloomington Public Health.
Population Health Status
It is difficult to assess the health status of Edina residents at the population level. This is in large
part due to a lack of Edina-specific health data. Where data are available (often because it can be
aggregated by zip code following statewide data collection), there are frequently limitations to
what can be inferred, in part related to data privacy concerns regarding the sharing of health
information for individuals. Some examples providing key, albeit imperfect, information about
Edina residents are below:
Incidence of Chronic Disease.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Edina has low rates of hospitalization from
both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as asthma when compared to
neighboring suburbs. While COPD predominantly affects the elderly, asthma hospitalization is a
greater risk for pediatric populations, especially those living below federal poverty levels. In an
effort to maintain strong respiratory health at all ages by preventing tobacco use, exposure and
addiction, in 2017 the City passed an ordinance limiting tobacco sales to those over age 21.
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Youth Health
The Minnesota Student Survey is another rich data source. The survey is administered every
three years of middle school and high school grades with voluntary participation. Data are
available at the school district level, including Edina School District. More information about the
survey and recent results can be found in Appendix XX. Consistent with other health data, Edina
students typically are above statewide averages in terms of their well-being.
Reflecting broader regional and state trends, there has been a consistent reported decline over
the past ten years in many of the risky and negative behaviors tracked among students. There are
a few notable exceptions:
• Recent data show a possible upward trend in alcohol/tobacco use among 9th grade girls.
It also confirms the uptick of e-cigarette consumption. Rates are still below state averages
for the same time period. • There has been a reported increase in online bullying, counter to a trend of declining
physical bullying.
• There has been a substantial increase in the number of students reporting that they have
been treated for a mental health, emotional, or behavioral problem, particularly among
girls.
Adult Health
Another source of information that can help to triangulate current health conditions in Edina is
the Adult Survey of the Health of All Populations and the Environment (SHAPE). In Hennepin
County, SHAPE has been administered every four years since 1998, surveying randomly chosen
adults about their health. In this survey, Edina is grouped with Richfield and Fort Snelling in the
category of South Suburbs – Inner Ring. While it captures some overall health perceptions and
specific conditions such as overweight, asthma, diabetes and hypertension, it is very difficult to
evaluate where Edina sits relative to other communities in this area. Overall, the survey suggests
that the majority of people in the area think their health is excellent or very good (over 65%),
and that the highest reported health concerns are being overweight (33%) or having high
cholesterol (32%). It is unknown if these aggregate numbers represent Edina.
The City of Edina 2017 Quality of Life Survey asked a few questions of residents related to health,
summarized below:
• 92% thought health and wellness opportunities in Edina are “excellent” or “good.”
• 86% thought the City’s public health services were “excellent” or “good.”
• 4% had been in contact with the health department during the course of the year.
• 75% thought fitness opportunities (including exercise classes and paths or trails, etc.) are
“excellent” or “good.”
• 1500 surveys were sent out with 477 respondents for a 34% response rate to the 2017
Quality of Life Survey.
In terms of understanding baseline health status and trends over time, it would be highly beneficial
if Edina were able to build on these sort of satisfaction-driven questions as well as collect baseline
city-specific data relevant to disease prevalence, mental health needs, environmental exposures,
or other metrics.
Health Care Resources
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In addition to the community health services provided through the Health Department, there are
private health services and facilities serving Edina.
Generally speaking, the Edina area has excellent access to health care facilities, as well as health
education and wellness programs. In addition to a level two trauma center within the City,, there are
numerous smaller specialty clinics, medical offices, dental services, and ambulatory surgical centers
serving Edina. Most are located in and around the Greater Southdale area. At the regional level, other
major medical centers provide access to specialty care as needed.
Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and communities. At the time
this plan was developed, the following factors were considered to be emerging or priority issues
over the next ten years:
Health, Economic, and Racial Disparities
Disparities exist across many factors in the city including health, economics, and race. Structural
inequities occur when structures or systems of society—such as finance, housing, transportation,
education, social opportunities, etc.—are designed in such a way that they benefit one population
unfairly (whether intended or not). One example of a disparity in Edina is that from 2012-2016 there
were lower than average rates of health insurance coverage among certain groups including non-US
citizens (83.1%), people with less than a high school education (80.0%), and individuals of color (89.6%
for Black or African American; 81.5% for Alaska Native or American Indian; 74.4% for Hispanic or
Latino) despite fairly high health insurance rates in the city overall (97.4%).
Premature death, defined as dying before age 65, is used to identify largely preventable causes of death
impacting our community. On average from 2013-2015, 10% of white individuals died before 65
compared to 31% of individuals of color living in Edina. Blacks in Edina are especially disparate with 42%
of premature deaths. Additionally, according to 9th grade responses in the 2016 Minnesota Student
Survey, 64% and 44% of Hispanic and Black students respectively respond to enrollment in Free and
Reduced Lunch program compared to just 3% of white students in Edina. See Appendix XX for further
illustrations of racial and income disparities in Edina.
Transportation & Mobility
Transportation is an integral component of an individual’s health, from utilizing transportation to access
healthy foods and healthcare, to walking and biking for exercise as well as travel. The City will consider the health benefits of an active transportation system when development and road construction projects
are designed and constructed. While Edina has an array of healthy food resources, it has fewer
community food service programs than both Bloomington and Richfield, according to a 2013
Community Food Assessment. See Appendix XX for a map of Edina Community Food Asset Locations
and additional information from the assessment. As well, while a ‘circulator’ for seniors debuted in 2018,
it will be important to build upon and track success with that investment.
Aging Population
The aging population will require adjustments in many areas, from expansion of care facilities to adding
senior-focused recreational opportunities. According to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey,
disability rates are higher for seniors in Edina. 60% of those aged 65 and older are disabled (two-third of
Commented [JB1]: Need some language to link the ideas before and after this point. Linking transportation to access to food…
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those are over age 75). This includes hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory and self-care difficulties.
Providing a full spectrum of community services to support aging in place will be critical.
Mental Health and Social Connectedness
There is an increasing need for mental health services for all ages in the city, from elementary and
middle school children to seniors. Social connectedness contributes to improved mental and physical
health in people of all ages. In older adults, social conditions like loneliness and isolation have a significant
negative impact on long-term health and wellbeing. As Edina continues to age and the number of adults
living alone continues to increase, strategies to address social isolation will become important to
improve community health.
According to the 2014 SHAPE survey, nearly 25% of the population in Hennepin County had been
diagnosed with depression and another more than 20% with anxiety. The numbers were slightly higher
in the south suburbs (which would include Edina) than the county at large. While it is not possible to
tease out Edina specifically given the survey design, these are staggering numbers that indicate the need
for mental health support in our community and surrounding areas. As noted in the Youth Health
section, the Minnesota Student Survey indicates that mental health concerns are surfacing among the
younger generation as well.
Addiction and opioid abuse/overdose are growing issues across the state, as well, including in Hennepin
County. Municipal activities such as first responder training with naloxone (an opioid antagonist used to
reverse overdose) are important, as are sufficient community resources to address mental health needs,
treatment, and prevention.
Housing
Safe and affordable housing is one of the most basic and powerful social determinants of health. Quality
housing improves the health of vulnerable populations and is a cornerstone of a strong and healthy
community. The City will continuously evaluate housing policies and regulations to provide safe and
affordable housing for residents of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and social demographics. This might
include enhanced efforts to address the large proportion of homes that register elevated radon levels.
The City will also look at ways to support sustainable housing. Homelessness disparities were
pronounced among black 9th graders in Edina (14% compared to 5% among white students) as
measured in the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey. Current data are inadequate to assess affordable
housing stock in the City.
Recommendations
To effectively address the trends and challenges identified above, it is recommended that Edina
commit to the following actions:
Enhance Data Collection
Collection of quality health-related data, especially at the city level, is becoming increasingly difficult and
expensive. Traditional survey methods like mail or landline telephone use are typically answered by only certain demographics which results in poor quality data that does not represent the community as a
whole. The City will research and invest in collection methods for quality, city-specific health data to
Commented [JB2]: Insert State Demographer Data regarding age of residents.
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better inform local decisions. The City will study best practices, including around privacy protections,
and work to design a comprehensive public health survey that can be used consistently from year to
year with flexibility to ask detailed questions about emerging trends.
Address Social Determinants of Health
Health is a critical aspect of planning. In fact, a community’s plan for housing, transportation, land use,
parks, and economic development encompasses the largest factors that determine one’s health. “Social
determinants of health” are structural factors and conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work
and age. Most premature deaths are connected to these determinants, like air and water quality or access to physical activity and healthy food. Since the practice of community planning plays a significant
role in shaping the built environment, local planning can have real and significant impacts on community
health. The comprehensive plan is a tool to strategically increase health and reduce health disparities for
all.
CHECKLIST: COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING FOR A HEALTHY COMMUNITY, Metro
Healthy Comprehensive Plan Work Group
Use a Health in All Policies Approach
“Health in All Policies” is a collaborative approach to improve health by incorporating health
considerations into decision-making across all policy areas. A Health in All Policies approach will be
embedded in decision-making across all policy areas within the city. Questions to be addressed while
pursuing this strategy include:
a. Does it empower those that live and work in Edina to support their physical,
mental and social well-being?
b. How does this decision affect social determinants of health?
c. How will this decision reduce health disparities and improve health equity?
i. Health Disparity – When a health outcome is seen to a greater or
lesser extent between populations, there is a health disparity. Populations
may be defined by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age,
disability, socioeconomic status, or location.
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ii. Health Equity – Achieving the conditions in which all people have the
opportunity to realize their health potential – the highest level of health
possible for that person- without limits imposed by structural inequities.
Goals and Policies
Data Collection
Goal: Improve the quality and availability of city-specific public health data in Edina to inform policy
development and monitor impacts.
1. Research and invest in collection methods for quality, city-specific health data to better inform
local decisions.
2. Study best practices, including around privacy protections, and work to design a comprehensive
public health survey that can be used consistently from year to year with flexibility to ask
detailed questions about emerging trends.
3. Work with public and private sector partners on joint data collection and data sharing initiatives,
particularly when providing community-specific results.
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Appendix XX
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There are 15 grocery stores in Edina, including six supermarkets, six convenience/limited grocery stores,
and three small grocery stores. Three of these stores accept WIC and 12 accept SNAP/EBT. There are
no ethnic markets in the city. The City of Edina piloted a community garden in summer 2013, which
offers garden plots to city residents at a nominal fee, and an Edible Playground Garden that is open to
families of registered playground program participants.
Edina also has two farmers markets. The City-run market has 32 vendors including those selling locally
grown produce and an extensive variety of other locally produced foods product such as breads and
specialty bakery goods, candies, jams and other items. The Edina Farmers Market began accepting
SNAP/EBT at the beginning of its 2013 market season but does not accept WIC. In 2013, Fairview
Southdale Hospital opened the Farm to Fairview Farmers Market with four vendors who sell a variety of
locally grown produce. The Farm to Fairview market does not accept EBT or WIC. Edina has one
privately owned farm stand open seven days a week during the summer growing season. There are four
CSA farm drop sites in Edina, only one of which is located near low-income dense residential areas and
a bus line.
Given the substantially smaller number of low-income residents in Edina, there are fewer community
food service programs within city limits. There is one community dining site located in a housing
complex that serves senior residents. There are four meal and four grocery delivery services. There are
two mobile food shelf drop sites located at apartment buildings within city limits, but these services are
limited to residents only. There are no Fare For All drop sites in Edina. Healthy, low-cost or free food
options in Edina are limited, which presents challenges for low-income and senior residents with
mobility issues and fixed incomes.
40.66%
0.00%0.00%2.39%All Edina Children,
3.25%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Black or African
American Alone
Hispanic or Latino Asian Alone White Alone - Not
Hispanic or Latino
Child Poverty by Race & Ethnicity in Edina-2015
Edina Comprehensive Plan
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The CITY of
EDINA
Arden Park 90% Design Report
City Council
October 2, 2018
The CITY of
EDINA
90% Open House Shelter Update
www.EdinaMN.gov 2
The CITY of
EDINADaylight Modeling
www.EdinaMN.gov 3
The CITY of
EDINABuilding Interior Plans
www.EdinaMN.gov 4
The CITY of
EDINADesign Options
www.EdinaMN.gov 5
Save $163.12 annually in energy
costs = 6.7%
$735,218 estimated construction
cost
Save $308.12 annually in energy
costs = 12.65%
$747,771 estimated construction
cost
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Edina Comprehensive Plan 2018
X.1 Introduction
The City of Edina has long been recognized as an exceptionally livable and desirable community.
Livability is best described by Bruce Appleyard in Transportation Research Record: Journal of the
Transportation Research Board (2014), as “an individual’s ability to readily access opportunities to
improve a citizen’s personal quality of life for living, working, playing, shopping, learning, worshiping,
resting and moving within his or her city, town or neighborhood.” However, not all Edina residents
experience these opportunities in the same way, nor with the same degree of success.
It is the public policy of the City of Edina to secure for all residents of the City freedom from
discrimination because of race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression,
marital status, disability, states with regard to public assistance, familial status or national origin in
connection with employment, housing and real property, public accommodations, public services, credit
and education. In 1970, the City of Edina established the Human Rights and Relations Commission
(Commission) to promote and help implement its public policy of nondiscrimination. The Commission is
charged with the responsibility to advise the City Council on matters relating to discrimination and
human relations, and to implement programs of education and community action designed to advance
public policy regarding human rights. The Commission advocates for basic human rights and needs in
the community and promotes responsibility and integrity in human relationships by providing service,
information and recommendations, cooperating with other communities and governmental
organizations, and sponsoring forums and community events.
In 2016 the City of Edina became a Human Rights City. This is a commitment to “provide leadership and
advocacy to secure, protect, and promote human rights for all people and to be a model for
communities in the United States and around the world.”
Edina has made it an objective to pay attention to the needs of historically oppressed and marginalized
groups. This includes people of color, Indigenous peoples, women, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people
with disabilities, youth and older adults.
In 2017, Edina joined the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), which is a national network
of governments working to achieve racial equity and to advance opportunities for all. The work involves
using a race equity framework to create long term sustainable results on race equity in all aspects of
government. Achieving race equity means closing the gap so that race does predict a person’s success,
while improving the outcomes for all. It involves target strategies to focus improvement on those worse
off and changing policies, institutions and structures.
The policies that Edina supports and enacts should focus improvement on those worse off while
improving the outcomes for all.
This Comprehensive Plan chapter outlines goals, policies, and implementation steps that will foster an
inclusive and engaged community, i.e., a welcoming community where every person can contribute,
thrive and enjoy the benefits our city has to
offer.
The Commission recognizes in its work that
there is a difference between equity and
equality and that it is critical that this
FIGURE 1. Equality vs. Equity
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difference is taken into account when addressing human rights and relations. Equality implies that the
same resources are provided for everyone regardless of background or circumstance. Equity implies
that everyone is given the resources needed to have an equal chance of succeeding, with those facing
more obstacles to success receiving the resources needed to overcome them.
This concept is illustrated in Figure 1.
The Commission’s recent activities have included:
1) Advocacy for rights for domestic partners
2) Advocacy for gay marriage
3) Programming to promote inter-ethnic, inter-generational, and inter-religious understanding
4) Advocacy for affordable housing
5) Public recognition of those who advocate for and promote human rights
6) Advocacy to end all forms of discrimination against women
7) Participation in the City’s Race and Equity Initiative
8) Active involvement in the City’s participation in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity
(GARE)
X.2 Current Conditions
In 2015, the City of Edina formally adopted a Vision Statement, which describes Edina as a “…
preeminent place for living, learning, raising families and doing business”. In order for Edina to live up
to its adopted vision and reputation for livability, discriminatory acts and inequities that might be
experienced by residents and visitors to Edina should be prevented to the extent possible. Moreover,
efforts should be made to ensure that when such acts occur, they are addressed. Both of these efforts
require an understanding of current demographic and social-economic information.
The Edina Community is made up of families and individuals of all ethnicities, but a majority of residents
are European Americans (85 percent). Additionally, 7.1 percent are Asian Americans, 2.2 percent are
African Americans, 2.1 percent are more than one race, 1.8 percent are other races, and 0.2 percent are
Native Americans. African American families played a prominent role in settling Edina, but European
American families became the majority of Edina residents during the 20th century. This was in part due
to restrictive covenants, which prevented people of color from owning or leasing property in entire
neighborhoods. Parts of Edina were subject to these covenants, which have been outlawed since the
Shelly v. Kramer United States Supreme Court ruling of 1948. Though racial inequities exist in Edina
today, great progress has been made since the time of racially restrictive covenants.
Negative Race-Related Experiences in the City of Edina
Discrimination and inequities may be experienced by residents and visitors in an array of contexts. In
recognizing the unwelcoming dynamic experienced by some community members, including people of
color, the City began a race and equity initiative in 2017 to “identify and eliminate race-based disparities
in Edina city government facilities, services and institutions.” [City Manager Scott Neal, in December 6,
2016 Staff Report to City Council on Establishing an Edina Race & Equity Task Force.] The initiative was
led by a Task Force of Edina residents who oversaw the collection of data and the development of
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recommendations for City Council, with the objective “to determine what changes could be made to
ensure that Edina is a welcoming community for all people.” [Race & Equity Initiative Final Report &
Recommendations, May 15, 2018, Purpose and Objectives, at page 18]
As set forth in the Race & Equity Final Report & Recommendations (“Report”), “[t]o understand the
scope of race-based discrimination and feelings of being unwelcome, data was collected from a range of
Edina community members during the summer, fall, and winter months of 2017.” The Report found that
“20 themes consistently emerged surrounding experiences, observations, and awareness of race-based
discrimination” including the following.
• Parks: “Edina parks are places where community members have experienced racism primarily
through racial slurs and race-based vandalism.”
• Other Facilities: “There are observations and experiences of race-based harassment and raced-
based violence at various city facilities….”
• Lack of Representation / Decision Making: Many observe that there are few or no people of
color that represent the city of Edina in government leadership, nor in government-appointed
groups.”
• Hiring Practices and Procedures: “There is uneasiness and suspicion around how race plays a
role in government hiring practices.”
• Responsiveness to Race-Based Concerns: “Many feel the city responds poorly to reports of race-
based discrimination, or that the city does not respond at all.”
• Police Department: “There is significant concern about police conduct with people of color.”
• City Housing Programs: “Perceptions exist that city-based housing programs and policies are
contributing to the lack of people of color in Edina.”
• Other Services: “There is a perceived lack of inclusion in the process for how city services are
designated and delivered.”
Report, Community Findings, pages 25-30. See Report for more complete findings.
As Edina prepares for the next two decades, addressing these experiences will be essential to ensure
that Edina is a welcoming, inclusive and engaged community.
X.3 Trends, Challenges, and Themes
To grasp the policy implications of current and potential future human rights and relations issues, it is
essential to know the demographic composition of Edina and how those demographics relate to income
and other factors.
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Trends
The population of Edina has grown in the last 10 years, from 45,569 in 2009 to 49,976 in 2016.
Population growth by race between 1980 and 2016 can be seen in detail below in Table 1.
As shown above, while the white population of Edina has grown since 1980, the proportion of Edina that
is white has decreased from 98.4 percent in 1980 to 86.5 percent in 2016. As Table 1 indicate, there has
been a slow but consistent trend toward racial and ethnic diversity in Edina.
It is additionally noted that some specific minority populations have grown while others have shrunk as
a proportion of the population. The largest increase in population share was the Asian population,
which grew from nearly 1 percent in 1980 to 7 percent of the City’s population 2016, with 4 percent of
that growth occurring since 2000. The immigrant population has also steadily increased, forming 8.9
percent of Edina’s population in 2009, and 10.9 percent of the population in 2016.
TABLE 1. Percent Edina Population by Race, 1980-2016
Race and Ethnicity Trends in Edina, 1980-2016
1980 1990 2000 2010 2016
White 98.4% 97.2% 94.3% 88.1% 86.5%
Black or African American 0.5% 0.7% 1.2% 3.0% 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 0.2%
Asian 0.8% 1.7% 3.0% 6.1% 7.1%
Other Race 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.7% 1.8%
2 or More Races n/a n/a 1.1% 1.8% 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino 0.5% 0.7% 1.1% 2.1% 3.0%
Source: US Census Bureau
Challenges
In the past ten years median income of most racial and ethnic groups has broadly diverged. American
Indian/Alaska Native and African American residents have seen significant reductions in median
household income throughout the past 10 years; Native American residents by roughly two thirds, and
African American residents by about one third. Black residents have also had the lowest median
household incomes through nearly the entirety of the 2008-16 period. By contrast, the median
household incomes of European American and Asian American residents have steadily increased by
roughly one quarter. Hispanic/Latino, Two or More Races, and Other Races have seen fluctuating
median household incomes throughout the same period.
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Themes
The Edina Human Rights and Relations Commission identified seven themes to consider when
developing policies.
1. Race equity
2. Gender justice
3. Social inclusion
4. Economic justice
5. Education
6. Environment
7. Police and justice system reforms
The Commission has identified the following 10 social capital/social well-being indicators of Edina
residents when making policy decisions.
1. Race
2. Age
3. Ability
4. Sexual orientation
5. Gender identity
6. Ethnicity
7. Religion
8. Health
9. Poverty/socioeconomic status
10. Education
Through participation in GARE and the City’s Race and Equity Initiative, the Commission recognizes that
the City’s policies and practices may work better for white people than for people of color who live,
work or study in Edina, even though unintentionally and inadvertently. The impact of such policies
combined with the recognized history of discriminatory practices such as Edina’s restrictive covenants
creates a system that can negatively impact communities of color. The Commission understands that
moving toward race equity as a priority by closing the gap on whether race will predict a person’s
success within the city will improve outcomes relative to all social capital/social well-being indicators.
X.4 Goals, Policies, and Implementation
Goal 1: Establish Race Equity Plan
Eliminate any disparate impact of City policies and operations that is caused by race. Ensure that city
policies, practices and programs are equitable for all community members.
Policy 1: The City will develop accountability measures to monitor, assess and evaluate progress
toward race equity goals.
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Policy 2: The City will build relationships with communities of color.
Policy 3: The City will gather and analyze data in a way that provides an understanding of the difference
in experiences of residents of color.
Policy 4: The City will take steps to address inclusion in city staffing, communications and
appointments.
Policy 5: The City will focus on eliminating policies that create and maintain inequities based on race.
Implementation Steps:
1. Timely and fully implement the May 15, 2018, Race and Equity Task Force recommendations
pursuant to the plan articulated in the September 5, 2018 Race Equity Implementation Report.
2. Employ or identify staff responsible for overseeing implementation of the Edina Race and Equity
Task Force recommendations per the September 5, 2018 Race Equity Implementation plan.
3. Create an Annual Report on progress toward established racial equity goals to be provided to City
Council, the Human Rights and Relations Commission, and the public.
4. Include a racial equity training requirement and performance goals and metrics from the Race
Equity Implementation Plan in department work plans and performance standards used to evaluate
leadership performance.
Goal 2: Ensure equal access and opportunities for all residents regardless of their gender. Where
appropriate, consider equitable programs and services for women and girls.
Policy 1: The City will ensure that all public policy decisions account for the differential impacts on
women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Policy 2: The City will use the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW), passed in Edina in 2016, as a framework for improving the conditions of women and
girls in Edina.
Policy 3: The City will support efforts to ensure equal pay and fair employment practices for all people
regardless of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
Policy 4: The City will promote preventative education about gender-based violence, sexual assault,
and sexual harassment in schools.
Implementations Steps:
1. Train law enforcement to conduct trauma-informed interviews with sexual assault survivors.
2. Human Rights and Relations Commission to be tasked with educational and other relative projects
designed to advance goal as needed by inclusion of such projects in the Commission’s annual work
plan.
Goal 3: Ensure that the City welcomes all members of the community to participate in its social,
employment, economic, political, and recreational activities.
Policy 1: The City will create an intentional community engagement plan.
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Policy 2: The City will ensure that accessibility to community organizations, facilities, and services for
residents with physical and other disabilities is barrier-free.
Policy 3: The City will take steps to improve transparency and access to local government for all.
Implementations Steps:
1. Include reporting of results for quality to life surveys compared by race /ethnicity to determine how
well residents of color are served by city programs and services, and whether residents of color
believe they have an opportunity to participate in community and government matters.
2. Employ or identify staff responsible for overseeing and directing community engagement work.
Goal 4: Ensure that the City supports and fosters economic fairness and justice for all residents and
that economic harm is not an intended nor unintended consequence of City programs,
initiatives, or activities.
Policy 1: The City will support social and economic policies that make human rights a primary objective.
Policy 2: The City will explore policies that support the development and success of locally-owned and
minority-run and owned businesses.
Policy 3: The City will promote access to affordable and nutritional food for all residents.
Implementation Steps:
1. All departments to evaluate existing goals, policies and practices to determine their impact on the
10 social capital/social well-being indicators listed above, and to modify goals, policies and practices
as needed.
2. Apply race equity criteria for allocating funds through city budgeting process for Capital
Improvement Projects, Pedestrian and Cycling Safety Fund and Operating Budget.
3. Assess the number and type of locally-owned and minority-run and owned businesses, and identify
opportunities for the City to contract with these businesses for needed products and services.
X.5 Goals, Policies, and Implementation Steps that Overlap with other
Chapters of the Comprehensive Plan
The following are goals and policy recommendations of the Human Rights and Relations Commission
that relate directly to other chapters of the comprehensive plan. They have been divided into four
categories that correspond to the chapters to which they relate: Housing, Community Services and
Facilities, Parks, and Environment.
A. Housing
1. Review the City’s Affordable housing policy to assess needs based on: a) a constantly changing
housing market, b) the City’s changing demographics, and c) while considering a race and equity.
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B. Community Services and Facilities
1. Review the Police Department’s policy for posting individual names on the department website’s
“Crimes Report.” Revise the policy to balance public safety with protection of due process through a
racial equity lens.
2. Collect and analyze data to permit the development of informed policy and procedure adjustments.
• Collect data regularly on community attitudes and perceptions about local law enforcement
through an anonymous survey, including race data.
• Collect and analyze demographic data, including but not limited to race, on all stops (with
outcome, by race), searches and seizures (all detentions) in accordance with 21st Century
Policing’s best practices
• Collect data about non-criminal tickets to create transparency.
• Analyze the data on a regular basis and share the information with the public. Put actions in
place when adjustments to policy or practices are needed.
• After a process is developed for the collection of race data, the department should provide
the officers training on why it is important to collect race data and how the data will be
collected and used.
3. Coordinate with the Police Department to improve community outreach.
• Place the Department Policy Manual on the Department website for public viewing.
• Develop a strategy to improve Police Department communications.
• Develop an ongoing strategy to publicize and promote the Police Department, including but
not limited to the increased use of social media.
• Evaluate and improve the Department’s current community outreach programs.
• Build trust between Police and Community:
Create Resident Oversight Board to review complaints of police misconduct.
Review current outreach (community involvement) programs, evaluate the efficacy
of each of those programs, prioritize department focus to ensure participation of
people of color, and introduce new ones as needed.
4. Ensure equitable access to City facilities
• Review the City’s website and print and social media materials to ensure they serve a racially
and culturally diverse population. Implement translation services for the website and include
print materials in appropriate multiple languages (based on top non-English primary languages
in Minnesota).
• Implement access to translation services for staff to access when working with guests who speak
English as a second language.
• Ensure all facility and park plans reflect a racial equity lens by intentionally seeking input from a
racially, culturally and geographically diverse group in planning and review (ex: Braemar Master
plan, establishing new or expanded facilities, etc.)
• Ensure that City Council presentation (ex: Annual Report) are delivered across multiple
locations, to ensure people who live in different parts of the city have access.
• Deliver staff training on scholarship fund availability so that all staff are familiar with and know
how to speak about them or know where to direct guests for more information. Consider a
sliding scale fee structure or identify other ways to ensure consistency and increase affordability
for guests.
• Add Metro transit link to website to highlight public transportation options if available to the
facility and add printed transit information at facility kiosks or on-site. For those facilities
9 | P a g e
Edina Comprehensive Plan 2018
currently difficult to access via public transportation, develop a plan to create new
transportation options to address the gap (example: a new shared shuttle service).
• Develop alternate ways to register for programs or use of facility, to accommodate those who
do not have ready access to a computer. Establish time for staff to do in-person outreach to
areas in the city to reach and welcome new and underserved populations in the community
C. Parks
1. Collect and analyze data on parks and recreation utilization:
• Parks and recreation programs should collect demographic data about program utilization
across all users or participants.
• In partnership with communities of color, identify if barriers to utilization exist and elicit
solutions from community members and users. Barriers might include price, programming,
location, sense of belonging, language and cultural or religious values.
2. Develop a process for collecting and responding to complaints at parks and recreation facilities:
• Require youth sports associations and other associations utilizing City of Edina parks and
recreational facilities to operate in accordance with the City's expectation regarding equality,
equity and inclusion.
• Establish a policy for use and create enforcement mechanisms for abuse or lack of enforcement
of such policy.
• Create clear city expectations regarding equality, equity, and inclusion. Post the City’s policies
within all sports facilities. Provide written policies to all associations and organizations using
Edina park and recreation facilities.
• Establish expectations that all outside vendors will adhere to and established process and
procedure for dealing with discriminatory practices.
D. Environment
1. Ensure that the City takes steps to provide all residents a clean, pollution-free environment and
seeks to attain the highest possible levels of environmental sustainability.
• Conduct an environmental assessment to identify and quantify the environmental impacts of
any major municipal action and analyze the effectiveness of identified mitigation measures.
• As part of the development review process, require project proposers to address environmental
issues associated with proposed projects and document information on waste streams, energy
use, greenhouse gas production, etc.
Date: October 11, 2018 Agenda Item #: VII.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Correspondence
From:Tara Brown
Item Activity:
Subject:Food Waste Policy Proposal Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
INTRODUCTION:
See attached letter from Sarah Zuhlsdorf, previous Edina resident.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Food Waste Policy Proposal
1
Presidio Graduate School
1202 Ralston Ave #300
San Francisco, CA. 94129
https://www.presidio.edu/
September 26, 2018
Tara Brown
City of Edina
4801 W 50th St
Edina, MN 55424
Dear Tara,
As an Edina native who is passionate about food, I’m writing with a proposal that will help the City of Edina
reduce its food waste. Edina’s recent adoption of a city-wide compost initiative shows that it’s on the forefront
of environmental practices in Minnesota. I believe it can take the next step in leading the state to take on more
sustainable practices.
According to ReFED, Americans wasted $218 billion of food last yeari. That’s equivalent to one pound of food
per person each dayii. Not only is the food going to waste, but the amount of resources used to grow this food
is also wasted. This includes 21% of all fresh water, 19% of all fertilizer, 18% of cropland and 21% of landfill
volume, annuallyiii. As Minnesota is the 5th largest agricultural state, we know how precious these resources
are to our communities. In addition, 508,630 people in Minnesota are hungryiv. This means that 1 in 11 people
struggles with hunger, including 1 in 8 children. Most of the food that is thrown out is perfectly good and safe to
eat. If we diverted food waste from the retail level and used it to feed the hungry, we would have a happier and
healthier population.
Diverting food waste from landfill would be achieved more successfully by putting some policy and incentives
in place. In 2016, France made it illegal for grocery stores to throw away edible food. Those who ignore the
ban can incur a $4500 fine for each instancev. As a result of the law, 5000 food banks across the nation have
fresh food being delivered daily and grocery stores are seen as a source of good in their communities. Edina
could instate its own fine for food waste coming from grocery stores to incentivize them to donate to food
banks.
If Edina has the power to write its own municipal tax laws, it could further incentivize retailers to donate food by
subsidizing costs for food storage and delivery to food banks. The State of California credits retailers 10% of
inventory costs, and non-profits 50% of delivery costsvi. In addition, California passed the "Bill Emerson Good
Samaritan Food Donation Act" (Public Law 104-210) to protect donors from liability when donating to non-
profits. This may require some collaboration on the state level, but that would encourage other municipalities to
create their own food waste reduction goals as well.
2
I acknowledge that it’s not easy to change policy on any level. However, Edina is uniquely positioned to be
progressive when addressing the issues facing its community, while also conserving valuable resources. I
hope that you take my proposal into consideration. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.
Sincerely,
Sarah Zuhlsdorf
MBA Candidate, 2018
Presidio Graduate School
szuhlsdorf@gmail.com
(952) 913-1729
i https://www.refed.com/?sort=economic-value-per-ton
ii https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/18/americans-waste-food-fruit-vegetables-study
iii http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/minnesota/
iv http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/minnesota/
v https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/24/586579455/french-food-waste-law-changing-how-grocery-stores-approach-excess-food
vi https://www.refed.com/tools/food-waste-policy-finder/california#tax-incentives
Date: October 11, 2018 Agenda Item #: VIII.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Other
From:Carolyn Jackson, Chair
Item Activity:
Subject:2019 Work Plan Update Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
INTRODUCTION:
Chair Jackson will update the Commission on 2019 Work P lan presentation to Council.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
EEC 2019 Work Plan Proposed
Commission Work Plan Instructions Updated 2018.06.27
Instructions:
Each section with a white background should be filled out.
Do not fill out council charge. Scott will complete this section with his proposed charge to the Council.
Liaisons are responsible for completing the budget and staff support columns.
List initiatives in order of priority
Definitions
New Initiative – not on previous work plan and has completion date
Continued Initiative – carried over from a previous work plan with a revised target completion date
Ongoing Responsibility – annually on the work plan and may or may not have a target completion date
Parking Lot – initiatives considered by not proposed as part of the work plan. Not approved by Council
EVENT Initiatives – if it is an annual event list the initiative as ongoing. It if is a new event list the items as a new initiative.
Timeline
SEPT MEETINGS:
Commission
approves
proposed work
plan. Plans due to
MJ September 25.
OCT 2 WORK
SESSION:Chairs
present proposed
work plan to
Council. Chairs
present.
NOV 7 WORK
SESSION: City
Manager
presents staff
proposed revisions. Liaisons present.
DEC 4 COUNCIL
MEETING: City
Manager incorporates council feedback and submits final draft for approval.
JAN 1:
Commission
officially starts implementing work plans.
Commission: Energy and Environment Commission
2019 Annual Work Plan Proposal
Initiative # 1 Council Charge (Proposed Charge Completed by CM)
☐ 1 (Study & Report) ☐ 2 (Review & Comment)
☒ 3 (Review & Recommend) ☐ 4 (Review & Decide)
Target
Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support
Required
(Staff Liaison)
Initiative Type: ☐ New Initiative ☒ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility ☐ Funds available
Funds are available for this project.
☒ Staff Liaison: Hrs_8
☐ CTS (including Video)
☒ Other Staff: Hrs_16__
Review and recommend residential curbside organics recycling ☒ Funds not available
There are not funds available for this
project (explain impact of Council
approving initiative in liaison
comments). Lead Commissioners: Seeley
Liaison Comments: Staff will finalize RFP in 2018. In 2019, staff will need help promoting organics at local events (i.e. Edina Art Fair, Farmers Market, Open
Streets, etc.)
City Manager Comments:
Progress Report:
Initiative # 2 Council Charge (Proposed Charge Completed by CM)
☐ 1 (Study & Report) ☐ 2 (Review & Comment)
☐ 3 (Review & Recommend) ☐ 4 (Review & Decide)
Target
Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support
Required
(Staff Liaison)
Initiative Type: ☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility ☒ Funds available
Funds are available for this project.
☒ Staff Liaison: Hrs_60_
☒ CTS (including Video)
62hrs
☐ Other Staff: Hrs_____
Business recognition program ☐ Funds not available
There are not funds available for this
project (explain impact of Council
approving initiative in liaison
comments). Lead Commissioners: Horan
Liaison Comments: For this to be successful, Commission will need assistance making business connections. Current commission proposal is more like a
certification process than an annual award like the Tom Oye award. Recommend first year is an award and move into certification process if engagement is
high.
City Manager Comments:
Progress Report:
Initiative # 3 Council Charge (Proposed Charge Completed by CM)
☐ 1 (Study & Report) ☐ 2 (Review & Comment)
☒ 3 (Review & Recommend) ☐ 4 (Review & Decide)
Target
Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support
Required
(Staff Liaison)
Initiative Type: ☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility ☒ Funds available
Funds are available for this project.
☒ Staff Liaison: Hrs_40_
☐ CTS (including Video)
☒ Other Staff: Hrs_8___
Review and recommend a building energy benchmarking policy ☐ Funds not available
There are not funds available for this
project (explain impact of Council
approving initiative in liaison
comments). Lead Commissioners: Jackson
Liaison Comments: This initiative has the greatest potential to reduce community-wide emissions and save businesses money.
City Manager Comments:
Progress Report:
Initiative # 4 Council Charge (Proposed Charge Completed by CM)
☐ 1 (Study & Report) ☐ 2 (Review & Comment)
☐ 3 (Review & Recommend) ☐ 4 (Review & Decide)
Target
Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support
Required
(Staff Liaison)
Initiative Type: ☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility ☐ Funds available
Funds are available for this project.
☒ Staff Liaison: Hrs_6_
☐ CTS (including Video)
☒ Other Staff: Hrs_16_
Study and report on pollinator resolution.
☒ Funds not available
There are not funds available for this
project (explain impact of Council
approving initiative in liaison
comments). Lead Commissioners: Horan
Liaison Comments: Staff recommends commission learn about current City initiatives and competing priorities within parks to understand how best to bring
forward a resolution that is supported and has a positive impact. Staff recommends ‘Study and Report on supporting pollinators’. Commission discussed this
would be a good opportunity to work jointly with the Parks Commission.
City Manager Comments:
Progress Report:
Initiative # 5 Council Charge (Proposed Charge Completed by CM)
☒ 1 (Study & Report) ☐ 2 (Review & Comment)
☐ 3 (Review & Recommend) ☐ 4 (Review & Decide)
Target
Completion
Date
Budget Required
(Staff Liaison)
Staff Support
Required
(Staff Liaison)
Initiative Type: ☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ Ongoing Responsibility ☐ Funds available
Funds are available for this project.
☒ Staff Liaison: Hrs_32
☐ CTS (including Video)
☒ Other Staff: Hrs_20_
Study and report about timeline and parameters recommendation for a Climate
Action Plan including the city’s leadership role
☒ Funds not available
There are not funds available for this
project (explain impact of Council
approving initiative in liaison
comments). Lead Commissioners: Satterlee
Liaison Comments: Our current Action Plan is limited to electricity. To reach our community reduction goals, we will need to broaden action and planning.
City Manager Comments:
Progress Report:
Parking Lot: (These items have been considered by the BC, but not proposed as part of this year’s work plan. If the BC decides they would like to
work on them in the current year, it would need to be approved by Council.)
Increase street sweeping, water quality improvements and conservation actions
Education and outreach events,
Green building policy,
Pass an enhanced tree ordinance
City owned building energy efficiency
Proposed Month for Joint Work Session (one time per year, up to 60
minutes):
☐ Mar ☐ April ☐ May ☒ June ☐ July ☐ Aug ☐ Sept ☐ Oct ☐ Nov
Date: October 11, 2018 Agenda Item #: IX.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Other
From:Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:SolSmart Update and Proposed Zoning
Amendments
Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
Staff will provide an update on the City's SolSmart application and successes. Staff will also update the
Commission on proposed zoning amendments to reduce barriers for solar. P lease see the Staff Report for more
information.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Staff Report: Solar PV Zoning Updates
Presentation: SolSmart and Zoning Updates
Zoning Memo: Solar Foundation
Proposed Zoning Ordinance Changes 10.2.2018
October 11, 2018
Environment and Energy Commission
Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
SolSmart and Solar Zoning Discussion
Information / Background:
City of Edina staff are applying to be a SolSmart Designated Community. Solar PV, also known as solar
electricity, uses sunlight to directly generate electricity harvested through solar panels. The City of Edina
would like to build awareness of solar and provide key resources to residents and businesses regarding
solar.
The SolSmart program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Technologies and led by
the International City/County Management Association and The Solar Foundation. SolSmart understands
local governments have tremendous influence over the prospects for solar energy growth. SolSmart advisors
work with local governments to streamline a city’s zoning and inspection requirements and remove barriers
to solar development. SolSmart uses objective criteria to designate communities that have successfully met
solar goals. Since the program launched in 2016, more than 200 municipalities nationwide have achieved
SolSmart designation.
City staff continue to complete aspects of the application. Accomplishments to date include:
• Created a Solar Statement and published our intent to become a SolSmart Community
• Created a permitting and inspection checklist for solar in Edina
• Created a webpage of resources for individual solar in Edina
• Presenting background and proposed zoning changes to the Planning Commission
The SolSmart application requires the City to “review zoning requirements and identify restrictions that
intentionally or unintentionally prohibit solar PV development.” National experts at SolSmart have
completed the memo to satisfy this requirement. Staff drafted proposed changes to the Edina City Code
based off the recommendations of the memo. Areas of change include:
REPORT / RECOMMENDATION Page 2
• Definitions
o Sec. 36-10
o Adding definition of “Solar Energy System”
• Accessory Use
o Sec. 36-1269
o State solar energy systems has by-right accessory use in all major zones
• Screening Code
o Sec. 36-1457
o Exempt solar energy systems
Action Requested:
Today, staff will provide a brief background on SolSmart and present the proposed zoning changes to the
Commission. There will be time for a brief discussion on the proposed changes to the zoning ordinance.
SolSmart & Solar Zoning Updates
Energy and Environment Commission 10/11/2018
SolSmart Program
EdinaMN.gov 2
•Streamline a city’s zoning and
inspection requirements and remove
barriers to solar development
Application
•Foundational categories:
•Permitting
•Planning, Zoning and Development
•Required Actions:
•SolSmart Statement (done)
•Online permitting checklist with 3 day turn around (done)
•Zoning memo review (done)
•Train inspections and permitting staff in solar PV resources (done)
•Allow accessory use of Solar in zoning code (in progress)
EdinaMN.gov 3
Actions
EdinaMN.gov 4
www.edinamn.gov/solar
Proposed Ordinance Amendments
Goal: Draft proposed language changes to zoning code that intentionally or
unintentionally prohibit solar PV development.
Recommended changes from Staff:
•Definitions
o Sec. 36-10
o Adding definition of “Solar Energy System”
•Accessory Use
o Sec. 36-1269
o Solar energy systems has by-right accessory use in all major zones
•Screening Code
o Sec. 36-1457
o Exempt solar energy systems
EdinaMN.gov 5
Planning Commission 9/26
•Gathered feedback from Planning Commission on Sept. 26
Changes included:
•Removed building coverage exemption
•Looking at potential of height restrictions
EdinaMN.gov 6
Next Steps
•Public Hearing for proposed zoning changes at Planning
Commission
•Proposed date of Wednesday, Nov. 14th
•Public Hearing at City Council for reading of changes
•Proposed date of Tuesday, Dec.4th
EdinaMN.gov 7
Questions
EdinaMN.gov 8
ZONING REVIEW – Edina, MN
Potential barriers in current code language
Section(s) Element Reviewer Comments Example(s) from other
codes Priority level
Ex.
Setbacks,
Height
Restrictions,
Definition,
etc.
Sec. 36- Screening It is unclear from the More Permissive: Low (Screening
1457. - zoning ordinance Screening of Mechanical and requirements
Required. whether solar systems Electrical Equipment: All may increase the
would be required to exterior mechanical and cost of
be screened. It is not a electrical equipment shall be installation and
best practice to require screened on all vertical sides could also
screening of roof- at least to the height of the decrease the
mounted solar energy equipment it is screening and efficiency of a
systems, as it could incorporated into the design solar energy
create shading that of buildings to the maximum system by
could decrease the extent feasible. Equipment to increase shading
system’s efficiency, be screened includes, but is of solar
while also potentially not limited to, all roof- modules.)
adding to the cost of mounted equipment, air
installation. conditioners, heaters, utility
meters, cable equipment,
telephone entry boxes,
backflow preventions,
irrigation control valves,
electrical transformers, pull
boxes, and all ducting for air
conditioning, heating, and
blower systems. Screening
materials may include
landscaping or other
materials that shall be
consistent with the exterior
colors and materials of the
building. Solar energy
systems are exempt from
this screening requirement.
PZD-1a: Review zoning requirements and identify restrictions that intentionally or unintentionally
prohibit solar PV development. Compile findings in a memo. (Required)
To assist your community, the national solar experts at SolSmart have conducted a review of your
community’s zoning code to assess possible barriers (i.e. height restrictions, set-back requirements, etc.)
and gaps related to solar PV development. Below, please find the outcome of their review. By reading the
narrative, reviewing the example code language provided, and signing the statement at the bottom of the
page, your community will satisfy PZD-1a and be one step closer to achieving SolSmart designation.
(emphasis added) The
Architectural Review Board or
Landmarks Commission may
reduce the height of the
required screening based on
the placement of the
equipment on the roof, the
existing height of the subject
building and surrounding
buildings, and the overall
visibility of the equipment.
(Santa Monica Zoning Code)
Less Permissive:
Existing language in Sec. 36-
1457
Potential gaps in current code language
Element Reviewer Comments Example(s) from other codes Priority level
Ex. Setbacks,
Height
Restrictions,
Definition, etc.
Definition The zoning ordinance does not
appear to establish a definition
for solar energy system.
More permissive:
“Solar Energy System: An
energy system that consists of
one or more solar collection
devices, solar energy related
‘balance of system’ equipment,
and other associated
infrastructure with the primary
intention of generating
electricity, storing electricity, or
otherwise converting solar
energy to a different form of
energy. Solar energy systems
may generate energy in excess
of the energy requirements of a
property if it is to be sold back to
a public utility in accordance
with the law.” (Renewable
Energy Ordinance Framework,
DVRPC)
Less permissive:
“Solar Energy System: An
energy system which converts
solar energy to usable thermal,
mechanical, chemical, or
electrical energy to meet all or a
significant part of a structure’s
energy requirements.”
(Renewable Energy Ordinance
Framework, DVRPC)
High
(Establishing a
clear foundation
with an inclusive
and
comprehensive
definition will
prevent future
misinterpretation.
)
Accessory
Use
The zoning ordinance does not
list solar energy systems as a
by-right accessory use in all
major zones. A best practice is
to define solar energy systems
and to make them by-right
accessory uses in the major
zoning categories, which would
not require a conditional or
special use permit.
Most permissive:
Solar Energy System: An
energy system that consists of
one or more solar collection
devices, solar energy related
“balance of system” equipment,
and other associated
infrastructure with the primary
intention of generating
electricity, storing electricity, or
otherwise converting solar
energy to a different form of
energy. Solar energy systems
may generate energy in excess
of the energy requirements of a
property if it is to be sold back to
a public utility in accordance
with the law. (Renewable
Energy Ordinance Framework,
DVRPC)
Less permissive:
Solar Energy System: An
energy system which converts
solar energy to usable thermal,
mechanical, chemical, or
electrical energy to meet all or a
significant part of a structure’s
energy requirements.
Other types of definitions:
Building-Integrated Photovoltaic
(BIPV) Systems: A solar energy
system that consists of
integrating Solar PV modules
into the building envelope,
where the solar panels
themselves act as a building
material (roof shingles) or
structural element (i.e. façade)
Ground-Mounted Solar Energy
Systems: A solar energy system
where an array is mounted onto
the ground. (Renewable Energy
Ordinance Framework, DVRPC)
High
(Developing a
definition for
solar energy
systems is a key
step. It would
allow the City to
determine what
type(s) of
systems and
components
should be
permitted. By
defining solar
energy systems,
the City also
makes the
installation of
systems more
predictable for
installers, by
outlining what
types of systems
and components
are allowed and
how they will be
treated.)
Lot Coverage Sec. 36-438(1)(e) lists
exclusions from lot coverage
calculations, but does not
include ground-mounted solar
energy systems.
Many municipalities explicitly
Most Permissive:
“For purposes of determining
compliance with building
coverage standards of the
applicable zoning district, the
total horizontal projection area
of all ground-mounted and free-
Medium
(Counting solar
energy systems
as lot coverage
could limit the
implementation
of solar systems,
exclude solar from this
calculation so long as the
ground beneath the panel is
pervious (e.g. grass)
standing solar collectors,
including solar photovoltaic
cells, panels, arrays, inverters,
shall be considered pervious
coverage so long as pervious
conditions are maintained
underneath the solar
photovoltaic cells, panels, and
arrays.” (Renewable Energy
Ordinance Framework, DVRPC)
especially if
many of the
current lots at or
are near the
maximum lot
coverage allowed
under the code.)
Less Permissive:
“For purposes of determining
compliance with building
coverage standards of the
applicable zoning district, the
total horizontal projection area
of all ground-mounted and free-
standing solar collectors,
including solar photovoltaic
cells, panels, arrays, inverters
and solar hot air or water
collector devices, shall be
considered % impervious
coverage. For example, if the
total horizontal projection of a
solar energy system is 100
square feet, XX square feet
shall count towards the
impervious coverage standard.
For a tracking array or other
moveable system, the horizontal
projection area shall be
calculated at a 33 degree tilt
angle.” (Renewable Energy
Ordinance Framework, DVRPC)
Setback Sec. 36-1269 requires solar
energy systems to maintain the
same setbacks as required for
the principal building or
structure.
It is a best practice to allow
solar a minimal encroachment
into the setback, while still
preserving the purpose of
requiring accessory uses to be
set back from the lot line.
More permissive option:
(1) Small- and medium-scale
ground-mounted solar energy
systems accessory to principal
use may be located no closer
than [1/2 of the setback that
would otherwise apply] from the
front, side or rear lot line. All
ground-mounted solar energy
systems in residential districts
shall be installed either in the
side yard or rear yard to the
extent practicable
(Massachusetts Dept. of Energy
Resources, Model Zoning for
the Regulation of Solar Energy
Systems)
Low (The City
may want to
consider
reducing the
setback
requirements for
solar energy
systems and/or
allow them to
encroach
reasonably into
the setback so
that they can
receive adequate
sunlight to make
them efficient.)
Less permissive option:
(2) Small- and medium-scale
ground-mounted solar energy
systems accessory to a principal
use may be located no closer
than [twenty (20) feet] from the
front, side or rear lot line. All
ground-mounted solar energy
systems in residential districts
shall be installed either in the
side yard or rear yard to the
extent practicable.
(Massachusetts Dept. of Energy
Resources, Model Zoning for
the Regulation of Solar Energy
Systems)
Additional notes
Date Signature
I, , as of ,
[Name] [Title] [Community] [State] ,
have received the zoning review and read its findings.
Existing text – XXXX
Stricken text – XXXX
Added text – XXXX
ORDINANCE NO. 2018-
AN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT REGARDING
REGULATIONS
THE CITY COUNCIL OF EDINA ORDAINS:
Section 1. Chapter 36, Article I., Section 36-10 is amended to add the following:
Sec. 36-10 – Definitions.
Solar Energy System: An energy system that consists of one or more solar collection devices,
solar energy related “balance of system” equipment, and other associated infrastructure with
the primary intention of generating electricity, storing electricity, or otherwise converting solar
energy to a different form of energy. Solar energy systems may generate energy in excess of
the energy requirements of a property if it is to be sold back to a public utility in accordance
with applicable laws.
Section 2. Chapter 36, Article XII., Section 36-1269 (General Requirements Applicable to all
Districts) is amended as follows:
Sec. 36-1269. - Energy collection systems setbacks and as a permitted accessory use.
Facilities and equipment designed for the collection of solar energy or wind energy shall
maintain the same setbacks as are required for principal buildings or structures and shall
not be located within the front yard. Solar Energy Systems are permitted accessory uses
in all zoning districts.
Section 3. Chapter 36, Article XII., Section 36-1457, Subdivision III (Screening) is amended
as follows:
Sec. 36-1457. - Required.
The following uses shall be screened in accordance with the requirements of this subdivision
with the exception of Solar Energy Systems. Solar Energy Systems are exempt from screening
requirements.
Existing text – XXXX
Stricken text – XXXX
Added text – XXXX
2
Section 4. This ordinance is effective ________.
First Reading:
Second Reading:
Published:
ATTEST:
__________________________ ___________________________
Debra A. Mangen, City Clerk James B. Hovland, Mayor
Please publish in the Edina Sun Current on:
Send two affidavits of publication.
Bill to Edina City Clerk
Date: October 11, 2018 Agenda Item #: IX.B.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
From:Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator
Item Activity:
Subject:Comp Plan Chapter 8 Water Draft
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
INTRODUCTION:
Attached is the initial draft for the Comprehensive Plan Chapter 8 Water Resources. Staff will be present at the
November EEC meeting and will take time to answer questions and receive feedback.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Comp Plan Chapter 8 Water Draft
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I. Chapter 8 - Water Resources
Introduction
Since its founding, the City of Edina has been in the business of creating, owning, operating, and
maintaining infrastructure systems. These systems of public works ensure the health, safety and welfare
of the community and are central to modern life. The water resources chapter of the comprehensive
plan describes the provision of core municipal services of clean water, sanitation, and drainage and flood
protection provided by the Water Utility, Sanitary Utility, and Stormwater Utility.
Stewards of public works face key business trends of aging infrastructure and preparing for growth. As
infrastructure systems age, the owner’s commitment to reinvest, reimagine and renew is tested. Edina’s
position as a first ring suburb means being on the leading edge of this trend. Rapid historic development
led to city infrastructure grouped into a tight age cohort, and repair is coming due. At the same time,
redevelopment and infill of aging buildings and localized growth in water service demand in multiuse
business nodes is planned and requires new or upsized pipes and service connections.
Central to Modern Life
Before noon every day, you have likely engaged in many activities that rely on city infrastructure.
Running the water to brush your teeth, taking a shower, preparing food and washing dishes, flushing the
toilet, walking to school, or driving a car; each of these activities utilizes public works. The roads, water,
sanitary and stormwater infrastructure help provide mission-critical transportation and mobility, public
health, sanitation and public safety services in the City of Edina.
Our mission is to provide effective and valued public services, maintain a sound public
infrastructure, offer premier public facilities and guide the development and
redevelopment of lands, all in a manner that sustains and improves the uncommonly high
quality of life enjoyed by our residents and businesses
Viewed from a historical perspective, public works are a hidden wonder, enabling local and regional
travel, and the movement of goods in times and amounts unimaginable in the past. Similarly, the
availability and abundance of clean water and near elimination of diseases related to poor sanitation and
foul water has saved countless time, expense and life.
Making the Invisible, Visible
Public works operate over generations, continuously providing reliable service to residents and
businesses. Given their high reliability, physical infrastructure can fade into the background of life, or be
completely out of sight and out of mind. The mission to “maintain a sound public infrastructure,” must
be generational as well, as the life of public works can span hundreds of years.
Every home and business in Edina are served by all or a majority of the city infrastructure. Roads,
sidewalks and trails are the most visible of the infrastructure. While a resident or traveler can see and
feel the bumps in the road, even roads have a hidden depth. Underlain by aggregate base material,
structural soils, and drainage networks, the road is made of a system of intentionally designed parts.
Bridges are another visible, but mostly forgotten infrastructure. While the decorative outer finishes
occupy the imagination, concrete, beams, reinforcing bars, structural soils, and piles carry the load.
Utility infrastructure is even more hidden; seen only by the occasional fire hydrant, manhole, catch basin
or valve casting, the entire body of the urban landscape pulses with a pumped network of clean water,
oozes with gravity drained sewers, and stands ready with empty storm sewers waiting for the next rain.
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Asset Management
While hidden from the untrained eye, public works are operated by trained professionals whose duty is
the safety and well-being of the customer. Day to day activities the public may perceive include paving,
concrete repairs, street sweeping, pothole filling, catch basin or manhole repair, vacuum truck sewer
cleaning, camera truck CCTV inspection, light or electrical repair, and hydrant inspection and flushing.
Visible or not, these ongoing maintenance interventions, applied by Public Works professionals allow the
City of Edina to operate and maintain infrastructure systems with a very high reliability, meaning that
over the course of a year, average per capita unplanned outages are minimal, estimated in seconds of
time. Failures, when they happen often relate to flooding, clogs, and cycles of freeze and thaw. When
service is interrupted, the effect on user quality of life is immediate, and so is the emergency response.
In addition to emergency repair and normal maintenance and operations, staff assesses the condition of
infrastructure systems. Collecting, understanding and reacting to the changing condition of infrastructure
is becoming more important, because as systems of ages, its condition slowly decays. Managing aging
infrastructure assets is a growing challenge that Edina has been addressing as it reimagines and renews
its public works.
(revise in formatting: this text is for a “more info” callout box, Ross Bintner can also provide images)
Asset Management is defined in ISO55000 as “the coordinated activity of an organization to realize value
from assets” and an asset as “any item, thing or entity that has potential or actual value to an
organization.” Asset management is further described by best practice frameworks from organizations
such as IAM, IPWEA, APWA, and AWWA.
Reimagine and Renew
The link between physical infrastructure and the core services of transportation and mobility, public
health, sanitation and public safety often comes into the most focus when a project is defined, and
decision makers, users and technical professionals engage in conversations and draw up plans that
reimagine, renew and improve upon the systems that support the services we all enjoy.
Integrating the maintenance of the old with vision for the new, Edina practices an integrated project
scope decision-making process that partners with customers and other stakeholders. These
conversations are guided in this comprehensive plan with an eye toward the future, building the
community’s vision:
Edina holds a well-earned reputation as a city of choice. It is the model of a 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 our future.
Whether considering a small area with planned growth, or customer expectation for reliability, it is clear
the expectations for infrastructure-derived service continue to grow. Reacting to this change in
expectations, project teams engage project and policy stakeholders to provide specific input, resulting in
finished works that more closely match the vision. Examples of project-specific input include stakeholder
engagement around reconstruction of municipal state-aid roadways or neighborhood streets. Examples
of policy input include testing ideas about bike and pedestrian facilities, sustainable infrastructure, climate
change and adaptation and living streets at the energy or transportation advisory boards.
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Unified trends section: Describe cross cutters
(equity, health, risk, conservation and
sustainability) and one water (open loop,
systems with closed loop, circular economy
opportunities)
Conclusion
Public works directly affect the quality of life, health and safety of the public, are central to modern life,
but are sometimes hidden from view. The water resources chapter of the Comprehensive Plan goes
into detail about the purpose, current and future condition and demand, goals, policies, and
implementation framework for each water-related utility and invites the public to take part in the
renewal and reimagination of public works.
II. Sanitary Sewer
Introduction
This section of the water resources chapter focuses on the Sanitary Utility. The introduction discusses
the purpose of the utility, describes technical service levels and related customer service expectations.
A high-level overview describes the people, equipment and infrastructure used to provide the service,
and the asset management statement puts programs and infrastructure into a generational context of
lifecycle service delivery. The current and future conditions section provides an overview of existing
conditions, demand and more detail on the parts that make up the public utility and how it relates
private systems, organizations and partners and the overall water industry. The goals and policies
section describes the governance structure, policies and relationships and sets goals to guide the utility
in the next 10 years. The implementation section describes the framework for implementation using
principles of lifecycle management of assets and management of capacity and risk. The reference section
links to plans and studies that provide the body of understanding at the foundation of the utility and
useful tools from the water industry.
Purpose of Plan:
The purpose of this section is to guide the Sanitary Utility by defining the service, detailing goals and
policies and framing the resources and methods of implementation used to provide for the citywide
removal of waste water. The plan;
Defines service levels and relation to citywide policy goals such conservation, resilience,
procurement, and others.
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Provides a framework for the procurement and maintenance of services while managing
risk, and supporting growth.
Summarizes demand and demand growth with ongoing development and potential
redevelopment within the City and describes how land use impacts the sanitary sewer
infrastructure in the City.
Describes how the provision of service is provided and how it relates and coordinates
with regional services such as the trunk sewer system operated by Metropolitan Council
Environmental Services (MCES).
The scope of this plan is the local collection system. The regional collection and
treatment system is owned by the MCES and funded by fees based on percent of system
flow. Because of the interrelation of local and regional systems, the Comprehensive Plan
is a tool to make sure local and regional systems are aligned. This plan has been prepared
in accordance with the current requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act and
the content of the sewer element included in the Local Planning Handbook including data
and descriptions specifically required in the City’s system statement.
Service Levels
The core service of the Sanitary Utility is the removal of domestic, commercial and industrial waste
waters to promote sanitary conditions and public health. The service is provided citywide with minimal
risk of interruption.
Customer service
In the 2017 Quality of Life Survey Edina residents rated sewer service as 31% Excellent, 57% Good, 11%
Fair and 14% Poor. The percent positive ranked as 37th among 298 comparable communities by survey
firm Decision Resources.
Key customer interactions include billing, hook up and shut off, clogs and failures, flooding or other
backflow events, utility improvement projects, neighborhood street reconstruction projects, and
education and engagement events.
The utility serves residential and businesses customers based on metered domestic flow with rates
described and updated annually in City Code 2-724, with specialized strength requirements on some
industrial users billed by MCES. The service is reliable with service interruption or risk of backflow
typically experienced only sporadically based on clogs, damaged lines, construction activity or significant
flooding events. Staff manages the utility to reduce risk.
The provision of this service uses natural resources such as materials, energy, and water. Conservation
is promoted in combination with the drinking Water Utility and through the repair of leaks and points of
inflow and sustainability is promoted through compliance with citywide procurement policy and the
inclining block rate fee structure.
Technical service requirements
The sanitary sewer system is managed to provide reliable removal of sanitary waste water with minimal
risk to residents and businesses. The sanitary sewer treatment practice is highly regulated on the
treatment side, and governed by standards of practice and plumbing code on the collection side. Several
technical studies have reviewed demand and capacity for specific areas of development and summarized
capacity utilization and capacity needs based on planned growth. Utilization and needs are discussed in
more detail in demand section below.
The collection system is managed to improve resilience and reduce or prevent waste and risk caused by
leaks, backflow, inflow and infiltration.
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Means of provision of service
Sanitary sewer service is provided primarily using a local system of conveyance pipes, lift stations, and
control infrastructure managed by the City of Edina Engineering and Public Works departments and a
regional conveyance and treatment system managed by public partners at MCES. The system of
infrastructure is described in greater detail in the public utility section below. Programmatic activities
undertaken by supporting staff are described in the implementation section below.
Local sanitary sewer system
The local system is owned and operated by the City of Edina and consists of trunk and lateral sewer
lines that collect and carry sewage from private service lines to the City’s sanitary network, and
eventually to MCES interceptors. Private service lines are owned by households, business and industry.
Generally, the City’s sanitary sewer system flows in an east to southeasterly direction out of the City via
three metered connections to MCES interceptors. Additional flow leaves the City via six other
unmetered minor trunk lines and five small laterals. These pipes flow to surrounding cities and
eventually to other MCES interceptors. There are no MCES interceptors flowing through the City.
Edina’s sewer system is fully developed. The infrastructure that makes up the local sanitary system is
described in more detail in public system section below.
Regional sewers
Regional sewers are owned and operated by MCES. These local and regional systems must interact
smoothly to ensure safe and reliable service now and throughout the planning period.
Asset Management Statement
Sanitary sewer utility infrastructure assets and relating programs are managed to; anticipate and react to
the impact of growth, identify and manage risk, assess condition and take a lifecycle approach to the
operation, maintenance and replacement of system components, and monitor system performance.
These management activities are conducted to provide a valuable public service by continually improving
our operation and infrastructure to meet the level of service expected by the public and defined by
technical service requirements, while minimizing cost and risk.
Current and Future Conditions
This section of the plan will describe system conditions, system demand, support systems and resources,
and relations to private customers and public partners.
Public Utility
The public sanitary sewer system collects waste water citywide from private service pipes and conveys
them to MCES sewer interceptors using a system of pipes and pumps with regular manhole access
locations.
Assets
The local sanitary sewer system is owned and operated by the City of Edina. Regional sewers are
owned and operated by the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES). The local system is
made up of 194.2 miles of gravity main, 5014 manholes, 4.5 miles of pressure main and 23 lift stations.
The majority of the sewage flows easterly and leaves the City along its eastern border via interceptors
that are shown on Figure S-1. A small amount of sewage flows to the north into St. Louis Park through
four smaller pipes that carry no more than one block each. Finally, there is a small section of
commercial and industrial land along the southern border of the City that flows south into Bloomington
via interceptor 3-BN-499.
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The majority of the system was constructed in the 1940’s and 50’s, with some development occurring in
the west half of the City during the 1960’s and 70’s. In the 1990’s one of the last large tracts of land was
developed creating the Centennial Lakes neighborhood. The Edina sanitary sewer system currently
serves almost all properties within the City. The only exceptions to this are areas served by nearby
communities and several remaining locations that are served by Individual Sewage Treatment Systems
and regulated by Hennepin County.
The City’s sewer system has been divided into five main sewer districts which are shown on Figure X.
Four of the districts are associated with MCES interceptors based on the meter and interceptor to
which they flow. The fifth is a catch-all group in the northern part of the City that includes all of the
small areas that do not flow to one of the other four interceptors. The system is further divided into
sub-districts based on lift station service. Each area that is tributary to a given lift station has been
color-coded. Lift station sub-districts are depicted on Figure X by a system of colors.
Organization and partners:
Internal departments tasked with management of the Sanitary Utility are the Engineering and Public
Works Departments. These two functional departments employ engineers, operators, technicians, and
administrative staff to run the utility. These functional departments are supported by the Finance
Department, Utility Billing division, Administration and Human Resource Departments. Utility
connections and acquisition of developer installed new infrastructure are supported by the Planning and
Building divisions of the Community Development and Fire departments.
Organization Chart
Key external partners in the provision of sewer services include the electric power utility, MCES,
engineering professional service providers, utility general contractors, state regulators, and
nongovernmental water industry associations.
MCES provides regional conveyance and treatment for all city wastewater and their pass though costs
make up a majority of a customer’s sanitary sewer bill. All effluents exiting the City are carried through
MCES interceptors to the Metro Waste Water Treatment Plant, except those from south-central Edina
that flow via an MCES interceptor through the City of Bloomington to the Seneca Wastewater
Treatment Plant. The MCES interceptors that carry Edina wastewater are identified as Interceptor Nos.
1MN-343, 1-MN-344, 1MN-345, 1RF-490, 1RF-491, and are depicted on Figure X, Sanitary Sewer Map.
The MCES monitors flow rates at the border of the City in three of the main interceptors in special
meter stations that it uses to determine the City’s wastewater fees. The majority of Edina’s sewage
flows through metered connections to these interceptors. The metered interceptors include 1-RF-491,
which is served by MCES meter M129; 1-RF-490, which is served by meter M128; and 1-MN-345, which
is served by meter M127. The remainder of the City’s sewage flows through interceptors 1-MN-344, 1-
MN-343, 1-MN-342.
Tools, Equipment, Facilities
The Engineering and Public Works Departments rely on tools, equipment, and facilities procured and
maintained by the Facilities and Fleet support divisions of Public Works and the Communications and
Technical Services Department. System models are maintained by partner engineering professional
service providers.
Demand:
Waste water is created through a variety of water uses, from flushing, cleaning, cooking, washing, the
creation of industrial products and other business practices. Sewer demand is related to water use and
constituents of the waste water. Demand varies with the intensity and type of land use and how the
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water is used. For the local conveyance system, volume and rate flow are primary concerns, and for the
regional conveyance and treatment system both volume and strength, or difficulty to treat to clean
water standards are notable concerns.
Existing Demand
Annual historic sanitary flows decreased by X% between 1980 and 2015, as can be seen in table/chart
name. The decrease is a result of a number of factors, including the City’s efforts to reduce inflow and
infiltration and increased water conservation efforts as low-flow plumbing fixtures become more
prevalent. Table/chart name represents the sanitary flow metered by MCES for the majority of the City
as metered by MCES meters M127, M128 and M129.
<ADD INFLOW AND INFILTRATION CALLOUT BOX or image>
Future Demand
Future demand growth focuses around areas of potential growth. Current system evaluation conducted
by Barr Engineering include; Southeast Edina Sanitary Sewer Preliminary Engineering (April 2017),
Grandview Analysis (January 2018), and the Edina South Sanitary Sewer Capacity Evaluation (August
2018). Evaluation conducted as part of an AUAR process for Pentagon Park by WSB and Associated
(2008, updates in 2013, 2018) Links to each document are available in the appendix to this chapter.
Private System
Every home and business service connection to the Sanitary Utility is owned by the private property
owner. While widely disbursed, the system of service connections and the internal private plumbing of
customers affects the outcomes of the Sanitary Utility. Private system connection and good working
order are regulated, permitted and enforced directly through the Building Department and state and
local partners.
<ADD SERVICE LINE WARRENTY PROGRAM CALLOUT BOX>
State and Local Partners
Regulation of connections, operator certification and training, planning for growth, plumbing code and
plumbing licensing, and environmental standards and regulation all affect the outcomes of the Sanitary
Utility and involve the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
Department of Labor and Industry, MCES, and others. The City of Edina takes an active role in policy
and regulation advocacy directly and through partner professional associations.
Goals and Policies
This chapter describes; How the Sanitary Utility supports the Mission and Vision of the City of Edina,
the governance of the utility, key local policy and regulation, and ten-year strategic goals.
Service Level Statement
The Sanitary Sewer Utility will provide safe, reliable, and efficient removal of wastewater for residents
and customers in the City of Edina, while eliminating risk of inflow, infiltration and backflow to protect
the health, safety and welfare of our citizens now and into the future.
Role and responsibility of Council and Management
The City Council is the policy body for the utility and is responsible to set the strategic and policy
direction of the utility. The City Council is responsible and accountable to the customers of the utility
and appoints and evaluates the chief executive. The City Council sets the budget and capital
improvement direction of the utility, defines policy and code that define service and risk, levies fees,
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issues bonds, accepts or disposes of real estate, approves contracts with service providers, and hears
appeals on enforcement matters.
The City Manager is the chief executive of the three water utilities. The chief executive is ultimately
responsible for the function of the utility and delegates areas of responsibility to various City
Departments. Divisions of responsibility are shared and split among City Departments.
Utility management for the Sanitary Utility is jointly practiced with the Water and Stormwater Utilities
with close coordination of local transportation system management.
Policy and Regulation
A variety of policies and ordinance apply to the sanitary utility.
Policies:
The following policies support the function of the utility. (Edit after commission and council input, these
examples seem too detailed for this level)
Monitor sewage flow at principal metering points to insure capacity of the system.
Monitor function and condition of the local system through both televising lines and
electronic utility data collection.
Eliminate points of inflow and infiltration to the system on public property, and require
elimination of inflow and infiltration on private property.
Maintain operating efficiency and minimize sewage blockages through routing
maintenance.
Reduce potential for inflow and infiltration in private systems during plan and permit
review.
Review all sanitary sewer mains and services prior to reconstructing any roadway.
Enforce standards and inspections for private sewer line connections to the public
sanitary sewer system.
Repair pipes immediately upon detection of a failure or critical defect.
Continue to eliminate private on-site sewage systems (only several remaining).
Identify all future sanitary sewer facility improvements in the Capital Improvement Plan.
Maintain and enforce the following ordinances and new ones adopted that deal with the
sanitary system.
To the extent possible Engineers should differentiate between renewal/replacement and
new/upgrade in project reports.
Ordinances:
The following ordinances govern public and private utility service, connections and related
infrastructure, land use and other topics related to the utility.
Chapter 10: Building and Building Regulation
o Article 9: Regulating plumbing and installation of water conditioning equipment
o Article 10 Requiring connection to sanitary and water systems and regulating
discharge into the sanitary sewer system
Chapter 24: Public right of way and easement
Chapter 28: Utilities
Chapter 36: Zoning
o Article 3 Site Plan Review
o Article 12, Supplementary District Regulations
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10 Year Stategic Goals
The following goals areas represent areas of strategic importance to the utility. (Finalize after
commission and council input)
Goal Area 1: Aging infrastructure and management of assets over generations
Goal Area 2: Conservation and sustainability, one water
Goal Area 3: Preparing for areas of growth
Goal Area 4: Risk, health, equity and engagement
Implementation
This section addresses specific projects and day-to-day tasks that City staff undertake to implement the
business of the utility and serve the customer. Some tasks have been ongoing for many years and simply
represent the high quality of service that the City has always provided to its population, while others are
new initiatives that are the City’s response to recent development.
Lifecycle Asset Management
Sanitary sewer service is provided primarily with infrastructure. The following section describes the
coordinated activities that the City of Edina undertakes to provide value to the customer. These
coordinated activities seek to balance service, cost and risk over the generational lifecycle of
infrastructure.
Operations
Operations are actions that sustain, modify, alter or regain system function and provide service or
manage risk. System operation is conducted primarily by the trained and certified utility operators from
the Public Works Department.
Typical operations consist of a variety of activities such as flow monitoring, pumping, routine inspection,
routine care of high touch system components, CCTV inspection of pipes, root cutting, jetting and
vactoring of debris, backup failure analysis, and other activities.
Much of the system operation is automated by a system of computerized controls, sensors, level
monitors, flow monitors, and other devices.
Emergency operations: The three highest risk Lift Stations (in terms of potential back up flooding) are
equipped with onsite generators that automatically engage upon Xcel failure. All other Lift Stations are
equipped with quick connect plugins for portable generators that can be rotated between sites as
necessary. Two combination Jet/Vac trucks can also be utilized to empty wet wells and reestablish
detention time if needed. Two large capacity portable pumps could also be utilized for bypass pumping
as well.
The following programs support operation and maintenance decisions:
Jet-cleaning program for all lateral collection piping. Each pipe is cleaned on a four-to-five
year revolving schedule. The main trunk sewers are not included in the cleaning program
since they receive regular scouring velocities from normally occurring peak flows and the
flushing from cleaning in the laterals.
Televises trunk lines and laterals for operation and condition assessment. Each pipe is
televised on a 12-year revolving schedule to help determine areas in need of cleaning and
improvements.
<ADD FLUSHABLE WIPES CALLOUT BOX>
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Maintenance
Maintenance is any action that repairs or retains the physical infrastructure assets to meet projected
service levels. System maintenance is conducted primarily by the trained and certified utility operators
from the Public Works Department.
Typical maintenance consists of replacement of worn manhole lids, grouting of manhole rings, spot
repair of leaks, spot repair of pipe, refurbishment or replacement of pumps, and refurbishment or
replacement of electrical control components, replacement of other worn or damaged system
components, and other minor maintenance.
Renewal and Replacement
Renewal and replacement are major repair or replacement of assets at or near the end of their service
life. This activity is conducted by the engineers, technicians and inspectors in the Engineering
Department or by consulting engineers, and typically occurs in parallel with the City’s neighborhood
street reconstruction program and municipal state aid reconstruction program, or are completed as
standalone utility project.
Replacement and renewal projects are bundled by age cohort of road and utility infrastructure. System
components are inspected and conditions assessed to inform project replacement and repair
interventions. Engineers produce project reports and recommend project scope to the City Council.
Projects are bundled and bid for reconstruction and contracts are considered by the City Council.
Bundling of projects is favorable to goals of efficiency and customer service by generating efficiency of
scale and timing needed renewal around the disruptions caused by a single project.
Renewal and replacement decisions assume the infrastructure service remains the same or is replaced
with current industry standard materials and components. Typically, projects mix scope between
renewal and replacement, and new and upgraded service.
New and upgraded assets
New and upgraded assets are either entirely new areas or levels of service, or major improvements to
the marginal level of service provided by infrastructure. This activity is generally conducted by engineers,
technicians and inspectors in the Engineering Department, or by engineers employed by private
developers as part of land use, community development, or economic development projects.
Other Programs
Programs and activities managed in partner organizations, and various city departments affect outcomes
of the utility. The following is a noncomprehensive summary of related programs and activities.
Demand Management / Source Control
The conservation rate tier in City ordinance are key conservation and demand
management practices for the utility.
State and national plumbing code is a key conservation and demand management tool that
is reducing per capita flow.
The MPCA dental amalgam separator program is a key source control for mercury
City efforts to reduce infiltration and inflow is a demand control, and is described in
greater detail in the risk management section below.
Assurance, Condition Assessment, System Monitoring, Modeling
Many business practices and their associated systems that are otherwise classified as operations also
provide assurance of system function;
SCADA controls and monitoring
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Periodic inspection and operation
System planning and design
The sanitary sewer system is modeled on an occasional basis and that model is occasionally recalibrated
with flow monitoring data. The model is used to review flow trends and test scenarios of system
changes due to growth and other notable modifications to system function.
Risk Management, Resilience
The following programs or business practices manage risk associated with the utility:
City emergency response command,
Gopher State One Call Utility / locates,
Right of Way management,
Connection permits,
Fats/Oils/Grease (FOG) source controls,
Private connection program as part of reconstruction,
Parking garage inspections,
City risk management, and League of Minnesota Cities insurance trust
City conservation and sustainability programs
The system of backup power for key pump stations, and mobile power reserve
Flood control works and activities in the city Stormwater Utility
Two additional programs are described in greater detail due to their significance;
infiltration and inflow program, sump disconnection inspections,
Infiltration and Inflow (I&I) Program
A key risk management approach for the sanitary utility is the identification, reduction or elimination of
infiltration and inflow. The following is a summary of past infiltration and inflow reduction efforts:
Donohue 1983, CH2M 1992, TKDA Sewer Evaluation 1997, Barr Engineering flow
modeling and metering 2006, 2012, Bolton and Menk Trunk Sewer Infiltration Study 2013
Post 1997 study I&I projects;
o All buildings within the City were inspected for potential clear water connection.
Buildings with sump pump systems were inspected for clear water connections,
o A 325,000 gallon peak flow storage tank was installed in the sewer shed tributary
to interceptor 1-MN-345.
2012, 14, 17 MCES I&I reduction grant projects
The following strategies are used to reduce I&I risk:
Replacement of vented manhole covers with solid water tight covers.
Removal of surface drainage cross connections.
Repair of manhole frames that have separated from rings in concrete street sections.
Replacement or lining of dilapidated brick manholes with new precast manholes.
Installation of chimney seal systems on manholes that have evidence of inflow characteristics.
Complete relining or replacement of sewers constructed in low areas subject to frequent
inundation, such as along creeks and wetlands.
Private Connections and Sump Cross Connection
One of the main sources of inflow continues to come from private connections. One of those sources is
the connection of lower levels of parking ramps to the sanitary sewer. Though upper levels of ramps
are connected to the storm sewer, lower levels are connected to the sanitary sewer. When runoff
events exceed the capacity of the upper level collection systems, it often simply flows to the next level
down where it runs directly into the sanitary sewer. Similarly, if flood water enter lower levels of the
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ramp, they can inflow directly into the sanitary system. Edina is working with private developers to
prevent this from occurring on future proposed ramps and, in some cases, to correct existing ramps
where this is known to be a problem.
Another key component to inflow and infiltration is related to private services. Metropolitan Council
Environmental Services estimates that as much as 70% of all I&I comes from private sources. As already
noted, the City has completed a successful sump pump program. However, in addition to the sump
pumps, many of the private sanitary sewer service laterals are old and susceptible to I&I.
Education, Outreach and Engagement
The understanding, support, consent, and participation of customers and stakeholders is key to building
the brand of the utility and city, and affects customer good will and outcomes. The following programs
and activities support the education, outreach and engagement goals of the City and the operation of
the utility.
Customer service interactions
Utility billing
Communications and Technology Service Department maintained tools and platforms
City outreach and engagement practices
Public Works Week proclamation and biennial public works open house
Occasional infrastructure tours
Organizational Improvement
The following review includes potential actions for each strategic goal area identified in the goal and
policy section above. (Edit after commission and council input)
Goal Area 1: Aging infrastructure and management of assets over generations:
o Review and implement best practices to promote financial awareness across
departments.
o Improve financial asset register and physical asset register so they are complete
and consistent with each other and useful for uncovering trends and for strategic
planning.
o Improve information management systems and staff procedures to build
awareness of customer and technical service issues.
o Track and classify key customer service requests and complaints.
o Track number and duration of planned and unplanned service interruptions and
reliability trend.
o Build organization tools to identify and track age, condition, and function of
system.
o Use results of condition assessments to inform replacement and renewal
decisions.
o Improve organizational line-of-sight by developing processes that build consensus
on service and risk that are informed by data from all levels of the organization.
o Improve project selection procedures that involve staff from diverse functions
between departments.
Goal Area 2: Conservation and sustainability, one water
o Identify demonstration project that utilizes thermal resource in trunk sanitary
sewer main and develop design and business case.
o Quantify utility energy use and associated environmental impact and consider
renewable energy or credit purchase to offset.
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o Review metering, SCADA and billing system requirements jointly with water
utility for opportunities relating to asset management and conservation business
goals when major system replacements are considered.
Goal Area 3: Preparing for areas of growth
o Complete York trunk extension.
o Complete Fairview trunk extension and LS4 flow bypass.
o Plan for Parklawn area lift and force extension coordinate easement acquisition
when development opportunities allow.
o Plan for Grandview area sanitary extension as development requires capacity.
o Consider Pentagon Park utility transition from Bloomington to Edina sewer
operations to align with ownership in coordination with water system review.
Goal Area 4: Risk, Health, Equity and Engagement
o Comprehensively assess risk jointly with storm water utility using an international
risk framework.
o Consider range of options for enforcing or promoting private sewer inspection
and repair.
o Review and modify after-action and failure reporting processes to promote cross
functional organization learning.
o Support citywide framework and criteria for purchasing, health, and race and
equity in all business practices.
o Support citywide framework for engagement and public participation
References and Appendices
Grandview System Analysis (2018 Barr)
Southeast Edina Capacity and Preliminary Engineering (2017 Barr)
Edina South Sanitary Sewer Capacity Evaluation (2018 Barr)
Pentagon AUAR (2018 Update)
III. Stormwater Utility
Introduction
This section of the water resources chapter focuses on the Stormwater Utility. The introduction
discusses the purpose of the utility, describes technical service levels and related customer service
expectations. A high-level overview of means describes the people, equipment and infrastructure used
to provide the service, and the asset management statement puts programs and infrastructure into a
generational context of lifecycle service delivery. The current and future conditions section provides an
overview of existing conditions, demand and more detail on the parts that make up the public utility and
how it relates private systems, organizations and partners and the overall water industry. The goals and
policies section describes the governance structure, policies and relationships and sets goals to guide the
utility in the next 10 years. The implementation section describes the framework for implementation
using principles of lifecycle management of assets and management of capacity and risk. The reference
section links to plans and studies that provide the body of understanding at the foundation of the utility
and useful tools from the water industry.
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Purpose of Plan
The purpose of this section is to guide the Stormwater Utility by defining the service, detailing goals and
policies and framing the resources and methods of implementation used to provide for the citywide
management of stormwater. The plan;
Defines service levels and relation to citywide policy goals such conservation, resilience,
protection, procurement, and others.
Provides a framework for the procurement and maintenance of services while managing risk,
and supporting development .
Summarizes demand and demand shifts with ongoing development and potential redevelopment
within the City and describes how land use impacts the stormsewer infrastructure in the City.
Recognizes the interconnected nature of surface water and groundwater, promoting
management strategies that protect and improve lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands, as well as
the City’s drinking water source through the Wellhead Protection Plan (WHPP).
Describes how the provision of service is provided and how it relates and coordinates within
the watershed framework. The relationship of flood and clean water services to the regional
creeks, lakes and rivers, and how programs and services coordinate and overlap with those of
the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.
The scope of this plan is the local drainage network, the local conveyance, and treatment system
that makes up the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), and the local system of
natural water bodies such as wetlands, streams and lakes that connect to and drain to Nine Mile
Creek, Minnehaha Creek and downstream lakes and ponds like Bde Maka Ska or Adams Hill
Pond.
This plan is informed by the City of Edina Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan
(CWRMP) and that plan is incorporated by reference.
History of the CWRMP
In 2003-2004, the City developed the Comprehensive Water Resource Management Plan to address current
and future storm water issues, especially those related to future development and redevelopment. The
plan addressed storm water runoff management and flood control, water quality management, and
wetlands protection through establishment of storm water planning policies and recommendations.
This plan was developed to assist the City of Edina in defining and implementing a comprehensive and
environmentally sound system of surface water management. The plan was updated in 2008, as part of
the last comprehensive plan, again in 2011 to conform to changes in the policies of the Minnehaha Creek
Watershed District and the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District plans. To inform this update of the
comprehensive plan, the CWRMP was again reviewed, updated, and adopted in 2018.
Service Levels
The core services of the Stormwater Utility are drainage and management of runoff and flood risk, clean
surface waters, and protection of natural waterbodies and wetlands. The purpose and interactions
among the service levels is described in greater detail in CWRMP section 3.
The services are improving citywide with some risk of disruption, and are increasingly better
understood using hydraulic and hydrologic models and risk management principles.
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Customer
In the 2017 Quality of Life Survey Edina residents rated storm drainage as 27% Excellent, 53% Good,
16% Fair and 4% Poor. The percent positive ranked as 26th among 328 comparable communities by
survey firm Decision Resources. Residents rated street cleaning as 24% Excellent, 56% Good,16% Fair
and 5% Poor. The percent positive ranked as 43rd among 300 comparable communities with a
statistically significant disparity in service geographically where 95% in the southwest quadrant and 71%
in the northwest quadrant rated the service as excellent or good.
Key customer interactions include customer service requests and permit interactions around residential
redevelopment and the lakes and ponds program, flooding and failures, utility improvement projects,
neighborhood street reconstruction projects, and education and engagement events.
The utility serves residential and businesses customers citywide with billing based on customer class /
land use flow equivalences, with the rate of billing updated annually in City Code 2-724. Customers also
pay for services provided by local watershed districts in their property tax.
The provision of this service uses natural resources such as materials and energy. Conservation is
promoted in combination with the educational mission of local watershed districts, through customer
engagement broadly, and in the lakes and ponds program specifically. Sustainability is promoted through;
interrelated planning and project implementation with transportation services as part of the Living
Streets Plan, the creation of green infrastructure directly and through permitting, and in compliance with
citywide procurement policy.
Technical
The stormwater system, natural waterbodies, and land use activities are managed to provide the three
core services while reducing risk to residents and businesses. Portions of the stormwater infrastructure
are regulated through the MS4 and by the watershed districts, while programs and activities are
regulated depending on their impact to specific types of waters at a state and federal level. Because
regulation and expectations have changed in a relatively recent time compared to the age of the
infrastructure there are significant service deficits and some overlapping or conflicting regulation.
The CWRMP has reviewed service demand trends and levels of achievement in greater detail. Typical
redevelopment improves service as areas of land go from minimal infrastructure and treatment to
modern systems.
Means of provision of service
Stormwater services are provided using a combination of infrastructure, programs and land use
regulation directly and in coordination with local and state partners. Local systems are managed by the
City of Edina Engineering and Public Works departments and the two main creeks are managed by
public partners at the watershed districts.
Some services relating to flood risk are managed jointly with the Sanitary Utility and some services
relating to clean water and pollution prevention and managed jointly with the Water Utility through the
Wellhead Protection Plan.
Asset Management Statement
Stormwater Utility infrastructure assets and relating programs are managed to; understand and react to
service level deficits, identify and manage risk, assess condition and take a lifecycle approach to the
operation, maintenance and replacement of system components, and monitor system performance.
These management activities are conducted to provide a valuable public service by continually improving
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our operation and infrastructure to improve the level of service experienced by the public and defined
by technical service requirements, while minimizing cost and risk.
Current and Future Conditions
The City of Edina and its residents value the surface water resources within the city, which include two
creek systems, a number of lakes and ponds, and numerous wetlands (see Figure X). In addition to
being a major component of the City’s flood protection and surface water treatment system, these
resources supply aesthetic and recreational benefits and provide wildlife habitat and refuge. The
northeast corner of the City drains to Minnehaha Creek, which enters the city limits northwest of West
44th Street and T.H.100 and flows in a southeasterly direction through the city, exiting near West 54th
Street and York Avenue. The southwest corner of the city drains to the South Fork of Nine Mile
Creek, which meanders through the Braemar Golf Course and then exits the city limits toward
Bloomington at West 78th Street. The remainder of the city drains to the North Fork of Nine Mile
Creek, which enters the Edina city limits in the northwest corner of the city north of the intersection of
T.H. 169 and Londonderry Road and flows in a southeasterly direction through the city, exiting to
Bloomington near the intersection of T.H. 100 and Interstate 494.
The City of Edina encompasses portions of two watershed districts: the Nine Mile Creek Watershed
District and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (see Figure 8.2.1). Watershed districts are local
units of government that specifically address the management and protection of water resources based
on hydrologic boundaries instead of political boundaries. Each District is governed by a Board of
Managers, comprised of citizens appointed by the boards of the counties with land in the watershed
district. The districts are charged by State statute “to conserve the natural resources of the state by
land use planning, flood control, and other conservation practices using sound scientific principles for
the protection of the public health and welfare and provident use of the natural resource.” Because
these watershed districts are granted authority to regulate, conserve, and control the use of water
resources within the district, the City is required to comply with the specific storm water and water
resource related requirements of each District.
The City of Edina places a high importance on providing quality storm water management service to its
residents. Since the City of Edina has been a developing community throughout much of the past
century, the age and condition of the existing storm water infrastructure is quite variable. Additionally,
Public Utility
The stormwater system is public stormwater system collects, treats, drains, retains and/or detains water
from public facilities, public transportation infrastructure, private properties, and outflow from private
stormwater systems citywide. The systems also convey outflows from natural water bodies and routes
them to downstream waterbodies.
Assets
The local stormwater system is owned and operated by the City of Edina, and portions of the system
are interconnected into systems owned by Hennepin County or neighboring cities. The system is made
up of 127 miles of gravity main ranging from 12-84” in diameter, 6800 manholes, 900 outlets, 38 miles of
small diameter sump drain, 11 stormwater lift stations, one half mile of stormwater force main, 150
ponds and wetlands, and numerous sediment traps. The majority of the system was constructed in the
1940’s through 60’s, with significant additions and extensions occurring after that period. Much of the
treatment infrastructure was added later and much is privately owned with maintenance declarations in
favor of local watershed districts. The system is extensively mapped and modeled in the reference
CWRMP.
Edina Comprehensive Plan
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Organization and partners
Internal departments tasked with management of the Stormwater Utility are the Engineering and Public
Works Departments. These two functional departments employ engineers, operators, natural resource
and engineering technicians, and administrative staff to run the utility. These functional departments are
supported by the Finance Department, Utility Billing division, Administration and Human Resource
Departments. Land use permitting and acquisition of developer-installed new infrastructure are
supported by the Planning and Building divisions of the Community Development and Fire departments.
<ADD Organization Chart>
Key external partners in the provision of stormwater services include the Nine Mile and Minnehaha
Creek Watershed Districts, engineering and natural resources professional service providers, utility and
natural resources contractors, state regulators, and nongovernmental water industry associations. Lake
association customer groups also make requests for service.
Tools, Equipment, Facilities
The Engineering and Public Works Departments rely on tools, equipment, and facilities procured and
maintained by the Facilities and Fleet support divisions of Public Works and the Communications and
Technical Services Department. System models are maintained by partner engineering professional
service providers.
Demand
The city and watershed districts have implemented conventional storm water quality treatment
requirements since the late-1980s, typically in the form of storm water detention ponds and
underground storage and infiltration chambers. Regional detention ponds, while generally encouraged
by the City for their efficiency of scale, have been hard to organize, due to the developed nature of the
area. Storm water detention ponds are effective for removal of sediment and phosphorus from storm
water runoff.
In recent years, storm water quality treatment trends have shifted to incorporate volume reduction of
storm water runoff, in addition to the removal of sediment and phosphorus. This movement comes in
response to both the desire of citizens and local governments to embrace the challenge of protecting
our urban surface water resources and changes in regulation. Stormwater volume reduction can be
accomplished by reducing the fraction of impervious surface on a site and/or installing infrastructure to
increase rainfall abstraction processes such as infiltration, evaporation, water storage, and vegetation
management.
Future Drivers
Existing demand and trends that drive changes in demand are discussed below for flood and clean water
service areas.
Storm Drainage and Flood Protection: Key drivers adding demand for drainage and flood risk are cyclical
wet periods, increasing rainfall peaks and frequencies due to climate change, and increasing urbanization
leading to changing land uses that add hardscape and change soils and grades.
Clean Surface Waters: Key drivers adding demand for surface water including changing expectation and
regulation. The federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires states to adopt water quality standards to
protect the nation’s waters. Water quality standards designate beneficial uses for each waterbody and
establish criteria that must be met within the waterbody to maintain the water quality necessary to
support its designated use(s). Section 303(d) of the CWA requires each state to identify and establish
priority rankings for waters that do not meet the existing water quality standards. The list of impaired
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waters is updated by the State every two years. For impaired waterbodies, the CWA requires the
development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL), which establishes the pollutant loading capacity
within a waterbody and develops an allocation scheme amongst the pollutant contributors, which
include point sources, non-point sources and natural background pollutants.
Private Systems
Nearly every home and business drains to Stormwater Utility or has a service connection from a private
system to the utility. While widely disbursed, the system drains, overland flow paths, catch basins, and
service connections connect the land use of the private customers directly to the utility and affects the
outcomes of the Stormwater Utility. The land use of private property, certain high impact or polluting
activities, private system connection and other activities are regulated, permitted and enforced directly
through the Community Development, Building and Engineering Departments and by state and local
partners.
State and Local Partners
Regulation of connections, construction, grading, work within waters, operator certification and training,
planning for growth, plumbing code and plumbing licensing, and environmental standards and regulation
all affect the outcomes of the Stormwater Utility and involve the Minnesota Department of Health,
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Department of Labor and Industry, Department of Natural
Resources, Watershed Districts, and others. The City of Edina takes an active role in policy and
regulation advocacy directly and through partner professional associations and nonprofit groups.
Goals and Policies
The City’s Comprehensive Water Resource Management Plan addresses storm water runoff
management and flood control, water quality management, and wetlands protection through
establishment of water resource management goals, policies, and design standards. The City’s plan is
required to conform with the existing watershed district plans and is modified through major and minor
amendments as needed.
.
Service Level Statement
The Stormwater Utility will provide drainage of surface waters, management of rainfall runoff and flood
risk, reduction of water pollution, treatment of stormwaters, and protection of natural water bodies and
wetlands to provide outcomes supportive of local, state and national surface water goals and policies.
The purpose and interactions among the service levels is described in greater detail in the CWRMP.
Role and responsibility of Council and Management
The City Council is the policy body for the utility and is responsible to set the strategic and policy
direction of the utility. The City Council is responsible and accountable to the residents and customers
of the utility and appoints and evaluates the chief executive. The City Council sets the budget and
capital improvement direction of the utility, defines policy and code that define service and risk, levies
fees, issues bonds, accepts or disposes of real estate, approves contracts with service providers, and
hears appeals on enforcement matters.
The City Manager is the chief executive of the three water utilities. The chief executive is ultimately
responsible for the function of the utility and delegates areas of responsibility to various City
Departments. Divisions of responsibility are shared and split among City Departments.
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Utility management for the Stormwater Utility is jointly practiced with the Water and Stormwater
Utilities with close coordination of local transportation system management.
Policy and Regulation
Policies of the Stormwater Utility are defined in greater detail in the reference CWRMP. <Finalize after
board and CC review. Do we want summarize or define any policies here?>
The following ordinances govern public and private utility service, connections and related
infrastructure, land use and other topics related to the utility.
Chapter 10: Building and Building Regulation
o Article 2: Landscape, Screening and Erosion Control
o Article 4: Demolition
o Article 7: Littering in the Course of Construction Work
o Article 17: Land Disturbing Activities
Chapter 23: Nuisances and Noise
Chapter 24: Public right of way and easement
Chapter 28: Utilities
Chapter 30: Vegetation
Chapter 32: Subdivision
Chapter 36 Zoning
o Article 3, Site Plan Review
o Article 5, Conditional Use Permits
o Article 8, Districts
o Article 10, Floodplain Districts
o Article 12, Supplementary District Regulations
A brief summary of the management goals in the City of Edina Comprehensive Water Resource
Management Plan are summarized below. Additional information on the policies and design standards
can be found in the latest version of the City’s plan.
10 Year Strategic Goals
The following goals areas represent areas of strategic importance to the utility. (Finalize after
commission and council input)
Goal Area 1: Prioritization of service levels and rates of attainment.
Goal Area 2: Conservation and sustainability, one water
Goal Area 3: Aging infrastructure and management of assets over generations:
Goal Area 4: Risk, Health and Equity
Implementation
This section addresses specific projects and day-to-day tasks that City staff undertake to implement the
business of the utility and serve the customer. Some tasks have been ongoing for many years and simply
represent the high quality of service that the City has always provided to its population, while others are
new initiatives that are the City’s response to recent development.
Lifecycle Asset Management
Stormwater service is provided using extensive infrastructure. The following section describes the
coordinated activities that the City of Edina undertakes to provide value to the customer. These
coordinated activities seek to balance service, cost and risk over the generational lifecycle of
infrastructure.
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Call out box: Green and Grey Infrastructure, stormwater is more than just pipes and ponds. It’s also
plants!
Operations
Operations are actions that sustain, modify, alter or regain system function and provide service or
manage risk. System operation is conducted primarily by the trained and certified utility operators from
the Public Works Department and natural resource technicians Parks Maintenance Division.
Typical operations consist of a variety of activities such as routine inspection, routine care of high touch
system components, CCTV inspection of trouble pipes, jetting and vactoring of debris, care of
vegetation, failure analysis, and other activities.
Emergency operations: (Dave to complete)
The 5 year rotating inspection program supports operation and maintenance decisions.
Maintenance
Maintenance is any action that repairs or retains the physical infrastructure assets to meet projected
service levels. System maintenance is conducted primary by the trained and certified utility operators
from the Public Works Department and natural resource technicians in the Parks Maintenance Division.
Typical maintenance consists of replacement of worn manhole lids, grouting of manhole rings, spot
repair of pipe, refurbishment or replacement of pumps, and refurbishment or replacement of electrical
control components, replacement of other worn or damaged system components, replacement of plant
material, and other minor maintenance.
Renewal and Replacement
Renewal and replacement are major repair or replacement of assets at or near the end of their service
life. This activity is conducted by the engineers, technicians and inspectors in the Engineering
Department or by consulting engineers, and typically occurs in parallel with the City’s parks
development projects, neighborhood street reconstruction program, municipal state aid reconstruction
program, or are completed as standalone utility projects.
Replacement and renewal projects are bundled by age cohort of road and utility infrastructure or are
added to the scope of new infrastructure projects. System components are inspected and conditions
assessed to inform project replacement and repair interventions. Engineers produce project reports and
recommend project scope to the City Councils. Projects are bundled and bid for reconstruction and
contracts are considered by the City Council.
Bundling of projects is favorable to goals of efficiency and customer service by generating efficiency of
scale and timing needed renewal around the disruptions caused by a single project.
Renewal and replacement decisions assume the infrastructure service remains the same or is replaced
with current industry standard materials and components. Typically, projects mix scope between
renewal and replacement, and new and upgraded service.
New and upgraded Public or Private assets
New and upgraded assets are either entirely new areas or levels of service, or major improvements to
the marginal level of service provided by infrastructure. This activity is generally conducted by engineer,
technicians and inspectors in the Engineering Department, or by engineers employed by private
developers as part of land use, community development, or economic development projects.
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Other Programs
Programs and activities managed in partner organizations, and various city departments affect outcomes
of the utility. The following is a noncomprehensive summary of related programs and activities.
Pollution Source and Hydrologic Control
Pollution prevention activities associated with the MS4 permit, street sweeping program,
and the Water Utility’s Wellhead Protection Plan.
Land use regulation in the zoning code and limitations on building hard cover.
Land use permitting at the City and Watershed level.
Grading and erosion control requirements at State, Watershed and local levels.
Stormwater requirements at State, Watershed and local levels.
Implementation of the Living Streets Plan
Assurance, Condition Assessment, System Monitoring, Modeling
Many business practices and their associated system that are otherwise classified as operations also
provide assurance of system function;
SCADA controls and monitoring
Periodic inspection and maintenance
System planning and design
The stormwater sewer system is modeled on an occasional basis and that model is occasionally
recalibrated with flow monitoring data. The model is coordinated in the Nine Mile Creek Watershed
with the District overall creek model. The model is used to review flood risk and test scenarios of
system changes due to growth, system retrofit as part of improvement proposals, or other notable
modifications to system function.
Risk Management, Resilience
The following programs or business practices manage risk and liability the storm utility faces.
City emergency response command,
Gopher State One Call Utility / locates,
Right of Way management,
Grading and land use permits
Parking garage inspections,
City risk management, and League of Minnesota Cities insurance trust
City conservation and sustainability programs
Flood control works and activities
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program
Stormwater regulation at State, Watershed and local levels.
Education, Outreach and Engagement
The understanding, support, consent, and participation of customers and stakeholders is key to building
the brand of the utility and city, and affects customer good will and outcomes. The following programs
and activities support the education, outreach and engagement goals of the City and the operation of
the utility.
Civic engagement, pulic participation and communication
Customer service interactions
Utility billing
Communications and Technology Service Department maintained tools and platforms
Community Outreach and Engagement practices
Public Works Week proclamation and biennial public works open house
Occasional infrastructure tours
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Organizational Improvement
The following review includes potential actions for each strategic goal area identified in the goal and
policy section above. (Edit after commission and council input)
Goal Area 1: Prioritization of service levels and rates of attainment.
o Compete flood protection strategy to demonstrate range of practices and levels
of attainment in focus area of Morningside Neighborhood.
o Complete clean water strategy to demonstrate range of practices and levels of
attainment in focus area of Lake Cornelia watershed.
o Use results of each strategy to inform changes to codes and standards, and
review internal processes for project selection.
Goal Area 2: Conservation and sustainability, one water
o Identify demonstration project that reuses stormwater or surface waters for
irrigation at Braemar Golf Course jointly with Water Utility.
o Quantify utility energy use and associated environmental impact and consider
renewable energy or credit purchase to offset.
o Promote ecosystem services, such as native vegetation, that support clean water.
Goal Area 3: Aging infrastructure and management of assets over generations:
o Review and implement best practices to promote financial awareness across
departments.
o Improve financial asset register and physical asset so they are complete and
consistent with each other and useful for uncovering trends and for strategic
planning.
o Improve information management systems and staff procedures to build
awareness of customer and technical service issues.
o Track and classify key customer service requests and complaints.
o Build organization tools to identify and track age, condition, and function of
system.
o Use results of condition assessments to inform replacement and renewal
decisions.
o Improve organizational line-of-sight by developing processes that build consensus
on service and risk that are informed by data from all levels of the organization.
o Improve project selection procedures that involve staff from diverse functions
between departments.
Goal Area 4: Risk, Health, Equity and Engagement
o Comprehensively assess risk jointly with sanitary utility and water utility using an
international risk framework.
o Review and modify after-action and failure reporting processes to promote cross
functional organization learning
o Support citywide framework and criteria for purchasing, health, and race and
equity in all business practices.
o Support citywide framework for engagement and public participation.
References and Appendices
CWRMP
Nine Mile Plan
Minnehaha Plan
MS4 Permit and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program
Edina Comprehensive Plan
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Page 23
Wellhead Protection Plan
IV. Drinking Water Utility
Introduction
This section of the water resources chapter focuses on the water utility. The introduction discusses the
purpose of the utility, describes technical service levels and related customer service expectations. A
high-level overview of means describes the people, equipment and infrastructure used to provide the
service, and the asset management statement puts programs and infrastructure into a generational
context of lifecycle service delivery. The current and future conditions section the water system’s
current operating conditions will be established along with historical water use trends from the last 10
years. Future water use trends will be projected to the year 2040, and potential infrastructure
challenges that may arise will be identified. More detail on the parts that make up the public utility and
how it relates private systems, organizations and partners and the overall water industry are also
included in this section. The goals and policies section describes the governance structure, policies and
relationships and sets goals to guide the utility in the next 10 years. The implementation section
describes the framework for implementation using principles of lifecycle management of assets and
management of capacity and risk. The reference section links to plans and studies that provide the body
of understanding at the foundation of the utility and useful tools from the water industry.
Possible call-out box text for the water utility
The City of Edina’s existing water system consists of 5 storage facilities, 18 active
groundwater wells, 4 water treatment plants, and a pipe distribution system.
Historical data shows that the average day water demand has been decreasing.
Projections indicate additional storage will be required to meet future water use
demands.
The City is considering water system improvements including an additional water
treatment plant, changes to Dublin Street Reservoir operation and storage capacity, and
water main upgrades and replacements.
Any stats about outdoor use? For example, demand increases by xx% during the summer
to accommodate outdoor use. If we don’t have it, perhaps we can use this quote from
Met Council’s ‘Efficient Water Use on Twin Cities Lawns through Assessment, Research,
and Demonstration’ project. “In the TCMA, approximately 20% of all treated drinking
water is used outdoors, with a majority of this being used on lawns and landscapes.”
Purpose of Plan
The purpose of this section is to guide the water utility by defining the service, detailing goals and
policies and framing the resources and methods of implementation used to provide for the citywide
distribution of water. The plan;
Defines service levels and relation to citywide policy goals such conservation, resilience,
procurement, and others.
Provides a framework for the procurement and maintenance of services while managing
risk, and supporting growth.
Summarizes demand and demand growth with ongoing development and potential
redevelopment within the City and describes how land use impacts the sanitary sewer
infrastructure in the City.
Edina Comprehensive Plan
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Page 24
Service Levels
The core services of the water utility are; The delivery of safe and healthy waters to promote public
health, the delivery of water for commercial and industrial uses, and the availability of water for fire
suppression. These services are provided citywide with minimal risk of interruption. A secondary
service of the water utility is the delivery of water for irrigation and other nonessential uses.
Customer Service
In the 2017 Quality of Life Survey Edina residents rated drinking water as 28% Excellent, 41% Good,
18% Fair and 1% Poor. With lowest marks for hardness and taste, and highest marks for reliability and
appearance. The percent positive ranked as 176th among 300 comparable communities by survey firm
Decision Resources.
Key customer interactions include billing, hook up and shut off, water main breaks or service line
freezing events, utility improvement projects, planned and unplanned outages, neighborhood street
reconstruction projects, and education and engagement events.
The utility serves residential and businesses customers based on metered domestic flow with rates
described and updated annually in City Code 2-724, With specific irrigation meters for residential and
industrial customer classes. The service is highly reliable with service interruption or risk interruption
typically experienced only sporadically based on deep frost, construction activity, main breaks, or
significant power outage or drought. Staff manages the utility to reduce risk.
Technical service requirements
The water utility is managed to provide highly reliable service, and clean and safe water to residents and
businesses. Water treatment and distribution practices are regulated and governed by state law,
standards of practice, and plumbing code. Recent technical studies reviewing demand, capacity, water
source protection, and water quality include:
Wellhead Protection Plan (Sourcewater Solutions 2011 and 2013) This plan focuses on
improving the sustainability of the City’s water supply. It identifies the vulnerability of the
water supply, and potential contaminates that could impact the water quality. The plan
also includes actions to reduce the likelihood of contamination and alternate water
sources in the event of an emergency.
Water System Master Plan (SEH 2018) This plan details the historical water use data,
projects future water use trends, and identifies potential areas for system improvements.
A computer model of the City’s water distribution system was created to aid in
determining existing operating conditions and plan for future developments under
different system conditions.
Water Treatment Plant 5 Preliminary Engineering Report (AE2S 2017)
Means of provision of service
Water service is provided primarily using a system of local wells, treatment plants, pumps, distribution
main, service lines, control and metering infrastructure. The system is managed by the City of Edina
Engineering and Public Works departments. The system of infrastructure is described in greater detail
in the public utility section below. Programmatic activities such as water system monitoring, disinfection,
and wellhead protection are described in the implementation section below.
Asset Management Statement
Water utility infrastructure assets and relating programs are managed to; anticipate and react to the
impact of growth, identify and manage risk, assess condition and take a lifecycle approach to the
operation, maintenance and replacement of system components, and monitor water quality and system
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter 8 – Water Resources
Page 25
performance. These management activities are conducted to provide a valuable public service by
continually improving our operation and infrastructure to meet the level of service expected by the
public and defined by technical service requirements, while minimizing cost and risk.
Current and Future Conditions
The City’s public water system provides water to the majority of Edina’s residential and commercial
areas. Within the City, a few residential and commercial areas are served by other public water supplies
due to their proximity to surrounding cities. The cities that service areas within Edina are Bloomington,
Eden Prairie, Minneapolis and St Louis Park. Surrounding cities also provide Edina with interconnections
that can be utilized in emergency situations where an alternate water supply is needed.
Public Utility
The public water system pumps, treats, filters, stores, meters and delivers waters to private service
connections citywide. Water for fire suppression is stored and made available at public and private fire
hydrant connection located citywide.
The sections below details rates of flow in gallons per minute (GPM), million gallons of storage (MG),
millions of gallons of water per day (MGD), and describes average day (AD) and maximum day (MD)
demands. Some system constraints and improvement options are discussed and more detail can be
found in goals and policies section, and the Water System Master Plan (SEH 2018.)
Assets
Assets are used to supply, treat, store, distribute, connect to and meter water. The existing water
system is made up of 220 miles of pressure main ranging from 4-16” diameter, nearly 5000 service
valves, 2000 hydrants, 13800 metered service connections, 4 tower storage facilities, and 1 ground
reservoir, 18 groundwater wells, and 4 water treatment plants.
Table 1 shows the 4 elevated storage tanks and 1 groundwater storage tank utilized in the City’s
distribution system. The 4 elevated storage tanks have a combined storage capacity and usable storage
capacity of 3.0 MG. The Dublin Reservoir is limited to a 2,000 GPM output by the pumps over a 24 hour
time period. Therefore, the reservoir only has a usable storage of 2.88 MG even though the storage
capacity is 4.0 MG. The City has a total usable storage capacity of 5.88 MG.
Table 1: Storage
Facility Name Location Year
Constructed
Type Storage
Capacity
(MG)
Usable
Storage
Capacity
(MG)
Dublin Reservoir 700 Dublin
Road
1960 Ground 4.0 2.88
Gleason Road
Tank
6001 Gleason
Road
1970 Elevated 1.0 1.0
Community
Center Tank
5901 Ruth
Drive
1955 Elevated 0.5 0.5
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter 8 – Water Resources
Page 26
Van Valkenburg
Tank
4949 Malibu
Drive
1989 Elevated 1.0 1.0
Southdale Tank 6853 France
Avenue S.
1956 Elevated 0.5 0.5
Total 7.0 5.88
eighteen wells are utilized to supply groundwater to the City as shown in Table 2. Water pumped from
each well receives fluoride for public health and wellness purposes, chlorine for disinfection, and
polyphosphates to prevent pipe corrosion. Many of the wells supply water to the water treatment plants
for additional treatment. However, a few wells provide water directly to the distribution system.
Well #14 is no longer used as a water supply, however, it is used as an irrigation well at Braemar golf
course.
Table 2: Existing Supply Wells
Well Name Status Additional
Treatment
Supply Capacity
(GPM)
Supply Capacity (MGD)
Well #1 Offline - - -
Well #2 Active WTP #6 850 1.22
Well #3 Active None 1,000 1.44
Well #4 Active WTP #2 1,000 1.44
Well #5 Active Proposed
WTP #5
1,000 1.44
Well #6 Active WTP #2 1,000 1.44
Well #7 Active WTP #6 1,000 1.44
Well #8 Active None 850 1.22
Well #9 Active WTP #6 1,000 1.44
Well #10 Active WTP #3 1,000 1.44
Well #11 Active WTP #3 1,000 1.44
Well #12 Active WTP #4 1,000 1.44
Well #13 Active WTP #4 1,000 1.44
Well #14 Irrigation
Only
None - -
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter 8 – Water Resources
Page 27
Well #15 Active WTP #6 1,000 1.44
Well #16 Active None 1,000 1.44
Well #17 Active WTP #2 1,000 1.44
Well #18 Active Proposed
WTP #5
1,000 1.44
Well #19 Active None 1,000 1.44
Well #20 Active None 1,000 1.44
The City currently has 4 water treatment plants that provide additional treatment before sending the
water into the distribution system as shown in Table 3. All 4 plants utilize a pressure filter for iron and
manganese removal.
The majority of the water distribution and storage systems were constructed in the 1950’s through 70’s,
with treatment system being added and expanded later. Wells were added as supply demand grew,
and all well systems have been through multiple lifecycles as pumps are replaced on a more frequent
basis, and wells are redeveloped as their flow decays.
Table 3: Existing Water Treatment Plants
Water
Treatment
Plant Name
Receives Water
From
Treatment
Method
Treatment Type Treatment
Capacity
(GPM)
WTP #2 Well #4, Well #6, and
Well #17
Pressure Filter Iron and Manganese
Removal
3,000
WTP #3 Well #10, and Well
#11
Pressure Filter Iron and Manganese
Removal
2,000
WTP #4 Well #12, and Well
#13
Pressure Filter Iron and Manganese
Removal
2,000
WTP #6 Well #2, Well # 7,
Well #9 and Well #15
Pressure Filter Iron and Manganese
Removal, Air Stripping
for VOC removal
3,850
`
-Page 28-
Organization and partners
Internal departments tasked with management of the water utility are the Engineering and Public Works
Departments. These two functional departments employ engineers, operators, technicians, and
administrative staff to run the utility. These functional departments are supported by the Finance
Department, Utility Billing division, Administration and Human Resource Departments. Utility
connections and acquisition of developer installed new infrastructure are supported by the Planning and
Building divisions of the Community Development and Fire departments.
Organization Chart
Key external partners in the provision on water services include the electric power utility, local water
utilities for emergency interconnect and for areas of service in the city but not provided by the utility,
engineering professional service providers, utility general contractors, the Met Council, the Minnesota
Department of Health, state regulators, and nongovernmental water industry associations.
Tools, Equipment, Facilities
The Engineering and Public Works Departments rely on tools, equipment, and facilities procured and
maintained by the Facilities and Fleet support divisions of public works and the Communications and
Technical Services Department.
Demand
Water demand is viewed in a variety of time steps and each affect system requirements. For example; In
several seconds a water main may be required to flow to provide water for fire suppression, in several
minutes a tower or well may provide water to match a peak hour’s ramping system demand, for periods
of hours wells may run and storage systems empty or fill to meet demand during a peak summer
drought over the course of days or months an aquifer pressure may lower or rise due to intense
summer demands, low winter demands, rainfall and infiltration, and finally over years or decades an
aquifer may rise and fall based on regional trends in water use and aquifer recharge.
Existing Demand
Table 4: Existing Demands
Year AD Demand (MGD) MD Demand (MGD) MD Peaking Factor
2007 7.37 16.69 2.26
2008 7.36 16.29 2.21
2009 7.60 18.75 2.47
2010 6.79 13.13 1.93
2011 6.91 14.12 2.04
2012 7.59 17.08 2.25
2013 6.65 15.78 2.37
2014 6.49 15.45 2.38
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2015 6.31 12.70 2.01
2016 6.03 12.99 2.15
Average 6.91 15.30 2.21
Table 4 shows historical data from the last 10 years identifying water use trends in the average daily
demand (AD), maximum daily demand (MD) and maximum daily peaking factor.
The AD demand has been exhibiting an overall decreasing trend over the last 10 years, with the
exception of 2012 which was a drought year. The maximum and minimum AD demands were 7.59
MGD (2012) and 6.03 MGD (2016) respectively. The decreasing trend can be attributed to daily
conservation efforts and replacing outdated plumbing fixtures with more conservative fixtures.
The MD demand has widely varied over the last 10 years. The maximum and minimum MD demands
were 18.75 MGD (2009) and 12.70 MGD (2015) respectively. The MD demand can vary depending on
seasonal conditions. Hot and dry summers will often result in larger MD demands.
The MD peaking factor is the MD demand divided by the AD demand. The MD peaking factors have
remained relatively stable over the last 10 years. The maximum and minimum MD peaking factors were
2.47 MGD (2009) and 1.93 MGD (2010) respectively.
More info on shorter term and longer-term demands? Chad SEH? MetCouncil supply planners?
Future Demand
Future population and water use trends were projected through the year 2040 as seen in Table 5. The
City’s population was projected based on data from the Minnesota State Demographic and interpolation.
The AD demand was calculated by multiplying the population by the average per capita demand
determined from the historical data. The AD demand was then multiplied by the average MD Peaking
Factor determined from the historical data.
The projections indicate that the AD demand will increase to approximately 8.58 MGD. It is
recommended that there should be sufficient storage to hold the AD demand volume for 1 day. The
current storage capacity will not adequately meet the projected AD demand; therefore, additional
storage will be needed.
The projected MD demand is expected to reach 19.3 MGD. The City’s treatment capacity should be
larger than the projected MD demand. Under existing conditions, the City is capable of treating 22.6
MGD, therefore, the treatment capacity is sufficient for projected demands.
Table 5: Ultimate Water Demand Projections
Year Population AD Demand
(MGD)
MD Demand
(MGD)
MD Peaking
Factor
2020 51,900 8.09 18.2 2.25
2025 53,250 8.27 18.6 2.25
2030 54,600 8.49 19.1 2.25
Edina Comprehensive Plan
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2035 54,850 8.53 19.2 2.25
2040 55,100 8.58 19.3 2.25
Private Systems
Every home and business service connection to the Water Utility is owned by the private property
owner, the typical connection point has a shut off valve at the point of connection and is metered
internally. While widely disbursed, the system of service connections and the internal plumbing of
customers affects the outcomes of the Water Utility. Private system connection and good working
order are regulated, permitted and enforced directly through the Building Department and state and
local partners.
State and Local Partners
Regulation of connections, operator certification and training, regional planning for growth, plumbing
code and plumbing licensing, and environmental standards and regulation all affect the outcomes of the
Sanitary Utility and involve the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
Department of Labor and Industry, Met Council, and others. The City of Edina takes an active role in
policy and regulation advocacy directly and through partner professional associations.
Goals and Policies
This chapter describes; How the Water Utility supports the Mission and Vision of the City of Edina, the
governance of the utility, key local policy and regulation, and ten-year strategic goals.
Service Level Statement
The Water Utility will provide safe, reliable, and efficient water for residents and customers in the City
of Edina, reliable and available water for fire suppression, and water for nonessential uses when it
provision would not create undue risk, while treating contaminants, reducing the risk of contamination,
and improving our operations to protect the health, safety and welfare of our citizens now at into the
future.
Role and responsibility of Council and Management
The City Council is the policy body for the utility and is responsible to set the strategic and policy
direction of the utility. The City Council is responsible and accountable to the customers of the utility
and appoints and evaluates the chief executive. The City Council sets the budget and capital
improvement direction of the utility, defines policy and code, levies fees, issues bonds, accepts or
disposes of real estate, approves contracts with service providers, and hears appeals on enforcement
matters.
The City Manager is the chief executive of the utility three water utilities. The chief executive is
ultimately responsible for the function of the utility and delegates areas of responsibility to various City
Departments. Divisions of responsibility are shared and split among City Departments.
Utility management for the Water Utility is jointly practiced with the Sanitary and Stormwater Utilities
with close coordination of local transportation system management.
Policy and Regulation:
A variety of local policies and ordinance apply to the water utility.
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter Number and Title
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Policies
Provide the City’s water customers with safe, high quality potable water.
o Meet or exceed all Federal and State drinking water standards.
o Provide treatment or replace existing wells with contaminants that exceed EPA
Maximum Contaminant Levels.
Provide sustainability of the City’s water system through preservation and conservation.
o Protect the City’s existing sources of supply by implementation of the Wellhead
Protection Plan.
o Continue to implement a conservation-oriented water rate system that charges
increasing fees for increasing use of water.
o Continue to provide education regarding conservation though mailings, website,
newspaper, and public involvement.
Provide a reliable water system that can provide a safe supply of water during
emergencies.
o Continue the relationship with adjacent communities to provide interconnections
for emergency needs.
o Continue to complete water main looping of dead ends to improve available fire
flow to customers.
Continue to improve the quality of water throughout the distribution system by pursuing
solutions to water quality complaints.
o Implement a unidirectional flushing program throughout the system.
o Continue to replace sections of aging water mains in areas with water quality
and/or hydraulic deficiencies.
Implement new technologies including pipe bursting and cleaning and lining to limit full
reconstruction of utilities.
Ordinances
The following ordinances govern public and private utility service, connections and related
infrastructure
Chapter 10: Building and Building Regulation
o Article 9: Regulating plumbing and installation of water conditioning equipment
o Article 10 Requiring connection to sanitary and water systems and regulating
discharge into the sanitary sewer system
Chapter 24: Public right of way and easement
Chapter 28: Utilities
Sec. 36-1273. - Utility buildings and structures.
10 Year Strategic Goals
The following goals areas represent areas of strategic importance to the utility. (Finalize after
commission and council input)
Goal Area 1: Aging infrastructure and management of assets over generations:
Goal Area 2: Conservation and sustainability, one water
Goal Area 3: Preparing for areas of growth
Goal Area 4: Risk, Health and Equity
Implementation
This section addresses specific projects and day-to-day tasks that City staff undertake to implement the
goals and policies laid out in this plan. Some tasks have been ongoing for many years and simply
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter Number and Title
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represent the high quality of service that the City has always provided to its population, while others are
new initiatives that are the City’s response to recent development.
Lifecycle Asset Management
Water service is provided primarily with infrastructure. The following section describes the coordinated
activities that the City of Edina undertakes to provide value to the customer. These coordinated
activities seek to balance service, cost and risk over the generational lifecycle of infrastructure.
Operations
System operation is conducted primarily by the trained and certified utility operators from the Public
Works Department. Typical operations consist of a variety of activities such as flow monitoring,
pumping, routine inspection, routine repair or replacement of high touch system components.
Much of the system operation is automated by a system of computerized controls, sensors, level
monitors, flow monitors, and other devices.
Emergency operations: All four WTPs have onsite generators equipped to automatically transfer power
upon loss of Xcel service. All well sites are equipped with quick connect plugins for use with portable
generators. In case of catastrophic failure or compromised water safety, the City of Edina has
interconnects with municipal supplies from Eden Prairie, Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis and
Bloomington. Staff is currently exploring the feasibility of adding an interconnect with Richfield, possibly
to be constructed in 2019-20.
Maintenance
Maintenance is any action that repairs or retains the physical infrastructure assets to meet projected
service levels. System maintenance is conducted primarily by the trained and certified utility operators
from the Public Works Department.
Typical maintenance consists of replacement or refurbishment of values, hydrants, pumps, electrical
components, spot repair of leaks, spot repair of pipe, replacement of other worn or damaged system
components, and other minor maintenance.
Renewal and Replacement
Renewal and replacement are major repair or replacement of assets at or near the end of their service
life. This activity is conducted by the engineers, technicians and inspectors in the Engineering
Department or by consulting engineers, and typically occurs in parallel with the City’s neighborhood
street reconstruction program and municipal state aid reconstruction program, or are completed as
standalone utility project.
Replacement and renewal projects are bundled by age cohort of road and utility infrastructure. System
components are inspected and conditions assessed to inform project replacement and repair
interventions. Engineers produce project reports and recommend project scope to the City Council.
Projects are bundled and bid for reconstruction and contracts are considered by the City Council.
Bundling of projects is favorable to goals of efficiency and customer service by generating efficiency of
scale and timing needed renewal around the disruptions caused by a single project.
Renewal and replacement decisions assume the infrastructure service remains the same or is replaced
with current industry standard materials and components. Typically, projects mix scope between
renewal and replacement, and new and upgraded service.
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter Number and Title
Page 33
New and upgraded assets
New and upgraded assets are either entirely new areas or levels of service, or major improvements to
the marginal level of service provided by infrastructure. This activity is generally conducted by engineers,
technicians and inspectors in the Engineering Department, or by engineers employed by private
developers as part of land use, community development, or economic development projects.
The City is continuously planning to for future expansions and updates so the water system can grow
and change with the City. A few projects the City has been planning are the addition of Water
Treatment Plant 5, operation and storage improvements at Dublin Street Reservoir, and continue to add
and update the water main throughout the City.
The City plans to add Water Treatment Plant 5 to improve the quality of water coming from wells #5
and #18, and increase the treatment capacity of the system. It will be a pressure filter water treatment
plant for the removal of iron and manganese, and is planned to have a treatment capacity of 2.88 MGD.
Under existing conditions, the Dublin Street Reservoir has 2.88 MG of usable storage capacity, but has a
storage capacity of 4.0 MG. The City is reviewing different options to improve the usable storage
capacity and operation a Dublin Street Reservoir.
As the City plans for road construction and additional development they are reviewing each project to
determine if it is feasible to include water main replacements and upgrades. Including these upgrades and
replacements will aid improving water quality by replacing unlined cast iron pipes, and reduce the
quantity of unaccounted water.
Other Programs
Programs and activities managed in partner organizations, and various city departments affect outcomes
of the utility. The following is a noncomprehensive summary of related programs and activities.
Utility locate, right of way, connection permits,
Demand Management / Source Control
The conservation rate tier and separate commercial irrigation accounts in City ordinance
are key conservation and demand management practices for the utility.
State and national plumbing code is a key conservation and demand management tool that
is reducing per capita water use
Assurance, Condition Assessment, System Monitoring, Modeling
Many business practices and their associated systems that are otherwise classified as operations also
provide assurance of system function;
SCADA controls, flow and storage monitoring,
Metering,
Periodic inspection and maintenance,
Water quality testing program,
Groundwater level and quality monitoring,
System planning and design
Risk Management, Resilience
The following programs or business practices manage risk associated with the utility:
City emergency response command,
Gopher State One Call Utility / locates,
Right of Way management,
Connection permits,
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter Number and Title
Page 34
Private connection program as part of reconstruction,
City risk management, and League of Minnesota Cities insurance trust
City conservation and sustainability programs,
Odd/even watering ban
Many of the assurance programs above, also provide risk management functions,
Corrosion inhibiting practices prevents decay of pipes,
The disinfection strategy, and monitoring for byproducts,
The system of backup power for key water supply and treatment facilities, and mobile
power reserve
The Wellhead Protection Program address vectors for pollution and potential
contaminate sources to the wellhead and the overlapping surface water pollution
prevention activities of the Storm Utility help protect future water supply quality.
Education, Outreach and Engagement
The understanding, support, consent, and participation of customers and stakeholders is key to building
the brand of the utility and city, and affects customer good will and outcomes. The following programs
and activities support the education, outreach and engagement goals of the City and the operation of
the utility.
Customer service interactions
Utility billing
Communications and Technology Service Department maintained tools and platforms
Community Outreach and Engagement practices
Public Works Week proclamation and biennial public works open house
Occasional infrastructure tours
Organizational Improvement
The following review includes potential actions for each strategic goal area identified in the goal and
policy section above. (Edit after commission and council input)
Goal Area 1: Aging infrastructure and management of assets over generations:
o Review and implement best practices to promote financial awareness across
departments
o Improve financial asset register and physical asset so they are complete and
consistent with each other and useful for uncovering trends and for strategic
planning.
o Improve information management systems and staff procedures to build
awareness of customer and technical service issues.
o Track and classify key customer service requests and complaints.
o Track number and duration of planned and unplanned service interruptions and
trend.
o Build organization tools to identify and track age, condition, and function of
system.
o Use results of condition assessments to inform replacement and renewal
decisions.
o Improve organizational line-of-sight by developing processes that build consensus
on service and risk that are informed by data from all levels of the organization.
o Improve project selection procedures that involve staff from diverse functions
between departments
Goal Area 2: Conservation and sustainability, one water
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter Number and Title
Page 35
o Identify demonstration project for surface water irrigation reuse at Braemar golf
course and develop design and business case for irrigation reuse practice.
o Quantify utility energy use and associated environmental impact and consider
renewable energy or credit purchase to offset.
o Confirm water utility rates structure supports conservation outcomes.
o Review metering, SCADA and billing system requirements jointly with sanitary
utility for opportunities relating to asset management and conservation business
goals when major system replacements are considered.
Goal Area 3: Preparing for areas of growth
o Add filtered treatment capacity for >95% of drought year.
o Complete Grandview trunk facilities as growth opportunities allow.
o Consider Pentagon Park utility transition from Bloomington to Edina water
service in coordination with sanitary system review.
Goal Area 4: Risk, Health, Equity and Engagement
o Improve fire flow capacity in northeast Edina as 50th and Wooddale road project
opportunities allow.
o Comprehensively assess risk using an international risk framework.
o Actively encourage sealing of unused, unmaintained, and abandoned private wells
o Review vulnerabilities related to updated flood model (CWRMP)
o Review and modify after-action and failure reporting processes to promote cross
functional organization learning
o Support citywide framework and criteria for purchasing, health, and race and
equity in all business practices.
V. References
Distribution System Analysis (2002 SEH)
Wellhead Protection Plan (2011 and 2013 Sourcewater Solutions)
Water Supply Plan (2018 SEH)
VI. Appendices
text
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Edina Comprehensive Plan Chapter Number and Title Page 37 11 x 17, page 2
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter 8 – Water Resources
Page 38
Regular page, after a section break.
Edina Comprehensive Plan
Chapter Number and Title
Page 39
Text
Date: October 11, 2018 Agenda Item #: X.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
From:Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator
Item Activity:
Subject:EEC Meeting Schedule and Roster List
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
INTRODUCTION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
2018 EEC Meeting and Roster List
Meetings and Events
Day Date Event Time Location
Thurs Jan 11 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Feb 8 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Mar 8 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Wed Mar 28 Commission Comp Plan Presentations 5:30 pm Council Chambers
Thurs April 12 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Mon April 16 BC Member Annual Reception 5:30 pm Braemar Golf Course
Mon April 23 Volunteer Recognition 5:30 pm Braemar Golf Course
Thurs May 3 Comprehensive Plan Mid-Term Check in 6:00 pm Public Works
Thurs May 11 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Tues May 15 Work Session w/ City Council 5:30 pm Community Room
Thurs June 14 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs July 12 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs August 9 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Sept 13 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Oct 11 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Nov 8 Regular Meeting 6:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Dec 13 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Attendance at Regular Meetings and Rescheduled Regular Meetings are counted towards attendance policy.
Chair and Vice Chair specific meetings
Mon March 21 Chair and Vice Chair Annual Meeting 6:00 pm Public Works
Tues Oct 2 Chair Only - 2018 Work Plan Review w/ Council 5:30 pm Community Room
Roster
Name Email
Glahn, Bill billglahn@aol.com
Fernands, Maddy maddyfernands@gmail.com
Hoffman, Howard howard.hoffman@gmail.com
Horan, Michelle mhoran00@gmail.com
Hussian, Paul pahussian@hotmail.com
Jackson, Carolyn
(Chair) bjandcj@aol.com
Kostuch, Keith kostuch.eec@gmail.com
Lanzas, Bayardo blanzas@artaxstudios.com
Manser, Richard
(Vice Chair) richardmanser@icloud.com
Maynor, Chloe chloem20475@isd273.org
Satterlee, Lauren lauren.mpls.mn@gmail.com
Seeley, Melissa msee10@me.com
Brown, Tara (Liaison) tbrown@edinamn.gov
Casella, Casey (City Fellow) ccasella@edinamn.gov