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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEditionEdinaJanuary2017Council Approves Plan for ‘The Avenue on France’ Redevelopment Receives Preliminary OK The largest redevelopment project in Edina since Centennial Lakes has received preliminary approval from the City Council. The project, known as The Avenue on France, would transform a nearly 22-acre site in the 6600-6800 blocks of France Avenue into a walkable complex of office, retail, medical and condominium buildings. Three current buildings — six-story and seven-story office buildings and the Tavern on France restaurant — would remain at the site, which is just west of Southdale Center. The first phase of construction — a Bank of America building — is already under way. The second phase — two retail buildings for stores or restaurants along France — is expected to start construction this summer, explained Community Development Director Cary Teague. The other four phases of the project call for medical offices; an office building; a four-story hotel with 100 rooms; more retail and an eight-story, 70-unit condominium building. None of the buildings would exceed the height of the current office building in the 6800 block of France, and most of the parking would be underground. “It’s definitely the biggest development that I’ve been associated with here,” said Teague, who has worked for the City of Edina for 10 years. City Council Members lauded the increased access and walkability proposed in Wildamere Development’s master plan for the project, which the Council approved Dec. 6. The plan includes wide walkways, green space, a nature trail and a curbless street between France and Valley View Road that could be closed off for events such as an art fair. “It will be much more pedestrian friendly,” Teague said. “We want people to be able to walk from place to place.” Each upcoming phase of The Avenue on France will include public input and requires City Council approval. It could take 10 years to complete all the phases, though each one will open as soon as it is finished. Edition: Edina 2017-2018 PRIORITIES JANUARY 2017 Focused Redevelopment Planning for the Future Intergovernmental Relations Transportation & Infrastructure Enterprise Facilities Volume 4, Issue 1 Josh Furbish is the new General Manager of Liquor Operations for the City of Edina. Furbish is in charge of the City’s three liquor stores and will be integral in the plan to nearly double profits by the end of 2019. All Edina Liquor profits go back to the community, supporting recreational facilities such as Braemar Arena and Braemar Golf Course. Furbish grew up in Lake of the Woods and has more than 10 years of experience in sales and retail management. The 34-year-old U.S. Army veteran attended the Minnesota School of Business and Metro State University, focusing on business and marketing. “Josh has an impressive track record of improving both sales and operational practices in highly competitive markets,” said Assistant City Manager Lisa Schaefer. “I am confident that Josh is the right person to lead Edina Liquor.” Furbish’s first priority is to modernize the stores. Down the road, he hopes to add online ordering and home delivery. “Online ordering will really benefit a location like 50th & France,” Furbish said. Customers won’t have to park in a ramp blocks away in winter. They can park on the street out front and run in. “We’re making Edina Liquor more convenient and more accessible to the community.” He also is working to change the customer experience in the stores, improving service, staff expertise and guaranteeing quick checkout. Community input will be vital to the effort to improve Edina Liquor, Furbish said. You can email him at jfurbish@EdinaMN.gov or you might run into him at the Southdale store, 6755 York Ave., where he has an office. Submitted IllustrationPhoto by Krystal CaronPhoto by Debbie TownsendThe Avenue on France, as shown in this rendering of the 6600 block of France Avenue, would include office space, stores and restaurants, along with wide sidewalks and other amenities to make it more attractive to pedestrians. 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 | 952-927-8861 | mail@EdinaMN.govCity of Edina EdinaMN.gov Firefighter Begins Work On State Rescue Team Fisher to Focus on Unifying Training Edina Paramedic/Firefighter Pete Fisher started Jan. 3 as the new Administrator of Minnesota Task Force 1, the state’s emergency rescue team. Fisher, who has been with Edina Fire-Rescue & Inspections for 15 years, was selected over applicants from St. Paul and Rochester for the prestigious position. He now handles the day-to-day operations, training and record-keeping for the task force, which is made up of about 220 firefighters, police officers and medical personnel from five areas: Edina, Minneapolis, Rochester, St. Paul and Dakota County. One of his goals is to unify training. Task force members need special training to handle such operations as rescuing people from trenches or collapsed buildings. They also perform highly technical rope rescues. “I would like to help develop a training program where members from each agency are training regularly alongside each other,” Fisher said. “This will allow us to more seamlessly integrate our operations during a real incident.” The task force isn’t called upon every day, but when it is, the situation is often dire. Its most famous deployment: The 2007 collapse of the Interstate Highway 35W bridge in Minneapolis. Fisher will remain working in Edina, but won’t be on a regular firefighting shift while serving as Administrator. “I will miss working with the members of my shift, but I’m excited for the challenges ahead,” Fisher said. For more information on Minnesota Task Force 1, visit bit.ly/2i9cIcO or contact Fisher at pfisher@EdinaMN.gov. Happy New Year! Kids celebrate the New Year with silly faces at Edinborough Park’s Family New Year’s Eve Party. Approximately 1,500 people attended the annual party, which had a countdown to 2017 at 7 p.m. Furbish Starts Work As Edina Liquor General Manager New GM Has 10 Years of Experience in Sales and Retail CITY OF EDINA Edinborough Park File photo BY THE NUMBERS Edina Snowplows 460 1.5 For more information, contact the Public Works Department, 952-826-0376. Snowplow trucks are the steel heroes of winter roads. Inches of snow on the ground before the plows come out Temperature at which the salt is less effective 15 Miles of streets to be plowed in one snowstorm Plow trucks owned by the City of Edina 26 Edition: Edi na JANUARY 2017 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 | 952-927-8861 | mail@EdinaMN.govCity of Edina EdinaMN.gov Upcoming Events Monday, Feb. 6, 7 p.m. Fred Richards Park Community Meeting, Cornelia Elementary School Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. City Council Meeting, Edina City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Twin Cities Show Chorus, Edinborough Park Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Heritage Preservation Board, Edina City Hall Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m. Planning Commission, Edina City Hall Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. Southdale Library site preliminary planning workshop, Southdale Library Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. Energy & Environment Commission, Edina City Hall Friday, Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m. Family Movie Night, Edinborough Park The park will feature “Open Season: Scared Silly.” Monday, Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m. Community Health Commission, Edina City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. Park Board, Edina City Hall Thursday, Feb. 16, 6 p.m. Transportation Commission, Edina City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. Planning Commission, Edina City Hall Wednesday, Feb. 22, 11:30 a.m. State of the Community, Edina Country Club Public Health Alliance Awarded National Accreditation Alliance is one of Seven in State to be Recognized Bloomington Public Health/Public Health Alliance of Bloomington, Edina and Richfield in August achieved national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The accreditation process ensures programs and services are as responsive as possible to the needs of communities. The national accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments. “It’s a big feather in our cap,” said Edina Community Health Administrator Jeff Brown. “You are certified as a good health department by getting this stamp of approval from this national organization. It is the standard across the country. Plus it’s a mark that we are getting good services from Bloomington Public Health.” The PHAB standards cover a dozen different domains, including public health assessments, investigation and surveillance, communication and education, community collaboration, policies and planning, enforcement of public health laws, workforce capacity, leadership and process improvement. Through the process, Bloomington learned that the PHAB allowed multiple cities to accredit together. Bloomington Public Health then amended its application to include the cities of Edina and Richfield, which it provides public health services. “That allowed Edina and Richfield to also be included in the accreditation,” said Bonnie Paulsen, Bloomington Health Administrator. “This is a recognition of our uniqueness and that each community health board gets the credit that they are being served by an accredited public health agency.” Receiving the accreditation was a lengthy process. Bloomington Public Health submitted its initial application in May 2014. In the summer of 2014, Bloomington sent a representative to Washington, D.C., to be trained as its Accreditation Coordinator. Over the next year, Bloomington Public Health continued to compile what the PHAB required for the national accreditation. In the end, 615 documents were submitted for the 12 accredited domains in November 2015. The accreditation is good for five years provided there is an on-going self-assessment and an annual report from the department. After that, there is a reaccreditation process. Dakota County, Minneapolis, Saint Paul – Ramsey County were also accredited in 2016, joining the Minnesota Department of Health, Hennepin County and Washington County also in having achieved this distinction in Minnesota. For more information, contact Brown at 952-826-0466 or jbrown@EdinaMN.gov. Adventure Peak Toddler Area to be Improved More Kid Activities, Seating for Parents to be Added Soon, the youngest tykes of Edinborough Park will have more to explore in the toddler area of Adventure Peak. “Our toddler area is pretty unique because it is segmented off by itself. We’ve updated other areas, but we haven’t done too much in there,” said Patty McGrath, Edinborough Park General Manager. Edinborough Park is adding more play panels like the mirror and the marble panels that are currently there. Toddlers will be able to experiment with some new drums and a keyboard. “When we started coming here, my grandson was 10 months old. Now he’s 2,” said Barb Whittlef, a longtime park patron. “We spent a lot of his early days in that toddler area because the other parts of Edinborough Park are too big.” A maze-like marble panel will be added along with a spinning wheel toy, and a sit-and-spin activity. All of the panels will be mounted at toddler height. Adding more activities along the skirts of the area will make it easier for the toddlers to jump from one activity to another and allow more toddlers to use them. “It will serve more people to have open room to play. We’re excited because we don’t have anything in the toddler area right now that is musical and that is always a great stimulus for toddlers,” said McGrath. Padding in the toddler area is one of the biggest maintenance updates. The padding extending up to the slide and at the base of the slide will be replaced. The seating area for the parents will be expanded and improved to make it more comfortable and easier for adults to keep an eye on their kids. “I have twin 2-month-old granddaughters who will be coming here with me soon because I think it’s good to get the crawling and all that stuff in that toddler area,” said Whittlef. “I think the music panels are a great idea because kids love noise. They love to touch things and move things around. They just want to get their hands on everything.” The improvements are expected to cost about $29,000. Edinborough Park anticipates unveiling the updates by the end of February. “It’s a long winter to be inside in Minnesota; this is already a great place for kids and whatever improvements can be made will just make it better!” said Whittlef. For more information on the upgrades, email McGrath at pmcgrath@EdinaMN.gov. For more information on the park, visit EdinboroughPark.com.Photo by Lauren SiebenalerA young child at Edinborough Park’s “Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” enjoyed playing with the marble panel. “It’s a long winter to be inside in Minnesota!”