HomeMy WebLinkAboutCD - Southdale SAP Kickoff
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Jordan Gilgenbach, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0396 • jgilgenbach@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City Begins Planning Process for the Greater Southdale Area
Edina, Minn., March 12, 2015 – What will the west side of France Avenue in the Southdale area look in
the future? How will the greater Southdale area develop with our changing needs and market forces?
The City will kick off a planning process for the greater Southdale area with a public meeting from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Edina Senior Center, 5280 Grandview Square, to develop guiding
principles for future development. Initial emphasis will be on future development on the west side of France
Avenue.
“This area is noted as a potential area of change in the Comprehensive Plan,” said Community Development
Director Cary Teague. “Many properties on the west side of France [Avenue], along with other areas in the
Greater Southdale area, have not seen significant change in decades. Given market forces and conditions, the
time may soon be right for new investments.”
The public is invited to join the kick-off meeting to learn more about the purpose, process and explore the
area. The work group consists of two Planning Commissioners and four community members appointed by
the City Council. Six volunteers nominated and selected by the community at the kick-off meeting will also be
selected to serve on the work group.
This meeting will initiate a process for a comprehensive review of planning policy in the Southdale area, and
allow for a well-grounded and broad consideration of possible change without attention to any particular site,
Teague said.
At the end of the 60-day process, the work group will create guiding principles for development. The initial
focus on the west side of France Avenue will help City officials make more informed decisions on properties
being considered for change. Ultimately, the goal of the work group is to develop a tool that would guide a
development process for the whole Southdale area, and demonstrate methods that might be used during the
Comprehensive Plan update in 2018.
Edina has a history of innovative and creative projects in the Greater Southdale area, including Southdale
Center, the first enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall in the U.S., and the Centennial Lakes Park and
Edinborough Park developments. These projects have since been replicated across the country and the world.
For more information, visit www.EdinaMN.gov/Planning. Stay up-to-date on this project and subscribe to City
Extra at www.EdinaMN.gov/CityExtra.
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