HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix A4 GreaterSouthdaleDistrictPlan_12-18-18Small Area Plan for the City of Edina’s 70th/Cahill Neighborhood Node
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Greater Southdale District Plan
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page ii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... iv
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................... v
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 2
Why was the Greater Southdale District Plan prepared? ...................................................................... 2
Why is the Greater Southdale District important to Edina? .................................................................. 3
The Planning Process: How we got here ................................................................................................ 5
Relationship to the 2018 Edina Comprehensive Plan ............................................................................ 6
2. Vision and Aspirations .............................................................................................................. 8
Greater Southdale District Vision Statement ......................................................................................... 9
Aspirations ............................................................................................................................................ 10
3. District Profile .......................................................................................................................... 17
Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 17
Study Area ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Existing Plans, Policies, and Studies ..................................................................................................... 19
Demographic Profile ............................................................................................................................. 20
Economic Profile ................................................................................................................................... 25
Themes and Trends .............................................................................................................................. 29
4. Renew and Repurpose: Goal and Policy Redevelopment Framework ................................. 32
4.1 Economic Vitality and Competitiveness ......................................................................................... 33
4.2 Urban Design .................................................................................................................................. 42
4.3 Land Use ......................................................................................................................................... 71
4.4 Transportation and Mobility ........................................................................................................ 103
4.5 Parks and Public Life ..................................................................................................................... 115
4.6 District Services and Facilities ...................................................................................................... 126
4.7 Sustainability ................................................................................................................................ 133
4.8 Water Resources .......................................................................................................................... 138
5. Implementation ..................................................................................................................... 148
Introduction: Making It Happen ......................................................................................................... 148
Implementation Tools ........................................................................................................................ 148
Summary of Implementation Actions ................................................................................................ 149
Supporting Documents for Implementation – NOT INCLUDED
Design Experience Guidelines
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
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Tables
1.1 Total Tax Capacity Per Acre ................................................................................................ 4
3.1 Study Area for Greater Southdale District Plan ................................................................ 18
4.1 Primary Market Area ......................................................................................................... 34
4.2 Transformation of Shopping Centers ................................................................................ 36
4.3 Comparison of Greater Southdale District and Downtown Minneapolis Core ................ 39
4.4 200’ X 200’ Block Grid ....................................................................................................... 49
4.5 Concept Illustrating Potential Public Amenities and Mobility Hubs ................................. 51
4.6 Concept Illustrating Gateways and View Corridors .......................................................... 54
4.7 Concept Illustrating Existing and Potential Waterways .................................................... 56
4.8 Concept Illustrating Potential Green Roofs and Green Streets ........................................ 58
4.9 Concept for Green Lid Over Highway 62 .......................................................................... 60
4.10 Existing Land Use ............................................................................................................ 75
4.11 Property Ownership Patterns in Greater Southdale District .......................................... 77
4.12 Edina Building to Land Market Value Ratio .................................................................... 78
4.13 Land Value to Total Value Ratio ...................................................................................... 79
4.14 Building Age .................................................................................................................... 82
4.15 Building Condition ........................................................................................................... 83
4.16 Greater Southdale District Future Land Use ................................................................... 94
4.17 Proposed Transition Zones ............................................................................................. 96
4.18 Current Roadway Network ........................................................................................... 104
4.19 Metro Transit Routes and Stops ................................................................................... 105
4.20 Annual Average Daily Traffic Volumes .......................................................................... 106
4.21 Intersections analyzed in the Southdale Transportation Study ................................... 107
4.22 Existing and Proposed Parks and Pedestrian Connections ........................................... 116
4.23 Existing Parks and Pedestrian Connections .................................................................. 119
Figures
4.1 Greater Southdale District Existing Land Use ................................................................... 74
4.2 Greater Southdale Buildings With 10+ Stories ................................................................. 76
4.3 Major New Construction Projects in Greater Southdale, 2006-Present .......................... 84
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
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Acknowledgements
City Council Members
James Hovland Mayor
Mary Brindle
Mike Fischer
Kevin Staunton
Bob Stewart
City Planning Commission Members
Jo Ann Olsen, Chair
Ian Nemerov, Vice-Chair
James Bennett
Sheila Berube
John Hamilton
Susan Lee
Louis Miranda
Gerard Strauss
Todd Thorsen
Yash Mangalick – Student
Isabel Melton – Student
Tanner Jones – Student
Anand Mittal – Student
Work Group Members (Volunteers)
Michael Schroeder, Co-Chair John Hamilton Ian Nemerov
Colleen Wolfe, Co-Chair Steve Hobbs Jo Ann Olsen
Steve Brown Don Hutchison Lori Syverson
Julie Chamberlain Robb Gruman Harvey Turner
Chris Cooper Ben Martin Joel Stegner
Peter Fitzgerald Jim Nelson Amy Wimmer
City of Edina
4801 W. 50th Street, Edina, Minnesota, 55424
Cary Teague, Community Development Director
Kris Aaker, Assistant City Planner
Emily Bodeker, Assistant City Planner
Mark Nolan, Transportation Planner
Consultant Team Members
Dan Cornejo, Cornejo Consulting (Project Leader) Dan Edgerton, ZAN Associates
William Smith, Biko Associates, Inc. Faith Xiong, ZAN Associates
Janna King, Economic Development Services, Inc. Coal Dorius, ZAN Associates
Haila Maze, Bolton & Menk, Inc. Mic Johnson, Architecture Field Office
Tim Griffin, Griffin Design, LLC Sarah Crouch, Architecture Field Office
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
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Executive Summary
Introduction
A tremendously successful suburban center, the Greater Southdale District plays a unique role in the City
of Edina and Twin Cities region:
Concentration of jobs, residences, medical services, traffic, and activity. Attracting residents,
workers, customers, patients, visitors, and others from throughout the region, Greater
Southdale District is a major destination.
Role as economic engine for the city and region. The economic impact of this area is significant,
particularly in terms of sustaining the tax base for the City of Edina.
Meeting diverse housing needs of the population. Greater Southdale District has a variety of
diverse housing types that meet the needs of Edina residents, and are not generally available in
many areas of the city.
Retail and services hub for the community. In addition to its role in the regional economy,
Greater Southdale District meets the needs of the community for retail and services, with the
capacity to evolve for changing preferences.
Capacity for growth and change. The Greater Southdale District has been an evolving area since
its inception. It has more capacity for growth and change than many other areas of the city.
The resident population of the Greater Southdale District is
approximately 7,500. The daytime population in 2018 is
estimated at over 26,000, including both residents and
workers.
As it has in the past, the 750-acre Greater Southdale District
will continue to play a significant and pivotal role in Edina’s
future. Building that future means making choices,
sustainable choices to meet the needs of today without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
needs.
The Greater Southdale District Plan, part of the Edina 2018
Comprehensive Plan, provides a framework for making
those choices based on a shared community vision for the
District’s evolution.
The Greater Southdale District Plan will manage change and
guide growth over the next ten years, and beyond, to build a
strong and resilient community for present and future
generations.
This Plan builds on the district’s assets while charting a more
urban and connected vision to create a more livable, even
more prosperous, mixed-use district in which to live, work,
The Greater Southdale District is generally
bounded by Highway 62, about one block west
of France Avenue, Minnesota Drive, and Xerxes
Avenue. The study area was expanded to
include the 76th Street/77th Street corridor
westward to Highway 100.
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shop, play, learn, and feel part of the community. The District Plan recognizes Greater Southdale’s key
geographical location as a first-ring suburb in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and its regional
importance as it is positioned to accommodate a significantly greater share of Edina’s future residential,
employment, and commercial growth.
The Greater Southdale District Plan:
1. Offers a vision and articulates aspiration statements for
desired outcomes in the evolution of the Greater
Southdale District.
2. Provides goals and policies for managing and shaping
growth and change over the next ten years and beyond.
3. Establishes a policy basis for design guidelines based on
the experience people will have in the Greater Southdale
District, to be used in development review process for
proposed changes in the public realm and on private sites
throughout the District.
4. Guides public investment decisions to expand district
services and facilities to respond to this growth and
change, and to facilitate the sustainable and green
infrastructure that organizes and connects all uses and
development.
These photos of developments from other North American cities illustrate walkable, green, and
connected pedestrian-focused streets and public realm.
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Relationship to the 2018 Edina Comprehensive Plan
Edina’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan is a policy framework for shaping citywide growth and change,
protecting and advocating what Edina values, and clarifying the relationships between the Edina
community, its neighboring municipalities, and the Twin Cities metropolitan region.
The 2018 Comprehensive Plan’s land use designations covering a little over 50 percent of Edina’s
geographic area will maintain and strengthen the character and the integrity of the single-family
neighborhoods and open space system. These areas are not expected to accommodate much growth,
but they will mature and evolve. Most of the new growth is expected to occur in, and will be focused
on, areas that are primarily neighborhood nodes or community commercial/mixed-use areas, the largest
of which is the Greater Southdale District. These areas have real opportunity for accommodating
growth and change that can contribute to a better future for all of Edina, and where Edina can realize
social, environmental, and economic benefits.
The Greater Southdale District Plan advances the 2018 Comprehensive Plan’s core principles, but adapts
the overall planning approach of the Comprehensive Plan to fit the conditions of the Greater Southdale
District within its local context. The District Plan’s goals and policies are intended to respond positively
and creatively to the District’s unique development pressures.
Precedent-setting History of the Greater Southdale District
In the mid-1950s, and continuing through the 1980s, the Greater Southdale District, including what is now
the 76th Street-77th Street corridor from France Avenue to Highway 100, began an evolution. This early
transformation, occurring as the nation and the Twin Cities were experiencing a migration to the suburbs
following World War II, was precedent-setting and catalytic for the District.
In the northern portion, farmland and
undeveloped acreage, wetlands and gravel pits
were transformed to car-oriented suburban
commercial uses and a regional hospital. In 1956,
the Southdale Center mall opened as the nation’s
first wholly-enclosed retail center, initiating the
first double store anchor concept, including 70
other shops with a wide variety of other retail, a
sidewalk cafe, all under a single roof. The two-
story development pulled as much park, street,
and community life as economically feasible into
the large enclosed space where the pedestrian
experience reigned. Outside, Southdale Center
mall was surrounded by vast surface parking lots. The Dayton Brothers, owners of the new Southdale
Center, set aside a “15-acre medical zone.” Within ten years, Fairview Southdale Hospital and medical
clinic was built.
In the southern portion, development took the form of pedestrian-oriented mixed-uses, including offices
and senior and multi-family residences. In the 1980s, Edinborough was built on a 26-acre site one mile
south of the Southdale Center mall. Edinborough has senior apartments, condominiums, a hotel, an office
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building, a one-acre indoor public park, all in a superblock with few
internal streets, but with many pedestrian pathways. In the late
1980s, Centennial Lakes was developed on a 100-acre site, also with
a pedestrian focus. The focal point is a 25-acre park with a 10-acre
lake, integrating a mix of moderate-to-high density office,
residential, entertainment, and retail uses.
These two innovative and nationally-recognized developments are
prologue to the future evolution of the Greater Southdale District,
not only for their innovation in development and site planning, but perhaps more so for their innovative
public-private partnerships to achieve community benefits while responding to market realities.
The Greater Southdale District Today
The existing land pattern comprises primarily superblocks with an assortment of uses – mostly multifamily
residential, commercial office and retail, and office, in separate buildings. In a few areas there are newer
multi-level buildings with a mix of uses, such as ground floor retail in multifamily residential buildings,
reflecting the priorities of the previous comprehensive plan to create more interaction between uses.
However, the predominant pattern is still auto oriented in terms of layout and scale, limiting bicycle and
pedestrian circulation and activation of the street.
The Planning Process: How we got here.
In the years following adoption of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, it became apparent that the City’s
planning policies did not provide adequate direction for the evolution of the Greater Southdale District.
People desired some degree of certainty and were not finding it. In 2015, as a result of a redevelopment
proposal at 7200 France Avenue, City Council requested a Work Group be created to develop a tool for
the Planning Commission and City Council to use when evaluating Comprehensive Plan amendments and
physical changes in the Greater Southdale area. The Work Group initially considered issues related to
future land use and urban design for parcels along the west side of France Avenue. As the Work Group
deliberated on the issues and influences within the primary study area, they also looked beyond, first to
whole of the Greater Southdale area, and, to better understand the neighborhood to the west and traffic
patterns, and they studied the corridor westward along 76th Street and 77th Street to determine how it
might be aligned with the potential of the Greater Southdale District.
Using the citywide Vision Edina, developed in 2015, and
other citywide policy documents as a foundation, the
Greater Southdale Work Group created an in-depth
vision for the future of the Greater Southdale District.
Their process included first preparing Working Principles
and Supporting Questions to shape the dialogue about
how proposals for change might fit the District.
Later, with the assistance of design consultants, the
Work Group produced Re-Visioning the Southdale District, a graphic vision for preserving, energizing, and
adding development in the area. With its comprehensive approach to placemaking, this document
demonstrated the many ways land parcels and development might interact. Re-Visioning the Southdale
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District was added to the guiding references for preparing and reviewing development proposals. Out of
these explorations came Design Experience Guidelines which organize and explain the facets of district-
wide structure and development-specific urban design considerations. They stress the importance of
experience as a product of the form and scale of the public realm and adjoining buildings.
The Work Group translated the design framework into the Greater Southdale District Plan, addressing
the broader needs of people of different life stages, income levels, and abilities, and the economic
opportunities inherent in compact and more complete communities.
During the three-to-four-year planning process, the Greater Southdale Work Group comprising primarily
residents, but also including business/property owner interests, most of whom are residents of Edina, met
twice a month, sometimes more frequently, to research, explore, deliberate, propose, refine, and
recommend directions. All their meetings and work sessions were open to the public and included a
public comment period. In addition, the Work Group delivered many progress reports to the Planning
Commission and City Council. There were also two Open Houses that were attended by dozens and
dozens of citizens and business people.
There was general consensus regarding the need to shape and manage the growth and changes in the
Greater Southdale District, including the concept of placing additional development densities and mixed
land uses close to transit, as well as the emphasis on a high-quality public realm and private development.
Concern was expressed by some residents regarding the specific locations and types of development
along the transitions in the areas west of France Avenue. At the same time, others were concerned that
the proposed District Plan needed to be more assertive in seeking change to adequately address potential
increases in traffic and parking demand and housing choice. Housing affordability was also identified as a
concern or an objective.
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Vision and Aspirations
The Work Group prepared a Vision Statement as well as their Aspirations for transforming the Greater
Southdale District with expanded public parks and publicly-accessible gathering opportunities, community
services and facilities, cultural and entertainment venues, a well-designed mix of housing types and
affordability-choices, and expanded employment and shopping opportunities.
The Vision Statement and Aspirations are not just an introduction to the District Plan. They are an
articulation of the values that give direction to the District Plan’s goals and policies. These declarations
illustrate that the District Plan is not so much a blueprint, but rather a compass. The District Plan is a
guide to evaluating options, for making choices and decisions, and for taking actions on future change in
the Greater Southdale District.
The Vision Statement and Aspirations state: “This is what we want.” The key organizing statements of the
Work Group’s Vision Statement are:
We envision a vibrant, forward-looking and people-filled Greater Southdale District, organized
around dynamic streets, engaging parks and public spaces, and well-conceived and enduring
buildings.
We welcome change on our terms.
We envision innovation leading to extraordinary places and experiences.
We’re embarking on 50 years of well-paced steps, with each one more clearly blazing the path
toward the future of the district.
The eleven Aspirations in the District Plan elaborate on and explain more fully the desired future
experience for the District.
Renew and Repurpose: Goal and Policy Redevelopment Framework
What will the Greater Southdale District be like in 10 years, 20 years, the next several decades?
The Greater Southdale District is the largest mixed-use area in Edina. The District includes a wide range
of office/employment options, destination and specialty retailing, restaurants, entertainment/
hospitality facilities, major medical/health care services and facilities, a significant array of housing
choices, and high- quality green spaces, most notably in the Centennial Lakes development and the
Edina Promenade. The recent decade has seen a dramatic increase in development activity, mostly in
the residential sector, but also in new commercial-retailing, entertainment/hospitality facilities, and
medical/health care services, primarily in locations dominated by large parking lots. This infilling has
been characterized by multi-level buildings with parking structures, many poorly-designed and limiting
the potential for an active and pedestrian-oriented street.
As the Twin Cities continue to grow in population, Edina’s Greater Southdale District is expected to
continue to be a major focus for accommodating this growth. Edina’s population is growing as well, with
interest by young and old alike, individuals and families in being in active urban environments with a high-
quality public realm, a concentration of services and amenities, and a diversity of housing types, tenures,
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and affordability. Additionally, Edina’s continued aging of its own population will bring increased
development pressures to the district as these residents choose to leave their home but not their
community. The development community is responding with new apartments for young singles and
couples and with new senior and assisted living facilities near medical and other community services.
The Greater Southdale District Plan proposes to use this new growth to help expand access to a great
living environment, access to employment, and access to improved and expanded social and physical
infrastructure. The District Plan provides a framework for decision-making by the Edina community to
continue to accommodate this market demand and development interest by building on past successes.
Moreover, this District Plan integrates social, economic, environmental, and urban design perspectives
into that decision-making process, to enable the Edina community to make sustainable choices about the
changing Greater Southdale District.
Chapter 4: Renew and Repurpose: Goals and Policy Redevelopment Framework describes core elements
of the District’s evolution and is organized into eight sections. While the eight sections are devoted to
specific topics, it is a comprehensive and cohesive whole. In successful community building, everything is
connected to everything. Together, these eight sections convey guidance for change and growth in the
Greater Southdale District, to facilitate progress toward an environmentally and economically sustainable
future. Together, they provide the basis for informed choices and decision-making by elected and
appointed City officials and community stakeholders to facilitate the evolution of the District aligned with
the vision and aspirations articulated in this District Plan.
4.1 Economic Vitality and Competitiveness
4.2 Urban Design
4.3 Land Use
4.4 Transportation and Mobility
4.5 Parks and Public Life
4.6 District Services and Facilities
4.7 Sustainability
4.8 Water Resources
Following are the Goals, or desired outcomes, for each of these District Plan sections. The District Plan
also includes Policies for each of these Goals which are more specific directives to achieve the desired
outcomes.
Contemporary expression of building forms, coordinated with landscape improvements, create
attractive transitions from private to public realms.
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4.1 Economic Vitality and Competitiveness
Economic vitality and competitiveness do not mean only business
and job growth. True prosperity, i.e. a strong, sustainable, and
resilient economy, is rooted in building on existing assets and
business clusters, increasing opportunities for living-wage
employment, and integrating that investment energy and focus into
built and natural environments. The Greater Southdale District has
an enviable past as a tremendously vibrant and successful suburban
mixed-used district. However, the future requires a different model
of renewal and investment, one based on intensity of activity and
accommodation of movement other than personal passenger
vehicles.
Unique Experiences
Economic Vitality Goal #1: Offer unique experiences for living, playing, working, and learning, and
memorable public places for civic and social gathering for multiple generations and diverse populations.
Influence of Trends
Economic Vitality Goal # 2: Respond to the significant forces and trends influencing the future of
workforce and workplace, technology, retail, housing, and transportation.
Health Care
Economic Vitality Goal #3: Retain health care, medical facilities, and medical technology as primary
activities and will, where possible, expand those facilities to best serve the community and the region.
Learning and Entertainment
Economic Vitality Goal #4: Include learning and entertainment activities that catalyze new development
and accommodate interests of a more diverse district and community population.
Mobility
Economic Vitality Goal #5: Offer mobility hubs connecting to worker populations and providing more
robust connections within the district, i.e. embrace improved transit as part of mobility modes as a
competitive advantage.
Economic Engine
Economic Vitality Goal #6: Enhance the Greater Southdale District’s significance to the Edina community
as a center of jobs, retail opportunities and other services, and importantly, as a vital part of the city’s tax
base.
4.2 Urban Design
Community building involves balancing social, economic, and
environmental needs and priorities. Great communities are designed and
orchestrated so that individual private and public developments work
together to create cohesive blocks, neighborhoods, districts, and
memorable places. Urban design direction, based on continual
improvement of the daily experience for residents, workforce, and visitors,
produces higher quality buildings that inspire, as well as parks, public
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spaces, and movement corridors that all can enjoy, livable neighborhoods, and a strong economy. Key to
community building in its fullest sense is a public realm that recognizes the importance of the pedestrian,
draws people together, and creates social bonds.
Pattern and Connectivity
Urban Design Goal #1: Support a vibrant public realm, foster a connected and accessible network for
pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit patrons, and encourage investment resulting in innovative
and enduring development patterns, buildings, and public and private spaces.
Scale and Form
Urban Design Goal #2: Utilize appropriately-scaled development and built form that adds vitality and
activity to the District to create inviting and comfortable human experiences, enduring buildings and
spaces, and a fitting sense of place.
Placemaking
Urban Design Goal #3: Offer thoughtful and intentional public spaces oriented to gathering and resulting
in a unique signature for the District and community.
Connectivity, Accessibility, and Mobility
Urban Design Goal #4: Offer connectivity and accessibility that promotes health and active living and
supports multimodal transportation choices.
Access vs Mobility
Urban Design Goal #5: Embrace major streets as community and gateway corridors, shifting from
through-vehicle dominance toward balancing the needs of all right-of-way users.
Sustainability and Resilience
Urban Design Goal #6: Espouse sustainable, resilient, and innovative public spaces and private
development, adapting over time including the ability for adaptive reuse over time.
Innovation
Urban Design Goal #7: Reflect the Greater Southdale District heritage of innovation in new public and
private introductions.
Development Review
Urban Design Goal #8: Guide the design and function of new introductions to the Greater Southdale
District through a process characterized by trust, mutual learning, and exploration of possibilities, and
defined by dialogue that is transparent, democratic, and collaborative, all leading to development
intended to resonate with developers and residents.
District Management
Urban Design Goal #9: Perpetuate the Greater Southdale District by close and consistent attention to the
public realm and the needs of people living or working in or visiting the District.
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4.3 Land Use
The land use element section of the Redevelopment Framework
provides direction for the type, location, and intensity of
development within the Greater Southdale District. Working in
close coordination with urban design and other elements, it is
intended to move the district from a collection of largely single-use
properties to an integrated mix of uses that create distinct places
and systems. The Plan’s guidance for uses is intentionally flexible,
to allow the combination of the right elements that fit the place,
context, and vision for development.
However, land use also needs to be developed within context,
since development with likely occur incrementally. This includes
consideration of thoughtful transitions between areas of different use, scale, and intensity.
Overall
Land Use Goal #1: Facilitate the evolution of this regional destination into a higher density, sustainable,
mixed-use area for “shop, live, work, play, learn, interact” with a distinctive and definable identity as
“Edina’s Living Room.”
Land Use Goal #2: Manage density levels and transitions in a way that reduces conflicts and impacts,
while increasing district cohesiveness and vitality
Commercial and Mixed-use
Land Use Goal #3: Support the continued role of the Greater Southdale District as a retail and
employment destination, including a continuation of its past tradition of innovation in shared public
spaces and unique commercial districts.
Housing
Land Use Goal #4: Provide for housing choices (housing and unit types, rental and ownership, and costs)
to accommodate a wide range of individuals, including youth, singles, couples, families with children,
seniors, and people with special needs.
Land Use Goal #5: Provide additional housing development in areas that provide more housing
opportunities while strengthening residential areas.
Land Use Goal #6: Support the maintenance of residential areas consistent with city standards.
District Services, Arts, and Culture
Land Use Goal #7: Accommodate public, institutional, arts, and cultural elements that are needed to
create a complete and livable community.
Medical
Land Use Goal #8: Continue to support the role of the district as a health and wellness destination.
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4.4 Transportation and Mobility
Land use and transportation are two distinct yet closely related
elements of community design. They work together to establish
the character and setting of urban places and the habits and
behaviors of people who access and use them. The integration of
land use and transportation planning increases accessibility.
Mixing land uses at higher densities increases proximity.
Providing transportation modal choices increases mobility. Both
proximity and mobility enhance accessibility. This section of the
Redevelopment Framework charts a decision-making path for
improving accessibility and connectivity in the Greater Southdale
District as it grows and evolves.
Accessible and Multi-modal
Transportation Goal #1: Provide an accessible transportation network for multiple travel modes, moving
the physical environment of the Greater Southdale district to a more vibrant pedestrian-oriented
character and function.
Network Evolution
Transportation Goal #2: Identify the roadway, transit, and public realm connections needed to facilitate
the evolution of the Greater Southdale District as a highly-livable, walkable, healthier, dense, mixed-use
center, and to transition to and reconnect with adjacent neighborhoods.
4.5 Parks and Public Life
Parks and a system of green spaces and plazas are an integral
part of a high quality of life and social well-being. Linked with
privately-managed but publicly accessible spaces and venues,
they provide opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and
community gathering. A high-quality public realm sets the stage
for an active and welcoming public life. This section of the
Redevelopment Framework gives direction to maintaining and
enhancing the existing parks system, and expanding it to meet
the current and future needs of residents, working population,
and visitors to the evolving Greater Southdale District.
Whole Public Life
Parks Goal #1: Encourage a more vibrant, healthy, and equitable whole life community designed with
publicly-accessible parks and open spaces and places in the Greater Southdale District.
Additional Character-defining Parks
Parks Goal #2: Develop a new Central Park/Connection to Centennial Lakes in the northern portion of the
Greater Southdale district that emphasizes creative storm water management to create multi-functional
community open spaces, a character-defining amenity for an interconnected biofiltration open space
network.
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4.6 District Services and Facilities
“Social Infrastructure” includes government and community resources,
programs, facilities, and social networks that contribute to a
community’s health, safety, and well-being. Strategic investment in
social infrastructure encourages greater levels of equity, equality,
access, participation, and social cohesion. These community services
are as important to Greater Southdale’s future as “hard” services like
water, sewer, roads, and transit. Provision of these community
services is especially important in areas experiencing major growth as
is the Greater Southdale district.
Evolved Services and Facilities
District Services and Facilities Goal #1: Ensure that an appropriate range of community services and
facilities supporting the Greater Southdale District’s population will be made available commensurate
with its evolution.
District Services and Facilities Goal #2: Encourage a location and design for a regional library in ways that
match the pattern and character of the Greater Southdale District’s evolution.
Lifelong Learning Services
District Services and Facilities Goal #3: Encourage opportunities for lifelong learning and education that
will meet the needs and interests of the district’s and community population through facilities that are
prominent in the experience of the District.
Public and Life Safety
District Services and Facilities Goal #4: Ensure that response times for public and life safety services will at
least maintain current thresholds as the Greater Southdale District evolves.
4.7 Sustainability
This section of the Greater Southdale District Plan provides
guidance for managing environmental change through
sustainable practices and initiatives, with specific reference to
development patterns (sites, buildings, public realm),
multimodal transportation network, and energy use/efficiency
alternatives.
Ecological Health
Sustainability Goal #1: Enhance and maintain the ecological
health of the Greater Southdale District as a whole.
Public Realm Infrastructure
Sustainability Goal #2: Use public realm infrastructure (both green and blue) as the connective tissue to
give the Greater Southdale district a unique identity and create a remarkable and walkable daily
experience through all four seasons.
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Evolved Infrastructure
Sustainability Goal #3: Create mutually-supportive and forward-looking infrastructure sustaining the
Greater Southdale district, looking beyond baseline functions of a single site.
Alternative Transportation
Sustainability Goal #4: Design and implement transportation systems that emphasize and promote
pedestrian movements, transit, bicycle use, and reduce dependence on car use.
4.8 Water Resources
The Water Resources chapter of the 2018 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. That chapter also addresses current and
future conditions and demand, sets goals and policies, and
provides an implementation framework for each water-
related utility. It also invites the public to take part in the
reimagination, renewal and improvement of the systems
that support these services. This section addresses water
supply, sanitary sewers, and stormwater management in
the Greater Southdale District.
Water Supply Goal
Water Supply Goal: Employ water service to balance service and demand resulting from the District’s
evolution while reducing risk through planned renewals of infrastructure.
Sanitary Sewers Goal
Sanitary Sewers Goal: Employ sanitary sewer service to balance service and demand resulting from the
District’s evolution while reducing risk through planned renewals of infrastructure.
Stormwater Management Goal
Stormwater Management Goal: Make water the defining feature of the public and publicly-accessible
realm and identity of the Greater Southdale District.
Implementation
Successful implementation requires:
Holistic and integrated thinking;
Searching for outcomes that demonstrate integration, balance, and interdependence;
Leadership and stewardship from City elected and appointed officials, and other levels of
government;
Collaboration and partnerships with the private sector and inspired residents.
The Greater Southdale District Plan lays out implementation action steps including a variety of tools that
the City of Edina can bring to bear to make things happen, including the traditional tools that govern
development regulation, fiscal tools, and also other mechanisms that provide guidance to other forms of
municipal influence needed to fulfill this Plan’s objectives.
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Greater Southdale District Plan
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1. Introduction
Why was the Greater Southdale District Plan prepared?
In Edina’s 2008 Comprehensive Plan, a large portion of the Greater Southdale District, along with several
other commercial-residential areas in Edina, were identified to have the potential for significant change,
development, and redevelopment. Since 2008, these areas, including all of the Greater Southdale District,
as well as others in Edina, continue to see pressure for change.
In the years following adoption of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, it became apparent that the city’s
planning policies did not provide adequate direction for the evolution of the Greater Southdale District.
People desired some degree of certainty and were not finding it. The Work Group sought to find a good
balance in directions that would be borne of discussions among people in the community.”
In 2015, as a result of a redevelopment proposal at 7200 France Avenue, City Council requested a Work
Group be created to develop a tool for the Planning Commission and City Council to use when evaluating
Comprehensive Plan amendments and physical changes in the Greater Southdale area. The Work Group
initially considered issues related to future land use and urban design for parcels along the west side of
France Avenue. As the Work Group deliberated on the issues and influences within the primary study
area, they also looked beyond, first to whole of the Greater Southdale area, and, to better understand the
The Greater Southdale District is generally
bounded by Highway 62, about one block
west of France Avenue, Minnehaha Drive,
and Xerxes Avenue. The study area was
expanded to include the 76th Street/77th
Street corridor westward to Highway 100.
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neighborhood to the west and traffic patterns, and they studied the corridor westward along 76th Street
and 77th Street to determine how it might be aligned with the potential of the Greater Southdale District.
The original Work Group was composed of twelve members, including representatives of the Planning
Commission, appointments made by the City Council, three members selected by the Cornelia
neighborhood, and three members selected by business/property owner interests. During its second
phase, the City Council directed that the Work Group be expanded by four members.
The Work Group deliberated for over three years. During its first year, the Work Group conducted their
deliberations on its own, and then it solicited city staff technical resources and consultant assistance for
subsequent phases through requests that it authored.
The Greater Southdale District Plan was prepared as a framework to guide and create a shared vision for
change and growth over the next ten years, and beyond, and build a strong and resilient community for
present and future generations. This Plan builds on the district’s assets while charting a more urban and
connected vision to create a more livable, even more prosperous, mixed-use district in which to live,
work, shop, play, learn, and feel part of the community. The District Plan recognizes Greater Southdale’s
key geographical location as a first-ring suburb in the metro area and its regional importance as it is
positioned to accommodate a significantly greater share of Edina’s future residential, employment, and
commercial growth.
This Greater Southdale District Plan:
1. Offers a vision and articulates aspiration statements for desired outcomes in the evolution of
the Greater Southdale District.
2. Provides goals and policies for managing and shaping growth and change over the next ten years
and beyond.
3. Establishes a policy basis for design guidelines based on the experience people will have in the
Greater Southdale District, and which should be incorporated into proposals for change in the
public realm and private sites throughout the Greater Southdale District.
4. Guides public investment decisions to expand district services and facilities to respond to this
growth and change, and to facilitate the sustainable and green infrastructure that organizes and
connects all uses and development.
Why is the Greater Southdale District important to Edina?
The Plan for the Greater Southdale District seeks to create an even more welcoming and inclusive
environment for all current and potential residents, workforce members, and visitors, while providing a
sense of belonging and community, consistent with Edina’s desire to remain a relevant and competitive
city.
The Greater Southdale District already has significant assets. This District Plan builds on them to create
walkable and compact sub-districts that encourage less driving and more walking, biking, and transit-
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riding, more efficient and less-costly infrastructure, and spread the tax burden among more households
and business properties.
The City of Edina benefits from a healthy tax base. Most of the high-ranking parcels are in the
Southdale/Promenade/Centennial Lakes area, 50th and France and Grandview Square areas. Notably, the
largest mass of high tax capacity/acre properties is in the Greater Southdale District. Figure 1.1 identifies
the tax capacity per acre as viewed from the south, looking north. The taller bars in the 3-D graphic
reflect higher tax capacity per acre.
Figure 1.1: Total Tax Capacity Per Acre
In a very competitive marketplace, compact, mixed-use and sustainable development strengthens Edina’s
and Greater Southdale’s appeal to broader demographics. This development pattern and intensity
increases housing choices for existing and new Edina residents, especially empty nesters, households in
transition, young individuals and families, and Edina’s workforce. It also provides a variety of workplace
options and opportunities for new business investment, increased demand for improved transit service,
and an enhanced tax base. The Greater Southdale District represents Edina’s greatest opportunity to
make all of this a reality.
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The Planning Process: How we got here.
The Greater Southdale Work Group presented a work plan to the City Council that outlined a four-phase
planning process, each of which was approved by the City Council:
Phase 1: Learning, Discovering, and Understanding
(2015) resulted in a set of Working Principles
intended to guide the Work Group’s planning of the
Greater Southdale area. The City Council formally
approved the Work Principles as interim guidance in
reviewing development applications and other
proposals for change, and to begin setting a tone for
expectations of the evolution of the study area. The
City Council requested that the Working Principles be
used a tool by the Planning Commission to review all
redevelopment proposals requiring a Comprehensive
Plan Amendment and Rezoning.
Phase 2: Putting it Together (2015-2016) was directed to developing a framework that
demonstrated how the Working Principles might be operationalized. Phase 2 deliberations
culminated in the report Re-Visioning the Southdale District which set forth a graphic
framework vision for preserving, energizing and adding development in the study area. It
produced a framework for a more holistic approach to new development.
Phase 3: Documenting Directions and
Phase 4: Translating the Framework
Vision to the District Plan (2017-2018)
focused on expanding the framework
vision into the Greater Southdale
District Plan, with reference to broader
policy directions not only on land use,
urban design, and regulatory guidance,
but also on economic vitality and
competitiveness, transportation, parks
and public life, arts and culture, district services and facilities, sustainability and water
resources. Also, the District Plan is intended to clarify the unique social and economic role
for the Greater Southdale District. Design Experience Guidelines were also prepared to
form the core dialogue about how a proposal for change might fit the District’s vision and
aspirations.
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During the three-to-four-year planning process, the Greater Southdale Work Group comprised primarily
of residents, but also including business/property owner interests, most of whom are residents of Edina,
met twice a month, sometimes more frequently, to research, explore, deliberate, propose, refine, and
recommend directions. All their meetings and work sessions were open to the public and included a
public comment period. In addition, the Work Group
delivered many progress reports to the Planning
Commission and City Council. There were also two
Open Houses in Phase 3 that were attended by
dozens and dozens of citizens and business people.
There was general consensus regarding the need to
shape and manage the growth and changes in the
Greater Southdale District, including the concept of
placing additional development densities and mixed
land uses close to transit, as well as the emphasis on a
high-quality public realm and private development.
Concern was expressed by some residents regarding the specific locations and types of development
along the transitions in the areas west of France Avenue. At the same time, others were concerned that
the proposed Plan needed to be more assertive in seeking change to adequately address potential
increases in traffic and parking demand and housing choice. Housing affordability was also identified as a
concern or an objective.
Relationship to the 2018 Edina Comprehensive Plan
Edina’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan is a policy framework for shaping citywide growth and change,
protecting and advocating what Edina values, and clarifying the relationships between the Edina
community, its neighboring municipalities, and the Twin Cities metropolitan region.
The 2018 Comprehensive Plan’s land use designations covering a little over 50 percent of Edina’s
geographic area will maintain and strengthen the character and the integrity of the single-family
neighborhoods and open space system. These areas are not expected to accommodate much growth,
but they will mature and evolve. Most of the new growth is expected to occur in, and will be focused
on, areas that are primarily neighborhood nodes or community commercial/mixed-use areas, the largest
of which is the Greater Southdale District. These areas have real opportunity for accommodating
growth and change that can contribute to a better future for all of Edina, and where Edina can realize
social, environmental, and economic benefits.
The Greater Southdale District Plan advances the 2018 Comprehensive Plan’s core principles, but adapts
the overall planning approach of the Comprehensive Plan to fit local conditions. The District Plan’s goals
and policies are intended to respond positively and creatively to the District’s unique development
pressures.
Greater Southdale District Plan
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2. Vision and Aspirations
Over three years (2016-17-18), the Work Group created an in-depth vision of the future of the Greater
Southdale District. In their deliberations, the Work Group:
Identified the District’s tremendous assets, and explored how they could be re-positioned to
be building blocks going forward;
Discussed the legacy and impact of the incremental decisions of the private sector in
responding to market demand for commercial and residential development, and of the
public sector in providing complementary infrastructure, at times in public-private
partnerships;
Acknowledged the heightened pace of development interest and activity; and
Recognized that the changing socio-economic profile of Edina and the Twin Cities
metropolitan area created new and different market demands for a more experienced-
based compact living and working environment, one that was rich in amenities and services.
Realized that if the Greater Southdale District evolved towards more intensive and active
uses, connected by a high-quality walkable public realm, these changes could make living in
the neighborhoods to the west of France Avenue and east of York Avenue even more
attractive.
In June 2015, the Work Group devised Working Principles and Supporting Questions to be used by
developers in preparing development proposals and by City staff, Planning Commission, and City Council
in their review of development proposals. However, they were never intended to be used as thresholds
for acceptability, but rather to shape the dialogue about how a proposal for change might fit the District.
Later, with the assistance of design consultants, the Work Group produced Re-Visioning the Southdale
District, a graphic vision for preserving, energizing, and adding development in the study area. With its
comprehensive approach to place-making, this document demonstrated the many ways land parcels and
development might interact. Re-Visioning the Southdale District was added to the guiding references for
preparing and reviewing development proposals. Throughout these activities, mutual learning by all
parties led to the realization that the public realm, i.e., the spaces between the buildings, the streets and
sidewalks, the parks, and the public infrastructure, is the framework around everything grows. Better
public spaces encourage and support better community experiences.
Out of these explorations came Design Experience Guidelines which organize and explain the facets of
district-wide structure and development specific urban design considerations. The Design Experience
Guidelines are intended to focus the dialogue between City staff, appointed and elected City officials,
along with the private sector, on the importance of the public realm as a form-giver for infrastructure
investments and development proposals.
In the efforts to translate the design framework into the District Plan, the Work Group addressed the
needs of people of different life stages, income levels, and abilities. The Work Group concluded that the
experience for people living in or near the Greater Southdale District would be enriched through the
creation of a vital public realm and supporting private development.
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The Work Group prepared the following Vision Statement as well as their Aspirations for transforming the
Greater Southdale District with expanded public parks and publicly-accessible gathering opportunities,
community services and facilities, cultural and entertainment venues, a well-designed mix of housing
types and affordability-choices, and expanded employment and shopping opportunities.
The Vision Statement and Aspirations are not just an introduction to the District Plan. They are an
articulation of the values that give direction to the District Plan’s goals and policies. These declarations
illustrate that the District Plan is not so much a blueprint, but rather a compass. The District Plan is a
guide to evaluating options, for making choices and decisions, and for taking actions on future change in
the Greater Southdale District.
With the Vision Statement and Aspirations, the Greater Southdale Work Group is saying: “This is what we
want.”
Greater Southdale District Vision Statement
We envision a vibrant, forward-looking and people-filled Greater Southdale District, organized around
dynamic streets, engaging parks and public spaces, and well-conceived and enduring buildings. We
anticipate transformation through a 50-year arc of innovation, collaboration, and new introductions,
expanding on ideas that set a path of invention more than 50 years ago when the Daytons first imagined a
shopping mall as a center for the community. In all of this, we see that the best measure of success will be
experiences people share in the Greater Southdale District.
We welcome change on our terms. Our vision shapes inevitable growth through a healthy mix of uses,
intensities that fill public spaces with human activity, and compatibly scaled buildings, streets, and
transitions. We imagine new promenades that bridge nearby neighborhoods with the life of the district,
where those seams become places of lasting value. We imagine beautiful outdoor spaces for play,
socializing, and respite while accommodating the functional needs of new development.
We envision innovation leading to extraordinary places and experiences. As new development is
introduced, we recognize that new investment must be matched by efficient, progressive, and sometimes
pioneering district infrastructure. We imagine new civic facilities throughout the district, drawing together
the whole of the Edina community and becoming special focal points for the new neighborhoods of the
district. And when we collaborate to create these places and experiences, benefits are directed to the
community and to our partners so that, together, we all succeed.
We’re embarking on 50 years of well-paced steps, with each one more clearly blazing the path toward
the future of the district. We aim to achieve evolution through guidance that delivers community benefits
as a natural outgrowth of great private development. We imagine a new way of considering “fit” that
starts with people and the spaces they will occupy. Our vision requires imagination, forethought,
iteration, not a small amount of courage, and truly constructive dialog. But it’s only through those actions
that we might fully realize an evolution perpetuating the vision that sprung from a farm field to become
an Edina icon.
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Aspirations
Aspiration #1
Imagine Greater Southdale District evolution organized around human activity, with vibrant
pedestrian-focused streets, beautiful parks and public spaces, and endearing and enduring
buildings where:
A sense of invention is expected from new introductions, both public and private, that build
on the district’s spirit of innovation.
Its role as regional and local center for living, shopping, working, learning, entertainment,
hospitality, and medical services is enhanced.
Other Edina neighborhoods, near and distant, benefit from investment in the district and
the evolution of each parcel.
Investment in the public realm is reflected by a commensurate investment as private parcels
evolve.
Public and civic services accommodate a growing and diverse district and community
population.
Transitions at the district’s edges recognize compatible use and scale and neighboring uses
are perpetuated on their terms.
Aspiration #2
Make the Greater Southdale District the model of healthy urban living where:
The district’s form encourages healthy living habits, particularly through walking.
The design of buildings and spaces, both public and private, attract the widest possible
range of the district’s population.
Storm water is a valued resource by making it part of the experience of the district.
A walkable public realm is based on the shape and size of the spaces between
buildings, and creates the place where civic life plays out.
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Emissions and pollutants are mitigated through the introduction of significant tree canopy
and limiting idling vehicles on streets, creating a more inviting walking experience along the
district’s streets.
Sustainable solutions result in a stock of healthy buildings that compel healthy activity for
their occupants.
Public features mitigate impacts of non-local infrastructure, especially to contain the ill
effects of adjacent highways.
Aspiration #3
Invent sustainable infrastructure matching the district’s sense of innovation where:
Mutually-supportive and forward-looking infrastructure is the norm, looking beyond
baseline utilitarian functions of a single site to create a broadly supportive district
infrastructure.
Infrastructure aligns with the creation of public space in the district, sharing space and
resources that result in compelling, attractive and high-functioning civic spaces.
Care for and perpetuation of public infrastructure anticipates daily human activity in all
seasons.
Aspiration #4
Create neighborhoods of activity within the broader mixed-use patterns of the district where:
Logical boundaries based on reasonable walking distances are established, with major
streets as seams binding the activity of each side into an inviting and accessible public space.
Focal points of public activity are found within each neighborhood.
Key community services and facilities are present and help define the fabric of the District.
Core services are delivered within each neighborhood or in an adjacent neighborhood.
Neighborhoods are linked along street and park corridors highlighted by visible human
activity.
The design of this stormwater collection and treatment facility in Lincoln, Nebraska,
provides beauty and landscape for public enjoyment.
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Aspiration #5
Offer a spectrum of living opportunities integrated through the district where:
Housing orients to a variety of income levels and household types.
Ownership options constitute a significant portion of the living opportunities in the area.
“Missing Middle” living opportunities (duplexes, triplexes, side-by-side or stacked
townhouses, rowhouses with multiple units, and small buildings with four to six apartments)
allow a broader range of Edina residents, workforce members and others to consider
relocating to the District.
Buildings for living strongly orient to the public spaces of each neighborhood within the
District.
Aspiration #6
Expand significantly the number and extent of parks and public spaces where:
Opportunities for the introduction of another large signature public space complement the
programming and activities available at Centennial Lakes.
An extension of the Promenade to Strachauer Park links neighbors and activity to the
district.
New promenades on the East and West edges of the District create movement corridors for
pedestrians and bicyclists and serve as vital places for a transition between neighborhoods
and the District.
Parks and publicly accessible spaces are clearly visible and directly accessible from the public
realm.
Spaces for visible human activity and occupation, either public or publicly accessible, occur
on every block.
This mid-block connection in Vancouver, Canada, includes an innovative
footpath and bench design to create a mini-park.
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Aspiration #7
Encourage district evolution based on incremental change and the creation of a great
pedestrian experience where:
A basic framework of streets and blocks encourages pedestrian activity and well-considered
buildings.
A rich variety of public or publicly accessible spaces are woven into the experience of the
district.
Sites and buildings support a pedestrian experience first, with storage of cars considered
last.
Development on each site links to adjacent streets and to neighboring sites to create
continuous, safe, and inviting pedestrian experiences.
Aspiration #8
Build (or plan for) a street network encouraging pedestrian movement across and through the
district where:
Walkable block lengths are the baseline framework for development.
Enhanced and more frequent street crossings facilitates pedestrian movement.
Wide landscaped boulevards encourage pedestrian activity and create a distinct district
signature.
Community corridors within and extending well beyond the district enhance bicycle and
pedestrian access while accommodating vehicle traffic on pedestrian terms.
Aspiration #9
Imagine transportation in the district where:
Cars are not the focus and streets accommodate more than vehicles.
Major streets balance access and mobility.
Some streets serve as community corridors, linking to other community destinations with
features that allow for movement in addition to cars.
Transit is a baseline service, both within the district and to non-Edina locations.
Transportation recognizes trends, including autonomous vehicles and a time when parking
structures aren’t needed for public parking
A woonerf, or low-speed passage for cars, bikes, and
pedestrians, provides a safe shared environment for
movement.
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Aspiration #10
Expect the delivery of high quality, well-designed buildings and sites where:
Spaces on sites are considered for people first, including connections between sites; then
the ways structures are placed; and then places to store cars are found.
Visible human activity is prominent and integrated at every site.
People are brought to the streets via major building entries oriented to major streets.
Storm water remains visible as an amenity, allowing it to become a central part of the
experience of each site.
Well-designed sidewalks and entryways provide a seamless welcoming and safe
environment.
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Aspiration #11
Frame development guidance for evolution where:
Development review includes the desired experience, not solely quantitative thresholds.
Accommodation of adjacent and near parcels are considered in the evolution of a single
parcel.
Early reviews focus on ideas, patterns and relationships, not specific and engineered plans,
with that part of the review process based in dialog, not presentation and reaction.
Demonstrations of quality and especially quality from a long-term perspective are baseline
considerations.
Collaboration leads to a superior result, with the community’s expectations clearly framed
as part of the deliberation.
Flexibility is not a right, but rather the natural by-product of a fair exchange for benefits,
collaboration, and quality in development.
Dialogue, a sketch plan, and consideration for context is the foundation for a more transparent and
collaborative development review process.
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Greater Southdale District Plan
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3. District Profile
Overview
To be relevant and meaningful, the vision for the Greater Southdale District must address the current
realities of conditions in the district – and what is forecasted to change. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an
overview of these existing conditions and forecasted trends that impact the future of the Greater Southdale District.
This includes:
Description of the study area and summary of building and land use conditions (more detailed
analysis of these is included in the Land Use section)
Summary of past planning efforts and policies in Edina with implications for the Greater
Southdale District
Demographic summary of current and forecasted population
Economic summary of the district (more detailed analysis is included in the Economic
Competitiveness section)
Summary of trends and challenges impacting the Greater Southdale District.
Introduction
The Greater Southdale District plays a unique role in the City of Edina and Twin Cities region.
Concentration of jobs, residences, traffic, and activity. Attracting residents, workers,
customers, patients, visitors, and others from throughout the region, Greater Southdale District
is a major destination.
Role as economic engine for the city and region. The economic impact of this area is significant,
particularly in terms of sustaining the tax base for the City of Edina.
Meeting diverse housing needs of the population. Greater Southdale District has a variety of
diverse housing types that meet the needs of Edina residents, and are not generally available in
many areas of the city.
Retail and services hub for the community. In addition to its role in the regional economy,
Greater Southdale District meets the needs of the community for retail and services, with the
capacity to evolve for changing preferences.
Capacity for growth and change. The Greater Southdale District has been an evolving area since
its inception. It has more capacity for growth and change than many other areas of the city.
Study Area
The Greater Southdale study area covers more than 850 acres of land, including the 76th Street/77th
Street corridor extending westward towards Highway 100 which was added later in the Work Group study
process. The Greater Southdale District itself is bordered on the west by development along France
Avenue South, on the east by Xerxes Avenue South, on the north by MN Highway 62, and on the south by
Interstate 494 and Minnesota Drive. This area is known throughout the region as a shopping and
employment destination, with a concentration of retail and office uses. In addition, there are multiple
apartment buildings, condominiums, senior living facilities and other residential and mixed-use
development. Figure 3.1 shows the study area.
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Figure 3.1: Study Area for Greater Southdale District Plan
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Existing Plans, Policies, and Studies
Edina Comprehensive Plan (2008)
The 2008 Comprehensive Plan serves as the city’s primary policy document guiding future growth and
change, until replaced by the 2018 update. The 2008 plan initiated the process to complete small area
plans for targeted areas for growth and change, including part of the Greater Southdale District. The plan
also established goals for affordable housing, pedestrian and bicycle networks, and park renovations. It
discussed transit potential in the city, with many options impacting the Greater Southdale District, given
the high concentration of housing and businesses. These goals and ideas are part of ongoing discussions
as part of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan update and the Greater Southdale District Plan.
Living Streets Plan (2015)
The City’s Living Streets Plan provides guidance on street design, traffic calming, bike facilities,
landscaping, and lighting. It also includes best practices for community engagement during a street design
process. Based on road classification, it sets standards for road cross sections, multimodal facilities, and
design features. The intent is to provide for multiple modes of transportation, reduce environmental
impacts, and to focus on quality of life aspects and community identity. Streets should be safer, healthier,
provide more choices, and have economic and environmental benefits. This applies to virtually all Greater
Southdale District streets.
Affordable Housing Policy (2015)
Edina passed an affordable housing policy in 2015, focused on maintaining a diverse population base and
providing housing choices for people living and working in the city. It set in place requirements on
providing affordable units as part of multi-family developments with 20 more units requiring rezoning or a
comprehensive plan amendment. The requirement was set at 10% of livable area within a residential
development being classified as affordable for a specified period of time, though it is possible to waive the
policy if another agreed-upon benefit to affordable housing (such as a fee in lieu) is provided instead.
Although goals for affordable housing apply citywide, opportunities for large scale (20+ unit)
developments are primarily in change areas such as the Greater Southdale District.
The Affordable Housing Policy contains additional requirements, including specific income limits for rental
housing and maximum sales prices for ownership housing. For rental housing, both incomes (adjusted for
family size) and rental rates (adjusted for bedroom count and including utilities) are updated annually by
the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) and published at mnhousing.gov. For ownership housing,
affordability is tied to levels set in the MHFA’s “Startup Program” (first-time buyer), with maximum sales
price updated annually. The Edina City Council reviews all elements of the Affordable Housing Policy
annually.
Park, Recreation, and Trails Strategic Plan (2015)
The main focus of this plan was to identify ways to make Edina’s Park and Recreation amenities multi-
generational, serving all residents and encouraging socialization. The plan includes specific needs for
system improvements that could be incorporated in park improvements within the Greater Southdale
District to better serve residents.
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Vision Edina (2015)
In 2015, around the same time that the Greater Southdale Work Group was created, the Edina City
Council adopted VISION EDINA – Strategic Vision and Framework, the outcome of a broad-based
community engagement and visioning process:
Edina holds a well-earned reputation as a city of choice. It is a 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 the future.
VISION EDINA describes key features that define Edina’s future, as well as stating strategic focus area,
issues, and actions. VISION EDINA is the key foundation element for the Work Group’s explorations for
the Greater Southdale area. Defining features of Edina identified through this included: Inclusive and
Connected, Built-to-Scale Development, Sustainable Environment, A Community of Learning, and Future-
Oriented.
Metropolitan Council System Statement (2015)
The Metropolitan Council’s system statement for Edina is a guidance document for how Edina is expected
to grow as part of the larger region, particularly focused on the regional system topics that are under the
Metropolitan Council’s purview: transportation, water resources, and regional parks and trails.
Area system statements classify communities based on the expected level of growth and change they will
see prior to 2040. These numbers are goals, not mandates – and can be modified over time if growth
rates differ from what is forecasted. As part of this, Edina is designated as an Urban community in the
metropolitan area.
Edina’s Urban designation guides new growth with an average density of at least 10 units per acre, with
higher densities (10-60+ units per acre) around transit. Mixed-use development, affordable housing, and
transit-supportive design are encouraged.
The Metropolitan Council projects the City of Edina to grow by about 11,800 people, 7,500 households,
and 3,800 jobs by 2040, a substantial percentage of which could be accommodated in the Greater
Southdale District. The need for affordable housing was also considered, and a goal of about 880 units
was set for Edina – many of which could be accommodated in the Greater Southdale District as well.
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 21
Demographic Profile
The following data have been
compiled for the Greater
Southdale District study area.
Where applicable, data sources
are noted.
Population and
Households
The Greater Southdale has seen
significant growth in housing and
population in recent years.
The population of this area has
increased about 28% since 2000,
going from around 5,900 to an
estimated 7,500 in 2018. This compares to an overall 9% population growth rate citywide during that
same period.
The daytime population in 2018 is estimated at over 26,000, including both residents and workers. This is
much higher than the district’s population due to the significant amount of employment in the area,
which results in a net gain of people during a typical workday. Daytime population is important because it
helps support retail and service businesses during the day, such as places for lunch and errands.
Population and Household Forecasts
Population and household projections are also available at the Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) level, based on
citywide forecasts. While the reliability for small area forecasts like these is lower than for larger areas,
they give a general sense of how much growth the area would likely see by 2040 (the horizon year for the
2018 comprehensive plan update), assuming the Metropolitan Council citywide forecasts are an accurate
assessment of overall growth patterns. Based on these forecasts, the population of the core area of
Southdale is expected to grow by 72% between 2020 and 2040. This compares to a citywide rate of 16%
during the same period.
Race and Ethnicity
The racial composition of the population is slightly more diverse than the citywide average, with around
25% of the population currently identifying as being something other than non-Hispanic white, compared
to around 16% citywide. The population has become increasingly more diverse since 2010 with the largest
gain being in the Asian population, which is also true on the citywide level. Around 2.6 percent of the
population identifies as Hispanic/Latino.
Racial and ethnic diversity have been increasing throughout the region and state. In part, this reflects the
fact that many immigrants to the area (both domestic and foreign) tend to be younger on average than
the existing population, and have more children. Younger age cohorts tend to be more diverse than older
ones. Population diversity is an important consideration when planning for an area, as it has potential
5,913 5,949
7,542
4,030 3,987
4,960
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
Population,
2000
Population,
2010
Population,
2018
Households,
2000
Households,
2010
Households,
2018
Greater Southdale District Population and Households
Source: US Census, ESRI
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 22
implications related to the inclusivity of public processes and access to public services, particularly as the
needs and expectations of the population change.
Educational Attainment
The residents of this area are well educated, with
over 50% of the population with a Bachelor’s
degree or higher level of education, and 96% with
a high school diploma or higher. However, this is
lower than the citywide average of 70% having a
Bachelor’s degree or higher. This likely reflects the
relatively high percentage of senior housing
facilities located in the Greater Southdale District,
as college level education was much less common
in older generations, particularly among women.
In general, the high level of educational
attainment in this area is an important economic
asset, as it is an indicator of an educated and
skilled workforce. However, the emphasis of
education goes beyond workforce preparedness:
Edina’s commitment to lifelong learning emphasizes the value of education at all life stages, and using a
variety of traditional and nontraditional methods to educate.
Age and Household Size
The age distribution of this area currently
is much older than the citywide average.
The median age is 61.3, compared to 47.3
citywide. This reflects a concentration of
senior housing facilities in the Greater
Southdale District. There is also a sizable
population of 25-34-year-old residents,
including many young professionals. The
commonality between these two groups is
that they are at potential transition points
in their lives, and mobility may be higher
for these households that for more
established family and mid-career ones. As
a result, the population in this area may
continue to turn over, with new residents
moving to this area.
The average household size is 1.50 persons/household, compared with 2.32 citywide. This reflects both
the larger percentages of older residents and of 25-34-year-olds, both of which tend to have smaller
household sizes due to a lack of dependent children.
Household Type and Profile
2.1%1.8%
16.1%2.0%
17.6%
8.7%
34.2%
17.5%
Greater Southdale District: Educational
Attainment, 2018
Less than 9th Grade
9th - 12th Grade,
No Diploma
High School
Graduate
GED/Alternative
Credential
Source: US Census, ESRI
3.8%2.3%1.8%5.4%
14.3%
7.6%
7.7%12.3%15.0%14.4%15.6%
0.0%5.0%10.0%15.0%20.0%
0 - 4
10 - 14
25 - 34
45 - 54
65 - 74
85 +
Greater Southdale District Population Age
Distribution (2018)
Source: US Census, ESRI
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 23
The overall household distribution in the Greater Southdale District is influenced greatly by the presence
of several large senior housing developments, which typically have very small household sizes. Around
63% of households in this area are people living alone, with around 6% classified as nonfamily households
(unrelated individuals living together). Approximately 6% of households consist of couples with no
children. Only 10% of households have children present, lower than the citywide average, reflecting both
the low household size and the higher median age.
Mapping and data analysis firm ESRI produces Tapestry Segmentation, a series of household
classifications based on householder characteristics and preferences. These can be used to guide decision-
making around everything from retail demand to community amenities. According to the profile for the
Greater Southdale District, the top five Tapestry subgroups represented here are:
Retirement Communities – Range of housing types with older, smaller households and
moderate incomes
The Elders – Tapestry Segmentation’s oldest market, favoring senior or assisted living
communities
Golden Years – Independent, active seniors nearing the end of their careers or already in
retirement. Primarily singles living alone or empty nesters.
Young and Restless – Well educated young professionals, some still in school. Not yet
established but striving to get ahead.
Exurbanites – People approaching retirement, but showing few signs of slowing down.
Cultivated lifestyle, typically affluent.
Though at different ends of the age spectrum, these household types share the common feature of being
in transition phases of life. As such, the composition is likely to shift over time, and may include other
cohorts in the future. The notable absence in this area is families with children at home – though this may
become more prevalent with changes in housing and household preferences.
Income
Household income is an indicator of spending
potential, which in turn influences the market
for retail and services in an area. The median
household income for this area in 2018 is
around $49,000, significantly lower than the
citywide median of $92,000. This could be
attributed to the higher proportion of older
residents, many of whom have fixed incomes
in retirement. This does not negatively impact
the success of the district because the market
area for the business district is much larger
than just the residents of the district.
Particularly for people no longer in the
workforce, income may not be the best measure of a household’s standard of living, which is likely related
to household wealth and assets more than income stream. However, this information is often challenging
to measure, especially at so small a scale. It’s worth noting that the median household income in
Southdale is not much lower than the citywide median income in adjacent Richfield (around $52,000).
9.6%
14.7%12.3%14.1%15.6%
11.8%12.4%
4.7%4.9%
0.0%2.0%4.0%6.0%8.0%10.0%12.0%14.0%16.0%18.0%
Greater Southdale Household Income, 2018
Source: US Census, ESRI
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 24
Housing Profile
The majority of households in this
area (58%) live in larger multi-
family housing (50 or more units).
However, a significant minority
lives in smaller scale apartments
(13%). Given the predominance of
multifamily housing, the majority
of housing units are renter
occupied. The percentage of
rental housing has been increasing
since 2000, due to the
construction of new rental
housing in the district.
The bulks of the housing stock in
this area was built between the
1960s and 1980s, with a moderate
amount of infill since then – at a
pace that has increased in recent
years. The median year that
structures were built was 1978.
This is slightly more recent than
the city as a whole. With many
housing units approaching 50+
years of life, ongoing
maintenance and/or replacement
will be needed. By contrast,
nearly half of the residents of
Greater Southdale District have
moved here since 2010. The
median year people moved into
their homes was 2009, more
recent than citywide levels.
The median home value for the Greater Southdale District in 2018 is around $179,000, significantly lower
than the citywide median of $418,000. This is consistent with the area’s lower-than-average income, the
aging housing stock, and the predominance of condominium units as the main owner-occupied housing
type, as opposed to single family detached homes. Many of these units provide a relatively affordable
option for their residents.
Conversely, the median rent is around $1,200, higher than the citywide median of $1,100. This may reflect
the fact that a large portion of the multifamily housing in this area is senior living or newer apartment
buildings with upscale amenities, and are therefore more expensive than a typical apartment.
49%45%
6%
41%45%
15%
36%
53%
12%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Owner Renter Vacant
Greater Southdale District Housing
2000 2010 2018
Source: US Census, ESRI
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2015 or
Later
Moved in
2010 or
later
Moved in
2000 to
2009
Moved in
1990 to
1999
Moved in
1980 to
1989
1979 or
Earlier
Greater Southdale District:
Year Resident Moved into Unit, 2016
Owner Renter
Source: US Census, ESRI
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 25
Economic Profile
This section provides an overview of employment, jobs, and other economic factors in the Greater
Southdale District. The district is an economic center for both the city and region, providing tax base,
employment, and retail/services. More detailed discussion and analysis is included in the Economic
Competitiveness section of this plan.
Employment and Retail Center
The Greater Southdale District is classified as part of a
regional employment center by the Metropolitan
Council. To meet this definition, an area must have more
than 7,000 jobs and a density of greater than 10 jobs per
acre. Even without counting the employment in adjacent
Bloomington and Richfield, the Greater Southdale
District in Edina has over 24,000 jobs and averages more
than 28 jobs per acre.
The district is a retail center as well. With over two
million square feet of gross leasable area, Southdale and
Galleria are classified as “Class A” shopping malls – the
most stable and successful of the shopping mall
categories.
Along with the Mall of America, Galleria is in the top tier
of sales per square foot of retail in Minnesota, at around
$700/square foot. Southdale ranks relatively high at
around $500/square foot, comparable to Ridgedale.
(Source: ESRI Business Analyst)
Generally speaking, retail in
this area is well positioned
and profitable. However, it is
not immune to changes facing
malls, of which 25% nationally
are expected to close in the
near future. Shifts in the retail
market (discussed later in this
section) have introduced
uncertainty for even
successful centers like
Southdale and Galleria.
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Gasoline Stations
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book & Music
Motor Vehicle & Parts Dealers
Electronics and Appliances
Bldg Material, Garden and Supplies
Clothing & Accessories
Furniture & Home Furnishing Stores
Greater Southdale District Annual Retail
Sales (millions)
Source: US Census, ESRI
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 26
Industry Mix
The Greater Southdale District has over 1,200 businesses with about 24,000 employees. Compared to the
resident population of about 7,500, there is a ratio of 3.2 jobs per resident. The industry mix of jobs within
the district is dominated by three industries: service, retail, and finance/insurance/real estate. Service
industries employ 47% of the workers in this area, with retail following at 32%. Finance, insurance, and
real estate is also well-represented in the area, accounting for roughly 16% of jobs.
Source: US Census, ESRI
Among the service industries, the largest employer is health services, accounting for over 21% of total
jobs. This reflects the presence of Fairview Southdale Hospital, as well as other smaller medical clinics
and offices. In retail, the largest employer was eating and drinking places, accounting for nearly 9% of
total jobs. In finance, insurance, and real estate, the largest employer was real estate, holdings, and
other investment offices (6% of total employment).
0.0%
0.1%
0.1%
0.3%
0.5%
0.8%
0.9%
1.2%
1.6%
16.2%
31.6%
46.7%
Utility
Transportation
Government
Ag/Mining
Communication
Unclassified
Wholesale Trade
Construction
Manufacturing
Finance/Insurance/Real Estate
Retail Trade
Services
0.0%5.0%10.0%15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%35.0%40.0%45.0%50.0%
Southdale: Employment by Industry, 2018
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 27
Workers in the Area
According to the Census
2015 Longitudinal Employer-
Household Dynamics (LEHD)
data, the most common
home communities for
commuters to Greater
Southdale are Minneapolis
(13%), Bloomington (7%),
Edina (6%), St. Paul (5%), and
Richfield (5%). Almost half
(49%) of commuters to this
area travel less than ten
miles to get to work. As
shown on the accompanying
graphic, there are clusters of
commuters in Southwest
Minneapolis, eastern Edina,
and western Richfield.
Workers in Greater
Southdale cover a range of
income and education levels,
reflecting the diversity of
employment in the area. On one hand, retail
and hospitality jobs tend to be lower paying
and employ younger and less educated workers. On the other hand, health care and financial services
jobs are higher paying and require an educated workforce. The distribution of racial and ethnic diversity is
less diverse than the resident population, with around 86% of the people employed in the district being
white. The workforce is predominantly female (nearly 70%) as well. This is likely due to the high
percentages of female employees typically found in industries such as retail and healthcare.
Source: On the Map
49%
38%
8%5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Less than 10
miles
10 to 24 miles 25 to 50 miles Greater than 50
miles
Distance Workers Commute to Greater Southdale,
2015
Commute-shed for Greater Southdale Jobs (Source: LEHD)
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 28
Employed Residents
In terms of the employment of Greater
Southdale residents, the employment
rate is very high – with only 1.5% of the
labor force identifying as unemployed.
Consistent with the industry mix,
around 57% of area residents work in
the service industry. However, residents
are less likely to work in retail in
comparison to the area’s business mix,
and are more likely to work in finance,
insurance, or real estate.
In terms of where Greater Southdale
residents work, the list is similar, albeit
more geographically concentrated:
Minneapolis (27%), Bloomington (13%),
Edina (12%), St. Paul (5%), and Eden
Prairie (4%). As indicated by the
closeness and size of these commuting
destinations, Greater Southdale
residents are well-positioned when it
comes to commuting. Around 75% of them commute less
than 10 miles to work each way, and over 94% commute less
than 24 miles. From the accompanying map of destinations, Downtown Minneapolis appears to be the
biggest employment destination outside the immediate area.
Workers who live in this area tend to be relatively well educated and well compensated, with 30% having
a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and 55% making more than $40,000 per year. Unlike the job mix, the
gender balance is more even in the resident workforce, and the racial composition is more diverse.
Source: On the Map
75%
19%
2%4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Less than 10 miles 10 to 24 miles 25 to 50 miles Greater than 50
miles
Distance Greater Southdale District Residents Commute, 2015
Commuting Destinations for Residents (Source: LEHD)
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 29
Themes and Trends
Future of Retail
The retail market nationwide is changing rapidly. Changes in online shopping and behavioral changes
among customers are having effects on the viability of brick and mortar stores. However, results are not
evenly distributed – and for every trend, there is a counter-trend at work. While some stores are
struggling and closing, others are thriving and expanding.
The future of retail is still being determined. However, some key trends are emerging. The focus is
increasingly on the experiential aspect of shopping and dining, which encourages people to leave their
homes and go out. People are looking for more than just a place to buy something – a task that can be
completed online. This has significant implications for the appropriate mix of stores and other uses in the
major retail areas in Southdale.
Future of Office Space
Like retail, how office space is being used is changing significantly. Businesses are now using smaller
spaces than in the past. Part of this is due to the need for less storage (with the expanded use of
computerized record keeping), but much of it is due to a preference for quality over quantity – choosing
places that are smaller, but are higher quality and have more amenities. This relates to the desire to keep
and retain top talent, who are increasingly looking for features such as renovated or new spaces, on-site
amenities (fitness centers, outdoor areas, bike storage, etc.), walkable and bikeable areas, and nearby
restaurants and shops. Single purpose office campuses are becoming much less desirable in the
commercial real estate market. Southdale has the potential to take advantage of this trend by building on
its advantages as a relatively compact area with a lot of nearby amenities.
Another office space trend is a growth in coworking office arrangements. These provide flexible work
space options for entrepreneurs, people who are telecommuting, freelancers, or others with
unconventional workplace arrangements. Places with shared features (common and meeting areas,
reception services, etc.) can provide additional support and value.
Mixed-use Communities
Particularly in recent years, there has been a noticeable trend in some areas away from suburban
expansion toward moving back to traditional city living, with cleaner and healthier modern
enhancements. Developers have responded in kind with major investments in multi-family housing that is
near employment centers and on transit lines.
In the case of these communities, there is a premium on walkable and bikeable communities with
amenities, shops, and community space. Younger generations have been showing a preference for this
over traditional suburban living. There is the potential to create such a community in the Southdale area.
Addressing affordability is crucial, especially since places like Greater Southdale District are higher cost
areas that keep rents high, which may be out of the reach of younger workers looking for this type of
community.
Social Connectedness and Density
As noted above, the Greater Southdale District continues to become more diverse over time. While the
numbers are too small in this area to do a full analysis, it is apparent from looking at larger trends that
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 30
racial and ethnic disparities continue to persist. This will continue to need to be addressed. At the same
time, there is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate cultural diversity and welcome others.
As the community changes, there is a growing need and desire for more public spaces and activities that
foster and sense of community and connections between people. There’s a related understanding of how
these connections can help enhance public safety – both through increased interactions and design.
Lifelong Learning
The recognition of the value of lifelong learning is another important trend. Particularly as expected
lifetimes extend, there is an increasing interest in how to keep a healthy, active mind through continued
opportunities to engage in learning.
To meet the needs of the population, there must be flexible opportunities for all to engage in lifelong
learning. These may include community based programs, gamification, mentorships, and other structures
that allow people to formally and informally participate. Paired with this is a need for public learning
spaces to engage in learning and knowledge sharing. These include libraries, community centers, online
environments, maker spaces, clubs and circles, and other spaces where people can gather and learn.
Holistic View of Health and Wellness
There is a growing understanding of how a
holistic view of health and wellness can
provide insights into how to plan for a
better community with a higher quality of
life. A healthy community supports overall
physical and mental health, social
connectedness, and preventative care.
Wellness spaces such as fitness facilities,
health care specialists, and spas, are
readily available. It also considers the
need for social connections, with
involvement in community through social
networks and active living. The vision for
how a community supports wellness is
reflective of the unique needs of the
population, and will need to change over
time. It should be mindful of how
demographic changes will change health
needs – such as those associated with an
aging population.
Page 31
Greater Southdale District Plan
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 32
4. Renew and Repurpose: Goal
and Policy Redevelopment
Framework
What will the Greater Southdale District be like in 10 years, 20 years, the next several decades?
The Greater Southdale District is the largest mixed-use area in Edina. The District includes a wide range
of office/employment options, destination and specialty retailing, restaurants, entertainment/
hospitality facilities, major medical/health care services and facilities, a significant array of housing
choices, and high- quality green spaces, most notably in the Centennial Lakes development and the
Edina Promenade. The recent decade has seen a dramatic increase in development activity, mostly in
the residential sector, but also in new commercial-retailing, entertainment/hospitality facilities, and
medical/health care services, primarily in locations dominated by large parking lots. This infilling has
been characterized by multi-level buildings with parking structures, many that poorly-designed and
cause issues for creating an active and pedestrian-oriented street.
As the Twin Cities continues to grow in population, Edina’s Greater Southdale District is expected to
continue to be a major focus for accommodating this growth. Edina’s population is growing as well, with
interest by young and old alike, individuals and families in being in active urban environments with a high-
quality public realm, a concentration of services and amenities, and a diversity of housing types, tenures,
and affordability. Additionally, Edina’s continued aging of its own population will bring increased
development pressures to the district as these residents choose to leave their house but not leave their
community. The development community is responding with new apartments for young singles and
couples and with new senior and assisted living facilities near medical and other community services.
The Greater Southdale District Plan proposes to use this new growth to help expand access to a great
living environment, access to employment, and access to improved and expanded social and physical
infrastructure. The District Plan provides a framework for decision-making by the Edina community to
continue to accommodate this market demand and development interest by building on past successes.
Moreover, this District Plan integrates social, economic, environmental, and urban design perspectives
into that decision-making process, to enable the Edina community to make sustainable choices about the
changing Greater Southdale District.
Together, the eight components describe the core elements of the District’s evolution and set out the
Greater Southdale District Goal and Policy Redevelopment Framework:
4.1 Economic Vitality and Competitiveness
4.2 Urban Design
4.3 Land Use
4.4 Transportation and Mobility
4.5 Parks and Public Life
4.6 District Services and Facilities
4.7 Sustainability
4.8 Water Resources
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 33
4.1 Economic Vitality and Competitiveness
Overview
Economic vitality and competitiveness do not mean only business and job growth. True prosperity, i.e. a
strong, sustainable, and resilient economy, is rooted in building on existing assets and business clusters,
increasing opportunities for living-wage employment, and integrating that investment energy and focus
into built and natural environments. The Greater Southdale District has an enviable past as a
tremendously vibrant and successful suburban mixed-used district. However, the future requires a
different model of renewal and investment, one based on intensity of activity and accommodation of
movement other than personal passenger vehicles.
This section of the Redevelopment Framework:
(1) Provides an overview of the current business composition and development in the Greater
Southdale District;
(2) Discusses the range of trends, challenges, and opportunities facing the District, including retail
transformation, talent and workplace of the future, health care as an opportunity, and the
multiple and interacting forces of change; and
(3) Identifies strategic and long-term goals and policies to guide decision-making of City elected and
appointed officials, as well as business- and property-owners, and the larger community on
future economic development investments.
Current Conditions
The Greater Southdale District is a 750+ acre district developed beginning in the 1950s with two primary
anchors.
a regional health care complex anchored by Fairview Southdale Hospital, a 390-bed licensed
facility affiliated with the University of Minnesota. It is a Level III trauma center, providing
24-hour emergency services as well as heart, stroke, cancer care and more than 40 specialty
services.
a regional shopping area anchored by the Southdale Center, the nation’s first indoor
shopping mall, with 1.3 million square feet of leasable space and approximately 120 retail
tenants
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 34
A 2016 market analysis by Maxfield Research documented a total of 2.8 million square feet of retail space
(including Southdale Center) in 21 shopping centers larger than 30,000 square feet, within approximately
one mile of Southdale Center.
The Greater Southdale District draws
residents from Edina, Bloomington,
South Minneapolis, Richfield and other
neighboring communities with a robust
offering of daily goods, including five
grocery stores and five pharmacies (not
including hospital or clinic pharmacies).
There is a diversity of restaurants as
well as a 16-screen cinema with
updated amenities.
The area has the largest concentration
of furniture and design-related retailers
in the Upper Midwest, drawing
designers and shoppers from adjacent
states. The Galleria, located across the
street from Southdale, is an upscale
shopping destination, offering exclusive
fashion, home, beauty and dining
options, which also draws visitors from
beyond the MSP region. The
concentration of similar retailers (e.g. high-end fashion or furniture/design related showrooms) provides
shoppers with a broad selection and an opportunity for comparison shopping in one convenient area. The
hospitality sector – dining, entertainment and hotels – complements the shopping experience.
In 2006, the City approved an $85 million project attaching an 18-story Westin on the east end of Galleria.
The Westin includes Residences at the Westin Galleria, an 82-unit property above the 225-room Westin
Hotel.
In 2013, Southdale Center Mall underwent a $20 million renovation to bring back the mall’s mid-century
design. The facelift included a redesigned food court, the addition of a new entrance, renovations to the
other six entrances, and a new children’s play area.
In 2017, the Galleria expanded by 20,000 square feet, adding several more unique, upscale local and
national stores.
During the period 2013-2018, the area attracted ten new multi-family housing developments with a total
of 1,844 approved units and 1,213 built. Some are mixed-use, with retail, dining and other amenities at
ground level. According to an April 26, 2018 Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal article, there is $900
million of development projects underway or in the pipeline. More than 600 housing units will be added
within a block of Southdale Center in the next few years, including the 17-story, 186-unit luxury
Figure 4.1: Primary Market Area
Maxfield Research and Consulting, LLC, Initial Market Assessment
7001 York Ave for the City of Edina, December 2016
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 35
apartment tower to be built on the former Guitar Center site adjacent to the Promenade, just south of the
Galleria.
Notable developments completed or underway include:
Centennial Lakes, a 100-acre redevelopment of a former gravel pit, features a 25-acre City-
owned park. It features a 10-acre lake and a meandering 1.5-mile trail. Office, entertainment,
dining, grocery and retail uses are sited along busy France Avenue to the west and residential
uses are located to the east, near surrounding residential uses. Centennial Lakes Office Park with
823,221 square feet of office space, developed in 1988, includes access to the amenities of the
Centennial Lakes complex, including a mini-golf course, lawn-bowling, ice-skating in the winter
and extensive landscaping.
Edinborough, a 26-acre mixed-use development that includes about 400 low-rise one- and two-
bedroom condominium apartments originally aimed at first-time home buyers; a 200-unit, 18-
story high-rise luxury rental retirement residence; a 144-room hotel; a seven-story 115,000
square-foot office building with ground floor retail/service; and a one-acre indoor city park.
Southdale Office Centre, a 23-acre site across France Avenue from Southdale, is undergoing a
$100 million, multi-year redevelopment initiated in 2016. The developer plans to transform the
Class B office buildings and surface parking developed in the 1970. The largest office buildings at
6600 and 6800 France will remain. A 75,000 square foot office building will be razed; new
construction is expected to include a 155,000 square foot medical office building, a residential
tower, two retail buildings totaling 35,000 square feet and either a 125-room hotel or a 105,00
square foot office building, depending upon market conditions.
Life Time, Inc. is developing a 120,000 square foot health club and co-working space in the
former J.C. Penney space at Southdale Center. The integration of co-working with the fitness
center, advanced dietary, physical therapy, chiropractic and proactive medical care reflects next
generation thinking about wellness and creating a community in which live, work and play are
more closely integrated.
The Millennium at Southdale is a two-phase project: a six-story, 227-unit apartment building
and a 4-5 story 145-unit apartment building. Each one will include a floor of at-grade parking.
The development sites, previously occupied by old office buildings, are located along Xerxes on
a 5.65-acre site.
Restoration Hardware is building a flagship furniture gallery in a stand-alone building on France
Avenue. The building will feature three levels of showrooms, a rooftop deck, and a wine café.
Twin Cities Orthopedics has expanded their operations in Edina with a new 68,000 square foot
medical office building on Minnesota Drive. A new 358-space parking deck has also been
constructed.
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Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
Retail transformation
The retail industry is experiencing transformation as
consumer shopping patterns change to on-line
shopping and home delivery. Retail stores and
shopping centers are rethinking their role in this rapidly
changing environment and exploring ways to successful
adapt. Creating “an experience” that consumers can’t
get on-line is critical to generating traffic to support
brick and mortar stores. These changes, which are
underway globally, are expressed in the closure of some
retailers, higher vacancies and turnover.
Research by CBRE, The Future of Retail 2030, indicates
that a number of technology trends will impact how we
make purchases. From a real estate perspective,
technology and other trends are expected to have the
following impacts:
Independent stores and food and beverage
operators will be more prevalent
The traditional in-store physical point of purchase will disappear, resulting in fewer
employees
Wellness establishments will grow and there will be a diverse offering of fitness options
Mundane purchases will be ordered and delivered without traditional “shopping” and
consumers will increasingly see retail as a social and leisure experience
The divide between retail and leisure will blur. Leisure activities including cinemas, food
and beverage, bowling, ice skating will bring traffic; retailers will create opportunities for
an experience in their stores.
People will spend money on products, services and experiences, with an increased
emphasis on experiences
Personal ownership of vehicles will be reduced dramatically and fleets of driverless
vehicles will reduce the demand for parking
Talent and the workplace of the future
Competition for talent is global. By 2020, the McKinsey Global Institute projects a shortfall of 85 million
high and middle-skilled workers. For the MSP region, labor force shortages topping 62,000 are projected
by 2020 (MN DEED MSP Regional Forecast Overview, November 2017). The Greater MSP region enjoys a
high concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters and privately held, globally leading companies like
Cargill. There’s a rich ecosystem of business and professional services and other infrastructure to support
these global firms. As the baby boom retires, it is very important for these companies and others
throughout the metro area to compete successfully for talent on a national and global basis. An
attractive, well-located workplace is part of the talent attraction package. Desirable features include:
Figure 4.2: Transformation of Shopping Centers
Shopping centers will become simply “centers”.
From CBRE, The Future of Retail 2030
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fitness and wellness facilities – including trails
dining and entertainment options
hospitality, conferencing and meeting facilities that celebrate their location and surroundings as
part of being conducive to learning, networking and doing business
convenient access to a variety of housing choices
well-regarded schools, training, and higher education options, i.e. lifelong learning focus
frequent and well-located transit service
Workplaces are changing in response to technology, generational change and economic forces. Since
1970, office space decreased from 600+ square feet per worker to approximately 160 square feet per
worker. Technology has driven much of this change and the new generation lives on mobile technology
and relates to space differently than previous generations. CBRE’s Workplace Strategy Report, October
2014 notes that 30-50% of new workplaces designed for major corporations in Western economies reflect
next generation thinking and predicts that in 2030 traditional workplaces will be in the minority. The
context of workplaces will be more important, with an increased emphasis on amenities – within and
around – to find stimulation, solitude, engaging activities and build a sense of community. The report
anticipates a wide variety of spaces - retreat and collaborative settings, spaces that are calm or
stimulating, spaces for introverts and extroverts and notes that workplaces will be designed to support
health and well-being, with consideration for air, water, light, fitness and nourishment. An emerging
emphasis on rediscovering and nurturing authentic local identity and culture is expected to continue.
Trends that create a more desirable workplace are already manifesting in the Greater Southdale District
with:
the integration of more dining and entertainment options,
the integration of hotel/meeting/conference facilities, condo and residential rental
developments,
the increased focus on pedestrian-oriented environments with the Promenade and
attractive outdoor plazas,
the location of a Life Time Fitness club at Southdale with co-working and a variety of
wellness and lifestyle amenities.
Health care as an opportunity
The health care sector is one of the fastest
growing segments of the economy nationally and
regionally. Growth is expected to continue as the
large “baby boom” generation creates an
increased demand for medical services. The 65+
population, which typically accounts for the
highest per capita health care spending, is
expected to grow in Hennepin County by 37%
between 2015 and 2025 and by 71% between
2016 and 2040.
Some notable trends for this sector include: Fairview Southdale Hospital
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Many specialty clinics, medical offices and other facilities prefer close proximity to
hospital campuses
In addition to an aging population, investment in new technology will drive facility
renovation and new construction
Cost containment is driving a trend to lower cost delivery settings, including medical
office buildings, urgent care and day-surgery facilities
New payment systems will favor medical office space that creates opportunities for
collaboration to help providers minimize costs and maximize outcomes
Patient recovery in hotels located near medical campuses, removes patients from
high-cost hospital beds, while allowing them to conveniently access medical services.
Such hotels can also serve family members of hospitalized patients. Several such
facilities have been created in the MSP metro area in recent years, including Hilton
hotels near Abbott Northwestern and TRIA Orthopedic in Bloomington and a Marriott
Courtyard near TRIA Orthopedic in Woodbury.
Medical offices can generate significant tax base and diverse employment opportunities, while providing
important services to residents of Edina and the southwest metro. As the retail footprint shrinks and
changes in the Greater Southdale District, the growth of the health care sector presents an important
opportunity for the community.
Multiple forces of change
Significant changes are underway on a number of fronts –
technology, major demographic shifts and related generational
needs and preferences, retail transformation, and shifts in
transportation modes and automobile ownership patterns. As
well, even as digital technology appears to be replacing the need
for face-to-face communication, for team-building, motivation,
clarity, and accountability, being in the same room still matters to
build and reinforce relationships, whether for business or for
personal reasons. All these forces come to bear on
redevelopment in the Greater Southdale District. Predicting the
timing of these changes and how they will interact cannot be
adequately anticipated. Consequently, it will be important to build
flexibility into design and enhance the capacity of business and
property owners and the city to work together to successfully
navigate the changes ahead. Paramount to the economic
sustainability of the District will be a welcoming identity, one that
communicates to current and future generations that the Greater
Southdale District is a great place to live, work, shop, play, learn,
meet, and enjoy unique and memorable places.
Business organizations exist in most cities around the country.
Many were formed to address the transformation of downtown areas that had been stable and thriving
for generations, but were being challenged by suburban malls, offices and the auto-oriented culture and
needed to reinvent themselves. Major institutions, property owners, businesses and community leaders
BEST PRACTICES: Formerly a brick-clad
fortress-like indoor mall erected in
1973, Los Angeles’s Macy’s Plaza has
been transformed into The BLOC, an
open-air urban center with experience
retailing, Macy’s flagship store,
entertainment, restaurants, and green
space.
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
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participate in organizations like the Downtown Council in Minneapolis, which was formed in 1958 in
response to changes underway in technology, demographics, housing, transportation and the retail
sector. We are in an era of significant change again. The Greater Southdale District is larger than the
core of Downtown Minneapolis. An organization that strengthens relationships and communication, and
builds a shared vision, guiding principles and meaningful on-going dialogue could help the Greater
Southdale District navigate and shape these forces of changes positively.
Figure 4.3: Comparison of Greater Southdale District and Downtown Minneapolis Core
Economic Vitality and Competitiveness Goals and Policies
Unique Experiences
Economic Vitality and Competitiveness Goal #1: Offer unique experiences for living, playing, working,
and learning, and memorable public places for civic and social gathering for multiple generations and
diverse populations.
1-A. Require new development to include spaces intended to serve as publicly accessible exterior
and, where practicable, interior spaces that attract people in addition to the base
population of a building.
1-B. Create new and truly public spaces that match the scale, character and attractiveness of
Centennial Lakes Park as well as a series of interesting, artful, and compelling smaller scaled
opportunities for gathering, all linked by inviting and convenient streets and publicly-
accessible ways accommodating safe and comfortable pedestrian movement.
1-C. Create patterns of a “complete community” through zoning and other guidance coupled
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with strategic public investment where the broadest practicable range of uses, activities and
populations are accommodated within walksheds, and where the district results in a pattern
of distinct “neighborhoods” based on walksheds and features unique to each neighborhood.
Influence of Trends
Economic Vitality and Competitiveness Goal # 2: Respond to the significant forces and trends
influencing the future of workforce and workplace, technology, retail, housing, and transportation.
2-A. Collaborate with existing groups to address economic opportunities in the GSD through
study, advocacy, awareness, policy development, and strategic initiatives, all with an
orientation to expanded vitality and, especially, expansion of a welcoming and attractive
public realm.
2-B. Support training facilities, meeting places, and conferencing spaces in new development to
respond to anticipated workplace changes.
2-C. Examine and respond to changes in workplace development and technology that influence
zoning requirements, particularly related to parking requirements and the creation of
exterior “people spaces” related to a development’s anticipated population.
2-D. Promote, through zoning, the capacity for flexibility in the use of a building as uses,
technology, and occupancies change so that buildings can be built to serve multiple
generations of activities.
2-E. Support, when identified through valid study, the introduction of new uses, activities, and
facilities that deliver leading edge opportunities.
Health Care
Economic Vitality and Competitiveness Goal #3: Retain health care, medical facilities, and medical
technology as primary activities and will, where possible, expand those facilities to best serve the
community and the region.
3-A. Plan a health care district that offers Fairview Southdale Hospital and other health care
providers ample expansion opportunities and reasonable connections to amenities within
the district.
3-B. Link health care and wellness facilities to other destinations in the Greater Southdale District
with comfortable and convenient passages, allowing patients, visitors, and workers the
ability to move within the district without personal passenger vehicles.
3-C. Recognize the efforts of the Edina Chamber of Commerce to make Edina and the Greater
Southdale District a regional destination for health care and wellness.
3-D. Seek housing opportunities in the Greater Southdale District and community that respond to
the interests and financial capacity of workers at all levels of the health care and wellness
industry.
Learning and Entertainment
Economic Vitality and Competitiveness Goal #4: Include learning and entertainment activities that
catalyze new development and accommodate interests of a more diverse district and community
population.
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4-A. Create partnerships in the public and private sectors aimed at providing a greater range of
venues for conferencing, meeting, and training.
4-B. Track population changes with school officials to determine when a new learning venue
might be necessary, combining that opportunity with facilities offering lifelong learning for
Greater Southdale District residents and others.
4-C. Recognize the unique opportunity for the Greater Southdale District to accommodate
events, exhibitions, large gatherings of associations or industry groups, and cultural
activities.
4-D. Seek new or expand existing hospitality venues that respond to larger and extended period
gatherings.
4-E. Link venues for conferencing, meeting, and training to public or publicly-accessible spaces in
the Greater Southdale District within reasonable walking distances.
Mobility
Economic Vitality and Competitiveness Goal #5: Offer mobility hubs connecting to worker populations
and providing more robust connections within the district, i.e. embrace improved transit as part of
mobility modes as a competitive advantage.
5-A. Support development that recognizes the benefits of more transit-oriented patterns and
development characteristics.
5-B. Expand external and internal transit capacity serving the Greater Southdale District as part
of mobility hubs that are attractive, convenient, supportive of innovative trends, and
welcoming.
Economic Engine
Economic Vitality and Competitiveness Goal #6: Enhance the Greater Southdale District’s significance
to the Edina community as a center of jobs, retail opportunities and other services, and importantly, as
a vital part of the city’s tax base.
6-A. Invest in the public realm of the Greater Southdale District and its supporting infrastructure
in ways that promote its long-term economic vitality and its capacity to support services of
the city through a robust tax base.
6-B. Partner with the private sector to accommodate unique and “first step” developments that
are truly leading edge, innovative, and forward-looking and where the development is
crucial in establishing sequenced private investment beyond the first step.
6-C. Seek opportunities that re-establish the Greater Southdale District as a place of invention
and innovation, especially where those opportunities support a more vibrant, resilient, and
human-centered place.
6-D. Review ordinances, rules, and guidance on a regular basis to ensure direction and
requirements of the city reflect best practices of an evolving mixed-use district, and update
those directions as needed to maintain positive cycles of investment.
6-E. Support the creation of an association in the Greater Southdale District that encourages
major institutions, property owners, and business owners to work together, in collaboration
with the City of Edina, to navigate and shape forces of change.
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4.2 Urban Design
Overview
Community building involves balancing social, economic, and
environmental needs and priorities. Great communities are
designed and orchestrated so that individual private and public
developments work together to create cohesive blocks,
neighborhoods, districts, and memorable places. Urban design
direction, based on continual improvement of the daily
experience for residents, workforce, and visitors, produces
higher quality buildings that inspire, as well as parks, public
spaces, and movement corridors that all can enjoy, livable
neighborhoods, and a strong economy. Key to community
building in its fullest sense is a public realm that recognizes the
importance of the pedestrian, draws people together, and
creates social bonds.
This section of the Redevelopment Framework examines the
redevelopment changes over the last several decades in the
Greater Southdale District and provides urban design direction
to facilitate its transformation to a more human-scaled, active, and pedestrian-friendly environment that
is an extraordinary place and experience.
More specifically, this section of the Redevelopment Framework:
(1) Describes current built form and open space conditions of the larger District and the dominant
uses and other assets that define focus areas;
(2) Discusses the District design experience and how it is measured;
(3) Articulates an urban design strategy defined by two integrated and complementary urban
design policy parameters:
Districtwide Urban Design Framework which guides the overall structure of blocks,
movement patterns, and location of amenities and community facilities,
Design Experience Guidelines which apply guidance to building massing and heights,
site organization, materials, relationship between parcels, particularly neighboring
parcels, and public realm/streetscape experience.
(4) Outlines the need for a revised development dialogue and a more transparent, democratic, and
collaborative development review process; and
(5) Provides urban design goals and policies that set the broader directions and expected outcomes.
Definition: Urban design is how buildings and the spaces between them – open
spaces, parks and plazas, streets, sidewalks and walkways, bodies of water,
landscaping and trees, lighting and signage, public art, and other features – are all
designed together over time to create an attractive, accessible, coherent, convenient,
memorable, and safe place.
A high-quality public realm provides
gathering places for people to meet, greet,
and interact.
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Introduction
Over the past several decades, the Greater Southdale District has been evolving from the commercially-
focused regional center of a largely suburban single-family bedroom community into a multi-faceted
vertically mixed-use heart of Edina. To continue this evolution into a great urban place and to sustain its
economic health over the coming growth cycles, a number of urban design strategies are needed to shape
the District’s transformation into a more livable and memorable place.
Over the past fifteen years, the Edina Fall into the Arts Festival has been held along the brick paved
walkways at Centennial Lakes Park, bringing together thousands of residents and visitors.
The Greater Southdale District is changing without broad guidance to create a better place. A major thrust
of this Redevelopment Framework is to guide transformation of the District into a more human-scaled,
active, and pedestrian-friendly environment, and to change to patterns of development that can be
economically and physically sustained. Critical issues addressed in this Urban Design section include:
Strengthening the overall identity, livability, and vitality of the Greater Southdale District;
Improving the public realm, particularly streets, sidewalks, pathway spaces, and gathering
places, to form an inter-connected network;
Designing for super-block reintegration/reorganization towards a street grid pattern that is
more supportive of an engaging public realm;
Reinforcing (or in some cases, creating) the identity of areas and neighborhoods within the
District;
Addressing potential barriers that affect aesthetic qualities of the pedestrian experience;
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Defining the character of transitions between areas, new neighborhoods, and existing
neighborhoods within the District and along its periphery;
Pursuing infrastructure improving to enhance sustainability; and
Promoting design excellence to be more innovative, creative, and contextual.
Urban design objectives are interwoven throughout the District Plan’s Renew and Repurpose: Goal and
Policy Redevelopment Framework. Together, they speak to the role that design should play in shaping
the future of the District. The District Plan as a whole recognizes the power of good urban design to
transform and energize the District now and in future decades.
Current Conditions
At present, the design and development pattern of the Greater Southdale District is predominantly
organized around the car – commensurate with the 1950s-1980s era when much of it was first developed.
Blocks are very large, car use and storage are dominant, even in areas where there are sidewalks and
trails. Transit service exists, but the area is not oriented to fully capitalize on this advantage.
Furthermore, building and site design tends to locate large surface parking lots between the buildings and
fronting streets, rather than in more traditional urban patterns. There is little or no accommodation of
any movement except for cars. Pedestrians and bicyclists are relegated to secondary positions at best.
Focus Areas
The District Plan will build on and connect the District’s existing assets and use clusters, facilitating their
evolution into more definable neighborhoods based on new public realm infrastructure. The following
map graphic portrays the focus areas for evolution of neighborhoods within the Greater Southdale District
based on new public realm infrastructure.
This farmers’ market pavilion in Overland Park,
Kansas, brings together residents and visitors on
weekends.
This pedestrian-bike corridor in Vancouver,
Canada, joins a high-density residential village
to transit stops.
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Centennial Lakes Focus Area. The Centennial
Lakes area covers the mixed-use Centennial Lakes
development, as well as some potential
redevelopment areas nearby. Centennial Lakes
represents an early success in creating
development around a shared a high-quality
public park with a significant water feature.
Building and expanding upon this jewel of a park
is a distinct opportunity, and should be an
emphasis for new public and private initiatives.
The focus in this area will be on creating ground-
level pedestrian connections between existing
Centennial Lakes office and retail development to
potential new office development to the west, a
new shopping street to the north and residential to the east. Public realm development should create
easy and safe pedestrian connections between Centennial Lakes Park, across France Avenue to potential
new office and mixed-use development, and promote interconnections that support an integrated
live/work/play community. In addition, there should be a new continuous street between Minnesota
Drive and Hazelton Road, linking the district north to south, and setting the stage for a new entertainment
and shopping experience that supports the needs of a whole life community.
72nd Corridor Focus Area. The 72nd corridor is primarily
an existing retail commercial area with adjacent
residential uses. The focus for this area will be on
creating ground-level pedestrian connections between
existing residential neighborhoods and current and
future shopping districts –including a new pedestrian-
scaled shopping street. Public realm development
should create connections between Target and the
future shopping street and mixed-use development to
the south to improve the pedestrian experience from
north to south. Increase residential development within
this area and create safer pedestrian connections at
France Avenue, to existing neighborhoods to the west.
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Managing building scale in this part of the Greater Southdale District is critically important to creating a
comfortable and connected community.
Target / Galleria / South end of Southdale Focus
Area. This area covers much of the malls and
adjacent commercial development. The focus of
this character area will be on creating ground level
and second-level pedestrian connections between
new development to the west and south of Target,
the Galleria and Southdale Center. Public realm
development should create connections between
and within each of the shopping districts to
promote opportunities for reduced car use and
better interconnections to support both national
and local retailers.
North end of Southdale/Health-Medical
District/Northern Residential Focus Area. This
area covers the north of Southdale, the medical
facilities precinct including Fairview Southdale
Hospital, and the multifamily residential area. The
focus of this area is on creating ground level and
second-level pedestrian connections between
shopping, health, and residential areas, including
bridging across Highway 62 to link to Strachauer
Park. Public realm development should create
connections between and within shopping, health
and residential –improving safety and access –and
supporting a national trend to link primary
destinations to create a more livable community,
especially for aging populations.
The Design Experience
The places in which we live, work, and play are made up of choices and
decisions made about not only buildings, but also streets and parks and
green spaces, and how well they do or do not interact. Past choices and
decisions give our community its identity and give us a built and natural
environment, and are a starting point for what our community will
become.
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Public space is important to building community in every sense,
physically, socially, and economically. Historically, public space has been
a marketplace where goods and services were offered and exchanged, a
meeting place for people to meet, share information and hold important
events, and a thoroughfare space for access to and connections with
other uses and parts of a community. Of all the experiences a person has
in a community, the one that likely has the most significant attraction is
the opportunity to see, meet, and interact with other people in a high-
quality public space.
The 750-acre Greater Southdale District has evolved from primarily a
regional destination for shopping, to a mixed-use, car-oriented suburban
area with a sea of surface parking lots and ‘superblocks.’ This District
Plan, and accompanying Design Experience Guidelines, provide the
decision-making framework for using experience criteria and the
interrelationships of the District’s physical context to transform a place
that is oriented for cars to one that is designed for people. The Greater
Southdale Design Experience is one where residential, retail, office,
amenities, and transit and other mobility options are seamlessly
integrated into a unified community by a lively, green and beautiful
public realm.
Urban Design Strategy
Communities evolve through and with time. The layering and multiple hands can make communities rich
with a diversity of uses, buildings, spaces, and experiences. However, a community with inclusive and
enduring places requires a tolerant and inclusive governance, where diverse groups create and use
flexible mechanisms for resolving inevitable differences into physical places. This kind of community is
not a fixed entity, but rather it is a condition where the fragile balance between integrating and
disintegrating forces is maintained.
A strong collective spirit amongst all parties is required to guide land use and development change, to
renew, to repurpose, and to redevelop. This spirit requires an environment of trust and an open
regulatory process. As well, and critical, an urban design strategy is needed, a descriptive agenda that is
quality- and outcome-based, not simply dimensional, that allows for a range of solutions that are
architecturally diverse yet respectful of the overall context of neighboring sites and areas.
The Greater Southdale Work Group’s deliberations culminated in an urban design strategy that is
operationalized in a flexible decision-making framework that stimulates continuous adaptive activity
rather than a fixed set of rules that defy challenge. The urban design strategy is intended to inspire
creative interaction between development blocks and the public realm, with the public realm serving as a
pivotal organizational element. The Work Group’s over-arching objective is to maximize pedestrian
activity throughout the District, with the public realm as the connective tissue that gives the District its
unique identity and sets the stage for a remarkable daily experience for those who live, work, play within
the Greater Southdale District.
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The urban design strategy is organized into two components:
Districtwide Urban Design Policy Framework
Design Experience Guidelines
The Districtwide Urban Design Policy Framework describes and defines the urban systems that structure
the pattern of public and private land parcels, including access and movement, and addresses the
following:
200’ x 200’ Street Grid
Public Realm Connections, Community Amenities/Facilities, and Mobility Hubs
Gateways and View Corridors
Infrastructure as Public Amenity
Districtwide Urban Design Policy Framework
The 200’x200’ Street Grid
Recognizing that the pattern of superblocks exists largely in contrast to the intention of creating a more
walkable and pedestrian-scaled District, three distinct street grid patterns were assessed to inform what
the Greater Southdale District might use to create a more uniform and connected District. Small Portland
blocks (200’ x 200’) were compared to the long blocks of New York City (200’ x 600’) and the more-square
blocks of Minneapolis (350’ x 350’). The Work Group focused on Portland as a model because of
walkability and the scale of the buildings resulting from the 200-foot pattern on the building elevations
fronting the public realm. Further studies into the Greater Southdale District were analyzed in terms of
land ownership patterns, size of property and generally how connections could be made through the
superblocks. The 200’ x 200’ block system is viewed as more adaptable to a variety of site conditions and
existing parcel configurations, and it supports a more engaging public realm and increased opportunities
for a better community experience.
Establishing a working block and street grid was tested using three distinct city grids (left to right): Portland Pearl
District with its 200’ x 200’ blocks, New York City’s crosstown streets with their long rectangular blocks of 200’ x 600’,
and downtown Minneapolis with its 350’ x 350 square blocks.
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Figure 4.4– 200’ X 200’ Block Grid
Figure 4.4 illustrates how the basic principle of a 200’ x 200’
grid can be applied nominally on potential redevelopment
sites throughout the Greater Southdale District without
consideration of property lines. Land ownership/parcel size
patterns will influence the ultimate form of the grid,
rendering the grid to be generally 200-foot square blocks
but with plenty of blocks varying from that standard and
creating a richer pattern of blocks, spaces, and passages.
Considerations influencing block pattern:
Building scale
Public realm connections
Connections through blocks
Pedestrian-oriented street intersections
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Public Realm Connections, Community Amenities/Facilities, and Mobility
Hubs
Public Realm Connections and Gathering Spaces. One of the fundamental principles of the vision for
the Greater Southdale Area District Plan is to knit the District together through a new green and blue
network of ponds and waterways. The network should also include parks, pocket parks, plazas,
recreation areas, performance spaces, commons area, play areas, gardens, and nature areas. The
network should be integrated into both sides of a central spine that is connected to future waterways in
the 76th Street/77th Street corridor beginning near Fred Richards Park and Highway 100, Centennial
Lakes Park, the Promenade, and future linkages to and through the Galleria and through Southdale
Center. The public realm should include landscaped setbacks for buildings and “green streets” within
the new street grid.
With the 200’ x 200’ block grid as model for how development occurs, guiding the scale of buildings and
open space between buildings, it is important to establish a corresponding strategy to support the varied
activities of the community. See Figure 4.5.
Connections softened with greenery and trees provide a welcoming public realm.
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Figure 4.5: Concept Illustrating Potential Public Amenities and Mobility Hubs
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The strategy for providing public gathering space within the Greater Southdale District includes the
following:
Provide parks within a short walk of residents, workers and visitors alike. These green
spaces not only support the health of the community but also become the foundation of
common understanding of how individual needs are enhanced by a larger network of
green and blue space.
To support a rich daily experience, these gathering spaces should accommodate a range
of activities and activity levels—from casual walking to running to vigorous activity, or
simply sitting and people watching.
Public gathering space throughout the district should accommodate the full life of an
individual, making it possible for an individual to live a healthy, complete life without
leaving their community.
Where possible, integrate public art (either fixed or temporary) to enhance the cultural
experience.
Year-round programming of these public spaces can provide for greater variety of use and
an ever-changing experience.
Location of Community Amenities and Facilities. Community amenities and facilities—serving
educational, recreational, social and cultural needs— are envisioned to be located along key corridors
(the Promenade, major streets, and future connections to Fred Richards Park) as a way of shaping a
more connected and engaging experience throughout the district. The District is a large area and the
opportunity for various parts of the District to be characterized by unique community-focused features
adds identity and legibility. Figure 4.5 depicts a potential “necklace” of community-focused destinations.
Mobility Hubs. Bringing together different modes of travel – walking, transit, biking, and shared mobility
- and integrating the location with information technology to help travelers find, access, and pay for
transit and shared mobility services creates a mobility hub. Strategically locating mobility hubs at
gateways to the District (Southdale Center, Centennial Lakes and near Highway 100 in the 76th
Street/77th Street corridor), encourages people to access the heart of the district by modes other than
cars. A network of green, lined by community-focused destinations will create a diverse set of
opportunities for people to participate as a community across the Greater Southdale District.
Figure 4.5 depicts the location of mobility hubs overlaid on an amenities-location concept characterizing
the experience of having destinations and events that are easily accessible from the mobility hubs.
The red dots represent mobility hubs and the yellow circles represent ½ mile walking distance. The
intent of the Mobility Hub location is to encourage pedestrian to use the central-spine-like Centennial
Lakes Park and or the Promenade as the main corridor to get to events, shopping and home. For
residents, the experience of walking home should be the best part of the day, marked by a chance
encounter, a pickup game of basketball, or an early meal out. The same can be said for visitors arriving
at one the three Mobility Hubs: “It’s never too far to walk to where you want to go within the Greater
Southdale District!”
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Gateways and View Corridors
The Gateway experience is always the first impression of place, and should convey a strong sense of
arrival and identity. View corridors should function as an invitation to explore and to stay awhile.
In the Greater Southdale District, gateways lead to view corridors (see Figure 4.6). The experience of
the gateways and view corridors is shaped by several urban design elements including not only design of
the street itself, but as importantly the location and shape of buildings fronting on the street, creating
rooms.
The variety of elements that help create gateways, view corridors, and street rooms are
illustrated in these photos from Barcelona, Spain (top left), Columbus, Ohio (top, right),
Melbourne, Australia (bottom left), and Lower East Side in New York City (lower right).
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Figure 4.6: Concept Illustrating Gateways and View Corridors
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Infrastructure as Public Amenity
Understanding how infrastructure works—and what infrastructure can be—is an essential part of creating
a unique sense of place. When considering the possibility of adding, subtracting and/or adjusting streets,
open space and buildings, viewing infrastructure as an amenity becomes an important step in determining
a complete vision for the future of the Greater Southdale District.
The District’s streets and open spaces, both formal and informal, contribute to the experience of how
people live in and use these places. Each street, garden, courtyard, park, and building represent the
interconnectedness of a larger district. Each new development influences the other and influences the
overall structure of public rooms and the overall experience. Coupling new civic institutions like an art
center, bandshell, waterway, or pocket park with a new development demonstrates how important
public and community infrastructure can be integrated into the overall experience of the District.
Waterways. District waterways are a design feature intended to redefine the way stormwater is
managed throughout the Greater Southdale District. This is not a new idea. In the late 1980s the City
worked with a development team to transform a 100-acre gravel pit into Centennial Lakes, a
horizontally mixed-use project that includes a park and a 12-acre lake that manages stormwater for a
significant portion of the Greater Southdale District. Taking a more holistic view of this infrastructure
need throughout the district — creating a districtwide amenity, rather than addressing it on a site-by-
site basis—is a necessary step in unifying the overall experience of pedestrians and cyclists through
parks and along streets. See Figure 4.7.
Stormwater management systems in both Shingle Creek in Brooklyn Park and Tanner Springs Park in
Portland, Oregon are linked to pedestrian walkways.
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Figure 4.7: Concept Illustrating Existing and Potential Waterways
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While handling all stormwater on the surface is not possible from an engineering perspective, the
ultimate goal is to define the district by how the waterways are used and experienced throughout the
seasons, while at the same time, creating dynamic and engaging public spaces.
The new “blue” network will:
Manage stormwater runoff as a resource and amenity.
Provide landscapes, streetside planters, or swales that capture and to some degree treat
stormwater runoff.
Replenish groundwater supplies that feed fresh, cool water to rivers, waterways and
streams.
Reinforce place-making for individual sites.
Green Roofs, Green Streets. Beyond the environmental impact of incorporating green roofs and green
streets/ living streets as part of the overall development strategy for the Greater Southdale District,
these are also important components in the creation of a healthy, inviting and walkable district. The
following are examples of the benefits of requiring green roofs and green streets. New development and
redevelopment should incorporate these features as feasible and appropriate. See Figure 4.8.
This neighborhood in Tianjin, China, is interlaced with a network of pedestrian paths that connect with major circulation
arterials, and uses decentralized stormwater management swales, channels, and water features. The blue-green
infrastructure allows rainwater to be cleansed and infiltrated to the groundwater.
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Figure 4.8: Concept Illustrating Potential Green Roofs and Green Streets
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Green Roofs (roofs with a vegetated surface and substrate) provide:
Slower stormwater runoff
Better regulation of building temperatures
Reduced urban heat-island effects
Increased potential for urban wildlife habitat.
Green Streets (no cars between buildings):
Provide source control of stormwater to limit the transport of pollutants to stormwater
conveyance and collection systems
Restore predevelopment hydrology to the extent practicable
Create roadways that help protect the environment and local water quality
Create more walkable communities
Create active and attractive green people-oriented spaces that connect sub-districts
Living Streets:
Provide more transportation options for people
Reduce traffic congestion by introducing options for movement
Improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Create opportunities for active living and better health
Enhance community identity
Green Lid over Highway 62 to Strachauer Park. Bridging directly over Highway 62 with a green lid
connects the Greater Southdale District to Strachauer Park and its adjacent residential neighborhood,
with the lid as the center of the two districts. This design strategy will not only create a large public
space greater than the existing park, it can also sequester pollutants from the highway that impact
livability and health, while creating new development sites that can serve as expansion sites for the
nearly fully-developed and landlocked medical district, or residential development on the edge of the
lid, a new public realm amenity. See Figure 4.9.
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Figure 4.9: Concept for Green Lid Over Highway 62
With research pointing to the increase of pollution along freeway corridors, health is becoming a major
issue as communities consider opportunities to transform existing highway infrastructure. Highway 62
between Xerxes on the east and France on the north connects the two primary streets of France and
York through the district. The existing bridges are congested at peak times. And, the experience of
walking over the freeway is less than positive and does not support the goal of creating a more
pedestrian and livable community for the Greater Southdale District—inclusive of the neighborhoods
near the freeway.
In the existing Colony/Barrie Road neighborhood, properties facing and near Highway 62 are negatively
impacted by pollution and noise, decreasing the value of those properties and adversely affecting the
rest of the neighborhood. Fairview Southdale Hospital is an important institution for both Edina and the
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region, but it is land-locked between the Highway 62 and West 65th Street, posing problems for growth.
Access for patients and staff needs to be improved to reduce the number of cars to promote safety, and
impart a more pedestrian-friendly character to the medical zone.
Strachauer Park is a great resource for adjacent neighborhoods, however while it is a playground for
families, it is also noisy and subject to the potential impacts of pollutants from the nearby highway.
Because a lid would provide a landscape solution it offers a unique opportunity to define this district
with a more fluid pedestrian-focused and park-like experience. In addition to reinforcing the
neighborhoods on both sides of Highway 62 and connecting through Strachauer Park to neighborhoods
to the north, what is currently underutilized land along the freeway can be used for new development,
coalescing community identity and social support for many of the neighborhood’s aging residents.
Because of Fairview Southdale Hospital’s role in supporting new trends in more holistic healthcare, a
new linear park using the lid creates an opportunity for stronger connections to outdoor spaces and a
more expansive and healthy outdoor experience, increased recreational and related healthcare exercise
programs and a more integrated social life for north end of the Southdale District.
Design Experience Guidelines
The Design Experience Guidelines give direction for the final programming and design of private
development parcels and the public domain, and address the following:
Public Realm and Buildings: Connections and Infrastructure; Building Setbacks and Build-
to Lines; Landscaping and Paving; Building Massing and Heights
Street Rooms – Seams/Transitions: The geometry of the street in relation to the shapes
and scale of buildings; transitions between characteristics of sub-districts
Street Experience Guidelines - Streets and Street Grid: Street Typologies, each of which
has unique characteristics and roles in how it serves pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles
Building Form and Building Facades: Creating continuity of an active street experience
While not a prescription, the Design Experience Guidelines are framed to support consistent and elevated
experiences for people in the district. Where many guidelines are created for districts in an effort to
establish compatibility among development parcels, these guidelines strive to create compelling, safe,
and comfortable experiences for people as they move along public ways and past buildings. While a
necessary companion to the policies articulated in this plan, they are not rules (although some aspects
might someday become ordinances). Instead, they offer instruction relative to the creation of a place
founded on pedestrian-scaled experiences.
The Design Experience Guidelines are a separate and supporting document.
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The Design Experience Guidelines relate to the desired experience for people in the District. They
encourage the development of character-giving design features that are responsive to positive
qualities of site and context – the block, the street, the neighborhood, and the public realm.
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Development Review Process
In the Greater Southdale District, most development applications have involved complex projects
characterized by mixed-uses with multi-unit apartments at moderate- to high-densities. The developer
applications for approval often have involved re-zonings, Comprehensive Plan Amendments, Conditional
Use Permits, and nearly always Planned Unit Developments. The Planned Unit Development process is
used to encourage innovation in project design that cannot be achieved through traditional zoning,
particularly where that innovation benefits the community or the context of the proposed project. This
process involves discretionary review characterized by negotiation and collaboration.
Over the past ten years, experience with the current development review process, and its outcomes, with
respect to development proposals for the Greater Southdale District, has been fraught with frustration for
all participants (developers, architects, other real estate professionals, city staff, the Planning
Commission, the City Council, and the general public). Part of the frustration can be traced to the lack of
clarity and consistency between the policy direction in the current 2008 Comprehensive Plan and the
specifications in the Zoning Code. Also, much of the frustration is due to the sequential nature of the
review process characterized by a focus on critiquing a very specific development proposal for a specific
site with limited reference to potential contribution of the development to the larger 750+ acre Greater
Southdale District.
Another key issue related to the development review process is how to accommodate a growing
population in the Greater Southdale District while maintaining the high quality of amenities and
community services for those who live and work there already, as well as for the new residents,
employees, and visitors. One of the ideas developed by the Work Group was that there should be a “Give-
to-Get discussion between the developer and the City when either (1) the developer wanted certain
development features (such increased density or height) that required a Variances, Conditional Use
Permit, Planned Use Development, Comprehensive Plan Amendment, or a Rezoning or (2) the City
identified a problem or an opportunity that could be embraced related to the proposed development.
The Work Group believed that the unique challenges and opportunities in the Greater Southdale District
call for a targeted strategy and program of integrating “community benefit contributions” into the
development review process, thus enabling the construction of important physical and social
infrastructure as the District grows and matures. The Work Group also recognized that on-going
maintenance practices and costs are as important as the original design of public infrastructure and must
be accounted for to ensure long-term attractiveness of improvements.
Therefore, due to the complexities of redevelopment, its impact on social and physical infrastructure, and
the desire to create compelling pedestrian and public realm experiences, a new method of considering
growth and change is necessary.
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Urban Design Goals and Policies
These Urban Design Goals and Policies are intended to achieve the following outcomes:
The evolution of the Greater Southdale District into a more inclusive, functional, urban,
active and livable mixed-use area, unified through an enhanced pedestrian-oriented public
realm, harmoniously integrating new development with existing built and landscape context
with compatible transitions to adjacent neighborhoods, and
Higher-intensity, compact development patterns, and clustered destinations to (1) achieve a
high level of quality services and amenities, (2) make access by walking, wheelchair, transit,
and bicycle more practical, (3) reduce the amount of driving needed to get to services, and
(4) to encourage social interaction and healthy living.
The Project for Public Spaces found that successful public places share the following four qualities:
They are accessible; people are engaged in activities there; the space is comfortable and has a good
image; and finally, it is sociable: one where people meet each other and take people when they come
to visit.
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Pattern and Connectivity
Urban Design Goal #1: Support a vibrant public realm, foster a connected and accessible network for
pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit patrons, and encourage investment resulting in innovative
and enduring development patterns, buildings, and public and private spaces.
1-A. Require a pattern of 200-foot by 200-foot blocks as the base pattern of the District, with
variations determined by immediate context, as a way of creating vitality and the
potential for greater human interactions on
streets and as a means of managing intensity of
development in the District.
1-B. Encourage the creation of distinctive public and
private spaces, including green streets, parks and
plazas, highlighted gateways, and especially public
gathering spaces, as a means of establishing an
overall District identity.
1-C. Investigate the feasibility of a green lid over
Highway 62 connecting to Strachauer Park.
1-D. Focus development of blocks, neighborhoods
within the District, and Focus Areas on features
that give each an appropriate and unique identity
as a means of creating a coherent and navigable District.
1-E. Require development to establish appropriate transitions and proper merging of spaces
between buildings and parcels based on height, use, and intensity so that experience of
edges and boundary areas remains comfortable and harmonious at a human scale,
especially where those interfaces occur along publicly accessible ways.
1-F. Require that all site spaces are well-considered, that no “leftover” spaces result from
development, and that pedestrian experiences are considered first in the design of new
introductions to the District.
1-G. Focus on the public realm and pedestrian-scale experiences as the foundation for high
quality and artful site and building design, highlighted human activity, and enhanced
economic vibrancy.
1-H. Employ design guidelines generated from the perspective of human experience to frame
parameters aimed at human comfort, safety, and interest, and set baseline standards
and expectations that encourage use and activation of public realm spaces.
1-I. Require as a part of plan review the demonstration of the evolution of a new
introduction to the District with particular focus on the aging of building and site
materials and systems at 50 years following first occupation.
Scale and Form
Urban Design Goal #2: Utilize appropriately-scaled development and built form that adds vitality and
activity to the District to create inviting and comfortable human experiences, enduring buildings and
spaces, and a fitting sense of place.
2-A. Promote well-balanced aggregations of “come to” and stay at” on each block, in each
neighborhood, and within the District as a whole so that an active, linked and engaging
public realm results.
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2-B. Encourage redevelopment of low-intensity elements such as surface parking lots and 20th
century auto-oriented development, especially where those elements fail to fully interact
with the public realm of the District as a pedestrian scale.
2-C. Transition between uses, development intensities, and building heights using rational and
deliberate increments and in ways that result in places of abiding value.
2-D. Manage transitions between uses and intensities effectively, through landscaping, stepping
down of intensity, building form and height, buffers, screening, and other methods.
2-E. Require development to be well-connected to the public realm, with a main entry and as
many major entries as practicable oriented to a public way and with well-designed
pedestrian passages between those entries and the nearest public way.
2-F. Encourage the master planning of multi-building and large parcel development to
emphasize aesthetics and adjacent context compatibility in terms of building locations,
activities, circulation, landscaping, open space, storm drainage, and utilities.
2-G. Support emerging development patterns through flexibility in development regulations for
mixed uses and other development types.
Placemaking
Urban Design Goal #3: Offer thoughtful and intentional public spaces oriented to gathering and
resulting in a unique signature for the District and community.
3-A. Balance the attraction of Centennial Lakes through
the addition of a least one public community-
scaled space as a prominent feature along and
attached to The Promenade or its extension
northward.
3-B. Establish a pattern of public parks, passages, and
gathering spaces so that no person has to walk
more than five minutes to reach one of those
spaces.
3-C. Establish streets as great public spaces, enhancing the experience of those spaces for all
users and encouraging, as appropriate, the ways in which those spaces are used for events,
formal and informal gathering, and play.
3-D. Consider France Avenue, in its entirety, as Edina’s “main street” as it passes through or near
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several of the community’s most prominent neighborhoods and commercial districts.
3-E. Expand on the current offering of arts and cultural facilities and venues, leveraging private
and public investments to create more welcoming destinations for residents and regional
visitors.
3-F. Allow, with proper permissions and on a temporary basis, the expansion of uses into the
public realm where those uses serve to further activate the public realm.
3-G. Activate streets and sidewalks with temporary and phase uses that can catalyze future
public realm investment and expansion.
3-H. Consider transit centers to be full mobility centers, thresholds to the District’s pedestrian-
centered experience, not simply as glorified bus stops or parking reservoirs but as
intentional places of gathering and human use.
3-I. Integrate public art, water displays, and other features that might serve as highlights of a
public realm experience and serve as points of navigation through the District.
Connectivity, Accessibility, and Mobility
Urban Design Goal #4: Offer connectivity and accessibility that promotes health and active living and
supports multimodal transportation choices.
4-A. Encourage transit-supportive concentrations of housing, jobs, and shopping that establish
patterns of increased transit use, and advocate for expanded transit service to the District at
those concentrations reach appropriate levels.
4-B. Enhance crossing of major streets at intervals
reasonable to pedestrians.
4-C. Create comfortable, safe, and inviting passages for
pedestrians and, where appropriate, bicyclists
along streets and in paralleling public or publicly-
accessible spaces.
4-D. Manage and maintain pedestrian and bicycle
routes so they remain visible in all seasons.
4-E. Encourage the creation of arcades, overhangs, and
other protective features as part of buildings to encourage pedestrian activity in all weather.
4-F. Enhance links between activity centers and transit in ways that expand the use of
alternatives to cars. Anchor these links with green urban spaces.
4-G. Incorporate transit-, pedestrian-, and bicycle-supportive facilities and amenities within
building and site design.
4-H. Create or expand pedestrian and bicycle links to neighborhoods surrounding the District and
to other parts of the community, especially as roadways are rehabilitated or reconstructed.
Access vs Mobility
Urban Design Goal #5: Embrace major streets as community and gateway corridors, shifting from
through-vehicle dominance toward balancing the needs of all right-of-way users.
5-A. Demonstrate the necessary connections of District streets, particularly France Avenue, 66th
Street, and 76th Street, to other parts of the community for all modes of movement.
5-B. Recognize the gateway qualities of key corridors, especially France Avenue, York Avenue,
66th Street, and 76th Street, as transitions from other parts of the community, especially by
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relating changing patterns of development at those points of District entry and the
introduction of potentially more intensive pedestrian features and amenities.
5-C. Manage motorist behavior to create more comfortable conditions for nearby pedestrians by
introducing features that moderate speed, address conflicting turning movements, and
create a more pleasant motorist experience, even if the time required for motorist passage
through the District is increased.
5-D. Conduct a Living Streets audit of France Avenue, York Avenue, and 66th Street to access
current configurations and accommodations relative to related City policy.
5-E. Align transportation changes with urban design improvements, addressing pedestrian and
bicycle safety and comfort, responding to changing land use intensity and built form
context, and improving environmental sustainability.
Sustainability and Resilience
Urban Design Goal #6: Espouse sustainable, resilient, and innovative public spaces and private
development, adapting over time including the ability for adaptive reuse over time.
6-A. Encourage building designs that accommodate a range of uses during their service life,
adapting as the District evolves but retaining the core structure.
6-B. Support new development and its related infrastructure that captures, reuses, or deploys
energy, water or waste in new and more efficient ways, even as that infrastructure begins to
occupy public rights-of-way.
6-C. Expect building and related spaces to endure, with future evolutions allowing new uses
without major reconsideration of the building’s shell by requiring development proposals to
demonstrate as part of plan review the conditions and potential use of the building 50 years
after first occupation.
6-D. Respond to climate trends with features that accommodate increase rainfall in character
with the District while protecting private uses to the greatest degree practicable.
6-E. Encourage the expansion of transit within and to/from the District as a means of reducing
the need for and impacts of personal passenger vehicles.
Audit of intersection features in Chicago (Source: Chicago Department of Transportation)
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Innovation
Urban Design Goal #7: Reflect the Greater Southdale District heritage of innovation in new public and
private introductions.
7-A. Consider every new public and private introduction as an opportunity to explore the
potential for the next significant invention or innovation, particularly where those actions
enhance the experience of the District.
7-B. Respond to changing patterns of automobile ownership and use in the guidance and rules
used to direct development in the District.
7-C. Reflect the principles and successes of now-significant District features – Southdale Center
Mall, Centennial Lakes, Edinborough – in its future development.
Development Review
Urban Design Goal #8: Guide the design and function of new introductions to the Greater Southdale
District through a process characterized by trust, mutual learning, and exploration of possibilities, and
defined by dialogue that is transparent, democratic, and collaborative, all leading to development
intended to resonate with developers and residents.
8-A. Emphasize the Sketch Plan component of the development review process as one focused
on dialogue and interaction, not presentation and reaction at all levels by limiting the scope
of submittals.
8-B. Institute land use guidance offering the greatest capacity to review new introductions based
on their individual contexts, especially where new introductions occur proximate to single-
family homes or low-density residential zoning districts or when projects require
discretionary approvals.
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8-C. Update the development review processes and regulations to promote a higher level of
predictability and certainty for new development through clear and objective standards,
while also providing discretionary review with reference to design experience guidelines as a
way to facilitate flexible and innovative approaches to meet requirements.
8-D. Adopt Design Experience Guidelines with development standards for the design and
configuration of buildings including building form, facades, heights, setbacks/build-to lines,
stepbacks, frontages, landscape/open space requirements, pedestrian orientation, and
connections, impacts on adjacent and nearby properties, and relationships to gateways and
view corridors, as well as to roads, parks, and other infrastructure development.
8-E. Consider application of a community benefits review for new introductions, including
contributions from new development to offset costs of providing new residential and non-
residential users with new public assets, especially parks and public spaces, including
consideration of whether developments should be granted concessions for providing
needed new public facilities directly.’
District Management
Urban Design Goal #9: Perpetuate the Greater Southdale District by close and consistent attention to
the public realm and the needs of people living or working in or visiting the District.
9-A. Investigate the need for and feasibility of a mechanism to augment the City of Edina
maintenance and enhancement of public rights-of-way and the public realm.
9-B. Consider methods of enhancing District hospitality and safety, advocating for aesthetic
improvements, and promoting and expanding District business activity and public events.
Sketch Plans:
A revised Sketch Plan scope should give consideration to limiting submittals to:
Site Plan demonstrating relationships to District features and adjacent and nearby parcels;
Street level floor plan(s) addressing interactions with the street and public realm spaces;
Plans and other illustrations depicting public or publicly-accessible spaces proposed as part of the project;
Cross-sections demonstrating relationships of uses and forms at key locations within the site and,
especially, at locations that demonstrate connections to adjacent and nearby parcels;
Elevations demonstrating key form relationships and, especially, ways in which the proposed building
interacts with the public realm;
Conceptual approaches to accommodating water use, waste generation, energy utilization, and
stormwater accommodation, particularly where new or innovative approaches might be proposed;
Development program descriptions highlighting general intentions for use and activity proposed for the
project
Accommodation of personal passenger vehicles, shared vehicles, and building services, including patterns
of circulation that show precedence for pedestrian movements
Alternative configurations that might be considered to achieve greater community benefits, improved
design, or enhanced function; and
A diagram describing benefits of the proposed project for the community that might be achieved in each
configuration.
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4.3 Land Use
Overview
The land use element section of the Redevelopment Framework provides direction for the type,
location, and intensity of development within the Greater Southdale District. Working in close
coordination with urban design and other elements, it is intended to move the district from a collection
of largely single-use properties to an integrated mix of uses that create distinct places and systems. The
Plan’s guidance for uses is intentionally flexible, to allow the combination of the right elements that fit
the place, context, and vision for development.
However, land use also needs to be developed within context, since development with likely occur
incrementally. This includes consideration of thoughtful transitions between areas of different use,
scale, and intensity.
This section of the Redevelopment Framework:
(1) Includes a history of major development projects that were precedent-setting and catalytic for
the district.
(2) Provides an overview of existing land use and property conditions within the district, setting the
context for development.
(3) Discusses a range of challenges, trends, and opportunities related to land use and development
in the district.
(4) Provides mapping and text guidance for future land use and transition zones.
(5) Identifies goals and policies for land use and development.
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History of Greater Southdale
The history of land use in Edina has notable
regional and national significances. The eyes of
the nation were upon Edina in 1956 when
Southdale Mall opened. Lauded as “The
Splashiest Center in the U. S.,” by Life and a
“pleasure-dome-with-parking,” by Time, the
development initiated the double store anchor
concept, a radical departure from traditional
merchandising, which saw only the
competitive impact and not the synergistic
potential of two large stores selling similar
goods in close proximity. This concept, offering
a retail mix in a single development to act as a
strong magnetic force, was highly successful
and was duplicated in thousands of malls
worldwide.
Beyond being a triumph of “cooperative
capitalism,” Southdale represented a
breakthrough in technological innovation.
Retailing had formerly been hampered by the
inability to adjust the climate to enable
shopping year-round. To address this issue,
Southdale was constructed with a massive
heat pump, the largest in the world at the
time, to maintain a constant indoor
temperature of 72 degrees. Donald Dayton,
one of Southdale’s department store
presidents, said “We plan to make our own weather at Southdale. Every day will be fair and mild.”
This shift was not simply a change in retail format. It was a fundamental alteration of the retail
development model that sought to include different land uses within a single domain. Victor Gruen, the
Austrian émigré architect of Southdale, pulled as much park, street, and community life as economically
feasible into the large enclosed space where the pedestrian experience reigned. The mall was constructed
with two stories to shorten walking distances and an open garden court to facilitate a pleasant walking
experience.
Southdale is now over fifty years old. Victor Gruen’s vision of mixing uses on a single property has been
refined to include the vertical mix of uses. The significance of mixed-use development lies in its ability to
create synergies between different land uses. The benefits are many: different land uses can reinforce
one another, reduce vehicle trips, and inject more community life into commercial areas. When
residential is nearby, there is a built-in market for the retail.
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History of Centennial Lakes/Edinborough
In more recent years, the Greater Southdale
District has continued some of the themes of
unique and innovative mixed-use concepts
that create mutually beneficial relationships
between uses – and appealing places that
draw people and investment.
In 1980, the City (in partnership with
architects and developers) undertook a 26-
acre mixed-use development called
Edinborough, on a portion of an abandoned
gravel mine site. The intent, according to an
Urban Land Institute report, was to create a
“high-density, auto-free community where
young people can afford housing in the Twin
Cities most expensive suburb, where senior
citizens can live quietly and yet have access to
activity, where medium sized professional
firms can find first-class office space attached
to unusual public amenities, and where
everyone can enjoy recreation year-round,
irrespective of Minnesota’s sometimes harsh
climate.” The project was the first of its kind in
the Twin Cities, and required close
coordination and somewhat of a “leap of
faith” for financial backers. The resulting project includes apartments, condominiums, office space, hotel,
structured parking, and both indoor and outdoor park space. Densities were planned and built with the
intention of being transit supportive, as well as pedestrian oriented and walkable. Main elements of the
project were complete by the late 1980’s.
On a much larger scale, the Centennial Lakes/Edinborough area also represents an innovative approach to
synergies between different land uses and shared public spaces. The Centennial Lakes area started as a
former gravel pit, which was purchased by United Properties in 1988. In a coordination with the City of
Edina, a master site plan for the 100-acre site was developed which included retail, entertainment,
residential, office space, and parkland.
Working with a series of private developers, United Properties oversaw the buildout of the project over
the following 15 years, with the construction largely complete by 2000. Together, this space provides both
an economic hub, a community gathering place, and a service center for residents and workers. The site is
organized around a large water feature, serving both as a distinctive amenity for the area, as well as
district stormwater management. The vision for this mixed-use district was ahead of its time in terms of
an approach to master planned suburban redevelopment, and has created a unique and valued place that
has stood the test of time.
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Current Conditions
Existing Land Use
Figure 4.10 shows the existing land uses in the Greater Southdale study area. The existing land pattern is
composed primarily of superblocks with an assortment of uses – mostly multifamily residential,
commercial, or office. In a few areas there are newer buildings with a mix of uses, such as ground floor
retail in a multifamily building, reflecting the priorities of the previous comprehensive plan to create more
interaction between uses. However, the predominant pattern is still auto oriented in terms of layout and
scale, limiting bicycle and pedestrian circulation and activation of the street.
Conditions around perimeter of the study area vary. In Edina and Richfield, they are predominantly single-
family neighborhoods. In Bloomington, they are mostly commercial and industrial areas. The multifamily
areas in Greater Southdale mostly are adjacent to surrounding single family residential neighborhoods,
though there are adjacencies between surrounding residential and commercial as well.
There are around 850 acres of land within the Greater Southdale District study area, 76th Street/77th
Street corridor extending westward towards Highway 100 which was added later in the Work Group study
process. Table 4.1 shows the proportion of each existing land use in the area. The largest category is
commercial/industrial land, which comprises over half of the total acreage.
Table 4.1: Greater Southdale District Existing Land Use
Land Use Acres Percentage
Single Family Detached 15 2%
Single Family Attached 25 3%
Multifamily 162 19%
Retail and Other Commercial 226 26%
Office 242 28%
Mixed-use Residential 15 2%
Mixed-use Industrial 9 1%
Mixed-use Commercial 27 3%
Industrial and Utility 22 3%
Institutional 39 5%
Park, Recreational, or Preserve 34 4%
Major Highway 16 2%
Undeveloped 13 2%
Open Water 13 2%
Total 857 100%
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Figure 4.10: Existing Land Use
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Building Size and Height
The Greater Southdale District contains the tallest buildings in the city, and among the taller ones in the
Southwest Metro. It’s notable that there was a significant gap in the construction of these structures –
with an initial wave in the 1970’s, then nothing of that scale until the past 10 years. The more recent
activity reflects the City’s vision in the previous comprehensive plan, which supports the benefits of
growth and density, as well as changing market conditions.
Table 4.2: Greater Southdale Buildings With 10+ Stories
Property Stories Feet Year Built Units
The Westin Edina Galleria & Residences 18 236 2008 76
Edinborough Park 18 195 1987 203
Edina Towers 17 174 1971 194
Durham Apartments 13 134 1979 264
Point of France 14 129 1976 141
One Southdale Place 10 117 2014 232
Yorktown Continental Apartments 12 119 1972 264
The tallest buildings in the area aren’t necessarily the densest in terms of residential units per acre. This is
due in part to the fact that many of the taller buildings were designed with surface parking and extensive
open space, which decreases overall density. Instead, the densest ones tend to be buildings with higher
lot coverage and structured parking. Buildings with higher lot coverage tend to contribute to a walkable
environment, particularly with an active street frontage.
Property Ownership and Value
Figure 4.11 shows property ownership patterns in the Greater Southdale District, calling out larger
groupings of properties that are under a shared ownership as well as generally what properties are in
public or private hands. There is a relatively small amount of publicly owned land in this area, including
the County library, some park areas and trail corridors, and public utilities. Most land is held individually,
although ownership under limited liability company (LLC) structures can make it difficult to determine if
there is common ownership.
Figure 4.12 shows the ratio of building to land value and Figure 4.13 shows the ratio of land value to total
value of properties in the study area based on assessed values. When the value of this ratio for a property
approaches 1.0 (i.e., land is an increasingly large percentage of the total value) there is often the
economic incentive for redevelop, based on a higher value building and use that could be placed there. As
shown, properties with higher land-to-value ratios are predominantly 1-2 story commercial
developments, frequently with large surface parking lots. These sites may be targets for redevelopment,
although this could be outweighed by strong performance of rental income from existing businesses – or
limitations on the scale of development that make redevelopment less economically appealing. While this
is one potential indicator of sites that are ripe for redevelopment, there are several other factors which
contribute to the decision to redevelop a site.
The City of Edina completed a tax analysis in 2018, looking at market value and tax capacity by acre
citywide. The analysis showed that many of the highest-ranking parcels in terms of value per acre in Edina
are in the Greater Southdale District and the 50th & France area. This is true for both tax capacity and
market value per acre.
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Figure 4.11: Property Ownership Patterns in Greater Southdale District
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Figure 4.12: Edina Building to Land Market Value Ratio
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Figure 4.13: Land Value to Total Value Ratio
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Property Age and Condition
Figure 4.14 shows building age. Compared with the city as a whole, the Greater Southdale District is one
of the more recently developed areas. Overall, most development in the district followed construction of
Southdale Mall in the 1950s, with the bulk being constructed after that point. The ongoing use of a gravel
pit and the presence of wetlands delayed the development of this area until then.
The following graphic demonstrates the transformation that occurred between 1953 and 1993, as shown
on USGS maps for the area. In addition to the buildout of structures within the Greater Southdale District,
the maps show the development of the road network including the regional highways serving the area.
Consistent with the post-WWII timing of this development, the district developed with a more suburban
and large block pattern, compared to the more traditional grid pattern of older neighborhoods to the
north and east.
As buildings in the district age, significant investment is needed to ensure they are still in good condition
and suitable for ongoing use. This may take the form of maintenance, renovation, or replacement.
Building condition is an indicator of the status of this property in terms of maintenance and integrity.
Figure 4.15 shows property condition, based on a rotating assessment done by the City. This is a general
evaluation based primarily on the exterior of the property, and does not include an in-depth internal
inspection of buildings. As a result, it provides only a high-level assessment of the property condition, and
is subject to change based on more thorough inspections. According to this assessment, most commercial
properties in the Greater Southdale District are identified as excellent or good condition, and most
residential properties are classified as average. Only a few are classified as below average condition.
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The 1953 map shows the vast unbuilt Greater Southdale District with gravel pits in the southern portion. The 1993 map
depicts Highway 62 on the north and I-494 on the south, and the building footprints of the car-centered Southdale Center
Mall and other suburban style developments that responded to the building of the freeways.
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Figure 4.14: Building Age
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Figure 4.15: Building Condition
Condition based on rotating property assessment conducted by the City of Edina
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Recent and Proposed Development
Table 4.3 lists major new construction projects in the Greater Southdale District that were permitted
from 2006-present. This does not include retrofits and renovations of existing structures.
Table 4.3: Major New Construction Projects in Greater Southdale, 2006-Present
Address Name Description Year
3210 Galleria Galleria Parking Ramp Parking ramp 2006
7000 York Ave S Target Large retail store 2006
3201 Galleria The Westin Edina Galleria Hotel (165 rooms), condos (76 units),
parking ramp
2006
3212 Galleria Tunnel Underground pedestrian tunnel 2007
3503 Galleria Crate & Barrel Retail store 2007
3825 Gallagher Dr Centennial Shops Shopping center 2008
3121 69th St W York Place Apartments Apartment building (115 units) 2008
4010 65th St W Twin Cities Orthopedics 4-story medical office 2009
3451 Parklawn Ave York Gardens 4-story senior living (76 units) 2010
6905 York Ave S CVS Retail store 2011
7401 France Ave S Whole Foods Grocery store 2011
6996 France Ave S Vitamin Shoppe/Ameritrade Retail/office building 2012
7171 France Ave S Lunds & Byerlys Grocery store 2013
6800 York Ave S One Southdale Place 3-10 story apartments building (232
units)
2013
6401 France Ave S Fairview Hospital OR 90,000 sf addition to hospital 2013
6544 Drew Ave S Parking Ramp 4-5 level parking ramp 2014
3655 Hazelton Rd Think Mutual Bank Bank 2014
6565 France Ave S Southdale Medical Center 4-story medical office 2014
3210 Southdale Cir Taco Bell Restaurant 2014
7121-61 France Ave S 71 France 5-7 story apartment building (265 units)
with retail
2015
6725 York Ave S Onyx Apartments 6-story 244-unit apartments with retail 2015
6500 France Ave S Aurora on France 5-story senior living (195 units) 2015
7141 York Ave S Yorkshire of Edina 4-story assisted living (96 units) 2015
6868 France Ave S Merrill Lynch Retail store 2016
3330 W 66th St 66 West/Beacon Housing 39 units for homeless young adults 2017
6600 York Ave S Homewood Suites 146-room hotel 2017
6600 France Ave S The Avenue on France Medical/office/hotel/residential 2018
7151 York Ave S Continental Gardens 100-unit senior housing addition 2018
6801 France Ave S Restoration Hardware 58,000 sf store and restaurant 2018
250 Southdale Center Lifetime Fitness 185,000 sf fitness and retail 2018
4000 Hazelton Road Hazelton Road Apartments 186 unit multifamily 2018
66th & Xerxes Millennium at Southdale 375 units multifamily (2 phases) 2018
Source: City of Edina
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In the past couple years, there have been many additional projects proposed, often of a similar type to
what has already been constructed. One of the challenges has been that some of potential
redevelopment projects being proposed are not currently aligned with adopted City policy, and have
therefore not been approved.
Housing
Context
The Greater Southdale District has an important role to play in accommodating expected housing
growth. Already an area characterized by high density residential and mixed-use development, it is
guided for additional infill development of a similar or higher intensity. The presence of jobs, retail and
services, transit, and public amenities means this area contains the elements for a complete community,
which can leverage these advantages for a convenient and accessible lifestyle for a range of household
types.
Affordable housing is a necessary component of the housing mix. This is especially true given the
demographic future of Greater Southdale. The expected growth in the senior population and the desire
to attract young workers and families both point to the need to have more affordable housing, including
options for those that might choose to move here from other parts of the community. Supporting the
vision of an Edina where residents can find housing options at all life stages will require a deliberate
approach to affordability. The Metropolitan Council has given Edina an affordable housing goal of more
than 800 additional units by 2030.
While there is a strong market for market-rate housing, constructing and maintaining affordable housing
in Greater Southdale remains a challenge due to high land and construction costs. Nevertheless, there
are a few existing subsidized affordable housing developments, including:
South Haven, 3400 Parklawn Avenue – 100-unit senior apartments
Yorkdale Townhomes, 76th Avenue W – 90-unit family townhomes
Yorktown Continental, 7151 York Avenue S – 264-unit senior apartments
This supply of 454 units represents over 80 percent of all subsidized affordable units in Edina (around
560 units total). In addition, there are some “naturally occurring” affordable units, defined as housing
that is priced below market rates but not subsidized to remain at that level. These units may be
occurring because some housing stock is older, more modest in design and amenities, and/or not fully
maintained and updated. One example of this is the moderately priced condominiums in The Colony
development at the northern end of the district.
Approach
In 2015, the City adopted an affordable housing policy, which required developers of projects with 20 or
more housing units to dedicate resources to affordable housing – either through constructing units or
dedicating funds to a City fund. Recent market rate development in Greater Southdale has directed
millions of dollars to the fund, though new units are still to be located.
In addition to incorporating affordable units as part of new development in the district, preservation of
existing affordable units is also an important goal. This could take the form of needed renovations to
currently subsidized units, and/or securing the affordability of existing naturally occurring affordable
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units. Considering the cost of new construction, preservation of affordability may be a more cost-
effective goal – though both are important.
Health Care
The Greater Southdale District is a local and regional destination for health care, anchored by Fairview
Southdale Hospital, a full-service 390-bed acute care center in existence since 1965, with a variety of
nearby clinics and wellness centers. In total over 20% of the jobs in the district are in health services.
This industry is the largest employer in Greater Southdale, surpassing even retail and far exceeding its
average wages. This long-standing presence is an important asset to the community. A recent 90,000
square foot addition and renovation of Fairview Southdale’s operating room facilities demonstrates the
hospital’s investment in and commitment to the district.
The vision for Greater Southdale is one that promotes a holistic view of health and wellness – including
physical, social, mental, and environmental health. This goes to the heart of the matter for creating a
complete community that nurtures all aspects of an individual’s wellbeing. Intentionally designed
community with public spaces, connections and a thoughtful mix of uses can provide opportunities for
aspects of a healthy lifestyle:
Active living such as walking or bicycling
Meaningful social interaction in public spaces
Convenient access to healthy foods
A healthy environment, with clean water and air
Access to health care services
Supporting these opportunities has been a consistent theme throughout Greater Southdale’s history, as
well as its vision for the future. Due to the strong auto orientation of the district, however, the potential
for these elements has not yet been fully realized.
Office and Retail
It is anticipated that the Greater Southdale District will continue to serve as a regional destination for
retail and office uses. More context for this is addressed in the following trends and challenges
discussion and in the 4.1 Economic Vitality and Competitiveness section.
Trends and Challenges
Future of Retail
In the past, the Greater Southdale District has been a major innovator in retail. With the construction of
the nation’s first modern indoor suburban mall, the area created an often-replicated model for a retail
destination arranged around a shared community space. While the original vision was never fully realized,
it undeniably broke new ground and set the precedent for many years to come.
Retail is again at the crossroads, and there is once more an opportunity to use innovation to move
forward. Some concepts are based on time-tested ideas about great places from the past – such as
creating a walkable, pedestrian-scale environment. However, there are some unknowns too, including
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how technology and new behavioral patterns can and should influence retail and the design of spaces for
retail and mixed-use.
Future of Workplaces
While retail is closely associated with the Greater Southdale District identity, it is also a major office and
medical employment area. As with retail, workplaces are changing – with more focus on creating quality,
amenity-rich areas that attract and retain workers. With the innovations of the Centennial Lakes
development, this area was an early innovator in terms of creating some of the elements of this type of
place. There is an opportunity go further to produce places with activity and vibrancy that appeals to
workers, with the intention of attracting and retaining talent. While the private sector plays an important
role, the City of Edina can also be a leader in the provision of these kinds of places through targeted
policies and investments.
Making Experience Primary
Both the futures of retail and workplaces point toward a strong focus on experience - creating places that
are unique and appealing to residents, workers, customers, and visitors. From the planning perspective,
this means increased emphasis on designing and maintaining a high-quality public realm, including
connectivity and accessibility.
Innovations in the development of the public realm for Southdale Mall and Centennial Lakes created
some successful elements in the past, although there is an opportunity to go farther at the district scale
rather than individual development sites. The goal is to create a distinct sense of place, with identity and
continuity of experience.
Future of Transportation
Multimodal transportation is an important consideration in Greater Southdale. Currently served by
several bus routes, the district continues to be a major destination in the regional transit network. There
has been discussion of additional route modifications to provide more circulation within the district itself.
Additionally, bicycle and pedestrian improvements may increase the number of short trips done without a
vehicle, mitigating traffic congestion and increasing street activity.
While there is no current plan for transitway investments in the Greater Southdale District, increased
development of the area will need more extensive transit service to mitigate increases in traffic on a
constrained roadway network. Achieving transit supportive densities and concentrations of jobs and
housing units will ensure future transit service is successful and can be provided on convenient and
frequent enough basis to make it a viable transportation alternative.
In addition, changes in how people travel (both present and future) will need to be addressed. In the short
term, there is the need to address increased use of shared vehicles (such as Lyft and Uber), and an
increase in delivery services. Longer term, the district may need to address such things as autonomous
vehicles and drone flights. These changes could have a major impact on parking demand in the long term,
which could greatly change the allocation of space within the district.
The land use plan for the Greater Southdale District has an established context relative to access and/or
lack of connection to other similar uses and experiences. This concept places transit centers (with
associated public parking) at district gateways or near freeway access points to help divert vehicular
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traffic from the heart of the district. These transit centers are logical places for ‘mobility hubs’ for
ridesharing services such as Uber or Lyft. Some uses, such as office, healthcare and retail, may be
clustered around these transit centers because they are destinations for visitors from throughout the
region, while other uses – such as housing – are adjacent to existing residential uses and shared assets
that correspond to a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the location of transit centers near access points to the
central spines – the Promenade, Centennial Lakes and Fred Richards Park -- encourages pedestrians to use
these pathways as the primary corridors to travel to events, shopping and home.
Demographic Changes
This area has benefitted from competitive advantages associated with its ability to attract and retain an
educated workforce, as both residents and employees. However, as demographic changes happen, it will
need to continue to adjust to new realities and opportunities.
The predominant demographic trend impacting this area is the continued aging of the population. This
area already has a concentration of senior and assisted living facilities. This emphasis is likely to continue,
potentially with additional housing, and related services that cater to these residents.
On the other hand, there is an interest in appealing to young professionals. Millennials have shown an
interest in being in active urban environments, with walkability and transit access. They are also more
diverse than previous generations, so may bring additional needs and preferences. Attracting and
retaining these young workers will be key to the long-term vitality of this area, as well as Edina overall.
Housing Affordability
Related to demographic changes is the large and growing need for affordable housing in this area, and in
Edina and the region overall. Edina has traditionally been a high land value area, making the construction
of affordable housing units challenging without direct subsidy. The City’s 2015 affordable housing policy
has begun to address this, though there still are issues finding viable development sites for affordable
units within the city. The Greater Southdale District, with its higher intensity land use guidance and transit
access, is a likely location for a number of new units. Challenges remain regarding efficiently using
resources to promote the retention and expansion of affordable housing options, given the high costs of
land and construction in this area.
While much of the new housing will likely be high density multi-family, there should also be consideration
of “missing middle” housing types – that is, smaller scale multi-family that provides a transition between
single family and high density, in terms of both the housing market and built form. This may particularly
be appropriate in areas adjacent to existing low density residential neighborhoods that border the
Greater Southdale District in some places. It may also provide an affordable option for residents, though
the pricing is likely to vary by development type and location.
Incremental Development
As a fully developed area, the Greater Southdale District will most likely see redevelopment in the form of
incremental private sector investments in individual properties. This means that careful coordination will
be needed to ensure continuity and connectivity of improvements to the public realm.
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Future Land Use
The future land use plan is shown on Figure 4.16. The vision for this area includes dynamic streets,
engaging parks and public spaces, and well-conceived and enduring buildings. It embraces managed
change, innovation, and the creation of extraordinary places. In the case of land use, this means:
Creating an overall framework for the area that organizes activity into a series of smaller,
interconnected sub-districts linked by an exceptional public realm.
Including a mix of uses within sub-districts that supports the area’s function and provides
needed services for residents and workers.
Organizing sub-districts around focal points of visible human activity and public spaces that
encourage walking and bicycling.
Encouraging the location of higher intensity uses along transit corridors, to support better
accessibility for residents and workers.
Allow for innovation in flexibility in building use, layout, and design to accommodate
changing demands for space – and enable adaptive reuse in the future as needs change.
Managing transitions in land use and intensity where needed.
While the Districtwide Urban Design Policy Framework (in section 4.2 Urban Design) describes the
systems that structure the pattern of public and private land parcels, including access and movement,
the future land use plan focuses on land use and intensity of development.
The future land use categories used here are largely consistent with those in the city’s overall
comprehensive plan, as amended. It is important to note that land use categories are not zoning districts
— they are broader and more long-term in scope. The land use plan and the zoning ordinance should be
consistent with one another, but are not identical. Each land use category may be implemented through
more than one zoning district, allowing for important differences in building height, bulk and coverage in
different areas of the city. Some revisions to existing zoning districts or creation of new districts may
ultimately be needed as part of the implementation of the land use plan.
Land uses are characterized primarily by range of densities or intensities. For residential uses, density is
defined in terms of dwelling units per net acre (exclusive of road rights-of-way and public lands). This
future land use plan contains expected ranges of unit densities by land use classification. It should be
noted that these ranges are approximations, based on anticipated development type, that are used
primarily to determine infrastructure needs in support of development. The actual units per acre in
individual developments (existing and planned) may be lower or higher than the range given.
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Residential
The most central primarily residential area of Greater Southdale is guided for Greater Southdale District
Residential (GSDR). This is defined as higher density than High Density Residential, potentially with
more compact buildings, structured parking, and a stronger focus on transit supportive densities. This
designation district may include some mixed-use elements compatible with residential development,
such as small-scale retail, services, and institutional uses. The estimated residential density range is 50-
100 units per acre.
Consistent with the overall vision for the area as a walkable and vibrant community, guidance for future
residential uses in Greater Southdale includes High Density Residential (HDR), defined as concentrated
multi-family residential development. This may include some mixed-use elements, such as retail, office,
service, or institutional uses that are complementary and may serve residents’ needs. Housing is
expected to include a mix of ownership and rental options. Estimated density range is 20-60 housing
units per acre.
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Greater Southdale District has a small amount of existing Low Density Residential (LDR), Low Density
Attached Residential (LDAR) and Medium Density Residential (MDR), which consists of single family
and small-scale multi-family development. While there are other ways to make the transition between
use and scale in the district, their presence provides a transition from the district scale down to that of
surrounding neighborhoods. While it is expected that these may stay for the time being, at some point
in the future they may transition to HDR as part of a redevelopment project. The densities for these are
consistent with the overall comprehensive plan.
Credit: Opticos Design, Inc.
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Non-Residential and Mixed-use
The commercial core of the Greater Southdale District, including the Southdale and Galleria malls and
commercial areas to the east and south, is a designated Community Activity Center (CAC). This is the
city’s most intense district in terms of uses, height and coverage. Primary uses include retail, office,
lodging, entertainment, and multifamily residential uses, with mixed-uses being generally preferred.
Secondary uses include institutional and recreational uses. The estimated residential density range is 90-
150 units per acre.
The area in and around Fairview Southdale Hospital is a Regional Medical Center (RMC). This includes
hospitals, medical and dental offices and clinics, and laboratories for performing medical or dental
research, diagnostic testing, analytical or clinical work, having a direct relationship to the providing of
health services. General office uses are permitted. Residential uses are allowed, but only for senior and
affordable housing. The estimated residential density range is 50-100 units per acre.
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Office-Residential (OR). This mixed-use district forms transitional areas along major roadways such as
France Avenue, and is located between higher-intensity districts and residential districts. Many existing
commercial areas are anticipated to transition to a more mixed-use character. Primary uses in this
district are offices and multifamily housing. Secondary uses include smaller scale retail and service uses
(not including “big box" retail). The estimated residential density range is 20-75 units per acre.
Major parks and protected open space are designated as Parks and Public Spaces (PPS). These are
publicly owned and maintained public spaces, as opposed to those privately maintained as part of
development sites.
Public/Semi-Public (PSP) is a classification that applies to schools, large institutional uses, and semi-
public. Some small uses of these types may be integrated into other land use districts. There are very
limited examples of this in the Greater Southdale District, as many public and semi-public uses are
incorporated in larger mixed-use sites.
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Figure 4.16: Greater Southdale District Future Land Use
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Development Transition Zones
The language of this plan’s aspirations and policies focuses on transitions and seams – places where
differences in scale, intensity, character, and use meet one another. These are critical places in the
overall district, because they provide an opportunity to bind smaller subareas together into a large
framework, while still allowing the areas to maintain their unique features and integrity.
While transitions and seams will occur throughout the district, the Design Experience Guidelines
specifically calls out transition zones between the Greater Southdale District (GSD) and adjacent
residential neighborhoods. Figure 4.17 shows the location of these areas, which are defined as parcels
around the edge of the GSD that are adjacent to residential neighborhoods - except in cases where they
are separated by a major roadway or other nonresidential uses.
The treatment of parcels within these areas will vary depending on specific size and placement of the
parcels, and the character and scale of adjacent residents. For example, it is expected that this will vary
by whether adjacent residential is single family or multifamily.
Additionally, the space over which the transition occurs will vary, based on the depth of parcels and
scale of the development. The transition may be contained within one building, or be managed across
several. The Design Experience Guidelines have examples of both, as well as more specific information
on appropriate building height and scale by corridor and sub-district.
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Figure 4.17: Proposed Transition Zones
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Land Use Goals and Policies
Overall
Land Use Goal #1: Facilitate the evolution of this regional
destination into a higher density, sustainable, mixed-use area for
“shop, live, work, play, learn, interact” with a distinctive and
definable identity as “Edina’s Living Room.”
1-A. Facilitate the creation of an integrated new
neighborhood that promotes social interaction,
community building, a prosperous local economy for
residents and visitors, and reduced dependence on
private automobile use.
1-B. Define a series of inter-connected sub-districts within a
regional center through targeted public infrastructure
investments.
1-C. Develop the GSD at residential and job densities that
facilitate the positive evolution of the area, taking into
account the relationship between density, livability,
economic viability, and environmental quality.
1-D. Encourage the continuation of a mix of land uses
throughout the GSD, including residential, commercial
retail and services, office, entertainment, hospitality,
educational, recreational, health-related services and
facilities.
1-E. Promote developments that have a density, diversity of
uses, and design that support an interconnected series
of experiences that support the social and economic
health and sustainability of Edina, i.e. community
building in its fullest sense.
1-F. Facilitate fine-grained incremental redevelopment
served by a well-connected walkable and bikeable
public realm.
1-G. Encourage development by allowing latitude to gain
tangible and intangible outcomes aligned with the
district vision.
1-H. Support a development review process that
incorporates flexibility and performance standards to
allow for options to achieve acceptable projects.
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Land Use Goal #2: Manage density levels and transitions in a way that reduces conflicts and impacts,
while increasing district cohesiveness and vitality
2-A. Ensure the harmonious integration of retail, service, and residential uses.
2-B. Identify not only potential negative impacts of development and mitigation measures, but
also potential community benefits and measures to enhance adjacent areas and the
community.
2-C. Encourage high priority retail and mixed-use areas to be located near transit stops and
public activity areas and nodes
2-D. Optimize the density and intensity of the GSD to increase the level of housing close to jobs
and services, to ensure a high standard of livability, and to achieve a reasonable “rate of
return” on the public investment needed to achieve the overall vision.
2-E. Set densities in the sub-districts of the GSD so as to integrate with the adjacent contexts and
neighborhoods.
2-F. Throughout the GSD, a fine grain of development should be encouraged by the sensitive
design of larger parcels and by the provision of smaller parcels.
2-G. Support emerging development patterns through flexibility in zoning for mixed-uses and
development types.
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Commercial and Mixed-use
Land Use Goal #3: Support the continued role of the Greater Southdale District as a retail and
employment destination, including a continuation of its past tradition of innovation in shared public
spaces and unique commercial districts.
3-A. Build on the original innovative vision of Southdale as a retail/commercial center of a mixed-
use community, with indoor and outdoor areas, community activity, gathering spaces, and
“third place” functions.
3-B. Support employment opportunities for residents in the district, as well as opportunities for
workers to live nearby.
3-C. Support the creation of innovative and flexible workplace environments, that serve the
changing needs of office, retail, and limited production uses.
3-D. Encourage mixed-use development where appropriate, such as residential/retail co-location
and live-work opportunities.
3-E. Provide for expansion of commercial uses serving regional, citywide, and local shopping.
3-F. Provide for and encourage employment-intensive office and service uses that serve
regional, citywide, and local needs.
3-G. Provide for hospitality and entertainment uses, particularly in support of the area as a
regional destination.
3-H. Promote the location of ground-floor commercial uses to create and animate the public
realm and increase social interaction.
3-I. Discourage the development of single-story commercial uses with surface parking on sites
where higher intensity uses are feasible.
3-J. Encourage location of major employment centers near transit lines.
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Housing
Land Use Goal #4: Provide for housing choices (housing and unit types, rental and ownership, and costs)
to accommodate a wide range of individuals, including youth, singles, couples, families with children,
seniors, and people with special needs.
4-A. Increase the amount of affordable housing for all types of households and income groups,
both ownership and rental, with an increased focus on providing workforce housing for
people who work in Edina.
4-B. Provide opportunities for all types of live-work and work-live developments in the Greater
Southdale District in order to accommodate the growing demand, to provide increased
affordable options for local residents, entrepreneurs, and artists, and to reduce commuting.
4-C. Promote housing choices which facilitate aging-in-place.
4-D. Facilitate the provision of a variety of housing forms, including cluster housing, row housing,
townhomes, as well as mid-rise and high-rise apartment towers. Innovative forms of
housing should also be explored, including live-work units, rooming houses with smaller
suites for singles and co-housing for families with children.
4-E. Encourage provision and expansion of ownership housing types where possible.
4-F. Evaluate the possibility of accommodating missing middle type housing in the area.
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Land Use Goal #5: Provide additional housing development in areas
that provide more housing opportunities while strengthening
residential areas.
5-A. Promote new housing adjacent to or near existing residential
development to facilitate neighborhood clusters.
5-B. Seek to optimize housing densities to increase housing that is
proximate to transit and within walking distance of services
and amenities.
5-C. Provide for housing densities that balance density, livability,
economic viability, environmental quality and neighborliness
5-D. Use housing to help develop a diverse and socially cohesive
community in Edina and in the Greater Southdale District.
5-E. Housing should be located and designed to promote an
active and safe public realm, which contributes to social
interaction among residents and leads to a sense of
community.
5-F. Family housing, as part of identifiable neighborhood areas,
should be in ground-oriented developments, close to open
space, community facilities, and other amenities designed for
children.
5-G. Housing should be developed as part of a complete
community, with compatible retail and service uses and
other destinations within walkable and bikeable proximity.
Land Use Goal #6: Support the maintenance of residential areas
consistent with city standards.
6-A. Encourage the maintenance of housing stock and
surrounding neighborhoods in a way that contributes to
health and livability.
6-B. Encourage the development of neighborhood and
community associations that support community standards
while maintaining a welcoming environment.
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District Services, Arts, and Culture
Land Use Goal #7: Accommodate public, institutional, arts, and cultural elements that are needed to
create a complete and livable community.
7-A. Ensure that adequate space is made available to meet current and future for public services
in the district, including educational services, social services, public utilities, maintenance of
the public realm, and other public functions.
7-B. Encourage the co-location of destination of public and institutional uses with other uses in
the district, to support efficient use of space and to provide convenient access to the public.
7-C. Support the development of arts and cultural elements throughout the district, including
galleries, community centers/spaces, public art, performance venues, and other elements.
7-D. Promote the inclusion of arts and cultural elements into private sector development where
feasible.
Medical
Land Use Goal #8: Continue to support the role of the district as a health and wellness destination.
8-A. Support the continued presence of Fairview Southdale Hospital and other health care
services in the district.
8-B. Incorporate considerations of health and wellness into the development of all elements of
the Greater Southdale District.
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4.4 Transportation and Mobility
Overview
Land use and transportation are two distinct yet closely related elements of community design. They
work together to establish the character and setting of urban places and the habits and behaviors of
people who access and use them. This section of the Redevelopment Framework charts a decision-
making path for improving accessibility and connectivity in the Greater Southdale District as it grows and
evolves. More specifically, this section of the Redevelopment Framework:
(1) Describes current transportation system elements including daily traffic conditions, highlights
the conclusions of the 2016 Southdale Transportation Study, and summarizes current
conditions;
(2) Provides information on national and regional trends in land use and development/urban design
character that greatly influence transportation and mobility systems;
(3) Illustrates opportunities to increase mobility as the District evolves to a more compact, mixed-
use, and higher density future; and
(4) Identifies goals and policies to provide a much-improved and responsive movement network for
multiple travel modes, with an emphasis on making the District more livable, more walkable,
and a better place for healthy and active living.
Current Conditions
The integration of land use and transportation planning increases accessibility. Mixing land uses at higher
densities increases proximity. Providing transportation modal choices increases mobility. Both proximity
and mobility enhance accessibility.
The transportation system currently serving the Greater Southdale District was intentionally designed to
(and over time further evolved to) emphasize and facilitate automobile use as the primary mode of travel.
At the time when Southdale opened its doors in 1956, former agricultural fields were being transformed
to become suburban land uses that were seemingly spread across the landscape without barriers. The
transformed landscape shouted borderless freedom, and the private auto was as much an expression of
freedom as it was a transportation conveyance.
Fast forward to 2018, and the implications of our culture’s almost singular reliance on automobiles have
become all too clear; across the nation and even within and around the Greater Southdale District.
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Figure 4.18: Current Roadway Network
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Transportation System Elements
Measurements of the volume of travel mode-specific infrastructure make clear that transportation
system in the Greater Southdale District is heavily weighted in favor of the automobiles and auto use. At
the time when Southdale Center was designed and constructed, when automobile use was encouraged, it
was anticipated that pedestrian and transit access would be antiquated and soon to be forgotten modes
of travel. Today’s transportation system (see Figure 4.20) consists of:
North/south streets: France Avenue and York Avenue. These two very wide streets border the
core of the Greater Southdale District and are designed to serve regional, sub-regional as well as
local community travel. France Avenue is also Hennepin County Road 17; York Avenue is also
Hennepin County Road 31.East-West streets. 66th, 69th, 70th, and 76th Streets, Hazelton Road,
and Parklawn Avenue penetrate the District and extend beyond, feeding traffic into the District.
66th Street is also Hennepin County Road 53. Heritage Drive, 65th Street, Gallagher Drive, and
Minnesota Drive distribute traffic within the District.
Trunk Highway (TH 62) and I-494. These are two controlled access highways that are linked to
the surface street system and were designed to serve regional and sub-regional travel.
Parking lots. Parking lots, not buildings, comprise approximately 50 percent of the land in the
Southdale district. Driveways that shoot
off from the internal, on-site streets
provide direct access to the lots.
Sidewalks. Sidewalks line both sides of
France Avenue from TH 62 to 76th
Street, and only the west side of France
Avenue from 76th Street to I-494.
Sidewalks have been constructed on
both sides of York Avenue between TH
62 and I-494. Some of the east/west
streets that penetrate the Southdale
district and the north/south streets that
provide for automobile travel only have
sidewalks on one side, and some are
without any sidewalks at all. Generally,
the orientation of on-site sidewalks is
toward parking lots and not to the front
doors of businesses.
Transit. As illustrated in Figure 4.19,
there are six transit routes serving the
Greater Southdale District. They run
along France and York Avenues and all
of the east/west streets and, except for
Gallagher Drive, penetrate the District.
The Southdale Transit Center, a hub
where transfers between routes occur,
is located at the intersection of York Avenue and 66th Street. Many of the bus stops are without
any amenities (not even a bench) to make the transit experience more comfortable for
passengers.
Figure 4.19: Metro Transit Routes and Stops
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Daily Traffic
The Twin Cities region, no different than other metropolitan areas throughout the country, is experiencing
a phenomenon where, in the urban core and first ring suburbs, daily traffic volumes in recent years have
held steady or have generally been decreasing. At the same time, peak hour traffic volumes have
increased and the peak of peak hour periods, which historically lasted for 10 to 15 minutes, is now longer.
The streets described above, especially France and York Avenues and the major east/west penetrating
streets, are no exception. Figure 4.20 illustrates historical Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) on streets
serving the Greater Southdale District.
Figure 4.20: Annual Average Daily Traffic Volumes
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2016 Southdale Transportation Study
In 2016, the City of Edina contracted WSB
& Associates, Inc. to prepare the
Southdale Transportation Study to update
a computerized model of the Southdale
area that had been developed eight years
earlier for the city’s 2008 Comprehensive
Plan.1 In addition to providing
information that was used to prepare the
Transportation Chapter of the
Comprehensive Plan, the model provided
the city with a tool that could be
continuously updated to help gauge the
compound effect of multiple
developments in the Southdale area. The
2008 computer model was calibrated
against traffic volumes that were
observed in 2008. By 2016 it was time to
recalibrate the model, to ensure its
continued accuracy, against more current
(2015) traffic volumes. The study area
boundaries for the updated, 2016 model
are 60th Street on the north, the
Richfield/Edina border on the east, the
Bloomington/Edina border on the south,
and TH 100 on the west. The model
included 40 signalized intersections, 20 un-
signalized intersections, and three
roundabouts. A map showing study area
intersections is presented to the right. Once the model was recalibrated, it was used to forecast 2040
traffic conditions for two, alternative land use density scenarios for the Southdale area. The alternative
scenarios are described below.
Base-Low Density Scenario
Population 20,580
Households 9,900
Approximate Average
Residential Density Up to 43 units per acre
High Density Scenario:
Population 39,690
Households 19,300
Approximate Average
Residential Density Up to 100 units per acre
1 The 2016 Southdale Transportation Study was a comprehensive study of the southeast quadrant of the city. It
was considered a comprehensive study because of its geographic scope and the fact that it covered all of the
predominant modes of travel within the area: auto, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian.
Figure 4.21: Intersections analyzed in the Southdale
Transportation Study (WSB & Associates, Inc. July 2016).
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Major findings documented in the 2016 study indicated that in general most intersections in 2016 were
operating at an acceptable, overall Level of Service (LOS) D or better. Problematic intersections found to
operate at LOS E or F are listed below.2
2016 Existing Conditions:
York Avenue at W. 78th Street = LOS F
France Avenue at TH 62 North Ramp = LOS E
France Avenue at W. 76th Street = LOS E
Results of the analysis conducted for the forecast 2040 Low Density scenario showed that the majority of
intersections will operate at acceptable, overall LOS D or better. Intersections forecast to operate at LOS
E or F include five intersections listed below.
Forecast 2040 Base-Low Density Scenario:
York Avenue at W. 78th Street = LOS F
Minnesota Drive at Edinborough Way = LOS F
France Avenue at TH 62 North Ramp = LOS E
France Avenue at W. 76th Street = LOS E
Hazelton Road at Target Access = LOS E
The forecast 2040 High Density analysis showed that the majority of intersections under study would
operate at overall, acceptable LOS. LOS E or F intersections under this scenario included:
Forecast 2040 High Density Scenario:
York Avenue at W. 78th Street = LOS F
Minnesota Drive at Edinborough Way = LOS F
York Avenue at Parklawn Avenue = LOS F
France Avenue at TH 62 North Ramp = LOS E
Xerxes Avenue at TH 62 North Ramp = LOS E
France Avenue at Parklawn Avenue = LOS E
France Avenue at W. 76th Street = LOS E
Hazelton Road at Target Access = LOS E
France Avenue at Minnesota Drive = LOS E
The 2016 Southdale Transportation Study found that LOS at the problematic intersections can be
improved through a number of actions, including:
2 Intersections are given a Level of Service (LOS) grade from “A” to “F” to describe the average delay drivers
experience at an intersection. LOS is a function of peak hour traffic turning movement volumes, intersection
lane configuration, and the traffic controls at the intersection. LOS A is the best traffic operating condition, and
drivers experience minimal delay at an intersection operating at that level. LOS E represents the condition
where the intersection is at capacity, and some drivers may have to wait through more than one green phase to
make it through an intersection controlled by traffic signals. LOS F represents a condition where there is more
traffic than can be handled by the intersection, and many vehicle operators may have to wait through more
than one green phase to make it through the intersection. At a stop sign-controlled intersection, LOS F would
be characterized by exceptionally long vehicle queues on each approach at an all-way stop, or long queues
and/or great difficulty in finding an acceptable gap for drivers on the minor legs at a through-street intersection.
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Improving intersection control devices. For example, a two-way stop sign could be changed to
an all- way stop.
Adjusting traffic signal timing. For example, the signal cycle might be increased or decreased or
more “green time” could be allocated to an intersection approach with comparatively more
vehicle demand.
Geometric improvements on minor legs. For example, additional lanes or longer turn lanes
could be constructed.
Analyses in the 2016 Transportation Study showed that most of the documented traffic issues can be
addressed by relatively low-cost improvements such as:
Signal timing improvements;
Improvements to turn lanes geometry, or:
Installation of traffic signals or roundabouts at stop-controlled intersections;
Summary of Current Conditions
The transportation system, with its predominant auto-orientation, is perfectly suited to serve a
mid-1950s era shopping center in a suburban location.
An analysis of the district’s trip-geography showed that patrons, customers, and employees of
the district comprise the largest percentage of trips on the district’s streets.
The spacing of signalized intersections at 640 to 800 feet encourages higher speeds on France
and York Avenues. Increasing the number of signalized intersections and reducing the distance
between them will serve to reduce the average speed.
There are few opportunities for pedestrians to comfortably cross France and York Avenues,
given street widths and the scarcity of signalized intersections. This impacts the ability of
nearby residents to walk to the district.
Neither the adjacent sidewalk system nor the internal, on-site system encourages pedestrian
circulation.
There is a serious lack of transit facilities to help ensure a level of comfort for passengers.
Parking lots cover approximately 50 percent of the district, further demonstrating its auto-
orientation.
The 2016 Southdale Transportation Study concluded that with possible increased development in the
future, more trips are expected by all modes of transportation and, if a greater proportion of these trips
are walking, bicycling, and/or transit trips, pressure on the roadway system would be reduced. Further
analysis of the traffic volumes identified the origins and destinations of daily and peak hour traffic using
the streets within the Southdale district. The findings showed that a significant percentage of traffic (43
percent) comprises trips to and from the Southdale district. Trips passing through, without stopping
account for 40 percent of the traffic, and trips to and from surrounding neighborhoods (between TH 100
and I-35W) comprise 17 percent of the traffic.
Signalized intersections are the only locations along France and York Avenues where pedestrian
crosswalks are provided. For obvious safety reasons, pedestrians are encouraged to use the crosswalks to
circulate across these two streets. The traffic signals are generally located 640 feet to 800 feet apart,
which is appropriate spacing for a 40-mph street. The traffic signals on streets with slower posted (and
actual) speeds are typically spaced closer together.
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Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
Trends and Challenges
National and regional trends affecting the District’s current land uses, urban design character, future
marketability, and that will greatly influence changes to the District’s transportation and mobility systems
are:
Downturn in the patronage of bricks-and-mortar retail stores as online shopping and
home delivery becomes more accepted and prevalent;
Upturn in the need for additional multi-family housing units (in denser, mixed-use,
transit-served areas) to accommodate growing populations of empty nesters who are
downsizing and young professionals who are delaying or have decided not to enter the
single-family housing market;
Telecommuting, where an employee can work from home or a coworking location for all
or a portion of the work;
Increased awareness of the immediate and latent costs of owning and operating an
automobile;
Improved transportation technology, including driverless cars, vehicle guidance systems,
pedestrian countdown timers, bicycle traffic control devices;
Increases in real-time ride-sharing, car-sharing, bike-sharing, scooter-sharing, and real-
time travel information;
Increased dynamic parking management systems;
Increased desire to live, work, and play in close proximity;
Emphasis on active living – integrating physical activity into daily routines through
walking, biking, and taking transit: and
Increased market support for medical and health-related services and facilities, and the
co-located complementary patient recovery “hotels.”
These trends also present challenges for the District. They call into question the continued viability of the
District if these trends are not met with a strategic response that guides the District’s evolution to better
align with them. A challenge for planning for a better aligned transportation and mobility infrastructure is
that travel demand forecasting has traditionally relied on land use forecasts that do not adequately take
into account the interaction of the various land use components within mixed-use development.
Opportunities
It is the lack of foreseeable market support for some of the existing uses in the District that has presented
an opportunity to re-think and re-imagine the Greater Southdale District. This reality points to the need
to consider new land uses, development intensities and character, and mobility choices. The District
needs new goals and policies that will, over the next 50 years, facilitate strategic responses to current and
future market shifts – in a manner that not only positively affects the District, but also the Edina residents
in adjacent neighborhoods and throughout the City as a whole.
As the Greater Southdale District becomes an even denser concentration of shopping, housing,
hospitality/entertainment, employment, community services, and high quality walkable public parks and
public realm, there is the possibility of an integrated suite of mobility services to bridge the distance
between high-frequency transit and an individual’s origin or destination. If realized, this would increase
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transportation choices, decrease dependence on the single-occupant automobile, and reduce traffic
congestion.
While Hennepin County, which has jurisdiction over France Avenue, York Avenue, and West 66th Street,
and while the Hennepin County’s 2030 Transportation Systems Plan (2030-HC-TSP) states that the
automobile will continue to be the predominant mode for transportation now and in the future, there is
an acknowledgment that mode share for transit, bicycle, and walk modes will increase in the future. Also,
Hennepin County adopted Complete Streets and Active Living policies which give them a stronger role in
supporting development of a balanced multimodal transportation system that provides choice in
automobile, transit, bicycle, or pedestrian travel.
The City of Edina adopted its Living Streets Plan which calls for Edina’s street system to be more “human
centered” so that they are designed and engineered to be safe and convenient for everyone – not just
drivers, but also cyclists, transit riders, wheelchair users, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. With
this policy direction, coupled with Hennepin County’s Complete Street and Active Living policies, there is
an opportunity for collaboration to reimagine France Avenue, York Avenue, and West 66th Street towards
a redesign that is much more supportive of the aspirations and objectives of the Greater Southdale
District Plan.
Metro Transit’s 2012 rapid bus study identified a Hennepin Avenue rapid bus line (the E Line) that would
run four miles from downtown Minneapolis to the future West Lake Street Station on the METRO Green
Line light rail extension. Metro Transit has since expanded that study to consider serving more places
along Route 6 which goes through and the Greater Southdale District.
Transportation Goals and Policies
Accessible and Multi-modal
Transportation Goal #1: Provide an accessible transportation network for multiple travel modes,
moving the physical environment of the Greater Southdale district to a more vibrant pedestrian-
oriented character and function.
1-A. Regional Roadway Access. Maintain adequate regional vehicle accessibility while also
minimizing its negative impacts on Greater Southdale area circulation, not only regarding cars
and vehicle deliveries, but also transit and bicycle usage, and pedestrian convenience and
comfort.
1-B. Street Grid. Establish a district-wide street grid system based on blocks that are approximately
200' x 200’. Grids are highly connected street networks that are essential for neighborhoods
that balance public and private life. To the extent that grids enhance property access, they are
important for unlocking land value increasing economic benefits.
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1-C. Internal Roadways. Develop prototype
streetscape designs for new streets/roadways
created as part of and to service
redevelopment, and for possible re-design of
existing streets/roadways, emphasizing
legibility, pedestrian safety and comfort,
street trees and other greenery, energy-
efficient, pedestrian-scale lighting, and
sustainability and storm water management
techniques.
1-D. Transit Service and Facilities (regional and
local, transit system evolution). Determine (1)
need for revised routes/level of service for
enhanced local use and circulation within
Greater Southdale District and for regional
access, (2) need for an enhanced transit center
and possible relocation, (3) transit center co-
location possibilities with other public or private
development, including shared public parking.
Create new east-west transit corridor
connections. Participate in E-Line bus rapid transit planning.
1-E. Mobility Hub. Develop a strategy for a mobility
hub(s) that would (1) connect different modes
of travel – walking, biking, transit, and shared
mobility, (2) integrate information technology
to help travelers find, access, and pay for
transit and on-demand shared mobility
services, and (3) enhance mobility for travelers
of all ages and abilities.
1-F. Circulator Bus. Evaluate ridership and other
aspects of the Southdale circulator bus, and
devise methods for expanding its service, including consideration of “public transit on-demand”
methods such as partnerships with ride-hailing apps/companies.
1-G. Parking and Loading. Develop a plan to establish public District shared parking facilities in key
locations to serve public facilities and/or to augment private parking. Future-proof parking
structures by requiring flexibility and adaptability in above-ground parking structures for
Source: San Diego FORWARD – Regional Plan 2019-2050
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possible future changes in use, addressing such issues as floor-to-ceiling height and other
relevant features.
Network Evolution
Transportation Goal #2: Identify the roadway, transit, and public realm connections needed to
facilitate the evolution of the Greater Southdale District as a highly-livable, walkable, healthier,
dense, mixed-use center, and to transition to and reconnect with adjacent neighborhoods.
2-A. Signature/Gateway Roadways. Transform
France Avenue, York Avenue, and 66th
Street with traffic-calming measures and
beautification measures to discourage an
increase in through-traffic, enhance
pedestrian/bicyclist/transit user safety and
comfort, promote adjacent neighborhood
livability, and establish a deeper sense of
arrival and sense of place for the Greater
Southdale District. Extend the identity of
the Greater Southdale District beyond its edges while conversely sharing the value of its amenity
with neighboring residential areas, i.e. establishing a seam rather a border.
2-B. Pedestrian Circulation. Create additional opportunities for pedestrians to safely and
comfortably cross France and York Avenues by increasing the number signalized intersections,
including mid-block connections or other measures where appropriate, thus reducing the
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posted speed on these streets and facilitating a slower and more effective traffic signal
progression for through traffic. Determine design and costs for (1) new
pedestrian/bike/vehicular intersections, and (2) new pedestrian/bike intersections. Create
expanded sidewalks, with double-rows of tree canopy, on France Avenue, York Avenue, and 66th
Street.
2-C. Bicycle System and Facilities. Provide a continuous, on-site route for bicycles that is connected
to east/west streets penetrating the site and to provide access to the adjacent neighborhoods.
2-D. Signage and Wayfinding. Devise and install a
district signage and pedestrian wayfinding
system in multiple languages (at least the top
three non-English, primary languages in the
Edina community - Spanish, Hmong, and
Somali).
2-E. Public Realm Maintenance. Prepare a Public
Realm Maintenance Plan that includes increased levels of service for snow-clearing in all
walkable areas (sidewalks, public paths, and trails), working with Metro Transit to ensure a
similar level of maintenance of their facilities in the Greater Southdale District. Study the
feasibility of installing geothermally-heated systems for dealing with snow clearing for all
walkable areas.
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4.5 Parks and Public Life
Overview
Parks and a system of green spaces and plazas are an integral part of a high quality of life and social well-
being. Linked with privately-managed but publicly accessible spaces and venues, they provide
opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and community gathering. A high-quality public realm sets the
stage for an active and welcoming public life.
This section of the Redevelopment Framework gives direction to maintaining and enhancing the existing
parks system, and expanding it to meet the current and future needs of residents, working population,
and visitors to the evolving Greater Southdale District. More specifically, this section of the
Redevelopment Framework:
(1) Describes existing park facilities and programs/events, both within the Greater Southdale
District and nearby;
(2) Discusses the trends in parkland development, and the challenges and opportunities in
reimagining both park size and function in responding to the District’s changing demographic
profile, increasing population, and development densities; and
(3) Identifies goals and policies to guide maintenance and reinvestment in the District’s park
facilities and programs/events so that each part of the system adds value to the whole and
reinforces community building in its largest sense.
Introduction
Open space provided by both the public and private sectors is a key feature of a livable community. The
Greater Southdale District currently has both public and privately-owned high-quality usable open space.
These areas are clustered in the Centennial Lakes and Edinborough areas in the southern portion of this
district. North of West 70th Street there are no parks. Parts of this area, largely on what had been surface
parking lots, have been or are in the process of being redeveloped to higher-density residential uses, with
concurrent provision of on-site landscaping, more showcase than usable open space.
The public sector needs to analyze this changing intensity of development and provide a responsive
strategy for creating new public parks and places for a more urban public life, for high -quality and flexible
parks that foster creative interaction between the public realm and private development blocks. There
will be increased local needs and desires for healthy and active living as well as for welcoming and
stimulating places for visitors as the Greater Southdale District assumes an even higher profile as a
regional destination for shopping, employment, and medical services and healthcare.
The character of the renewed and new parks and public life system will need to vary from quiet,
contemplative, and green to crowded, high energy, and connected to an enlivened street, sidewalk, and
pathway network. Arts and culture installations and events will need to be woven into the fabric of the
experience. A model for the imagination and spirit of cooperation needed for evolution of parks and
public life in the Greater Southdale District is Centennial Lakes Park which was created through the
conversion of three gravel pits into lakes connected by a man-made stream surrounded by a public park,
part of a 100-acre redevelopment characterized by horizontal mixed-use (housing, retail, and office). The
Edina community will need to be able to build the success of Centennial Lakes Park into a springboard for
Centennial Lakes North or whatever the next big public space will be.
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Figure 4.22: Existing and Proposed Parks and Pedestrian Connections
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Current Conditions
There are four parks comprising approximately 40 acres in the Greater Southdale District serving nearly
7,200 residents, or 5.6 acres per 1000 residents. The City of Edina as a whole has 1,565 acres of park for
its 53,000 residents, or 30 acres per 1000 residents.
The National Park and Recreation Association (NRPA) advises that the national average for cities between
50,000-100,000 is roughly 10 acres of parkland per 1000 residents. Therefore, Edina is considerably
above the national average, but the Greater Southdale District is not only below the national average, it is
considerably below Edina’s average. The fact that the Greater Southdale District has a daytime
population of nearly 23,000 including both residents and workers suggests strongly that a new strategy is
needed for providing parks for this rapidly growing and evolving District.
Existing Park Facilities and Programs/Events
Centennial Lakes Park: Located in the southern portion of the Greater Southdale District, Centennial
Lakes Park comprises 25 acres focused on a 10-acre-lake with a perimeter walkway. As described by the
City’s Parks and Recreation Department, other major features include:
Park Centrum/Hughes Pavilion: Overlooking the 10-acre lake, the Hughes Pavilion is a venue
for receptions, parties, meetings, and events for up to 120 guests. It offers fireplaces, floor-to-
ceiling windows, lakeside patio, warming house for winter ice skating, and free parking.
Amphitheater: The Amphitheater is a lakeside venue, with its crescent-shaped seating area for
outdoor concerts. It is also a popular location for outdoor wedding ceremonies.
Mini-Golf Course
Lawn Bowling
Boating (rental paddle boats)
Events and activities including Edina Art Fair, Parade of Boats (Edina Model Yacht Club), Fall into
the Arts Festival, Winter Ice Festival, Farmers Market, and Torchlight Concert.
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The Promenade: An 80-foot wide, 10-acre, 1.5-mile-long greenway that connects various retail,
residential and recreational amenities in the Centennial Lakes area and northward towards the Galleria.
The Promenade is designed as an extension of Centennial Lakes Park, including separate paths for
pedestrians and bicyclists, spaces for two- and three-dimensional public art, and a comprehensive storm
water management system including an above-ground pond/lake and “stream” as well as an underground
storm water treatment structure.
Yorktown Park: A 3.4-acre park at 73rd and York Avenue, including a skateboard park and community
gardens. This park is accessible to the District via pathways that pass under York Avenue, however it is
largely hidden from public view by the Edina Fire Station No. 2. It also connects to Adams Hill Park in
Richfield and to parcels of land under city ownership that establish the East Promenade.
Edinborough Park: A two-acre indoor park facility that offers a variety of active recreation facilities
including Adventure Peak, a Northwoods-themed climbing structure, Little Peak for toddlers, a 1/16th-
mile three-lane running track, an indoor swimming pool, a “party plateau” setting with table and seating,
a 60’ x 90’ multi-purpose Great Hall, and a 250-seat amphitheater with a stage for performances.
Annually-scheduled events include: Music in the Park, Halloween Party, Breakfast with Santa, and New
Years’ Eve Party. There are also some outdoor public areas that are considered park.
Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail: A project of Three Rivers Park District, this regional trail takes users
across 1.7 miles of wooden boardwalk and 14 miles of paved trail connecting Hopkins and the Minnesota
River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail with the cities of Edina, Minnetonka, and Richfield.
Nearby and Adjacent Parks: Other parks that are important to the social and recreational fabric of the
District are 22-acre Roseland Park to the west on the north and west sides of Lake Cornelia, 4.5-acre
Strachauer Park north of Highway 62, and 13-acre Adams Hill Park in Richfield, to the east of Yorktown
Park.
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Figure 4.23: Existing Parks and Pedestrian Connections
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Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
As the Greater Southdale District grows and changes, the amount, location, design, programming, and
maintenance of the parks and open space will need to respond to new requirements. The challenge is to
structure the new investments to consider not only the diversity and complexity of the needed parks and
open space, but also to consider the diverse and complex needs of people living, working, and recreating
in a dense and compact mixed-use environment. The challenge is to knit together existing elements with
new ones that facilitate the district’s evolution. Each new investment must add value to the whole and
help create an integrated network.
The Parks, Open Spaces, and Natural Resources chapter of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan not only
reaffirms the citywide goal of devoting a minimum of 15 percent of Edina’s land area to parkland, but also
states the following action directives that bear upon the future of the Greater Southdale District:
Action: Establish additional, more meaningful metrics to proactively select the best
approach to the changing needs of our community.
Action: Match increasing density of commercial and residential growth with the creation
of new parks and open spaces, or connections to existing nearby parks.
Action: Establish plans for what defines a park in future “hardscape” environments as
they are developed (such as the Greater Southdale District).
Action: Ensure there is a voice in how parks may be included in any future discussions or
plans on “Highway Lids” within Edina.
This goal and the action directives acknowledge that the 15 percent citywide standard (with its focus on
land area, but not on distribution or not on park acres per person within some reasonable distance of a
park) may not be appropriate for the rapidly-urbanizing Greater Southdale District. The 15 percent
standard for the 750+ acre Greater Southdale District may be equal but not equitable.
For example, Centennial Lakes Park is characterized as a 25-acre park, but almost half of it is a storm
water pond which is only marginally usable as a park. How else might parks be achieved through
satisfaction of other base infrastructure or utility needs of the District – playing fields atop reservoirs,
urban courtyards over storm water collection, solar trellises over public spaces? Could developing a
biofiltration landscape become the organizing concept for parks and open space as the rest of the District
is redeveloped? Is the 15 percent standard a minimum, or is it enough? Do these action directives in the
Comprehensive Plan suggest pushing beyond 15 percent for the Greater Southdale District? Other
metrics are needed to establish an appropriate level of park services in the Greater Southdale District,
more likely metrics that are based on population densities and mix of uses than on a percentage of area.
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Edina’s changing demographic profile poses both challenges and opportunities for the evolving Greater
Southdale District. New residential development has responded to the increased demand for both rental
and condo apartments serving both young adults and empty-nesters looking to downsize. Edina’s
growing ethnic and racial diversity has produced much discussion and strategizing on better methods for
Edina to be more inclusive. Parks and recreation services and facilities can offer exciting and effective
ways to enhance community cohesion and healthy lifestyles. The Edina Strategic Master Plan for Parks,
Recreation and Trails states that updating and adapting parks and recreation infrastructure to be more
inclusive and accessible provides increased opportunities that empower more independent individuals
who can contribute positively to the community. Lower mobility populations, including older individuals,
will greatly benefit from an approach that emphasizes accessibility for all.
A greater variety of activities such as urban gardening, increased flexibility in public realm
activities, and multipurpose pavilions can enrich the daily experience of the District.
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The Centennial Lakes Park and the Promenade are well-designed and -maintained. This landscaped public
realm includes art installations and performance art venues. There is an opportunity to build upon this,
extending and expanding the amenities throughout the northern portion of the Greater Southdale
District. In 2013 the City carried out “Phase 5: North End Path Framework + Promenade Extension to
Southdale” study. This study included inventoried and assessed existing conditions, forces and issues, and
developed and evaluated a range of potential path/route options. Goals and objectives for this study
were to:
Extend the existing Promenade path system, which currently terminates at 70th Street, to
Southdale.
Provide a pedestrian and bicyclist path system that interlinks the development in the
Centennial Lakes, Promenade, and the Southdale districts, as well as the use located north
of 66th Street.
Provide a connection to the (then) new Transit Center.
Provide a connection, if feasible, to the residential neighborhoods located north of Highway
62.
Incorporate the existing Promenade design themes into the expanded pathway system.
Provide distinct identity and wayfinding elements for the Promenade path system.
An extended Promenade could leverage it towards a more prominent role in establishing an overall
identity for whole District, and complementary unique identities for each of the sub-districts and the
gateway corridors of France Avenue and York Avenue. An overall strategy could also consider additional
pop-up installations and venues for events, competitions, and demonstrations.
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Parks and Public Life Goals and Policies
The Greater Southdale Work Group determined that open space and parks, with complementary arts and
culture elements and programming, are integral to the positive experience desired for the evolution of
the Greater Southdale district. The Design Experience Guidelines, one of the major products of their
three-year deliberations and dialogue, states that one of the fundamental principles of the vision for the
Greater Southdale District Plan is to knit the district together through a new green and blue network of
spaces and places.
Whole Public Life
Parks Goal #1: Encourage a more vibrant, healthy, and equitable whole life community designed with
publicly-accessible parks and open spaces and places in the Greater Southdale District.
1-A. Prepare a Greater Southdale District Parks and Recreation Master Plan that addresses the
challenges and opportunities inherent in a rapidly-urbanizing area, that encourages active
healthy lifestyles, environmental awareness, lifelong learning, and promotes social cohesion
through arts and cultural facilities and programming.
1-B. Conduct a feasibility study for the development of a new multi-generational Community
Center in the Greater Southdale District, including consideration of co-location with other
community facilities such as a senior center, an art center, a school, and the proposed
Hennepin County Library facility.
1-C. Develop an Arts and Culture Program and Event Strategy for the Greater Southdale district.
Involve the Arts and Culture Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Human Rights
and Relations Commission, the Edina Chamber of Commerce, Heritage Preservation
Commission, Hennepin County Libraries, Edina Community Foundation, Edina Community
Education, and the Edina and Richfield School Districts.
A variety of venues can provide options for active and passive cultural activities.
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1-D. Reserve and acquire property needed for new public parks, open spaces, plazas, and public
realm connections that responds to the needs of increased residential densities, commercial
growth, and enhanced use of the district as a regional destination. Consider additions over
the citywide goal of 15 percent goal, as well as alternative designs and facilities that support
the larger vision of innovation for this District.
1-E. Expand the size, functionality, and flexibility of the existing parks and public realm network
in the southern portion of the district concurrent with the development of complementary
new facilities in the northern portion.
1-F. Extend the Promenade path system northward
to link the uses north of 66th Street and the
neighborhoods north of Highway 62, and
westward along the 76th Street and 77th Street
corridor to Highway 100.
1-G. Support the creation, maintenance, and
perpetuation of publicly-accessible private open
spaces. Establish guidelines for their creation,
design, thresholds for access, location, etc., and
other measures that will ensure their continued
use.
1-H. Develop a Tree Canopy/Urban Forest
Development Plan for the Greater Southdale
District, with a tree care and maintenance
program, and strategies for partnering with
others to design, preserve, restore, and manage
the urban forest infrastructure.
BEST PRACTICES: City Loop, an intergenerational recreation landscape within Denver City
Park, is a half-mile fully accessible mobility loop ideal for walking, running, rolling, riding)
that creates a continuously re-definable circuit of engagement and activity.
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1-I. Sponsor creative placemaking to improve the livability and enjoyment of the Greater
Southdale district in the short- to medium-term, before larger development projects or
capital improvements are installed over the next several decades.
Additional Character-defining Parks
Parks Goal #2: Develop a new Central Park/Connection to Centennial Lakes in the northern portion of
the Greater Southdale district that emphasizes creative storm water management to create multi-
functional community open spaces, a character-defining amenity for an interconnected biofiltration
open space network.
2-A. Conduct a feasibility study for a new Central Park in the northern portion of the Greater
Southdale district, with connections to the Promenade and Centennial Lakes.
“Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates
structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public
safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire and be
inspired.”
National Endowment for the Arts
Providence, R.I. (left), Portland, Ore. (middle), and Kansas City, Mo. (right) use water to organize and
define these parks.
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4.6 District Services and Facilities
Overview
“Social Infrastructure” includes government and community resources, programs, facilities, and social
networks that contribute to a community’s health, safety, and well-being. Strategic investment in social
infrastructure encourages greater levels of equity, equality, access, participation, and social cohesion.
These community services are as important to Greater Southdale’s future as “hard” services like water,
sewer, roads, and transit. Provision of these community services is especially important in areas
experiencing major growth as is the Greater Southdale district.
This section of the Redevelopment Framework:
(1) Describes the current context and operations of libraries, schools/lifelong learning, healthy
active living/health care resources, and public safety/emergency preparedness. (Note: In terms
of how the general public views community services and facilities, parks and recreation services,
as well as cultural facilities such as fine arts and performing arts, are often included. These
latter services/amenities are dealt with in Chapter 4.5 Parks and Public Life.);
(2) Discusses the trends, challenges, and opportunities facing these services and facilities as the
Greater Southdale District evolves with increased population, business and residential growth in
a more compact, dense, and mixed-use redevelopment pattern; and
(3) Identifies goals and policies to public decision-making on the location, size, programming, and
investments to link improvements to these services and facilities to the needs of the evolving
District.
Introduction and Current Context
The City of Edina has a broad range of community services and facilities, many delivered by the City and
some delivered by Hennepin County. The City is welcoming new population and employment growth and
is adopting policies to shape and locate that growth to several areas or nodes: 50th and France Avenue,
44th and France Avenue, Wooddale-Valleyview, Grandview, and 70th and Cahill. Also designated to receive
much of the city’s future growth is the rapidly-evolving mixed-use Greater Southdale District.
While the Community Services and Facilities chapter of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan addresses future
requirements for citywide services and facilities, this District Services and Facilities section focuses on the
Greater Southdale District and its requirements for services and need for possible expansion of existing
programs and facilities or the creation of new ones.
Library Services. Southdale Library, owned and operated by Hennepin County, is located at 7001 York
Avenue South. This 70,000 sq. ft. facility has assistive technology, a computer lab and 127 work stations,
38 word-processing stations, a meeting room with a capacity of 200, government documents, and
language collections (Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese).
“Social Infrastructure” services and facilities are the publicly-accessible resources that
Help make lives safer, healthier, and more enjoyable, and
Enhance skills and abilities to enable residents, employees, and visitors to lead more
rewarding and productive lives.
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Hennepin County Library has already decided to replace the Southdale Library at its current site. Through
a series of workshops sponsored by Hennepin County Libraries and the Edina Housing and
Redevelopment Authority, the community considered primarily the redevelopment dimensions for the
new library at its current location rather than a possible new location or revised programming. With this
narrower focus, they identified key elements for success for a new library:
Continue to serve a larger, regional function.
Shared outdoor commons for all.
Include mixed-use elements such as housing at affordable prices or oriented to seniors,
and small-scale local retail.
Provide and improve neighborhood connections and access.
The approved redevelopment program/schedule is to
demolish their existing facility in the fall of 2019, and to open
their new library at its current location in the summer of
2021. However, at the time of this writing, that
redevelopment schedule is on hold. The current
redevelopment plan indicates that the new building would be
constructed on half of the site, in the north portion, with the
southern portion sold for private redevelopment. The
development plan includes a trail connection eastward to
Adams Hill Park in Richfield. At this time, there is no plan for possible integration of other community
services within the new library or at the southern portion of the site designated to be sold.
Schools/Lifelong Learning. The Greater Southdale District is served by Edina Public Schools (ISD 273) and
Richfield Public Schools (ISD 280). However, the only school within the Greater Southdale District is the
Step By Step Montessori school at 6519 Barrie Road. Nearby, just west of the Greater Southdale District,
is Cornelia Elementary School at 7000 Cornelia Drive. Edina Community Education, a program of the
Edina School District, offers lifelong learning classes including foreign language instruction, art, music,
computer software training, dance, health and wellness, retirement and estate planning. Minnesota State
University-Mankato at Edina, located in the Greater Southdale District, offers University Extended
Education programs for professionals and other adults who want to advance their careers, complete a
degree, or build new skill sets.
Health Active Living/Health Care Resources. The mission of the Edina Public Health Department 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. In terms of healthy living and lifestyles, the Department notes that
a community’s plan for housing, transportation, land use, parks, and economic development
encompasses the largest factors that determine one’s health, i.e. the social determinants of health are
structural factors and conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. The Department,
housed in City Hall as part of the Police Department, provides its services citywide, with no program or
facility focused solely on the Greater Southdale District.
In addition to the community health services provided through the Health Department, there are private
health services and facilities serving Edina, including Fairview Southdale Hospital, a full-service 390-bed
acute care center. In addition, there are numerous smaller specialty clinics and medical offices, most of
which are located in the Greater Southdale District.
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Public Safety/Emergency Preparedness. In terms of police protection, the Greater Southdale District is
served from the main administrative office located at City Hall, 4801 West 50th Street, which houses the
24-hour Communications Center which handles 911 calls and dispatches the appropriate Police, Fire, and
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) units for both the cities of Edina and Richfield. The Fire Department
operates one of its two fire stations in the Greater Southdale District, Fire Station #2 which is located at
7335 York Avenue. The Fire Chief is the Director of Emergency Management.
Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
Library Services. Libraries have traditionally served as repositories for manuscripts and books. Also,
because libraries and their spaces continue to be egalitarian and open to all, they exemplify what we call
today a “third space” which is neither home nor work, but rather a universally accessible space where
people are free to congregate and fraternize without feeling like loiterers. Now, with accelerating
demographic, economic, and cultural change, especially in urban and urbanizing areas, the question is
posed: What will become of the library as the world goes digital? What is a library for if not for storing
and circulating books?
Over the past two decades, libraries have compensated for the shift to technology by retaining “access to
books” but also by redefining their mission around providing access to new technologies and staff who
work with library patrons to understand how to best use the technology tools, communicate and
synthesize ideas. However, even as library re-design has accommodated rapid invasion of computer
clusters, that mission is beginning to seem redundant as most people have Internet access at home, at
their workplace, and mobile devices. Therefore, many believe that it unlikely that providing on-site public
access to online media will be a compelling justification for funding brick-and-mortar libraries even a
decade from now.
If libraries are seen not so much as buildings for storing knowledge and researching past documentation
(whether in person or online), but rather as places for learning and inspiration in the broadest sense, then
perhaps a focus on improving the “third place” role may provide the basis of an answer to “How can our
library tap into the potential for both information and technology to support an effective learning
environment?”
Critical thinking and creativity tend to blossom in an environment that facilitates communication and
collaboration. New libraries, and revamped older existing libraries, are being transformed to move away
from a consumer approach to knowledge to a more sharing and experiencing mode for learning. Their
design, both internal and external, does not totally do away with spaces for traditional study and
contemplation, but rather gushes with spaces for public and civic engagement – places where people are
at the center – a learning commons.
More pertinent to the Greater Southdale District, how can the new Southdale Library respond to the
trends in library development as well as to the changing and evolving needs of the District? Demographic
data for the District point to a senior population far exceeding any other part of Edina, as well as a sizable
population of 25-34-year-olds, with forecasted growth in both of these categories. The Greater Southdale
District is more racially and ethnically diverse than the city as a whole. Should the new library design and
program respond more specifically to these changes? How can the new library be more inclusive and
welcoming, and more of a “third place” for learning?
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The Edina/Grandview Library shares facilities with the Edina Senior Center. There is also a dedicated
space for children’s and teen’s events and programs. With the growing senior population in Edina
generally, and in the Greater Southdale Area specifically, there is a need for and an opportunity to
establish a similar multi-generational learning and activity center as part of the new Southdale Library.
Should a highly people-centric public service such as a new library be ideally located as close as possible to
other public and commercial uses in order to provide increased accessibility, walkability convenience,
while minimizing dependence on single-destination vehicular trips? Locating a new public library, with
other complementary services and programs, at Southdale Center, adjacent to the government services
facility, possibly in a redeveloped and repurposed former department store site, near the transit center,
and connected to an extension of the Promenade and future park, could provide boundless benefits to
the community.
Schools/Lifelong Learning. Using their ten-year forecast
models, neither the Edina Public Schools nor Richfield
Public Schools foresee the need for additional school
facilities to accommodate the growing population in the
Greater Southdale District. In recognition of changing
demographics, however, they are working more closely
with families and the community generally to gain a
better understanding of and eliminate barriers rooted in
racial constructs and cultural misunderstandings. This dialogue may produce programmatic changes and
may well have facility impacts.
Edina Public Schools is also looking at the possible impacts of changing demographics may have on the
range of services they provide to the broader community, including their Community Education Program.
Their current programs provide resources for early childhood learning to prepare children for
Kindergarten and beyond, out-of-school programs for youth (K-12), adult programs, and a resource center
which connects residents to resource and information for them to lead more productive lives.
Not only is there a growing senior population in the Greater Southdale District, and a growing family-
formation demographic (25-34-year-olds), there is also an educated and skilled workforce. In terms of
lifelong learning, there is an opportunity for a more innovative response from Edina Public Schools,
Hennepin County Libraries, and the City of Edina to link the young, the old, and the in-between in
teaching, mentoring, tutoring, cross-cultural exchanges, workforce training and professional
development.
Healthy, Active Living. Nearly half of Edina’s population is
over the age of 55. Edina’s residents over age 65 are
around 20% of the city’s population, a higher percentage
than in neighboring communities. These individuals seek
changes in lifestyle to reflect their shifting family
responsibilities, reduced workloads, and expanded
recreational, educational, and cultural interests. Baby
boomers are aging more actively than previous
generations. Edina remains a strong community for
attracting families. Providing opportunities for both an
aging population as well as engaging youth and families will
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be a challenge. The Greater Southdale District affords a great opportunity for new and expanded
programs and facilities for civic participation, active and passive recreation, and social interaction to
facilitate health and wellness in its aging population, as well as teaching healthy habits and developing
self-esteem in our community’s youth.
Public Safety/Emergency Preparedness. Both the Police and Fire Departments are attempting to respond
to population growth, demographic changes, an aging population, changing workforce, and growing
diversity not only in Edina generally, but especially so in the Greater Southdale District which is
experiencing most of the impact of these changes. Another potentially significant factor in the changes
affecting the Greater Southdale District is its evolution to a more compact, denser, and vertically-mixed-
use built environment that is moving away from an automobile-use orientation to a more walkable public
realm.
The Police Department anticipates that over the next twenty years, pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular
traffic will increase significantly with major retail and high-density residential complexes being planned
and built in the Greater Southdale District. The unknown make-up of the higher density population will
cause the Police Department to consider alternative styles of policing to adapt to community needs. This
could be in the form of more foot and/or bicycle patrols, security cameras, and specialized public
education.
The Fire Department has seen, citywide, a continuous upward trend in emergency medical call requests,
with the SE quadrant, which includes the Greater Southdale District and is served by Fire Station No. 2 on
York Avenue, continuing to see the largest portion of these runs.
In 2018, an analysis was conducted by Five Bugles Design to look at current emergency response times
and station location throughout the city and to make recommendations. In short, the analysis
recommended relocating and expanding Fire Station No. 2 towards the northwest area of the southeast
quadrant of the City in the next 5 years. This will hopefully address the rising increase in response times
and accommodate additional EMS resources because of the increasing run volume associated with the
redevelopment in the Greater Southdale District. Furthermore, 5 – 10 year forecasts a third station in the
northeast quadrant, again to address the increasing response times in this area because of current and
future redevelopment activities.
District Services and Facilities Goals and Policies
Evolved Services and Facilities
District Services and Facilities Goal #1: Ensure that an appropriate range of community services and
facilities supporting the Greater Southdale District’s population will be made available commensurate
with its evolution.
1-A. Develop a “District Services Strategy Plan” for the Greater Southdale District to guide
the establishment of services, programs, and facilities addressing the social, health and
wellness, recreational, cultural, and educational needs and interests of the Greater
Southdale District population.
1-B. Apply principles and best practices of sustainability in the design and programming of
public facilities.
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1-C. Provide services and programs through facilities located in private development where
needed to serve District and community needs.
1-D. Ensure that community services and facilities reflect the age and ability demographics of
the District.
District Services and Facilities Goal #2: Encourage a location and design for a regional library in ways
that match the pattern and character of the Greater Southdale District’s evolution.
2-A. Partner with Hennepin County Libraries, the Edina School District, the Richfield District
and with developers to create new or improved District facilities that facilitate greater
efficiencies in land use, energy, and resources.
2-B. Incorporate placemaking outdoor social and cultural amenities.
Lifelong Learning Services
District Services and Facilities Goal #3: Encourage opportunities for lifelong learning and education that
will meet the needs and interests of the district’s and community population through facilities that are
prominent in the experience of the District.
3-A. Assist Edina School District and Richfield School District to identify co-location and/or
leased space, as determined by their processes, with public facilities within the Greater
Southdale District.
3-B. Expand adult education in the Greater Southdale District, exploring possible
partnerships with the Edina and Richfield school districts, employers, post-secondary
institutions.
BEST PRACTICES: Pioneer Courthouse Square, known as Portland’s living room, is an urban park
with public art, a fountain, chess tables, and steps arranged like an amphitheater for informal
gathering and a venue for events.
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Public and Life Safety
District Services and Facilities Goal #4: Ensure that response times for public and life safety services will
at least maintain current thresholds as the Greater Southdale District evolves.
4-A. Relocate and expand Fire Station No. 2 towards the northwest area of the southeast
quadrant of the City, possibly reconstituted as a joint Police/Fire facility, to address
increased call load, the rising increase in response times, and to accommodate
additional EMS resources.
4-B. Employ methods of policing aligned with the changing needs and character of the
Greater Southdale District.
4-C. Utilize reserve officers as “ambassadors” of the Greater Southdale District and, as
needed for events and as circumstances merit, to lend a greater sense of public safety in
the Greater Southdale District.
4-D. Establish review of development proposals that includes consideration of Crime
Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies.
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4.7 Sustainability
Overview
The Environment chapter of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan articulates a citywide perspective on the
environmental factors that act upon a community and ultimately determine its form and survival,
including the impact that humans have on natural resources. That chapter also addresses sustainability on
a citywide basis, stating that an approach to sustainability for Edina should focus on key areas of
intervention (e.g. energy, waste, environmental quality), but also should be reflected in the way the city is
designed, developed, and functions.
This section of the Greater Southdale District Plan draws upon that larger perspective and policy context
to provide guidance for managing environmental change through sustainable practices and initiatives
within the Greater Southdale district, with a sharper focus on:
Development Pattern: Sites, Buildings, and Public Realm
Multimodal Transportation Network
Urban Forest and Landscape
Energy Use/Efficiency Alternatives
Sustainability and Resilience
The terms sustainability and resilience often get used interchangeably, but they are actually two distinct
concepts:
Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet theirs
Resilience: Ability to respond to shocks and disruptions while maintaining integrity and
purpose
There is an active debate as to which is more applicable for community planning: sustainability, which
focuses on a long term, holistic vision for an area, or resilience, which more directly acknowledges that
the world is messy and complicated, and focuses on preparing for disruption. This District Plan
considers both as important and relevant.
District Vision
As Southdale Center was innovative in the past, the Greater Southdale District could become a
precedent-setting model of how a fully-developed area can function as an integrated system with
broader community benefits and a forward-thinking way to support human activity, social inclusion, and
interaction. This aligns with Vision Edina 2015 which articulates the individual and collective
responsibility the Edina community has toward good environmental stewardship. The vision for
sustainable systems for the Greater Southdale District points to the following commitments:
1. Maximize environmental benefits of a developed area by handling necessary functions in a
way that minimizes impacts on the natural environment, conserves resources, and restores
natural systems;
2. Become a model of excellence for systems function, efficiency, and integration; and
3. Integrate functions across all areas of sustainability – built, social, economic, and natural
environments:
Built, where the buildings and sites serve a variety of uses over a lifetime, sustainable
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building practices are encouraged and incentivized, and the development pattern and
public realm infrastructure promote multi-modal transportation options including
walking, biking, transit-use, and car-use reduction programs.
Social, where a wide range of people can connect and interact in community settings
and experience a high quality of life, health, and wellness.
Economic, where a forward-thinking and diversified economic base is prepared for
ongoing changes and shifts, including shifting ideas about the workplace and retail
environments, changing practices and expectations for employment, and technology,
and
Natural Systems, where natural resources and ecological functions are protected,
enhanced and connected throughout the District and into the surrounding area.
Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
As a fully-developed are with multiple property ownerships, redevelopment will be incremental and
dependent on timetable and reinvestment decisions by individual property owners and developers.
Nevertheless, because the transformation of the Greater Southdale District will involve redevelopment
from underutilized land parcels, low-to-moderate densities, single-use sites to more compact, higher
density and mixed-use, this change will enhance the feasibility and effectiveness of district-wide
sustainability initiatives.
Implementation of sustainability measures will depend on a shared vision, cooperation, and ongoing
commitment amongst stakeholders. Implementation will also depend on evolving best practices and
possibilities. The approach will need to be flexible regarding specific strategies to make timely
responses to evolving opportunities.
Development Pattern: Sites, Buildings, and Public Realm. Sustainable development is a pattern of
resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can
be met not only in the present, but also for future generations. In the Greater Southdale District this
means allowing, and even fostering, economic growth and development in equilibrium with basic
ecological support systems. A tremendous opportunity presents itself in the District’s northern portion,
with its large under- and undeveloped areas, to be reorganized into a more sustainable pattern of
development. These large land parcels can be restructured, filled in and redeveloped into compact,
higher-intensity mixed-use sub-districts, with supportive public infrastructure. This transformation or
retrofit, coupled with sustainable building design, construction, and maintenance, will create
neighborhoods that also include elements of livability and vitality that current and future generations
are seeking.
Multimodal Transportation Network. If the places where people work, play, learn, and shop are closer
to where they live and to each other, the amount of driving, in terms of distance, will shrink. Recent
studies, Moving Cooler and Growing Cooler, both published by the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Land
Institute, Driving and the Built Environment, produced by the National Academy of Sciences’
Transportation Research Board examine the connection between land use and driving from different
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angles. Their analyses suggest that compact development can indeed reduce driving, and therefore
energy consumption which produces lower greenhouse emissions. Also, as the amount and quality of
compact development increases, the reduction in vehicle miles traveled accelerates. Importantly, this
reduction in vehicle miles traveled and corresponding reduction in greenhouse gases is permanent.
The environmental effects of compact development are further enhanced by a multimodal
transportation network that includes a wide range of transportation choices that promote ecologically,
socially, and economically sustainable modes of travel. An expanded public transit network will need to
be oriented strategically to link to other forms of movement. Evolving technology in transportation calls
for flexibility to accommodate these changes as well as evolving changes in traveler behavior.
The system for accessibility and circulation will need to balance mobility (transportation) and proximity
(land use) to not only decrease car travel and encourage alternative forms of mobility, but also to
achieve a higher degree of sustainability.
Urban Forest and Landscape. While Edina has a substantial tree canopy throughout much of the city,
the Greater Southdale District, with the exception of Centennial Lakes Park, is nearly devoid of trees.
Trees provide great benefits to the environment including filtering dust and pollutants from the air,
providing shade and lower temperatures in built-up areas, helping to reduce soil erosion, buffering noise
and light impacts, reducing energy use, and providing habitat. There is an opportunity in an area as
large as the Greater Southdale District to create “ecological parks and public realm” that incorporate not
only trees but also and other landscape infrastructure elements such as new storm water management
systems. With creative design and sensitivity to context, an additional benefit could be the creation of
multi-functional community spaces and places for gathering and community interaction that also
educate the public about environmental stewardship.
Energy Use/Efficiency Alternatives. The heating and cooling buildings has traditionally been carried out
on a building-by-building basis. Research has shown that heating, cooling, and hot water represent 60
percent of the energy demand in buildings. However, district energy systems can reduce primary energy
consumption for heating and cooling of buildings by up to 50 percent. District energy systems are
networks of hot- and cold-water pipes, typically buried underground, that are used to efficiently heat and
cool buildings using less energy than if the individual buildings were to have their own boilers and chillers.
Typically, district energy systems are found where load densities are high, allowing for high levels of
affordable renewable energy supply through economies of scale, diversity of supply, balancing, and
storage. As the 750+ acre Greater Southdale District evolves into a more compact, densely-developed
area, a district energy approach could be feasible. More realistically, given the patchwork of land parcel
sizes and diversity of ownership, a series of smaller district energy systems for sub-areas, would likely be
more feasible and would more efficient than the current situation.
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Overall Sustainability Goals and Policies
Ecological Health
Sustainability Goal #1: Enhance and maintain the ecological health of the Greater Southdale District as
a whole.
1-A. Revise development standards to allow higher intensity of development.
1-B. Establish a program of requirements and incentives for developers to incorporate
sustainable building design, site design (layout and orientation), and construction
practices.
1-C. Establish sustainability and resiliency guidelines for the Greater Southdale District that
provide specific requirements for energy use, carbon emissions, water use, wastewater,
stormwater, material use, solid waste, ecological systems and soil.
1-D. Require individual development projects to connect to district-wide utility systems once
these systems are established.
Public Realm Infrastructure
Sustainability Goal #2: Use public realm infrastructure (both green and blue) as the connective tissue to
give the Greater Southdale district a unique identity and create a remarkable and walkable daily
experience through all four seasons.
2-A. Invest in landscaping improvements, innovative stormwater management, tree planting,
sustainable technologies for energy conservation and efficiency, and programs for
reducing waste that contribute to an define an interconnected public realm.
BEST PRACTICES: The 25-acre Arbutus Neighborhood (former brewery and factory site) in Vancouver,
Canada features a 3-acre linear park/greenway system as part of a series of pedestrian routes,
including pedestrian-oriented lanes based on the European “Woonerf” model, serving a population of
2,100 in 1,450 residential units.
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Evolved Infrastructure
Sustainability Goal #3: Create mutually-supportive and forward-looking infrastructure sustaining the
Greater Southdale district, looking beyond baseline functions of a single site.
3-A. Undertake local energy planning and implement feasible integrated utility systems
including district energy (heating and cooling), wastewater, and recycling of solid waste,
and on-site power generation for all or parts of the Greater Southdale district.
Transportation Choices
Sustainability Goal #4: Design and implement transportation systems that emphasize and promote
pedestrian movements, transit, bicycle use, and reduce dependence on car use.
4-A. Investigate the need for a satellite Public Works facility that addresses four-season
maintenance of the expanded public realm/pedestrian-supportive infrastructure that
will be created to respond to increased population density, expansion of the workforce,
and higher visitor levels.
BEST PRACTICES: The Southeast False Creek Neighborhood Energy Utility,
Vancouver, Canada’s first renewable district heating system, recycles
waste heat captured from sewage and waste water to provide heating
and hot water to buildings in the 110-acre Southeast False Creek area
thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions with renewable energy
sources.
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4.8 Water Resources
Overview
The Water Resources chapter of the 2018 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. That chapter also addresses current and future conditions and
demand, sets goals and policies, and provides an implementation framework for each water-related
utility. It also invites the public to take part in the reimagination, renewal and improvement of the
systems that support these services.
This section of the Greater Southdale District Plan provides:
(1) an overview of current conditions;
(2) Trends, challenges, and opportunities, and
(3) Goals and policies for water supply, sanitary sewers, and stormwater management in the
Greater Southdale District.
Water Supply
Current Context
The Water Utility system pumps, treats, filters, stores, meters, and delivers water to private service
connections citywide. Water for fire suppression is stored and made available at public and private fire
hydrant connections located citywide.
The mandate/local policies that apply to the Water Utility are:
Provide the City’s water customers with safe, high quality potable water.
Provide sustainability of the City water system through preservation and conservation.
Provide a reliable water system that can provide a safe water supply of water during
emergencies.
Continue to improve the quality of water throughout the distribution system by pursuing
solutions to water quality complaints.
Implement new technologies including pipe bursting and cleaning and lining to limit full
reconstruction of utilities.
The City of Edina existing water system consists of five storage facilities, one of which is in the Greater
Southdale District at located at 6853 France Avenue South. Constructed in 1956, this elevated tank has a
storage capacity of 0.5 of MG (million gallons). The City has a total usable storage capacity of 5.88 MG.
Other Public Utility assets include twenty wells that are utilized to supply groundwater to the City, two of
which (Well 5 and Well 18) are located to serve the Greater Southdale District. Four water treatment
plants provide additional treatment before sending water into the distribution system, none of which are
located to serve the Greater Southdale District, however Plant 3 at Fred Richards (former golf course, to
become a park) is nearby.
The majority of the water distribution and storage systems were constructed in the 1950s through 1970s,
with treatment systems being added and expanded later. Wells were added as supply demand grew. All
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well systems have been through multiple lifecycles as pumps are replaced on a more frequent basis. Wells
are redeveloped as their flow decays.
Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
The Water Resources chapter of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan states that historical data from the last ten
years was used to identify water use trends in the average daily demand (AD), maximum daily demand
(MD), and maximum daily peaking factor. To determine future demand, future population growth and
water use trends were projected through the year 2040. The analysis produced the following conclusions:
(1) The current storage capacity will not adequately meet the projected AD demand; therefore, additional
storage will be needed; and (2) Under existing conditions, the treatment capacity is sufficient for
projected demands.
Going forward, the issues that need to be addressed are aging infrastructure, localized growth, and
system modernization.
While the foregoing refers to water supply citywide, the following can be said regarding the SE quadrant
of Edina and the Greater Southdale District going forward:
The Southdale Water Tank at 6853 France Avenue will remain. Capacity improvements to the
trunk distribution system and retrofit of the Dublin Reservoir at 700 Dublin Road are
recommended to activate storage and make it more available to help support flows in the SE
quadrant.
With regard to the 76th Street/77th Street corridor extending from France Avenue westward
towards Highway 100, the City Engineering Department is considering transitioning from
Bloomington to Edina water service in coordination with a sanitary system review.
The City Engineering Department is scoping a project for a (new) Water Treatment 5, part of the
purpose is to increase filtered water capacity and improve water aesthetics in the SE quadrant.
The Water Resources chapter of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan identifies the following citywide strategic
goal areas:
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.
Water Supply
Water Supply Goal: Employ water service to balance service and demand resulting from the District’s
evolution while reducing risk through planned renewals of infrastructure.
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Sanitary Sewers
Current Context
The Southeast Edina Sanitary Sewer –
Preliminary Engineering (April 2017)
was prepared by Barr Engineering to
assist the City with planning of its
sanitary system to address possible
needs that may arise from
redevelopment occurring in the
southeastern quadrant of Edina. The
following narrative presents highlights
and conclusions from that report.
The April 2017 report notes that the
Southdale area has grown as
redevelopment has shaped the area into
a more vertical environment. It points
out that numerous one-story buildings
and surface parking lots are being
replaced by multi-level buildings that are
increasing population density and
adding load to the City’s sanitary
system. Barr Engineering evaluated and
assessed the capability of the City’s
sanitary system to meet changing loads.
Trends, Challenges, and
Opportunities
Redevelopment projections provided
information on ultimate low-, medium-,
and high-density build-outs. Barr then
prepared redevelopment scenarios to
determine any needed sewer
infrastructure. In an effort to be
conservative, Barr and City staff selected
the ultimate high-density
redevelopment scenario to identify
improvement alternatives.
Three geographic areas of pipe capacity
concern were identified through
scenario modeling: (1) Fairview Hospital
area (Fairview), (2) Southdale Center Mall area (Southdale), and (3) the area around Parklawn Avenue
(Parklawn). These three areas are depicted in Figure 32 from the April 2017 report. See map graphic
Figure 32 from The Southeast Edina Sanitary Sewer – Preliminary Engineering (April 2017) report: Pipe
Capacity Scenario 5 – Ultimate High Density.
From The Southeast Edina Sanitary Sewer – Preliminary Engineering
(April 2017) report: Figure 32 Pipe Capacity Scenario 5 – Ultimate
High Density
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In a presentation to City Council in May 2017, City staff and consultant representatives highlighted
aspects of the April 2017 report and summarized its key findings:
Edina is well served by existing infrastructure, has high utilization of trunk lines, and has ample
capacity at its borders for growth.
Numerous pipes in southeastern Edina are above capacity at the high-density level of
development. The model results for these three areas were reviewed with City staff and
proposed improvement alternatives were then identified for the sanitary sewer system so that
the system can handle the additional flow from the proposed developments.
Ongoing infiltration and inflow work continue to reduce risk and free up capacity.
Edina has time to react – growing demand causes local capacity constraints in mid-term.
Development fees are paying for new infrastructure.
Infrastructure decision-making has a long-term outlook.
Going forward, they advised, the City would continue to balance service, demand, risk reduction and
renewal of aging infrastructure in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The City would continue to
coordinate with the Metropolitan Council, and include a plan for options for Southdale (Phase 1: Capacity
relief on York corridor to free up capacity on France Avenue corridor north of 69th.) and Fairview (Phase 2:
Shuttle flow south, relieving 65th/Xerxes Met Council line.) in the 5-year CIP and 10-year plan.
Sanitary Sewers Goal
Sanitary Sewers Goal: Employ sanitary sewer and water service to balance service and demand
resulting from the District’s evolution while reducing risk through planned renewals of infrastructure.
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Stormwater Management
Current Context
The City of Edina 2018 Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan (Management Plan)
addresses current and future stormwater management issues, especially those related to future
development and redevelopment. That plan addresses stormwater runoff management and flood
control, water quality management, and wetlands protection.
The Greater Southdale district lies within two drainage areas: Lake Cornelia/Lake Edina/Adam’s Hill and
Nine Mile Creek South. See map graphics: Fig. 7-2 and Fig. 8-2 from the Management Plan).
The following discussion, focusing on these two drainage areas, was extracted from the Management
Plan and summarized below.
Lake Cornelia/Lake Edina/Adam’s Hill – North Lake Cornelia and Adam’s Hill Drainage Patterns. North
Lake Cornelia has a large watershed, encompassing 863 acres. The North Lake Cornelia watershed has
been delineated into 162 subwatersheds and is characterized by several ponding basins within the
watershed. Land use within this watershed comprises a large commercial area (including the Southdale
Shopping Center), portions of TH 62 and TH 100, residential areas (high and low density), parks, wetlands,
and open water. The majority of the runoff from the highly impervious commercial areas drains through
France Avenue and West 66th Street storm sewer system and discharges into the Point of France pond,
located just northeast of the West 66th Street and Valley View Road intersection.
Adam’s Hill Pond drainage area includes the 108-acre area with the City of Edina that drains to the Adam’s
Hill Pond in Richfield. The outlet from Adam’s Hill Pond is a pumped outlet that discharges 10cfs to
Centennial Lakes.
Lake Cornelia/Lake Edina/Adam’s Hill Pond Drainage Basin (Figure 7-2 from the City of Edina
2018 Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan)
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Nine Mile Creek South – Centennial Lakes Drainage Patterns. The stormwater system within this
drainage area comprises storm sewers, ditches, overland flow paths, wetlands, and ponding basins. The
Nine Mile South drainage basin has been divided into several major watersheds based on drainage
patterns. The 208-acre Centennial Lakes is located in southeast Edina and drains to Centennial Lakes. The
watershed is bordered by West 69th Street on the north, West 78th Street on the south, France Avenue on
the west, and York Avenue on the east. Runoff from France Avenue between West 69th Street and just
south of Gallagher Drive drains to Centennial Lakes. France Avenue drainage south of Gallagher Drive
flows to the South Pond. The watershed is characterized by mainly commercial and high-density
residential land use. Centennial Lakes span 9.5 acres, stretching south from Gallagher Drive to Minnesota
Drive, and receives runoff from the direct watershed as well as flow from Adam’s Hill Pond (10 cfs).
Nine Mile Creek-South Drainage Basin (Figure 8-2 from the City of Edina 2018 Comprehensive Water
Resources Management Plan)
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Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
The 2017 hydrologic and hydraulic modeling analyses identified several locations within the Lake Cornelia,
Lake Edina and Adam’s Hill drainage basin where the 1-percent-annual-chance level of protection was not
provided by the stormwater system.
The storage options in the Nine Mile Creek South-Centennial Lakes area are limited and the overall
capacity of the outlet could be enlarged to pass more water through the system. However, current flood
levels downstream are already elevated and increasing drainage capacity from Centennial Lakes Park may
cause further impacts downstream.
There is a much larger discussion in the Management Plan of the range of conventional options for
dealing with stormwater management in these two areas on a site-by-site basis. All of the forgoing
options for handling storm water management notwithstanding, a more creative and holistic approach
would be to link options for managing stormwater with the greater goals and directions of the Greater
Southdale District Plan for the District’s evolution. Rather than address stormwater management on a
site-by-site basis, embrace the rapidly-urbanizing redevelopment character and create a blue-green
districtwide amenity that would unify the overall experience of pedestrians and cyclists through parks and
along streets and other corridors. This innovative approach would boost demand for housing and other
uses along its route. A more visible, above-ground system for stormwater management would also serve
as a stakeholder engagement/education vehicle for linking a sustainability message around density and
growth.
BEST PRACTICES: Thornton Place development in Seattle daylighted a 60-inch stormwater pipe
to create a 2.7-acre water quality channel/modified biofiltration swale and a welcoming public
open space as well as a front yard for the private commercial and residential uses that flank it.
This facility removes sediment and pollutants from a 680-acre drainage area.
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Stormwater Management Goals and Policies
The City of Edina 2018 Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan outlines three citywide
overall goals:
Provide stormwater runoff management and flood control.
Provide water quality management for the water bodies throughout the city.
Provide wetland protection throughout the city to achieve no net loss of wetlands, including
acreage, functions, and values.
The City’s Management Plan outlines an implementation program that identifies programs and
improvements, as well as cost estimates for budgeting purposes. As part of the 10-year Plan, the City will
prepare a Flood Risk Reduction Strategy and a Clean Water Strategy that will include a prioritization of
projects.
The Flood Risk Reduction Strategy will focus on identification and prioritization of flood reduction efforts.
This strategy will seek to maximize cost effectiveness and capitalize on coinciding opportunities, such as
planned street reconstruction, redevelopment, availability of land, and other planned infrastructure.
The Clean Water Strategy will address the City’s approach to meeting the pollutant reduction targets,
determine pollutant load reduction targets for non-degradation of water bodies, and identify regular
“good housekeeping” stormwater practices and clean water improvement projects. As with Flood
Reduction Strategy, the implementation strategy for clean water will be developed in coordination with
street reconstruction projects, redevelopment, and other opportunities including partnerships with other
entities such as private land owners, watershed districts, non-profit organizations, or other government
entities.
While recognizing that storm water management planning is done on a citywide basis, nevertheless there
can be goals and policies that respond to the reality that much of the growth and change in Edina will take
Map graphic from Design Experience Guidelines illustrating how a new ‘blue’
network district waterway system could create a district-wide amenity for unifying
the overall experience of pedestrians and cyclists through parks and along streets.
This is a concept, not an approved project.
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place in the Greater Southdale district, within the Lake Cornelia/Lake Edina/Adam’s Hill and Nine Mile
Creek drainage areas.
Stormwater Management Goal #1: Make water the defining feature of the public and publicly-
accessible realm and identity of the Greater Southdale District.
1-A. Study the feasibility of utilizing stormwater management as a major and defining feature of
a new Central Park (Connection to Centennial Lakes) in the northern portion of the Greater
Southdale District.
1-B. Invest in sustainable technologies for stormwater management.
1-C. Manage stormwater runoff as an amenity, utilizing the public realm for shared storage by
leveraging potential efficiencies in spaces connecting public and private lands.
1-D. Make attractive blue-green streetscapes that connect business district plazas,
public/community facilities, neighborhoods, parks, and other gathering places, with
greenery, streetside planters, rain gardens, and/or swales that capture stormwater runoff.
BEST PRACTICES: Stretching for three city blocks, Union Plaza/Antelope Valley
Flood Control Project is a six-acre park in the eastern part of downtown Lincoln,
Nebraska that features a meandering waterway, trails, an overlook, public art,
fountains, a 200-seat amphitheater, and children’s play area.
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Greater Southdale District Plan
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5. Implementation
Introduction: Making it Happen
Successful implementation requires:
Holistic and integrated thinking, which means seeing, understanding, and accounting for all the
connections, and searching for outcomes that demonstrate integration, balance, and
interdependence and that earn social, environmental, and economic rewards;
Detailed planning of projects and other interventions that are sensitive to local contexts and
conditions while at the same time advancing the Greater Southdale District Plan’s core vision
and aspirations;
Leadership and stewardship from City of Edina elected and appointed officials (staff and City
Commissions) who guide work programs and budgets to carry out the implementation actions
indicated in the District Plan.
The participation of other stakeholders, including leaders and stewards in other levels of
government who recognize their mutual dependence and work together, the private sector
(businesses, non-profits, and employers) who marshal their efforts to help implement public
objectives, and inspired residents and others who become involved in effecting positive change.
These partners need to offer their perspectives, strategies, and resources.
This chapter outlines a variety of tools that the City of Edina can bring to bear to make things happen,
including the traditional tools that govern development regulation, fiscal tools, and also other
mechanisms that provide guidance to other forms of municipal influence needed to fulfill this Plan’s
objectives. The details of implementation may vary, but the vision and aspirations upon which the
Greater Southdale District Plan is based will remain constant. The following implementation steps
provide a guide but they cannot encompass or imagine every circumstance. Further detailed
implementation plans and strategies are needed to bring the Greater Southdale Plan to life, most
importantly the Design Experience Guidelines.
Implementation Tools
The City has a number of tools at its disposal to shape development patterns, protect and enhance
natural and human infrastructure, to improve the quality of life for its residents, workforce, and visitors.
Implementation strategies can be organized into several distinct tool categories:
Education and Promotion
Incentives and Incentive Regulations, including density incentives, parking reductions, tax
increment financing, low-interest loans, and tax abatements;
City Ordinances, Other Regulations, and City Policies, including Zoning, Subdivision,
Administrative Standards, Affordable Housing Policy, Housing Plan, Living Streets Plan, Parks,
Recreation, and Trails Strategic Plan, and Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan;
Managing Public Processes, Resources, and Investments including Capital Improvement
Plan (CIP), special assessments, Affordable Housing Fund, land acquisition, sale, or
exchange.
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Summary of Implementation Actions
The following table lists the key actions needed to implement the policy recommendations of the Greater
Southdale District Plan. It briefly describes each action, designates its relative time frame (Short-term: 1-3
years; Medium-term: 4-6 years; and Long-term: 7-10 years), and indicates which departments, agencies or
stakeholder interest groups should be involved. The lead department is noted in BOLD. City Council or
Commissions are listed whenever a definitive action or additional policy advice is sought.
4.1 Economic Vitality and Competitiveness
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Investigate the creation of a GSD association
of property owners and major businesses and
institutions to partner with the City to guide
the District’s evolution.
Short-
Term
Economic Development Office
Planning Department
Edina Chamber of Commerce
2 Convene a task force to research the
potential for additional venues for
conferencing, meeting, and training.
Short-
term
Economic Development Office
Planning Department
Hennepin County Library
Edina Chamber of Commerce
Fairview Southdale Medical Ctr
GSD hospitality industry
4.2 Urban Design
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Adopt Design Experience Guidelines, for use
with Site Plan Reviews, Comp Plan
Amendments, Rezonings, Planned Unit
Development (PUD), and Conditional Use
Permits (CUP).
Short-
term
Planning Department
Planning Commission
City Council
2 Review and consider revising the
development review process to promote a
higher level of predictability and provide
discretionary review, including the potential
inclusion of a design advisory panel.
Short-
term
Planning Department
Planning Commission
City Council
3 Conduct a Living Streets audit of France
Avenue, York Avenue, and 66th Street. (See
also Action Item 4.4.3 below)
Short-
term
Engineering Department
Public Works Department
Hennepin County
Transportation Commission
4 Investigate the technical and cost feasibility
of a green roof/LID structure over Highway
62 and assess potential redevelopment
opportunities.
Medium-
term
Engineering Department
Public Works Department
Minnesota Department of
Transportation
Parks and Recreation
Department
Planning Department
Economic Development Office
Transportation Commission
Fairview Southdale Medical Ctr
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5 Prepare a civic infrastructure financing
strategy for providing direction for future
capital investments commensurate with GSD
evolution.
Medium-
term
Finance Department
Engineering Department
Planning Department
Parks and Recreation
Department
Planning Commission
Parks and Recreation
Commission
City Council
6 Investigate the need for and feasibility of
mechanisms to augment the City of Edina
maintenance and enhancement of public
rights-of-way and public realm.
Medium-
term
Engineering Department
Public Works Department
Finance Department
Parks and Recreation
Department
City Council
4.3 Land Use
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Amend Zoning Ordinance to ensure
consistency with GSD land use and density
policies and maps.
Short-
term
Planning Department
2 Support housing densities that are
compatible with providing affordable housing
options.
Ongoing Planning Department
Edina Housing Foundation
3 Continue to use the development review
process to ensure that development projects
are consistent with the GSD Plan and the
supporting Design Experience Guidelines.
Ongoing Planning Department
4.4 Transportation and Mobility
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Evaluate circulator bus ridership and devise
methods for expanding its service.
Short-
term
Engineering Department
Metro Transit
Economic Development Office
Planning Department
2 Prepare a plan to establish public District
shared parking facilities.
Short-
term
Engineering Department
Planning Department
3 Advocate for additional traffic-calming and
additional beautification measures for France
Avenue, York Avenue, and 66th Street, in
accordance with Living Streets objectives.
Short-
term
Engineering Department
Public Works Department
Hennepin County
Transportation Commission
4 Participate in transitway planning processes
led by Metro Transit and other agencies to
determine the feasibility of providing bus
rapid transit (BRT) service to serve the GSD.
Short-
term
Engineering Department
Planning Department
Metro Transit
5 Prepare a four-season public realm
maintenance strategy and plan focused on
Medium-
term
Public Works Department
Engineering Department
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walkable and bicycling areas (sidewalks,
public paths, and trails).
6 Prepare a strategy for the location and
operation of mobility hubs.
Long-
term
Engineering Department
Planning Department
Metro Transit
Transportation Commission
4.5 Parks and Public Life
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Prepare a GSD Parks and Public Life Master
Plan, key elements of which to be (1) a
strategy to develop a new central
park/connection to Centennial Lakes Park in
the northern portion of the GSD, and (2) an
arts, culture, and event strategy.
Short-
term
Parks and Recreation Department
Arts and Culture Commission
Parks and Recreation
Commission
Human Rights Commission
Hennepin County Library
Edina Community Foundation
Edina Community Education
Edina and Richfield School
Districts
2 Finalize a plan to extend The Promenade
system northward, as well as westward in the
76th Street/77th Street corridor towards
Highway 100.
Medium-
term
Parks and Recreation Department
Planning Department
Economic Development Office
Engineering Department
Parks and Recreation
Commission
Planning Commission
4.6 District Services and Facilities
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Prepare a GSD services strategy plan,
including possible application of a
community benefits review for new
development proposals.
Short-
term
Planning Department
Parks and Recreation
Department
Health Division
Hennepin County Library
Parks and Recreation
Commission
Arts and Culture Commission
Human Rights Commission
2 Investigate the feasibility of locating and
designing the new Hennepin County
Southdale Library to match the pattern and
character of the evolution of the GSD,
including the possible of co-location with arts
and culture, educational, and other services.
Short-
term
Planning Department
Economic Development Office
Hennepin County Library
3 Convene a task force to develop a strategy
for responding to the need for new school
Medium-
term
Planning Department
Edina School District
Greater Southdale District Plan – Adopted December 18, 2018
Page 152
facilities and to consider the potential for
incorporating lifelong learning programs.
Richfield School District
Hennepin County Library
Minnesota State University –
Mankato at Edina
4 Study the future public safety and emergency
preparedness needs of the GSD, including the
capabilities of Fire Station No. 2, and consider
the desirability of a joint Police/Fire facility,
either as an upgrade to Fire Station No. 2 or a
new facility, perhaps integrated with other
development.
Ongoing Police Department
Fire Department
Planning Department
4.7 Sustainability
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Develop a program of requirements and
incentives for developers to incorporate
sustainability building design, site layout, and
construction practices.
Short-
term
Planning Department
Sustainability Coordinator
Building Division
Energy and Environment
Commission
2 Prepare tree canopy/urban forest
development plan for the GSD.
Short-
term
Engineering Department
Public Works Department
Parks and Recreation
Department
3 Establish sustainability and resiliency
guidelines for energy use, carbon emissions,
water use, wastewater, stormwater, material
use, solid waste, ecological systems and soil.
Medium-
term
Engineering Department
Public Works Department
Building Division
Energy and Environment
Commission
4 Investigate the feasibility of integrated utility
systems.
Medium-
term
Engineering Department
Sustainability Coordinator
Public Works Department
Energy and Environment
Commission
5 Investigate the need for a satellite Public
Works facility in the GSD to aid in managing
and maintaining the GSD as a walkable
district.
Medium-
term
Engineering Department
Public Works Department
4.8 Water Resources
Action Item Timeline Lead, Coordinating Agencies, Others
1 Study the feasibility of utilizing stormwater
management as major and defining feature
of a new “Central Park” in the northern
portion of the GSD. (See also Action Item
4.5.1 above)
Short-
term
Engineering Department
Parks and Recreation
Department