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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEditionEdina_Jan20154801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 952-927-8861 mail@EdinaMN.gov The City of Edina Speak Up, Edina! JANUARY 2015 Volume 2, Issue 1 Legend: Infrastructure Commercial and Mixed-Use Redevelopment Workforce Communication and Engagement Community Vision Aviation Noise Edi tion: Council Approves Plans for Braemar Golf Course Driving Range Expansion New Council Members Begin Work The City’s next online discussion is now available at www.SpeakUpEdina.org. The discussion, which focuses on drive-thrus, is available until Feb. 28. Drive-thrus are allowed in Planned Commercial Districts (PCD) and have different regulations depending on the use, according to City Code Section 36-613 and 614. There are more than a dozen drive-thrus in Edina for businesses such as restaurants, banks and pharmacies. In the discussion, the City asks if it should prohibit new drive-thrus, what residents’ general opinions of drive-thrus are, what types of businesses work best with a drive-thru, and whether or not residents have any environmental or health concerns over idling cars. This month, the City has been gathering feedback on the City’s liquor laws. Questions included whether residents think Edina’s liquor licensing standards should be changed to eliminate the connection between food sales and alcohol sales, whether residents would welcome bars or taprooms in Edina if such a change were made and what sort of concerns they have if the City’s food-to-liquor sales ratio is eliminated. The discussion is open until Monday, Feb. 2. Feedback from the discussion will be presented to the City Council Feb. 17. To weigh in on a discussion, visit www.SpeakUpEdina.org ‘Failure to signal’ is Police Focus for February In February, police will focus on one of the most prevalent and under-enforced traffic violations: failure to signal. “These violations may pose little safety risk to the driver, but failing to signal has a great potential for accidents caused by other affected motorists,” said Sgt. Nate Mendel. Each month, patrol officers focus police efforts on a specific statutory violation in order to educate the public and gain compliance. The violations the Police Department “Focus In” on have seasonal relevance, affect the quality of life in Edina or pose safety risks to residents. All statutes are enforced year-round, but additional attention is paid to the focus of the month. Education will include a warning to those who violate the statute or code of focus. In February 2014, the Edina Police Department issued 114 verbal or written warnings for motorists who failed to signal. In January, police focused on obstructed vision. For the following months, police will “Focus In” on unsafe equipment, failure to display headlights, bike safety, following too close, pedestrian safety, child and seatbelt safety, distracted driving, speed in school zones, night and snow parking, and the “move over” law. For more information, contact the Edina Police Department at 952-826-1610. On the heels of Braemar Golf Course’s 50th anniversary in 2014, the driving range and executive course will see $1.8 million in upgrades. Work is expected to begin July 7, and could be completed as early as the late spring of 2016. “The underlying reason to do the entire project was … to expand the driving range to create a bigger teeing surface and a farther, longer driving range,” explained Braemar Golf Course General Manager Joseph Abood. “In order to do that, we had to expand out into the executive course, [making the executive course a par three course].” The grass area of the driving range will almost double to 300 yards long and will accommodate up to 58 golfers at a time with added target greens.Abood explained that staff at Braemar have listened to the requests of their customers; with the upgrades, customers can expect to always find good turf from which to hit. Herfort Norby Golf Course Architects was hired to develop the concept plan and designs. “There was a time when Braemar was widely known as having the best driving range and practice facility in the Twin Cities. Over time, the facilities have deteriorated … and the City has decided to resurrect and rehabilitate this driving range,” said Herfort Norby Project Architect Kevin Norby. “We also want to create a short course that is more enjoyable and more playable for … kids, women, seniors and beginning golfers.” In order to make space for the vastly larger driving range, the layout of the current executive course will be adjusted. Presently, the course has five holes on the southwest side of Hilary Lane with the remaining four on the northeast side. After the adjustments have been made to the course, only two holes will remain on the west side of the road – Holes 1 and 9. The revised course will have two altogether new holes created (Holes 3 and 4) with other holes reconfigured to minimize sand hazards and forced carries over wetlands and open water. These changes will result in larger greens with softer and more accommodating holes for different types of golfers. Abood also noted that some of the things that golfers loved about the Fred Richards Golf Course will be incorporated into the new par 3 course, like bigger greens and two pins on each one. The wetlands and buffer areas will also be improved and added to as part of the construction, as well as upgraded irrigation throughout the course. Golfers will still be able to get out on the current executive course right away in the spring since construction won’t begin until July. While construction is under way later this summer, Braemar will offer several options for golfers. The Braemar Golf Dome will be opened over the summer and a shorter course has been created on the Clunie 9 to accommodate similar play to the executive course. “It’s similar in length so people who want to play a shorter course can have that ability during the time that we’re in construction,” said Abood. “We’re also going to accommodate golfers by doing cart specials and encouraging golfers to rent a cart if they don’t want to walk that entire area.” For more information, contact Abood at 952-903-5754 or jabood@EdinaMN.gov. More Ideas Needed For Grandview Site Planning the redevelopment and re-use of the vacant City-owned site at 5146 Eden Ave. has begun and the City wants your ideas. Late last year, the City entered into a partnership with Frauenshuh Commercial Real Estate Group to help define what public and private uses could feasibly work and complement each other on the site. In December, the City held an “exploration session,” which kicked off the idea-gathering phase. More than 100 people attended the meeting. At the meeting, participants shared ideas, identified the site’s strengths and weaknesses and shared opinions on dozens of examples of public and private uses in varying scales and sizes. More ideas and suggestions are needed to shape this public/private project. If you and your neighbors have ideas to share, please contact the City to schedule a small-group exploration session. Sessions can be customized to be as brief as 15 minutes or up to an hour. Both daytime and evening times are available. To schedule a meeting, contact Heather Branigin at 952-826-0403 or hbranigin@EdinaMN.gov. Ideas are also being collected online at www.SpeakUpEdina.org. Anyone can contribute ideas and suggestions for the project and build off others’ ideas. The online discussion is available until the end of February. “If you live, work, go to school in or visit Edina, we want your ideas,” said Economic Development Manager Bill Neuendorf. “Your comments will help shape the next great Edina project.” Join in the “discovery session” 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11. In this session, participants will see ideas suggested for the site and discuss how some potential uses could work together. All ideas will be considered as the City and Frauenshuh craft multiple re-use scenarios for consideration. Save the date for an open house on April 22 to review and comment on those scenarios. The options and stakeholder comments will be presented to the City Council in June for a decision. For more information, visit www.EdinaMN.gov/Grandview. City Clerk Debra Mangen administered the oath of office to new City Council Member Bob Stewart at the Jan. 6 meeting. After taking his oath, City Council Member Kevin Staunton celebrated with his family. Ph o t o b y : J e n n i f e r B e n n e r o t t e Ph o t o b y : E d i n a S u n C u r r e n t JANUARY 2015 February Broadcast Schedule Edina City Council (shown until the next scheduled meeting – generally two weeks) • Saturdays – 7 p.m. • Sundays – 3 a.m., 11 a.m. • Tuesdays – 7 p.m. (live broadcast on first and third Tuesdays of every month) • Wednesdays – 3 a.m., 11 a.m. Planning Commission (shown until the next scheduled meeting – generally two weeks) • Wednesdays – 7 p.m. (live broadcast on second and fourth Wednesdays of every month) • Thursdays – 3 a.m., 11 a.m. • Fridays – 7 p.m. • Saturdays – 3 a.m., 11 a.m. Transportation Commission (through Feb. 12) • Mondays – 3 a.m., 11 a.m. • Wednesdays – 10 p.m. • Thursdays – 6 a.m., 2 p.m. • Sundays – 7 p.m. Arts & Culture Commission (through Feb. 19) • Mondays – 3 a.m., 11 a.m. • Wednesdays – 10 p.m. • Thursdays – 6 a.m., 2 p.m. • Sundays – 7 p.m. Park Board (Feb. 10 through March 10) • Mondays – 7 p.m. • Tuesdays – 3 a.m., 11 a.m. • Thursdays – 10 p.m. • Fridays – 6 a.m., 2 p.m. “Agenda: Edina” (new episode on the 1st and 15th of each month) • Daily at 2:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 6:30 p.m. “Beyond the Badge” (new episode on the 1st of each month) • Daily at 2 a.m., 10 a.m., 6 p.m. “Enterprise Edina” (new episode on the 15th of each month) • Daily at 2:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 6:15 p.m. Rotary Club of Edina Meetings (new episode weekly) • Daily at 1 a.m., 9 a.m., 5 p.m. Programs can be watched on cable channels 16 (standard definition) or 813 (high definition). All content is also streamed online at www.EdinaMN.gov and www.youtube.com/ EdinaChannel16. Neighborhoods Complete Recognition Process The City of Edina’s program to formally recognize neighborhoods has recently seen steady growth. The City now has a total of seven recognized neighborhoods, including the Chowen Park, Countryside, Concord, Morningside, Normandale Park, Pamela Park and Strachauer Park neighborhoods. “Edina constantly has activity that yields community engagement. Edina’s recognized neighborhood association program creates a platform for the City not only to share information directly with the neighborhood associations, but for neighborhood associations to communicate back to the City,” said City of Edina Project Coordinator MJ Lamon. The City Council established a process for recognizing neighborhoods in 2013. Since then, Lamon has spearheaded efforts to increase communication between residents and the City by establishing all interested groups of residents as City- recognized neighborhoods. “There were multiple reasons why [we decided to become recognized],” explained Normandale Park resident and Neighborhood Steering Committee member Heather Branigin. “[Learning about] road reconstruction was one, getting to know our neighbors better, social events, hearing about what’s going on in other neighborhoods and just to bring us together [were a few of the other reasons].” The process to become recognized is simple and straightforward. Neighborhoods must establish a team of interested and involved community members, notify City staff that they are interested in becoming recognized, host a neighborhood-wide meeting and submit an application to the City. “We had a neighborhood kick-off meeting in September where over 50 families showed up and unanimously said this was a good idea,” explained Chowen Park resident and Neighborhood Steering Committee co-member Bill Neuendorf. “The reasons [for becoming recognized] were varied, [but] there’s definitely a desire to be connected ... and we thought that forming a neighborhood association would be one way to strengthen already existing bonds and make new ones.” For more information about establishing a City of Edina-recognized neighborhood association, contact Lamon at 952-826-0360 or neighborhoods@EdinaMN.gov. For more information, visit www.EdinaMN.gov/Neighborhoods. Upcoming Events Tuesday, Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m. Community Health Commission Meeting, Edina City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m. City Council Meeting, Edina City Hall Saturday, Feb. 7 & Sunday, Feb. 8 Winter Warm-Up Weekend Gather at one of Edina’s facilities for some winter family fun, including a book reading, free open skating, snowshoeing and more! For the full schedule of events, visit www.EdinaParks.com. Tuesday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m. Park Board Meeting, Edina City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m. Heritage Preservation Board Meeting, Edina City Hall Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting, Edina City Hall Thursday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. Energy & Environment Commission Meeting, Edina City Hall Friday, Feb. 13, 2:30 p.m. Valentine’s Day Dance, Edina Senior Center Saturday, Feb. 14, 10 a.m. The Author’s Studio featuring Kristin Makholm’s Modern Spirit, the Art of George Morrison, Edina Art Center. Saturday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. Music in Edina: Rockin’ Hollywoods Valentine’s Dance, Braemar Golf Course Monday, Feb. 16 Presidents Day, City Hall Closed Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m. City Council Meeting, Edina City Hall Thursday, Feb. 19, 6 p.m. Transportation Commission Meeting, Edina City Hall Saturday, Feb. 21, 9 a.m. Walk with the Mayor, Southdale Center Walk and talk with Mayor Jim Hovland. Meet at Caribou Coffee. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. Human Rights & Relations Commission Meeting, Edina City Hall Wednesday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. Planning Commission Meeting, Edina City Hall Editor’s Note: The community event scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31 to celebrate the retirement of K-9 Diesel has been cancelled. Rest in peace, Diesel. Edina, St. Louis Park Make Offer for ‘Weber Woods’ In an effort to keep the land as open space, the cities of Edina and St. Louis Park have made an offer to the City of Minneapolis to purchase a property at 40th Street and France Avenue known to some Edina residents as “Weber Woods.” The property at 3940 France Ave. is owned by the City of Minneapolis and sits across the Edina-St. Louis Park border, with the northern third in St. Louis Park and the southern two-thirds in Edina. The property is currently a wooded lot that contains a Minneapolis waterworks building. In addition, a small portion of the property is used for ball fields at Minikahda Vista Park in St. Louis Park. Minneapolis has owned the property since the 1920s and determined in 2012 that it no longer needs it. It raised the question of selling the property then to Edina and St. Louis Park. This fall, both cities began talking about and analyzing the property and consulting with appraisers after Minneapolis indicated it may be willing to sell the land for private development. “As a result of the neighborhood meetings and other input we have received, which included participation by Minneapolis residents, each Council’s own analysis and the long history of public ownership of this parcel, it is clear that the use of the property should continue as it is today,” wrote St. Louis Park Mayor Jeff Jacobs and Edina Mayor Jim Hovland in a Dec. 19 letter to Minneapolis officials with the purchase offer. Edina and St. Louis Park have offered $1.074 million for the land. The amount is based on the mid- point between the Minneapolis appraisal of $1.458 million assuming development of the site and recent appraisals by Edina and St. Louis Park indicating a value of $690,000 if the site is left as park and open space. The purchase price will be apportioned between Edina and St. Louis Park based on the portion of property in each city. “Edina and St. Louis Park feel this is an extremely fair offer,” the letter states. “It allows Minneapolis to receive substantial compensation, while at the same time continuing the property in public use for the benefit of its residents without any ongoing liability or responsibility for maintenance and upkeep.” At press time, neither Edina nor St. Louis Park had received an official response to the offer. However, Minneapolis officials have acknowledged that they received it. Officials from the two communities look forward to continued dialogue with Minneapolis about the proposed purchase. Harvey Lake?úA@ ?ÞA@ ?ÞA@ ?úA@ ?vA@ ?vA@ /Engineering DeptCouncil Approved: April 16, 2013 Edina Neighborhoods Parkwood Knolls Bredesen Park Presidents Countryside Birchcrest Melody Lake Grandview Todd ParkInterlachen Park HighlandsFox Meadow Country Club 50th andFrance WhiteOaks Strachauer Park Pamela Park Golf Terrace Heights Morningside Concord Arden Park Minnehaha Woods Chowen Park SouthdaleLake Cornelia South Cornelia Lake Edina Pentagon Park Parklawn CentennialLakes Promenade Normandale Park Brookview Heights Cahill Dewey Hill Braemar Hills The Heights Prospect Knolls Creek Valley Indian Hills Indian Trails Edinborough Sunnyslope Creek Knoll HilldaleRolling Green Recognized Neighborhoods as of December 4, 2014 City Finalizes Purchase of Former Hooten Cleaners Building After more than two years of negotiations, the City of Edina last month purchased the former Hooten Cleaners & Launderers property at 3944 W. 49½ St. Long time owners and Edina residents Soon and Jenny Park closed Hooten Cleaners in 2013 when they decided to retire and repurpose the building. The City approached them and offered to purchase the property to expand public parking in the 50th & France commercial district. According to a 2011 report from Walker Parking Consultants, 140 to 340 additional parking stalls are needed at 50th & France during peak demand. The property provides the City with the opportunity to gain some of that much needed parking space. “This is a strategic property for the City because it is next to the newest and most up-to-date parking ramp. Expansion of the existing ramp would be beneficial to help relieve parking congestion at 50th & France,” said Economic Development Manager Bill Neuendorf. Purchasing the property was a complex transaction because the City strove to offer fair terms for the property owners and Edina taxpayers. After two and a half years of negotiations, the two parties came to an agreement. The City purchased the property on Dec. 16 for $1.55 million. Preliminary studies showed that 50 to 75 parking stalls could be built on the site. Additional study is needed to consider an alternative that provides new commercial space on the first floor with public parking above. “50th & France has been a successful business district for generations. We need to be strategic in how we transform West 491⁄2 Street so that there is business opportunity there,” said Neuendorf. The Hooten Cleaners & Launderers building is likely to be demolished in the spring and the site cleaned up before the Edina Art Fair in June. City Manager Scott Neal looks forward to seeing how this project benefits the City. “The City has a strategy to turn the deteriorating building into an asset to help the community further develop and prosper,” said Neal. For more information, contact Neuendorf at 952-826-0407 or bneuendorf@EdinaMN.gov. Edina Neighborhoods Recognized neighborhoods as of December 4, 2014 Harvey Lake?úA@ ?ÞA@ ?ÞA@ ?úA@ ?vA@ ?vA@ /Engineering DeptCouncil Approved: April 16, 2013 Edina Neighborhoods Parkwood Knolls Bredesen Park Presidents Countryside Birchcrest Melody Lake Grandview Todd ParkInterlachen Park HighlandsFox Meadow Country Club 50th andFrance WhiteOaks Strachauer Park Pamela Park Golf Terrace Heights Morningside Concord Arden Park Minnehaha Woods Chowen Park SouthdaleLake Cornelia South Cornelia Lake Edina Pentagon Park Parklawn CentennialLakes Promenade Normandale Park Brookview Heights Cahill Dewey Hill Braemar Hills The Heights Prospect Knolls Creek Valley Indian Hills Indian Trails Edinborough Sunnyslope Creek Knoll HilldaleRolling Green Recognized Neighborhoods as of December 4, 2014 Seven neighborhoods are part of the City-recognized neighborhood program.