HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix A5 Wooddale-Valleyview SAP_4-6-15Wooddale Valley View SMALL AREA PLAN
Published March 19, 2015
*See Resolutions 2017-102 and
2018-26 which reflect a
comprehensive plan
amendment and a rezoning to
properties that are now within
the Wooddale & Valley View
SAP*
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
City Council Members
James Hovland Mayor
Kevin Staunton
Bob Stewart
Mary Brindle
Ann Swenson
City Planning Commission Members
Michael Platteter Chair
Claudia Carr Vice-Chair
Arlene Forrest*
Steven Hobbs
Susan Lee*
Ian Nemerov
Jo Ann Olsen
Gerard Strauss
Todd Thorsen
Taylor Halva Student
Madison Seeley Student
(* - co-liaisons to Small Area Planning Team)
Small Area Planning Team Members (Volunteer)
Arlene Forrest Co-Chair
Susan Lee Co-Chair
Rob Burley
Connie Carrino
Brian Durst
Carrie Fordahl
Rita Paris
Jim Schedin
City of Edina 4801 W. 50th Street, Edina, Minnesota, 55424
Karen Kurt Assistant City Manager kkurt@EdinaMN.gov
Cary Teague Community Development Director cteague@EdinaMN.gov
Lindy Crawford City Management Fellow lcrawford@EdinaMN.gov
Consulting Team Members
Peter Musty (consultant lead) PETER MUSTY LLC Minneapolis
William Weber Weber Community Planning St Louis Park
William Smith Biko Associates, Inc. Minneapolis
Joe Hollman Maxfield Research Minneapolis
Janna King Economic Development Services Roseville
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ iv
Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Purpose
1.2 The Study Area
1.3 Community Engagement and Planning Process
1.4 Major Planning Issues
1.5 Guiding Principles
Chapter 2 Demographic and Market Profile ....................................................... 13
2.1 Demographic Characteristics
2.2 Real Estate Market Conditions
Chapter 3 Economic Vitality ........................................................................................ 19
3.1 Current Conditions ........................................................................................... 20
3.2 Trends and Challenges ...................................................................................... 21
3.3 Goals and Policies ............................................................................................. 24
3.4 Implementation Steps ...................................................................................... 26
Chapter 4 Land Use and Community Design ....................................................... 27
4.1 Current Conditions ........................................................................................... 28
4.2 Trends and Challenges ..................................................................................... 29
4.3 Goals and Policies ............................................................................................ 30
Goals ....................................................................................................... …….30
Policies ..................................................................................................... …….31
Preferred Land Use Plan: Neighborhood Node (NN) .............................. …….32
Neighborhood Node Development Guidelines .......................................... …….34
Building Height Limits Plan ................................................................... …….34
Building Frontage Guidelines ............................................................... …….36
Gathering Space Guidelines ................................................................ …….39
Site-Specific Guidelines ....................................................................... …….41
Corner Properties at Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road.......... 42
Fairfax Avenue and West 61st Street (South Side) ............................. 43
City-owned Site at Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road .................. 44
Eastern Gateway - Oaklawn Ave., West 62nd St., Valley View Road. . 48
General Guidelines for the Entire Study Area ...................................... …….50
On-Site Parking and Site Access ......................................................... 50
Other Improvements ........................................................................ 50
Heritage Preservation ....................................................................... 51
4.4 Implementation Steps ..................................................................................... 52
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan i | Page
Chapter 5 Transportation and Street Design ..................................................... 53
5.1 Current Conditions ........................................................................................... 54
5.2 Trends and Challenges ...................................................................................... 58
5.3 Goals and Policies ............................................................................................ 61
5.4 Implementation Steps ..................................................................................... 69
EdinaMN.gov/WVV Project Archive
In addition to materials and documents from the community process, the webpage includes:
•Community Generated List of Identified Issues
•Community Engagement Plan
•Report on Demographic Profile and Market Trends
•Summary of Business Owner and Property Owner Opinion
•Land Use and Community Design – Discovery Materials
•Transportation and Street Design - Discovery Materials
•Original High Resolution PDFs:
o Figure 4.4 Building Frontage Guidelines
o Figure 4.9 Site Capacity Alternatives: City-Owned Site
o Figure 4.11 Eastern Gateway Design Study
ii | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
List of Figures
Figure 1.1 Wooddale Valley View Planning Process ....................................................... 5
Figure 1.2 The Study Area ............................................................................................... 6
Figure 1.3 City of Edina Small Area Plan Roles ................................................................ 7
Figure 2.1 Wooddale Valley View’s Primary Market Area and Retail Trade Area ........ 16
Figure 4.1 Existing Properties: Building Types, Year Built and Current Land Uses ........ 28
Figure 4.2 Preferred Land Use Plan ............................................................................... 32
Figure 4.3 Building Height Limits Plan ........................................................................... 35
Figure 4.3b Building Height Limits: Existing Zoning Overlay .......................................... 35
Figure 4.4 Building Frontage Guidelines ....................................................................... 37
Figure 4.5 Building Frontage Guidelines: Street Context Areas .................................... 38
Figure 4.6 Illustration of Public Space Guidelines for the Northwest Corner of
Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road .................................................... 40
Figure 4.7 Key Map of Site-Specific Guidelines (Sites A-D) ........................................... 41
Figure 4.8 Assembly Options for the City-Owned Site .................................................. 45
Figure 4.9 Three Alternatives for Properties A+B: City-Owned Site ............................. 46
Figure 4.10 Redevelopment Guidelines for Properties A + B as “Flex Commercial” ....... 47
Figure 4.11 Eastern Gateway Design Study ..................................................................... 49
Figure 5.1 Wooddale Avenue: Existing Conditions ....................................................... 55
Figure 5.2 Valley View Road: Existing Conditions .......................................................... 56
Figure 5.3 Valley View Road: Illustrative of Long-Range Policy .................................... 63
Figure 5.4 Alternative #3; Oak Lawn, 62nd and Valley View Intersection Study ........... 64
Figure 5.5 Wooddale Avenue: Illustrative of Long-Range Policy .................................. 65
Figure 5.6 Public Realm Improvements ........................................................................ 68
List of Tables
Table 3A Comparable Traffic Counts ............................................................................ 23
Table 3B Implementation Steps for Economic Vitality ................................................ 26
Table 4A Description of Neighborhood Node Land Use Category .............................. 33
Table 4B Implementation Steps for Land Use and Community Design ....................... 52
Table 5A Historical and Forecast Daily Traffic Volumes .............................................. 58
Table 5B Implementation Steps for Transportation and Street Design ...................... 69
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan iii | Page
Executive Summary Historical Development of the Wooddale Valley View Node
From cows to cars and convenience to commerce, the intersection of Wooddale Avenue
and Valley View Road has long been an important commercial crossroads in Edina’s
history and development. It is a classic glimpse at post-World War II development.
Farms dominated the area for over 60 years until owners began selling plots and parcels
to first-time home buyers or developers. There is, however, an important distinction
about the four-corners of Wooddale and Valley View: single-family homes followed
commercial development.
The Wooddale and Valley View neighborhood commercial node emerged as such
because of its location and history as a trading center. The Native Americans followed
Valley View from Ft. Snelling to Shakopee, hunting and trading along the way; the two
roads provided important transportation connections, and one of the area’s first corner
grocery stores served the once-rural area for decades.
Yet, as work began on this plan, not much had changed in the node since its heyday of
1950s and 1960s commercial development. Purpose of the Plan
The purpose of Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan is to provide a long range
decision-making framework including principles, goals, policies, development guidelines
and implementation steps. The study area includes the streets and the commercial and
higher density residential properties near the intersection of Wooddale Avenue and
Valley View Road. The entire plan is written and formatted to be suitable for adoption
as an amendment to the Edina Comprehensive Plan. Community Engagement and Planning Process
A community engagement process ensured the consideration of input
from various stakeholders including business owners and residents - while
recognizing the rights of current and future land owners. The plan evolved
as a balanced framework for renewed attention - and as importantly - new
investments by both the public and private sectors. The plan strikes a
sustainable balance, allowing the real estate market to find the right land
use mix while protecting the character of surrounding neighborhoods. Vision for Vitality
There exists a simple but strong community desire to nurture vitality at Wooddale Valley
View. The Wooddale and Valley View intersection is situated at an important crossroads
within the City of Edina. The node offers the potential to foster a sense of community
by connecting the local community with specialized services, boutique products,
gathering/meeting facilities, spaces for small business, and needed living options for
Edina residents. Well-designed investments in streets, existing properties and in
redevelopment projects will catalyze broader investment.
The following pages contain key highlights of the plan:
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan iv | Page
Guiding Principles
The small area plan is organized around ten guiding principles that came out of a
significant community engagement process and individual public workshops.
Participants identified key issues and concerns which were then organized into the
following principles:
•Place. The Study Area should be
recognizable as a place and visually
attractive.
•Gathering. There should be a
places for people to spend leisure
time, whether in a commercial or
public locations.
•Neighborhood Businesses. There
should be businesses that provide
services or goods desired in the
neighborhood, including small
offices. The amount and
configuration of commercial space
should be allowed to adjust in
response to the market. Property
owners are encouraged to keep
their properties economically viable
and attractive.
•Housing. Sites should be allowed to
transition to housing from business
use in response to the changing
market demands.
•Height and Size of Buildings.
Future buildings north of Valley
View Road should be one to three
stories tall depending on their
location relative to nearby single
family housing. Properties in
sloping topography on the south
side of Valley View Rd should be
allowed to be four stories.
•Graceful Transitions to Neighborhood.
Graceful transitions should be
maintained from more active areas to
quieter neighborhood streets
immediately beyond the node.
•Parking. Most residential parking
should be in attached garages or under
the building. Views to commercial
parking should be softened by
plantings, walls or fences.
•Street Edges. Buildings should be
located near the street sidewalk
without intervening parking. There
should be trees between the curb and
the sidewalk.
•Circulation and Connections. Walking,
bicycling or catching the bus in the
Study Area should be safe and
comfortable. The Study Area should
be well-linked to the nearby
neighborhoods.
•Role of the City. The City should
provide a land use plan, zoning
regulations, design guidelines and
public improvements that support the
intentions of the property owners and
the broader community while being
sufficiently flexible to guide alternative
ideas.
Economic Vitality
The economic development focus of the small area plan was on identifying ways to
strengthen the existing businesses while setting in place a future plan for the transition
of the commercial node while maintaining its economic vitality. It was evident that the
area is currently undergoing change and retail businesses at one time played a more
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan v | Page
significant role that they do today. Residents clearly expressed a preference to maintain
and build upon the retail aspects of the node. Market data indicated the following:
•Modest growth is projected for population and households. Current households are
affluent with respect to metro area averages.
•Small neighborhood business can thrive in the area but they will have to offer
specialized services that cater to nearby residents. There is limited demand for
additional retail space.
•There is demand for new housing in the area, particularly for active adult senior
housing and multi-family homes.
The pace of private development is often unpredictable and the City has limited means
at its disposal to influence outcomes and timeframes. Setting some general goals that
emphasize economic vitality will position the area for a smoother transition into the
future. These can be summarized as follows:
•Neighborhood Hub Cultivate the Wooddale Valley View node as a hub of vitality
with a mix of high quality neighborhood-serving businesses. Support investments
that encourage gathering, pedestrian activity and that reinforce a “neighborhood
feel”.
•Short-term Revitalization Support upgrades to existing properties through
improved tenant mix and image, better marketing and promotion.
•Right-Sized Retail and Commercial Spaces Encourage and support an amount and
range of spaces for businesses that is calibrated to the realities of the market and
trade area.
•Long-Range Market Forces Encourage redevelopment of aging commercial
properties and development of vacant land based on market forces.
The City also has a key role to play in its support of future private development.
Although almost all property within the node is under private ownership, the following
policy recommendations will help to bring about greater growth in economic vitality:
•The City will encourage redevelopment driven by the private sector that aligns with
the principles, goals, policies and guidelines of this plan.
•The City will invest in public improvements and/or use established financing tools
to support and encourage redevelopment of the neighborhood commercial node
consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and the Wooddale Valley View Small
Area Plan.
•The City will favor investments in neighborhood-serving retail, service sector
businesses and neighborhood-oriented public spaces.
•The City will be supportive of collaborations both formal or informal business and
property owner collaborations.
•Options for the City-owned property at Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road will
be discussed with adjacent land-owners.
vi | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Land Use and Community Design
Land use in the Wooddale Valley View Node is expected to evolve but retain a mixed
use profile of small commercial, office and residential uses into the future. The small
area plan introduced and recommended a new land use category, the Neighborhood
Node (NN) to replace the existing Neighborhood Commercial (NC) designation. The NN
designation has a more intentional emphasis on the intertwining of new alternative
housing units such as row houses and townhomes, landscaped open gathering spaces
and pedestrian and bike friendly planning and design. Design goals included the
following:
•Activation of the Core Concentrate activity and neighborhood-serving commercial
businesses near the intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road.
•Building-to-Street Relationships Ensure that ground-level frontages address public rights-of
way so as to encourage beauty, safety, walkability and a sense of place.
•Graceful Transitions Encourage the scale of buildings to transition from center to edge of
the Neighborhood Node, with the largest buildings located near the intersection of
Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road, decreasing in scale toward the surrounding single-
family neighborhood. Ensure that redevelopment near single-family homes is designed
sensitively.
•Flexible Evolution of Land Uses Allow existing land uses to evolve in response to the
market. Although the proportion of the Study Area devoted to housing will likely be greater
than it was in 2014, the exact pattern of land use over time will be determined by market
forces. Current uses of land may, of course, remain as they are until owners decide to make
a change. The commercial site north of Valley View Road at Oaklawn Avenue may evolve to
housing. The Edina Village Market may redevelop as a mix of housing and businesses. The
sites east of Kellogg Avenue immediately north of Valley View Road may evolve as either
commercial or residential land uses.
•Drive-Through Formats Discourage buildings with drive-through elements such as gasoline
stations and those with drive-up windows.
The City's role in shaping land use policy will take place via several implementation steps. These
steps include the adoption of amendments to the current zoning ordinance that incorporate
new building height limits, new building frontage design guidelines, gathering space guidelines,
node to neighborhood transitions and site specific guidelines.
Development Guidelines
As proposals for new development are brought forth for review by the
City, applications and designs should be evaluated according to the new
Neighborhood Node Development Guidelines that are presented in the
plan. The guidelines contain five sections:
A.Building Height Limits Plan
Height Limits Near the Center of the Neighborhood Node. North of Valley View Road,
building heights may be up to three stories, not to exceed 36 feet. South of Valley View
Road building heights may be up to four stories, not to exceed 48 feet.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan vii | Page
Graceful Transitions to Surrounding Neighborhood. At certain specified locations at the
perimeter of the Neighborhood Node where graceful transitions to single family areas are
important (as specified on the Building Height Limits Plan), the height of new buildings may
be up to two stories, not to exceed 24 feet.
B.Building Frontage Guidelines
Building-to-Street Relationships. Guidelines describing preferred relationships of buildings
to streets establish a sense of place, provide a graceful visual transition from busy areas to
nearby housing, and ensure that the pedestrian experience is pleasant.
Node-to-Neighborhood Transitions. Typical configurations of street-to-building
relationships are described in the small area plan and keyed on a map to their appropriate
neighborhood context within the Neighborhood Node.
C.Gathering Space Guidelines
Introducing small landscaped open spaces and a larger public multi-use gathering space
should be introduced strategically throughout the Neighborhood Node and will help to
support pedestrian movement and visual identity. Suitable locations are identified in the
plan.
D.Site Specific Guidelines
Site specific guidelines are outlined for the following:
•Corner Properties at Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road
•Fairfax Avenue and West 61st Street
•City-owned site at Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road
•The Eastern Gateway - Valley View Road at Oaklawn Avenue and West 62nd
Street
E.General Guidelines for the Entire Neighborhood Node
Parking will be a constant issue within the Neighborhood Node for businesses, residents and
customers alike. The plan recommends ways to include parking yet minimize the visual
impact while strengthening the visual identity of the node through plant screenings and
consistent signage. Enhancements to pedestrian and bicycle networks such as additional
sidewalks, consistent lighting and bike parking facilities will improve the pedestrian
experience for residents and visitors. This in turn, helps to create a more attractive work
and retail destination for area businesses.Transportation and Street Design
As was evident during the planning process, the City and residents desired to have the
Neighborhood Node become more pedestrian and bicycle friendly as well as transit-
oriented. This must take place within the context of Valley View Road, Wooddale
Avenue and 62nd Street all being classified as Municipal State Aid streets, which serve
as connectors to Highway 62 and Highway 100. The City should consider the following
future improvements:
•Automobile Traffic Ensure safe and convenient travel for traffic passing through
and within the Study Area by:
Reducing lane widths
viii | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Implementing intersection improvements at problem locations such as 62nd St.,
Oaklawn and Valley View
Limiting the number of driveways providing access between the roadway
system and private property
Vigorously enforcing traffic laws and regulations
•Parking Ensure adequate parking supplies that:
Are located on-site in accordance with specific land uses
Meet multi-modal parking needs
Are safe and secure
•Walking, Biking and Transit Use Design public rights-of-way to facilitate and
encourage safe and convenient multi-modal travel by providing:
Sidewalks, boulevards, marked crosswalks, and pedestrian-oriented street
lighting within the Study Area
Dedicated bikeways within the Study Area
Connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists to surrounding neighborhoods
Transit stops
Living Streets principles and other established best practices in all infrastructure
improvementsImplementation
The end of Chapter 3- Economic Vitality, Chapter 4- Land Use and Community Design,
and Chapter 5- Transportation and Street Design contain a Table of Implementation
Steps to phase in the various plan recommendations. Most steps anticipate a 1-3 year
time frame, coinciding with the Comprehensive Plan Update scheduled for 2018.
Therefore, it is recommended by the Small Area Planning Team that the Wooddale
Valley View Small Area Plan be adopted now by the City Council as an amendment to
the 2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan, giving it immediate authority equal to the balance
of the Comprehensive Plan. Policies and guidelines regarding the Wooddale Valley View
Neighborhood Node will then be adjusted in the 2018 Comprehensive Plan to reflect
these changes. Conclusion
Clearly, Wooddale Valley View stakeholders hope for a thriving and vital commercial
node. They are concerned about the aging properties, retail turnover and, ultimately,
the future of the node. This plan helps to shape those concerns and issues into
suggestions and solutions. Throughout the process various opinions were offered and
shared with the WVV-SAP team and, in turn, all perspectives were considered in
defining a vision, synthesizing the market data and prioritizing the recommendations.
The WVV-SAP team would like to thank the residents, business and property owners
who participated in the process by providing comments, input, feedback and resources.
We would also like to thank Marci Matson and Frank Cardarelle of the Edina Historical
Society for providing background and photos on the area.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan ix | Page
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 1
Introduction
Purpose 1.1 The Study Area 1.2 Community Engagement and Planning Process 1.3 Major Planning Issues 1.4 Guiding Principles 1.5
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page| 1
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.1 Purpose
The Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan (WVVSAP) is intended to be adopted
as an addendum to the current Edina Comprehensive Plan. Small area plans
outline a community vision to be implemented over an extended period of time.
Small area plans do not guarantee that, what, when or how redevelopment will
occur.
The Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan provides detailed guidance in the
areas of economic vitality, land use, community design, transportation and
street design. Topics not covered under the Small Area Plan revert to the
Comprehensive Plan.
Why the Small Area Plan was Developed
The Wooddale Valley View neighborhood commercial node was first identified in
the 2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan as an area of potential change. In 2014, the
City Council directed the Planning Commission and City Community
Development Staff to undertake a small area planning process that would 1)
seek to provide the template for future small area plans and 2) provide proactive
guidance for shaping future development in the form of a small area plan for the
Wooddale Valley View neighborhood node.
This plan represents a collaborative nine
month effort by a diverse and interdisciplinary
team of staff, consultants and committed
community volunteers. Efforts were made to
balance the concerns and values of Wooddale
Valley View’s residents, landowners, and other
stakeholders with the parameters set by
physical conditions on the ground, Edina’s
historic and economic context, and an
awareness of emerging trends in the local and
regional real estate market.
This plan creates a long range decision-making, planning and design framework that
allows existing assets to thrive while needed new investments are introduced in a
carefully planned and sensitively designed manner. The plan is balanced; while it
provides strong guidelines for transitions to surrounding neighborhoods, the plan
maintains real estate market flexibility for Wooddale Valley View’s businesses and
investors.
There exists a
simple but strong
community desire
to nurture vitality
at Wooddale
Valley View.
Page| 2 Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 1 - Introduction
How the Small Area Plan will be Used
The Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan serves as an important tool for
landowners, developers, city planners, city council members and planning
commission members when evaluating future development projects. In addition,
the Plan outlines specific action steps for the City and other stakeholders to
support the long term vision for the area.
Developers and landowners will find the plan useful when conceptualizing and
preparing development plans for implementation in the Wooddale/Valley View
Small Area Plan study area. Reviewing the Small Area Plan during the early
stages of project development will inform developers of City-adopted directions,
standards and guidelines and will ultimately prove to be a time- and resource-
saving measure that can streamline the development review process.
City staff will find the plan to be a useful tool when explaining and illustrating
City-adopted directions, standards, and guidelines to developers. They will then
be able to use the plan’s principles, goals, and policies to assess and evaluate the
degree to which developers’ plans adhere to City directions and the impact of
variances developers might seek.
The Planning Commission will use the plan when deciding whether to approve
development proposals and pass them along to the City Council for adoption.
How the Small Area Plan is Structured
The Wooddale/Valley View Small Area Plan is organized similar to the
Comprehensive Plan. The plan includes:
•Major Issues
•Guiding Principles
•Goals, Policies and Guidelines
•Implementation Steps
The plan was developed through an iterative process beginning with input from
community members at a kickoff meeting that was held in June 2014. In
addition to community members, others involved in the process were a Small
Area Planning Team, appointed by the Planning Commission; City staff; and a
consultant team. The iterative nature of the process permitted conclusions
reached in one phase of the Small Area Plan study to be re-visited and discussed
by each of the participants and, if necessary, revised to take new ideas and new
information into account.
Issues. One of the first products developed in the process was a list of five major
issues, which were synthesized from over one hundred issues identified by
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page| 3
Chapter 1 - Introduction
community members. Analysis of the major issues led to the development of 12
Guiding Principles, which respond to the issues as a realm of development and
design guidance representing an “ideal” situation. The list of major issues also
helped direct the development of the three primary plan chapters:
•Economic Vitality
•Land Use and Community Design
•Transportation and Street Design
Guiding Principles. The Guiding Principles were vetted by all participants in the
process at the Dream (Visioning) Workshop that was held in December 2014.
Consideration of the high level Guiding Principles for each of the plan’s three
primary plan chapters (Economic Vitality, Land Use and Community design, and
Transportation and Street Design) led to the development of more practical
chapter-specific goals.
Goals. The goals that were developed for each of the three final plan chapters
identify future ambitions and desires, specifically focused on the resolution of
chapter-specific issues.
Policies. Policies for each of the three plan policy chapters were developed
following the development of issue-focused goals. The policies, also issue-
focused, are statements that are intended guide decisions and achieve rational
outcomes, typically written as direction for City staff, Planning Commission or
City Council. They are statements of intent to be implemented as a procedure or
protocol. In the case of the Small Area Plan’s three final plan chapters, the
policies firmly state what the City will do to address the element-specific issues.
Guidelines. Policies in some cases often include even more specific guidelines
that communicate framework of preferences and parameters for decisions from
district wide issues to a specific property or street design issues.
Implementation Steps. The final product presented in each of the three final
plan chapters is a table of implementation steps, which identifies actions the City
will take, the agency within the City that will lead, and the timeframe for acting.
Figure 1.1 on the following page shows how input from community members
contributed direction and substance to the Wooddale Valley View Small Area
Plan’s three major outcomes; Goals, Policies and Implementation Steps.
Page| 4 Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 1 - Introduction
From Issues to Implementation
The Wooddale Valley View Model
Figure 1.1
Wooddale Valley View Planning Process Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page| 5
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.2 The Study Area
Having always been a historical crossroad of commerce, the intersection of
Wooddale Road and Valley View Road has seen many changes through the years.
As the population of Edina grew, the surrounding neighborhoods expanded and
matured. The road system was revised, altering the types of services and
businesses that came to occupy the once busy corner.
The area of study addressed during the planning process included the public
street rights-of-way and several land parcels in the immediate vicinity of the
intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road. Figure. 1.2 shows the
Study Area with a dotted white line. Included are areas designated in the 2008
Edina Comprehensive Plan as ‘Neighborhood Commercial (NC)’ as well as
adjacent ‘High Density Residential (HDR)’.
The vast majority of the recommendations in this plan document address issues
within this approximate area of study. However, where practical, some
connections, impacts, relationships and transitions to areas immediately
adjacent or close-by were also studied and addressed in this plan.
Study Area
Figure 2.2
The Study Area (showing Future Land Use Plan designations as Approved in 2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan) Page| 6 Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
See Resolutions 2017-102& 2018-26
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.3 Community Engagement and Planning Process
The planning process was conducted from June, 2014 through February, 2015. As
will be discussed, community engagement was the cornerstone of the Wooddale/
Valley View Small Area Plan planning process, and many opportunities were given
to community members to express their opinions and identify issues and concerns
about the Study Area. Milestone events during the process included:
Community Kickoff - June 2014
In June of 2014, over 70 community members turned out for an orientation
presentation and discussion about the upcoming Small Area Plan process. The
Kickoff meeting gave community members an opportunity to identify their
concerns about the Study Area.
Consultant Request for Information (Request for Proposal) - June 2014
Edina City Staff released a Request for Information to find a Consultant Team to
plan and lead community engagement events, conduct research and develop and
write the Small Area Plan document.
Small Area Planning Team
(SAPT) Convened - June 2014
With assistance from City staff, a
working group of community
volunteers including business
owners, residents and Edina
Planning Commission
representatives were appointed
by the Edina Planning
Commission to guide the
planning process. Their first
meeting was in July of 2014. The
Small Area Planning Team (SAPT)
selected a Consultant Team,
through a competitive proposal
process that included interviews.
Figure 1.3
City of Edina
Small Area Plan Roles
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page| 7
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Consultant Team Research
Background information on the Study Area was collected and in some cases
developed by the Consultant Team, including:
•Demographic and Real Estate Market
Profile
•Retail visibility
•Experiential analysis of context:
transitions from node to
neighborhood
•Typical frontage types (typical
building to street relationships)
•Building type, height, square footage
and year of construction
•Vehicle and bike parking counts
•Traffic projections
•Urban design characteristics
•Sustainability weaknesses and
opportunities
•Nearby community facilities
•Connections to surrounding
neighborhoods and open spaces
•Streetscape conditions
•Historic imagery, related informal
analysis, and development of
interesting historic aspects and
timelines
•Existing zoning and development
review process
•Photography of the node/context
Community Engagement Plan Development - September 2014
A formal Community Engagement Plan was developed by the Consultant Team
that outlined interactive events during each of three major phases of the
planning process: 1) Discovery, 2) Vision and 3) Plan Development. It was
reviewed and revised as deemed appropriate with the SAPT. Parallel outreach
and events subcommittees were formed by the SAPT to assist the Consultant
Team with implementation of the community engagement plan.
Community Outreach - September 2014 – December 2014
A website posting project information was updated throughout the process by
Edina City Staff, who also utilized the Speak Up, Edina! web-based discussion
forum to encourage online discussion of key issues.
Information was published via posters, postcards,
NextDoor and CityExtra.
On separate occasions, the Consultant Team leader and
an SAPT member visited the monthly neighborhood
meetings of the Pamela Park and the Concord
Neighborhood Associations. They informed the
neighborhood groups about the reason for the planning
process and the benefits of participating. They
obtained from each group a list of issues that those
present felt were relevant and important to address.
Page| 8 Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Key Stakeholder Interviews and Business Owner Survey – September/October 2014
Structured interviews were conducted by the Consultant Team with five
property owners, leasing agent for the Edina Village Market, and Gordon
Hughes, a long-serving, former city manager of the City of Edina. In addition, six
businesses completed a survey that assisted the Consulting Team in defining the
Study Area’s trade area and also provided business owners an opportunity to
offer insights into the node’s strengths and challenges. The interviews focused
on business-related conditions and future expectations.
Discovery Workshop – October 11, 2014
The first event conducted by the newly
assembled team of Consultants, City Staff and
SAPT was held on Saturday morning, October 11,
2014. The event was held at the Edina Village
Market in an empty storefront space. The
session included breakfast, a presentation
featuring key points in the history of the node,
and a consultant-led exercise called a discovery
walk-about where teams were given the tasks of
touring the Study Area together to identify
issues. Following the walk-about, the teams
discussed their issues in a workshop.
Dream (Visioning) Workshop – November 8, 2014
The Dream Workshop was held at the Edina Senior Center on a Saturday morning.
The workshop included:
•Presentations by the Consultant Team on five Major Planning Issues and a set
of Organizing Principles drawn from community input
•Update on progress of consultant discovery work, including an explanation of
demographic and market trends and a summary of current attitudes in the
business community
•Interactive review of a Map of Potential Public Realm Improvements and a set
of long range scenarios for revitalization and redevelopment reflecting both
future market trends and the draft Organizing Principles
Community members document issues during the Discovery Walk-About.
Small Area Plan: Wooddale - Valley View Neighborhood Node 9 | Page
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Progress Update – December 3, 2014
A Progress Update session was held at the Edina Senior Center where a draft policy
framework, the Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Core Elements, was
presented by the Consultant Team. The presentation was followed by conversations
between Consultant Team members and community members. SAPT members also
listened and recorded community member comments on the following boards that
were on display:
• Draft Land Use and Built Form
Plan
• Draft Building Frontage
Guidelines
• Capacity Study: City Owned Site
at Valley View Road at Kellogg
Avenue
• Draft Public (Gathering) Space
Guidelines
• Design Study: Public (Gathering)
Space at Valley View Road and
Wooddale Avenue
• Design Study: East Gateway
Redevelopment Concept (Valley
View Road at Oaklawn Avenue)
• Draft Map of Public Realm
Improvements
• Various Intersection
Improvement Studies: for
Intersection at Valley View
Road, W. 62nd St and Oaklawn
Avenue
Neighborhood residents and City staff members critiqued a rendering for the possible plaza near
the intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road at the December 3 meeting.
10 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.4 Major Planning Issues
One of the community engagement tools used during the Discovery Workshop
(held on October 11, 2014), at the neighborhood outreach meetings, and by
SAPT members, was an exercise that challenged community members to identify
issues in the form of questions. Individuals were invited to address issues
ranging from more specific physical conditions and design preferences to
broader economic and planning issues. The intent was to 1) help city staff, the
Consultant Team and the SAPT better understand community attitudes, values
and ideas about the Study Area and 2) provide a framework for the
development of guiding principles, which would be used to define goals, policies
and implementation steps for the Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan.
Below are the five major planning issues that emerged from the milestone
community engagement activities previously described. The five issues were
synthesized from an initial list of over one hundred that were developed and
submitted by community members and stakeholders:
Economic Vitality What, if any, public or private actions
should be taken to revitalize the Study
Area in its current form?
Long Range Land Use What are the viable long range patterns of
land use in the Study Area?
Built Form Guidance What should be the physical parameters
for development of each site in the Study
Area?
Pedestrian Experience What should be done to improve the
experience of walking, bicycling or riding
the bus?
Placemaking What should be done, if anything, to
improve the Study Area’s identity or sense
of “place”?
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 11
Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.5 Guiding Principles
These principles, which were mentioned on the previous two pages, were initially
drafted by the Consultant Team during preparation of six long range scenarios
following the Discovery Workshop. The principles were vetted by the community at
the Dream Workshop along with scenarios and a list of public realm improvements.
They were subsequently revised by the Consultant Team and approved by the SAPT.
These principles steered the preparation of the goals, policies and implementation
steps in Chapters 3-5 of this plan, and should be used by the City in the review of
development and redevelopment proposals and plans within the Study Area.
Place. The Study Area should be
recognizable as a place and visually
attractive.
Gathering. There should be a places
for people to spend leisure time,
whether in a commercial or public
locations.
Neighborhood Businesses. There
should be businesses that provide
services or goods desired in the
neighborhood, including small
offices. The amount and
configuration of commercial space
should be allowed to adjust in
response to the market. Property
owners are encouraged to keep
their properties economically viable
and attractive.
Housing. Sites should be allowed to
transition to housing from business
use in response to the changing
market demands.
Height and Size of Buildings. Future
buildings north of Valley View Road
should be one to three stories tall
depending on their location relative
to nearby single family housing.
Properties in sloping topography on
the south side of Valley View Rd
should be allowed to be four stories.
Graceful Transitions to Neighborhood.
Graceful transitions should be
maintained from more active areas to
quieter neighborhood streets
immediately beyond the node.
Parking. Most residential parking
should be in attached garages or under
the building. Views to commercial
parking should be softened by
plantings, walls or fences.
Street Edges. Buildings should be
located near the street sidewalk
without intervening parking. There
should be trees between the curb and
the sidewalk.
Circulation and Connections. Walking,
bicycling or catching the bus in the
Study Area should be safe and
comfortable. The Study Area should be
well-linked to the nearby
neighborhoods.
Role of the City. The City should
provide a land use plan, zoning
regulations, design guidelines and public
improvements that support the
intentions of the property owners and
the broader community while being
sufficiently flexible to guide alternative
ideas.
12 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2
Demographic and
Market Profile
Demographic Characteristics 2.1 Real Estate Market Conditions 2.2
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 13
Chapter 2 - Demographic and Market Profile
2.1 Demographic Characteristics
The planning process included an analysis by the Consultant Team of
demographic characteristics at various scales of context including the larger
region, Edina, the Primary Market Area (PMA) and the Retail Trade Area (RTA).
See following page for definitions. It included population and household growth
trends and projections, age distribution, household income projections by age of
householder, household tenure trends by age of householder, shifts in
household type, employment growth trends and projections, and the commuting
patterns of residents and workers. The following are the major findings:
•There is an aging population.
The greatest growth in both the Retail Trade Area and the Primary Market
Area is expected among the 55+ age group (particularly 65 to 74). Projected
household growth among this group (empty nesters) in the RTA will generate
increasing demand for multifamily housing, predominately from married-
couple households with adult children seeking to downsize after their
children move out of the home.
•There is an influx of younger / married couples with children.
Edina and the Retail Trade Area are gaining married couple households with
children. By contrast, the rest of the larger Primary Market Area is losing
married couple households with children. The Retail Trade Area is also
expected to experience growth in the Echo Boom population (25 to 34),
while the PMA experiences growth in the 35 to 44 age group. The Primary
Market Area overall is gaining single-person and single-parent households.
•There is continued growth of affluent households.
Median household income ($137,992) in the Retail Trade Area is more than
double the Metro area ($66,599). Median household income in the Primary
Market Area ($71,285) is seven percent higher than the Metro Area. The
median household income in the RTA is projected to grow 4.8% per year
(2014 to 2020) compared to a 3.7% annual rate of growth in the PMA and the
Metro Area. Solid growth is anticipated in the upper-income brackets, which
likely will translate to increasing demand for dining, home furnishings,
specialty apparel, recreation, and luxury items.
•Solid job growth is occurring.
Edina gained 1,700 jobs (+3.6 percent) between 2010 and 2013, led by
growth in industries that occupy office-space. Job growth is projected to
continue. Commuting patterns create an opportunity for retailers to capture
sales from the daytime population in the Retail Trade Area.
14 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 2 - Demographic and Market Profile
Defining Wooddale Valley View’s Primary Market Area and Retail Trade Area
Figure 2.1 illustrates the larger Primary Market Area (shown in blue) used in the
analysis of current demographic characteristics and for analysis of housing
market conditions and trends. The Primary Market Area (i.e. trade area, draw
area) is the geographic area from which between 70% and 80% of a housing
project’s customer base (renters, home buyers, etc.) come. This is
communicated as a boundary map of Census Tracts surrounding the Study Area.
Because of traffic volumes and visibility of the Study Area, it was concluded that
the draw area for commercial and retail goods and services will be
neighborhood-oriented and will be smaller than the Primary Market Area for
housing. As such a Retail Trade Area submarket (shown in dark blue) was
established as the primary draw area for commercial/retail uses at Wooddale
Valley View.
Determination of the boundaries of the Primary Market Area and Retail Trade
Areas is based on several factors, including:
• Growth trends and demographic characteristics of the surrounding area;
• Traffic and community orientation patterns;
• Geographic and man-made barriers;
• Places of employment;
• Renter leasing patterns;
• Discussions with Study Area business and property owners;
Note: Both of these boundaries are larger than the project Study Area defined
previously in this plan.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 15
Chapter 2 - Demographic and Market Profile
N
Primary Market Area
RetailTrade Area
Study
Area
Source: Maxfield Research, October 22, 2014. Figure 2.1
Wooddale Valley View’s Primary
Market Area and Retail Trade Area
16 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 2 - Demographic and Market Profile
2.2 Real Estate Market Conditions
Both quantitative and qualitative market research were conducted during the
planning process to assess market support for various real estate types in the
immediate Study Area. The research considered potential for retail commercial
land uses and multiple-family, senior, and rental housing. The Project Archive,
found at EdinaMN.gov/WVV, presents the complete and detailed market analysis,
a profile of properties, and a summary of interviews and surveys with property and
business owners. The findings of the quantitative market analysis are summarized
below characterizing demand trends for office space, retail space and housing.
New Retail Business Space
•Small neighborhood business can thrive in the area.
Some opportunity exists for neighborhood-oriented retailers catering to
high-income family households and for business establishments that offer
services to local households such as:
Full-service and limited-service restaurants;
Health care and personal care stores and providers;
Insurance agencies, accountants, real estate agents.
•Beyond that mentioned above, fairly limited demand for new retail space
in the Study Area was found.
Retail vacancy in 2014 was at 7.2 percent in the primary market area. Retail
space availability in top trade areas (i.e. Edina) is tightening. Additionally, high
household incomes and expenditures contribute to significant “leakage” of
retail sales in several neighborhood- or convenience-oriented retail categories.
Residents don’t need to travel far out of the Study Area for goods/services.
(Retail leakage occurs when community members spend money outside the
area or when money spent in an area is transferred out of the area.)
New Office Space
•Limited demand was found for new office space in the Study Area.
Vacancy rates for office space remain high: 17.4 percent in the Twin Cities,
16.5 percent in the Southwest Submarket. The market for medical office
space is tighter (5.6 percent off-campus vacancy rate in the southwest
metro). Most office-using business establishments in the Study Area are
relatively small in size. The existing supply of vacant office space in Edina can
satisfy much of the projected growth.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 17
Chapter 2 - Demographic and Market Profile
For full definitions of
senior housing terms such
as ‘active adult’,
‘congregate’, ‘assisted
living’ and ‘memory care’,
see the Senior Market
Housing Analysis (pages
36-37) of the Market
Potential Analysis found
in the Project Archive at
EdinaMN.gov/WVV.
•Regionally, it is expected that business growth will occur in industries that
provide services to local households.
Business establishments in sectors such as health care, insurance, accounting,
and real estate, could be drawn to existing commercial space in the area.
New Housing
•A particularly strong and increasing demand for active adult senior housing
was found.
There are roughly 4,000 senior housing units in the Primary
Market Area: 10 percent active adult* (independent living
without services available), 63 percent congregate*
(independent living with services available), 20 percent
assisted living*, and 7 percent memory care*. At the end of
2014, six projects with 484 senior housing units are planned
or under construction in the Primary Market Area. While
there is one active adult project under construction in Edina,
it appears that the market could support additional active
adult units, and it is believed that the Study Area would serve
as a viable location for active adult senior housing.
•The demand and prices for for-sale multi-family homes are also increasing.
General occupancy for-sale multifamily market conditions in Edina seem to
be fairly robust, with increasing sales and rising prices. In Edina, townhome
pricing increased 7 percent between 2009 and 2013. Condo prices are up 11
percent. It was found that demand exists for new for-sale multifamily units
in the area, and a new for-sale multifamily development located in the Study
Area would likely be well-received in the market.
•There is pent-up demand and rising rental rates for general occupancy
rental housing around the Study Area. However, opportunities for new
rental housing in the Study Area may be further out.
Below-equilibrium vacancy rates translates to pent-up demand and rising
rental rates. There is a 2.4 percent vacancy rate in Edina and 2.6 percent
vacancy rate in the Twin Cities (5.0 percent is considered equilibrium). Heavy
development activity is occurring nearby. There are eight projects with over
1,700 units in the Primary Market Area. However, because there are
currently several rental housing projects in development at locations within
Edina and the Primary Market Area that are better-suited for rental housing,
it is not recommended that rental housing development should be sought in
the near-term. A smaller-scale, rental project that capitalizes on the
neighborhood feel of the Study Area could be feasible by 2020.
18 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 2 - Demographic and Market Profile
Chapter 3
Economic Vitality
Current Conditions 3.1 Trends and Challenges 3.2 Goals and Policies 3.3 Implementation Steps 3.4
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 19
Chapter 3 - Economic Vitality
3.1 Current Conditions
As noted earlier in the plan, business activity at the node has evolved over the
past 50 years due to changes in consumer patterns, changes in the roadway
network, and the growth of the Southdale, Grandview, and 50th and France
commercial areas. Some long-held properties at the node reflect a pattern of
low rents, high vacancies, and a lack of updates. Several properties at the node
have been sold, and the new owners have made substantial investments in these
properties. Where this has occurred, the new businesses are operating
successfully as owner-occupied and leased facilities. At the beginning of 2015,
only a small number of businesses are selling retail goods.
Please refer to Summary of Interviews with Property Owners and Tenants, in the
Project Archive at EdinaMN.gov/WVV, to see the input that informed this section.
The Changing and Challenging Context for Commercial Uses in the Node
The node is often fondly remembered by long time Edina residents as a place
where kids rode bikes to the superette to buy gum and baseball cards and where
young people and families gathered for pizza or an ice cream treat. Additionally,
a clinic, pharmacy, service station, salon, barber shop, pizzeria and service
station met the needs of area residents.
A variety of changes in the surrounding area have impacted the node since its
development in the late 1950s and 1960s, creating an increasing number of
challenges for Wooddale Valley View as a commercial node. They include:
• Reduced traffic flow on Valley View Road due to the elimination of direct
access between Valley View Road and Highway 100 that occurred when
Highway 100 was improved to operate as a controlled access roadway facility;
• Edina East High School relocated from its former location to one combined
campus west of Highway 100;
• A broad range of retail, medical, entertainment, banking, office and housing
options developed in the Southdale area;
• A healthy mix of grocery, hardware, banking, medical, dining and other goods
and services evolved in the Grandview area;
• Grocery, retail, personal services, banking, dining, entertainment activity and
housing density have increased at the 50th and France node;
• Parking requirements for commercial uses throughout the region and in Edina
have increased gradually and significantly, making it difficult to provide today’s
tenants with parking amenities that can compete with larger sites nearby;
• Many aging commercial buildings are reaching the end of their lifecycle.
20 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 3 - Economic Vitality
3.2 Trends and Challenges
In a sense, it’s true that the very attributes that give the Study Area its unique
character and charm are the characteristics that are limiting competitiveness.
Aging Commercial Spaces. Aging commercial buildings on the smaller sites
nestled in the Wooddale Valley View node struggle to compete with more
recently built commercial spaces in surrounding areas. Commercial buildings at
Southdale, Grandview, and 50th and France, for example, succeed by offering
newer, larger, more convenient, and more visible sites – while property owners
at older nodes like Wooddale Valley View find it a struggle to cover maintenance,
let alone reinvest in larger scale upgrades or amenities.
Unique Commercial Sites. Factors such as property size, shape, and topography
further contribute to an awkwardness of many of the sites for use as commercial
properties. Access and parking issues make them comparatively less attractive to
conventional businesses that require larger, auto-oriented formats more
convenient to drivers. Because Valley View Road cuts through at an angle to the
north-south street grid, many properties in the study area are small and uniquely
shaped, with many placed on sharply angled corners within small blocks, making
automobile access and parking configurations difficult to design. In addition,
steeply sloping topography limits the viability of commercial development on the
south side of Valley View Road within the study area.
Parcel Lines and Aerial Image from Hennepin County PropertyInfo
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 21
Chapter 3 - Economic Vitality
Competitive Commercial Context. Intense competition exists within one to two
miles from regional centers (Southdale) and community centers (Grandview and
50th and France). These larger commercial areas present challenges for nearby
neighborhood commercial nodes. See Report on Demographic and Market Trends,
page 66, found in the Project Archive at EdinaMN.gov/WVV, for a definition of the
types of shopping centers.
Site Visibility, Traffic Count and Ease of Access. The strong competition mentioned
above from three neighboring commercial areas located nearby compounds the
negative effects of geographic isolation from the south and west by Highway 62 and
Highway 100. Traffic on France Avenue can be a barrier for pedestrians and
bicyclists to the east. Small lakes and large land masses for public/institutional use
including Pamela Park, Edina Community Center/ Southview Middle School
complex, and the Edina Country Club, reduce household density in the area.
Visibility and access are primary considerations for retailers seeking to locate their
businesses. The success of a particular retail location is dependent, in part, upon
how easy it is for consumers to locate the business, distinguish the business from
competitors, include the business in other activities, and stop at the business
during their daily commute. Several factors are taken into consideration based on
traffic counts and visibility when retailers select a site, including:
• Daily traffic volumes in the area;
• Proximity to public transportation;
• Accessibility for potential customers as well as delivery vehicles;
• Visibility of the store and business signage from surrounding roads;
• The sites proximity to other traffic generators.
Based on data sourced from the Minnesota Department of Transportation
(Mn/DOT), it appears that Valley View Road experiences an AADT (Annual Average
Daily Traffic) of 5,300 vehicle trips per day, while the AADT along Wooddale
Avenue is approximately 3,000 vehicle trips per day. This is low compared to other
commercial nodes. See Table 3A Comparable Traffic Counts.
Therefore, due to the comparatively limited accessibility and visibility of the Study
Area, the most likely retail uses to be drawn to the area will be neighborhood- and
convenience-oriented establishments that supply goods and services to
households nearby.
22 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 3 - Economic Vitality
On
Wooddale,
North of
Valley
View
On Valley
View,
West of
Wooddale
On Valley
View,
East of
Wooddale
3,200 5,900 7,900
Two-Way Daily Traffic Volume -
Wooddale Valley View (2013)
On
Penn,
North of
54th
On
Penn,
South of
54th
On 54th,
West of
Penn
On 54th,
East of
Penn
7,200 8,600 3,200 5,800
Two-Way Daily Traffic Volume -
54th and Penn (2013)
On
France,
North of
44th
On
France,
South of
44th
On 44th,
West of
France
On 44th,
East of
France
10,700 12,200 3,400 7,000
Two-Way Daily Traffic Volume -
44th and France(2013)
On
Xerxes,
North of
56th
On
Xerxes,
South of
56th
9,500 9,500
Two-Way Daily
Traffic Volume
56th and Xerxes
Table 3A
Comparable Traffic Counts
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 23
Chapter 3 - Economic Vitality
3.3 Goals and Policies
Ultimately, market conditions and the vision of property owners, developers,
investors, businesses and the City will shape the future of the node as well as the
timing the redevelopment activity.
Today’s Mood: Hopeful Uncertainty
Residents value the convenience of neighborhood retail and their relationships
with small business owners, but commercial activity at the node will depend
upon the vision of property owners and developers and their ability to find a
strategic business mix that meets the evolving needs and desires of area
residents in a market area that already provides a wealth of options within a one
to two mile radius.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to imagine the wide range of development
proposals involving commercial and residential development for the Wooddale
Valley View node that could come before the City over the next two decades.
Today, the mixed mood of uncertainty combined with hopefulness among
landowners, the business community, and residents translates to diverse
perspectives on what it will take to strengthen the area as a commercial node.
See the Project Archive at www.EdinaMN.gov/WVV for a Summary of Property
and Business Owner Opinions and a list of issues identified by the community.
The following goals and policies are forged from a balanced synthesis of these
perspectives.
Goals for Economic Vitality
1.Neighborhood Hub. Cultivate the Wooddale Valley View node as a hub of
vitality with a mix of high quality neighborhood-serving businesses. Support
investments that encourage gathering, pedestrian activity and that reinforce
a “neighborhood feel”.
2.Short-term Revitalization. Support upgrades to existing properties through
improved tenant mix and image, better marketing and promotion.
3.Right-Sized Retail and Commercial Spaces. Encourage and support an
amount and range of spaces for businesses that is calibrated to the realities
of the market and trade area.
4.Long-Range Market Forces. Encourage redevelopment of aging commercial
properties and development of vacant land based on market forces.
24 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 3 - Economic Vitality
Policies for Economic Vitality
The following policies provide both structure and flexibility for the evaluation of
proposals.
1.The City will encourage redevelopment that is driven by the private sector
that aligns with the principles, goals, policies and guidelines of this plan.
Development concepts and timing will be initiated by property owners,
developers and investors based on market conditions. Development
proposals will be evaluated using the direction provided in this Small Area
Plan and the Edina Comprehensive Plan.
2.The City, at its discretion, will strategically invest, and/or use established
financing tools, to support public realm improvements to encourage
redevelopment of the neighborhood commercial node, consistent with the
City’s Comprehensive Plan and Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan.
3.The City will favor investments in neighborhood-serving retail, service
sector businesses, and neighborhood-oriented public spaces. Investments
in existing or new buildings that meet the needs of area residents and build a
sense of community, identity and vitality should be favored.
4.The City will be supportive of formal or informal business and property
owner collaborations. This includes public-private alliances or organizations
seeking to strengthen the economic vitality of the node and its role in
building community.
5.The City will discuss options for the property it owns at Kellogg Avenue and
Valley View Road with adjacent landowners. Use property to leverage
development or other changes that will promote the guiding principles,
goals, policies and guidelines of the small area plan.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 25
Chapter 3 - Economic Vitality
3.4 Implementation Steps
Table 3B
Implementation Steps for Economic Vitality
Action Leads Time Frame
Convene Business Community and Property Owners.
a.Review and discuss the implications of the market
analysis prepared as part of the Wooddale Valley View
Small Area Plan.
b.Review and discuss the Wooddale Valley View Small
Area Plan. Identify any ideas that merit further
consideration or research. Work with the City to
prioritize and identify elements that could be moved
forward on the improvement calendar such as bike and
pedestrian improvements, lighting, boulevard; public
art installations.
c.Learn about how successful business and property
owners can work together to build economic vitality.
d.Learn about models for collaboration between the
business community and emerging neighborhood
associations or established resident groups.
e.Determine if there is an interest and willingness to
continue meeting and begin working together on the
strategy outlined in this plan. If so, achievable goals,
roles and responsibilities should be identified.
Administration
Department /
Economic
Development
2015
City-Owned Site at Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road.
Discuss options for the City-owned property with adjacent
landowners. Use property to leverage development or
other changes that will promote the guiding principles,
goals, policies and guidelines of the small area plan.
Administration
Department /
Economic
Development
2016
26 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Chapter 4
Land Use and
Community Design
Current Conditions 4.1 Trends and Challenges 4.2 Goals and Policies 4.3 Implementation Steps 4.4
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 27
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
4.1 Current Conditions
The 2014 pattern of land use in the Study Area is summarized by Figure 4.1 and
the related table. A detailed description of land use, buildings, major tenants
and property owners is presented in the Project Archive at EdinaMN.gov/WVV.
Building
Type Year Built Current Land Use (at end of 2014)
1 1954 Retail and service – former gasoline service station; presently unused
2 1956 Mixed use: small offices over clothing retailer and ice cream shop
3 1957 Service business - dry cleaning
4 1957 Retail and service - strip mall (Edina Village Market (EVM))
5 1959 Retail and service - addition to strip mall (EVM)
6 1959 Service business - salon
7 1960 Residential – apartment building with underground parking
8 1960* Small offices (ValleyWood)
9 1962 Residential – apartment building with underground parking
10 1963 Residential – apartment building with underground parking
11 1969 Residential – apartment building with underground parking
12 1969 Office – professional service business (*recently updated)
13 1970 Service business – child day care
14 no bldg Undeveloped site – owned by the City
= Two Story Vertical Mixed Commercial - Office over Retail / Services
= One Story Commercial
= Multi-family Residential - Duplex / Apartments / Flats
Figure 4.1
Pattern of Land Existing Properties: Building Types, Year Built and Current Land Uses in 2014
28 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
4.2 Trends and Challenges
Community input, real estate market conditions and existing physical conditions are
all drivers of the principles, goals and policies of this plan. The community
engagement process and results were outlined in Chapter 1 Introduction. Real
estate market conditions and future trends are presented in detail in Chapter 2
Demographic and Market Profile and Chapter 3 Economic Vitality. Below is a review
of physical conditions that also factor into land use and community design decision
making in the Study Area:
Aging Buildings. Most of the buildings in the Study Area are older and some have
not been as well maintained as perhaps they would have been under better market
conditions. The commercial buildings were created during an era when the business
environment and the traffic patterns were much different than they are today.
Buildings Set Back with Surface Parking. Many of the commercial buildings are set
back behind a parking area, separating shopfronts from the street. This can reduce
convenience for those arriving on foot, by bike or by transit, and creating a less
attractive and comfortable streetscape experience for pedestrians. Moving buildings
too far back (especially when cars are parked in front) can reduce the positive effects
of spatial enclosure, expose customers to elements and discourage the casual strolling
often found in successful retail environments and popular gathering places.
Lack of Streetscape Investments. The appearance of the Study Area is diminished by
the lack of trees and green boulevards along the edges of Wooddale Avenue and Valley
View Road.
Traffic Patterns. There is quite a bit of traffic through the Study Area but much of it
consists of pass-through trips, especially at peak hours. When the intersection of Valley
View Road and Highway 100 was closed, access to businesses in the Study Area from
west of the highway and other locations was greatly diminished. In addition, Wooddale
Avenue does not intersect or cross Highway 62 south of the Study Area.
Scale and Shape of Parcels. The Study Area contains a range of unique parcels, many
with smaller sizes with irregular shapes. While this contributes to the node’s unique
character, these conditions present site design challenges for redevelopment projects.
Relationship to Neighborhoods. The adjacent neighborhoods consist mostly of
single-family detached housing in good condition. There is little separation,
buffering or transition from the buildings of the Study Area to that housing.
Providing a proper transition from more active areas nto the neighborhood may
present challenges.
Terrain. South of the Study Area, the land slopes steeply down to ponds. This
creates accessibility and parking issues that make these sites less amenable to
commercial uses, especially retail.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 29
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
4.3 Goals and Policies
The following is a policy framework that provides guidance to the public sector for future
decision making, staff review of development applications, municipal plan implementation
and community based initiatives. The following takes into account the opinions and values
of stakeholders, the parameters of previous planning and existing policies.
The Study Area will continue to evolve and become a mixture of housing and commercial
development guided by the demands of the market, property owners’ decisions, the
policies and guidelines of this plan, and the Edina Comprehensive Plan. Though the
proportion of the Study Area devoted to housing will likely be greater than it was in 2014,
the exact pattern of land use over time will be determined by market forces. Current uses
of land may, of course, remain as they are until owners decide to make a change.
Land Use and Community Design Goals
1.Activation of the Core. Concentrate activity and neighborhood-serving commercial
businesses near the intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road. Any
new buildings introduced at the four corners of the Wooddale Valley View
intersection should include street-level retail or gathering spaces that interact with
the sidewalk and encourage pedestrian activity.
2.Building-to-Street Relationships. Ensure that ground-level frontages throughout
the node are carefully designed with public-to-private relationships that encourage
beauty, safety, informal interaction, walkability and a sense of place.
3.Graceful Transitions. Encourage the scale of buildings to transition from center to
edge of the Neighborhood Node, with the largest buildings located near the
intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road, decreasing in scale toward
the surrounding single-family neighborhood. Ensure that redevelopment near single
family homes is designed sensitively.
4.Flexible Evolution of Land Uses. Allow existing land uses to evolve in response to
the market. Current uses of land may, of course, remain as they are until owners
decide to make a change: The commercial site north of Valley View Road and
Oaklawn Avenue may evolve to housing. The Edina Village Market may redevelop
as a mix of housing and commercial. The sites east of Kellogg Avenue immediately
north of Valley View Road may evolve as either commercial or residential.
5.Drive-Through Formats. Discourage buildings with drive-through elements such as
gasoline stations and those with drive-up windows. They are inconsistent with the
guiding principles of this plan.
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Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Policies for Land Use and Community Design
1.The City will introduce the Neighborhood Node (NN)* Future Land Use
Plan designation, as presented in this plan. The City will adopt this plan as
an amendment to the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, and amend zoning and
related ordinances to align with this plan.
2.The City will review development applications of all future projects (within
the boundaries of the Wooddale Valley View Neighborhood Node) to
ensure compliance with the Neighborhood Node Development
Guidelines*. The guidelines include:
A.Building Height Limits Plan
B.Building Frontage Guidelines
C.Gathering Space Guidelines
D.Site-Specific Guidelines
E.General Guidelines (for the Entire Neighborhood Node)
*The Neighborhood Node (NN) boundaries, its description, and the Wooddale
Valley View Neighborhood Node Development Guidelines are presented in the
following pages.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 31
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
HDR
Preferred Land Use Plan: Neighborhood Node (NN)
This plan introduces Neighborhood Node (NN) as a new land use category specifically for use
within a portion of the Wooddale Valley View Study Area. Also see description and Table 4A.
At shown, at Wooddale Valley View it replaces the previous Neighborhood Commercial (NC)
designation that was established within this area in the 2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan.
Neighborhood Node (NN).
High Density Residential (HDR). It is recommended that the
apartment building located at the southwest corner of
Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road, currently planned
HDR, be included in the Neighborhood Node classification on
the Preferred Land Use Plan, as shown above.
Low Density Residential (LDR)
Low Density Attached Residential (LDAR)
Open Space and Parks (OSP)
Public/Semi-Public (PSP)
No changes are recommended to these Land Use Plan
classifications from the 2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan. They
are all located outside the boundary of the Study Area.
LDR
LDA
OSP
PSP
NN
Figure 4.2
Preferred Land Use Plan
32 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
See Resolutions 2017-102 & 2018-26
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Similar to the Neighborhood Commercial category, Neighborhood Node:
•Supports Neighborhood Serving Businesses. Encourages small- to
moderate-scale businesses that serve primarily the adjacent neighborhoods.
Primary land uses should be retail and services, offices, studios, and
institutional uses.
In addition, designation as Neighborhood Node provides:
•Predictability for Current Landowners. Supports current owners’ efforts to
invest in improvements their properties by providing a predictable planning
framework for the area.
•Flexibility for Redevelopment. Provides greater flexibility to the development
market by more explicitly encouraging the inclusion of needed housing.
•New Gathering Space / Placemaking. Encourages intentional integration of
landscaped open space and new formal public spaces.
•Protection of Community Values such as Scale, Walkability and Character. A set
of Development Guidelines protects the scale, walkability and character of the
existing area by regulating the relationship of buildings-to-streets and the
transition of building heights from node-to-neighborhood.
Table 4A - Neighborhood Node Land Use Category (Also see Figure 4.2.)
Land Use Category General Description Development Guidelines Density Guidelines
NN
Neighborhood Node
In general, small- to
moderate-scale
commercial,
residential or mixed
use buildings serving
primarily the adjacent
neighborhood(s).
Primary uses
encouraged are
neighborhood-serving
retail and services,
offices, studios,
institutional and
residential.
Building footprints generally less
than 20,000 square feet (or less for
individual storefronts).
Parking is less prominent than
pedestrian features.
Encourage structured parking and
open space linkages where feasible;
emphasize enhancement of the
pedestrian environment.
Encourage development to comply
with the Wooddale Valley View
Neighborhood Node Development
Guidelines*:
A.Building Height Limits Plan
B.Building Frontage Guidelines
C. Gathering Space Guidelines
D.Site-Specific Guidelines
E.General Guidelines
Maximum residential
density up to 30 dwelling
units per acre (du/acre).
(Densities are further
constrained by the
parameters of the
Building Height Limits
Plan*).
Maximum Floor Area
Ratio (FAR) per zoning
code.
*The Wooddale Valley View Neighborhood Node Development Guidelines are found on the following pages.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 33
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Wooddale Valley View
Neighborhood Node Development Guidelines
A.Building Height Limits Plan
The building height limits for the Neighborhood Node are indicated in Figure 4.3.
Generally:
•Height Limits Near the Center of the Neighborhood Node. North of Valley
View Road, building heights may be up to three stories, not to exceed 36
feet. South of Valley View Road building heights may be up to four stories,
not to exceed 48 feet.
•Graceful Transitions to Surrounding Neighborhood. At certain specified
locations at the perimeter of the Neighborhood Node where graceful
transitions to single family areas are important (as specified on the Building
Height Limits Plan), the height of new buildings may be up to two stories, not
to exceed 24 feet.
Figure 4.3 Building Height Limits Plan, on the following page, defines height
limits throughout the Neighborhood Node.
Figure 4.3b, also on the following page, depicts existing height limits so that
comparison can be made between current policy and what is proposed.
34 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Figure 4.3
Building Height
Limits Plan
Four Story Limit.
Up to four stories, not to exceed 48 feet
Three Story Limit.
Up to three stories, not to exceed 36 feet
Two Story Limit.
Up to two stories, not to exceed 24 feet
Two Story Transition (36’ Deep)*
Height Limit: Up to two stories, not to
exceed 24 feet (vertically) within the
specified 36 feet in horizontal distance
from property line.
Two Story Transition (60’ Deep)*
Height limit: Up to two stories, not to
exceed 24 feet (vertically) within the
specified 60 feet in horizontal distance
from property line.
* (These ‘Transition’ designations were created
to establish a graceful transition from
Neighborhood Node properties with three story
limits to immediately adjacent residential areas
outside the node.)
Figure 4.3-b Existing Building Height Limits as Defined by
Building Height Overlay District (Source: Article XI,
Division 2, Building Height Overlay District, and
Appendix A of the Official Zoning Map.) Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 35
See Resolutions 2017-102 & 2018-26
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
B.Building Frontage Guidelines
The location of a range of climatically-appropriate frontage types is depicted by
Figure 4.4 and Figure 4.5. These guidelines do not address style or building
vernacular but will ensure streets that are lined with ground level features that
contribute to active, safe and walkable streets. Generally:
•Building-to-Street Relationships. Figure 4.4 Building Frontages F1-F6
illustrates typical configurations of building to street (private-to-public)
relationships and describes their varying appropriate context. These
‘Frontage Types’ shown are based on successful historic precedents found in
many older multi-modal neighborhoods of Edina, including the Wooddale
Valley View Study Area, and throughout the Twin Cities and the Midwest.
•Node-to-Neighborhood Transitions. The frontage types are keyed to their
appropriate neighborhood context within the Neighborhood Node in Figure
4.5 Context Areas. The purpose of the map is to guide new development
toward ground level building design that maintains visually graceful and
walkable transitions from the more active areas to the quieter single-family
residential neighborhood streets.
Figures 4.4 and 4.5 on the following pages present the Building Frontage
Guidelines of Wooddale Valley View’s Neighborhood Node Development
Guidelines.
36 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Figure 4.4
Building Frontages F1-F6
High Resolution PDF available in Project Archive at EdinaMN.gov/WVV Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 37
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Preferred Frontages by Context Area
Node Transitional Neighborhood
Storefront F1 discouraged not permitted
Doorway F2 not permitted
Stoop F3 discouraged
Shared Entry F4 discouraged
Porch F5 discouraged
Common Lawn F6 not permitted discouraged
Storefronts (F1)
Strongly Encouraged
Figure 4.5
Building Frontage Guidelines: Context Areas
38 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
C.Gathering Space Guidelines
As redevelopment occurs over time, small landscaped open spaces and a larger
public multi-use space should be introduced strategically throughout the
Neighborhood Node. These may soften the buildings, buffer views to surface
parking, provide transitions to nearby single-family housing, provide outdoor
gathering places and generally extend the green character of the neighborhood.
These spaces may be privately or publicly owned and maintained or owned and
maintained as part of a public-private partnership.
Multi-Use Gathering Space. A public multi-use space such as a plaza could be
incorporated into improvements or redevelopments proposed at these
locations:
•The City-owned property at Valley View Road and Kellogg Avenue
•The ValleyWood office site at the northeast of Wooddale Avenue and Valley
View Road intersection
•The Edina Village Market and/or the former gas station site on the northwest
corner of the Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road intersection
Figure 4.6 on the following page illustrates methods of incorporating gathering
space guidelines.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 39
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
1.Spatial Enclosure. Enclose and activate the space with taller buildings with
active ground level uses.
2.Holding the Street. Bring (cozy) all buildings up close to the public space or the
street.
3.Protection From Elements. Plant trees along the edges of all streets and spaces
to provide shade and protection for pedestrians moving next to and in and out of
buildings. Encourage deep awnings along all shopfronts.
4.Programming. Program the space with annual, seasonal and weekly events to
activate the space.
5.Flexibility. Maximize flexibility by using temporary or mobile event equipment,
and avoid encumbering the space with permanent vertical features.
6.Visual Interest and Identity. Anchor key visual points or defining and active
spots such as intersection corners with meaningful/interpretive public art, perhaps
doubling as rest/seating.
7.Universal Design. Establish universally accessible sidewalks along all edges of all
spaces.
8.Accommodate Cyclists. Accommodate bicycles around the perimeter of the
space with fewer steps, ample bike parking and safe access to bike lanes.
Figure 4.6: Concept Illustrating Gathering Space Guidelines
at the Northwest Corner of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road
40 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
D.Site-Specific Guidelines
The following guidelines apply to specific properties in the Neighborhood Node.
Specific sites addressed:
Site A) Corner Properties at Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road
Site B) Fairfax Avenue and West 61st Street (South Side)
Site C) City-owned Site at Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road
Site D) “Eastern Gateway” - Valley View Road at Oaklawn Ave. and West 62nd St.
Figure 4.7
Key Map of Site-Specific Guidelines
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 41
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Site A) Corner Properties of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road
This is the crossroads of the Pamela Park and Concord Neighborhoods and a key
location in the node. Therefore, private and public improvements at this location
should encourage activity, a sense of place, and a feeling of arrival. Accordingly:
a.Building Height and Mix of Uses. Locate taller buildings near this intersection,
possibly including vertically mixed-use structures.
b.Enclosure. Locate buildings close to the sidewalks. However a small plaza or
green space could be sited at the corner. See Gathering Space Guidelines.
c.Activity. Include prominent outdoor seating; public art or monuments can add
visual interest. As illustrated by Figure 4.6.
d.Ground Level Transparency. Connect commercial spaces to the streets with
storefronts with transparent windows. See Building Frontage Guidelines.
e.Streetscape Design. Incorporate decorative street lights, trees and sidewalks that
lead to this focal point. See Chapter 5: Transportation and Street Design.
Northwest Corner: Edina Village Market and the Former Wally’s Station.
When the opportunity arises to redevelop the parcel at the northwest corner in
a significant way, the Neighborhood Node’s Site Specific Guidelines (above) and
the Gathering Space Guidelines (as illustrated in Fig. 4.6) will be used as criteria
for review and approval of redevelopment proposals.
In the interim, the former Wally’s building could be converted or enlarged for use
as one or more small businesses. A landscaped multi-use public space could be
created between the building and the intersection. Street-edge landscaping on this
private site could be improved, particularly if parking is created between the
building and the streets for the re-purposing of this building.
The Edina Village Market could receive better signage and perhaps a mural on the eastern
wall. The owner of the Edina Village Market (or ValleyWood office building) might be
persuaded to conduct a weekly outdoor market on a portion of their parking lot.
If reuse of Wally’s proves difficult, eliminating the Wally’s building prior to eventual
corner redevelopment would increase the visibility of Edina Village Market from the
intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road.
Looking northwest toward the corner of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road.
42 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Site B) Fairfax Avenue and W. 61st Street (South Side)
To establish a graceful transition from the node to the neighborhood streets to
the north:
a.Residential Uses Encouraged. As stated in the definition of Neighborhood
Node earlier in this plan, commercial uses are not prohibited within
properties with Neighborhood Node designation. Nevertheless, it is
recommended that development along the northern edge of the study area
include residential uses such as detached single-family houses and/or
rowhouses. Commercial uses in this area, if any, should be limited as much
as possible to the corners of Wooddale Avenue and have primary frontages
facing Wooddale Avenue.
b.Two Story ‘Transition’. Within the Neighborhood Node, all new buildings
introduced along Fairfax Avenue and W. 61st Street must be limited to two
stories, not to exceed 24 feet in height, for a distance of 60 feet from the
property lines along those streets. See Figure 4.3 - Building Height Limits
Plan.
c.Compatible Frontages. New buildings introduced along these streets must
have frontages that complement the single-family housing to the north. See
Building Frontage Guidelines.
d.Street Trees. Trees should be maintained in the Fairfax Avenue and W. 61st
Street rights-of-way.
Looking west on Fairfax Avenue from near the corner of Wooddale Avenue.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 43
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Site C) The City-Owned Site at Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road
Because of its ownership by the City, size, configuration, and location near the eastern
end of the Study Area, the City-owned parcel is recognized as a unique and critical
property. (See Parcel A on Figure 4.8) Community members’ opinions about its future
use in the Study Area were varied and included commercial, residential, mixed use, and
a public use consisting of a plaza/park/open space. Of primary importance to the
community is that any new development be carefully designed to respect the scale and
context of the single family homes northward along Kellogg, and that the success of
adjacent businesses are not negatively affected.
•Leveraging the Property to Accomplish Plan Goals.
The City-owned property should be leveraged to
advance the principles, goals, policies and guidelines
of this plan. Optimizing the use of the City-owned
property (0.25 acres) will likely require assembling the
property with neighboring privately-owned parcels in
the future. At that time, the City will review the
merits of any development proposal for conformance
to this plan. Future uses could include residential
and/or commercial development, with possibility of
dedication of a portion of the site as a Gathering
Space (see Gathering Space Guidelines) or other
public space. During the interim period, the city-
owned land should continue to be maintained as
passively used and publicly accessible open space. *
•Creating a Flexible Framework for Public–Private Collaboration. Previously the
City worked with major commercial property owners to facilitate new
development in the node, so somewhat greater flexibility in the planning for
parcels labeled A,B,C (as shown in Figure 4.8) was assumed in the small area
plan. Thus, the goals and policies stated earlier in this chapter, along with the
site specific guidelines on the following pages, were developed simply as a
guiding framework. Similar to all other sites in the node, there exists the
premise that land assembly and market forces should and will determine the
*Regarding the Long Range Use ofthe Land as Public Space: Both the
Guiding Principles (in Section 1.5), and
the Land Use and Community Design
Goals (earlier in Section 4.3),
encourage the strengthening of the
intersection of Wooddale Avenue and
Valley View Road as the active center
Neighborhood Node. Land uses near
this location (such as the City–ownedsite) that encourage economic activity,
public gathering and social interaction,
will be encouraged. Accordingly, the
long term exclusive use of the City-
owned property as a passive open
space is not encouraged.
The site owned by the City at Valley View Road and Kellogg Avenue
44 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
exact land use of any redevelopment. Figure 4.8 shows optional redevelopment
alternatives for the City-owned site are considered in this plan in the context of
various land assembly alternatives illustrated by Figure 4.8.
Property A Only (0.25 acres) - Capacity studies were not performed during the
planning process for Property A as a redevelopment site (by itself) due to size
constraints. It is conceivable that a small commercial or residential development
could be accommodated, but would likely require off-site shared parking.
Properties A + B (0.40 acres combined) - This is alternative was studied during the
planning process. See Figures 4.8 - 4.10. The current land use on Property B is a
surface parking lot that is provided for patrons of the ValleyWood office building.
Properties A + B + C (0.55 acres combined) - This land assembly alternative, due to
its size, presents the most flexibility in terms of design alternatives. However, site
plan alternatives were not studied during the planning process because Property C
was outside of the Neighborhood Commercial boundary in the Comprehensive
Plan and, therefore, outside of the Study Area.*
Figure 4.8
Property Ownership near City–Owned Site at Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road
B
ValleyWood
CEdina Housing Foundation
A
City of Edina
*Regarding Application of
Guidelines: If Property C were to
be combined with the other two
sites in a redevelopment project,
the principles, goals and policies
of the Small Area Plan, including
the Neighborhood Node
Development Guidelines, should
apply, ensuring a graceful
transition (both in regards to
height and frontage) northward
along Kellogg to the single family
homes adjacent and across the
street.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 45
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Gauging Community Preferences. Three hypothetical site development scenarios
(site capacity studies) were presented to residents at the Progress Update Event on
December 3rd 2014, to spark discussion on the merits of different types of
development that could occur on the property. (See Figure 4.9). Each of the three
options assume that collaboration is possible with the owner of the parking lot parcel
to the north. Opinions of the neighborhood residents attending were exactly split
between support for the commercial (50%) vs. residential concepts (50%):
•Flex Commercial. (The favorite of 50% of participants.) The ‘Flex Commercial’
option includes one or more neighborhood-serving businesses in a one story
format. Preferred design guidelines for this option are shown in Figure 4.11.
•Rowhouses. (The favorite of 34% of participants.) The ‘Rowhouses option
includes a diverse set of market rate attached single family homes with tuck-
under garages and elevated stoops.
•Manor (Flats/Apts). (The favorite of 17% of participants.) This option
included a multi-unit residential building with parking underneath.
If the market determines that commercial use is unsuitable, acceptable
alternatives to commercial use could be rowhouses or a small multi-family
residential building using the Stoop (F3) or Shared Entry (F4) building frontage.
Other uses and design concepts are certainly possible.
Figure 4.9
Three Alternatives for Properties A+B: City-Owned Site (Property A) + ValleyWood Parking Lot (Property B) Presented for Community Review at Community Meeting in November 2014
High Resolution PDF available in Project Archive at EdinaMN.gov/WVV
46 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Redevelopment Guidelines for Properties A + B ‘Flex Commercial’ Alternative
Guidelines for the redevelopment of the City-owned site as “Flex Commercial”
alternative are as follows. Please also refer to Figure 4.10.
a. Shared Parking. Partially reconfigure parking to open up for shared use by
the new commercial spaces.
b.On-Street Parking. Retain head-in parking along Kellogg Avenue.
c.Frontage. Storefront (F1) Frontage along Valley View Road.
d. Public (Gathering) Space. Increased set-back/chamfering at the southeast
corner allows for an expanded sidewalk seating area and/or fair weather
retail/merchandising space. It also allows for continued visibility to the small
shops on the northeast corner of Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road.
e. Service. Loading, solid waste and recycling bins accessed and handled off the
rear service lane, away from Kellogg Avenue and Valley View Road.
f.Neighborhood-Serving Businesses. Initial tenants should include
neighborhood-serving commercial businesses.
Figure 4.10
Redevelopment Guidelines for Properties A + B as “Flex Commercial”
e a
b
c d
f
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 47
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Site D) WVV’s ‘Eastern Gateway’ (Valley View Road at Oaklawn and W. 62nd St.)
The parcel located at 4400 Valley View Road has a particular advantage in being
perceived as the first commercial property when approaching from the east. It
forms a gateway into the Wooddale Valley View node. Currently a salon, it could
remain in commercial use or transition to residential use.
a.Orientation. As a commercial use, the building should maintain a primary
frontage oriented south toward Valley View Road and carefully screen its
parking from the housing to the north. As illustrated in Figure 4.11, if the
property becomes a residential use the building may face either south and/or
the east, whichever is more advantageous for buffering the building’s parking
from the housing to the north.
b.Gentle Transition from Node to Neighborhood. Whether the site is used for
commercial or residential development, landscaping, screening and building
height should be designed to help the building serve as an end cap for the
residential block next to Valley View Road. * The building height limit in this
location is two stories. See Figure 4.3 – Building Height Limit Plan.
c.Gateway Public Art. There is space in the property and street right-of-way in
front of this site to accommodate some form of vertical public art, banner
pole or similar monument that will establish a sense of entry. This would be
experienced as you approach from the east along Valley View or 62nd Street
and from the north on Oaklawn.
d.Architectural Vernacular. This plan does not attempt to prescribe the style
or architectural vernacular of the building, that is, the exterior materials,
window proportions or detailing. Only the height and relationship of
buildings to the street are specified. It is not intended that a row house
building must look like the one shown by Figure 4.11.*
Conceptual Illustration of Guidelines. Figure 4.11 below illustrates one example
in which a row house building would be configured following the guidelines
above. This two story design faces east, with stoops facing the street, parking
Looking west toward the ‘Eastern Gateway’ of the Wooddale Valley View node.
48 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
tucked under the building, a small embedded commercial space fronting the
sidewalk on Valley View Road, and a public art entry monument at the corner
that terminates three vistas.
Figure 4.11
Example of a Rowhouse Configured to Follow Site-Specific Guidelines Presented for Community Review at Community Progress Update in November of 2014
High Resolution PDF available in Project Archive at EdinaMN.gov/WVV
Design Study:
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 49
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
E.General Guidelines for the Entire Neighborhood Node
On-Site Parking and Site Access
•Encourage Underground Parking. Residents’ parking should be located
under the buildings to the extent allowed by market conditions.
•Visually Buffer Surface Parking Lots. Commercial parking should be behind
or along-side the buildings and be visually buffered by plantings so as to
encourage an active streetscape.
•Display Consistent Signage: Signage pylons, window display signs, and on-
site directional signage should be consistent in terms of colors and materials.
Signage should clearly mark site access and direction for automobile and
bicycle access from streets.
•Install Edge Treatments along Surface Parking Lots: Edge treatments along
the borders between private surface parking lots and the adjacent sidewalks
should include a planting strip approximately two feet wide (or more) and
permanent planting or fencing approximately three feet high. (Following City
standards where applicable.)
•Construct Organized Parking Lots: Surface parking lots should be
constructed to adhere to City of Edina standards regarding stall width and
length and aisle width. Pedestrian-oriented lighting should be installed on
islands within surface parking lots. Where applicable, clearly defined
pedestrian paths should be marked so that pedestrians can safely walk
between the parking lot and on-site buildings.
Other Improvements
As properties redevelop, the City may require investment in on-site or public facilities
that complement new projects, such as:
•Bicycle Parking. Bicycle parking facilities located close to the front doors of
businesses.
•On-Site Lighting. On-site pedestrian-oriented lighting.
•Interpretive Monuments and Public Art. Entry monuments, which can serve
as gateways, should be installed at strategic locations within the Study Area.
The monuments could be local or regional historical markers, memorials or
public art installations. Strategic locations that might serve to mark
progression through or arrival in the node include, but are not limited to, the
corner of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View, the intersection of 62nd Street
and Valley View Road, the intersection of 62nd Street Oaklawn Avenue and
Valley View Road.
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Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Heritage Preservation
Community members including residents, business owners, and property
owners, felt that the Study Area’s history should be further understood,
celebrated, and if possible, incorporated as one of many organizing principles
around which future development and public realm improvements should occur.
•Individual Sites and Buildings. While the Study Area is located in a city rich
with history, it may be likely that no single site or structure within the
boundaries of the Study Area would meet the typical criteria for local
designation or for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
Many of the buildings are just now reaching the age requirement, and a
cursory survey by the Consultant Team found that few if any of the buildings
may possess (or have retained) the architectural or historic characteristics
typically required for local or national designation. To adequately verify this
cursory finding, a more thorough investigation such as a Historic Resources
Survey would be necessary.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 51
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
4.4 Implementation Steps
Table 4B
Implementation Actions for Land Use and Community Design
Action Leads Anticipated
Time Frame
Incorporate this Plan by Reference.
The City will adopt the Wooddale at Valley View Small Area Plan
into the Edina Comprehensive Plan by reference, giving it
authority equal to the balance of the Comprehensive Plan.
For the area defined in this plan as Neighborhood Node, this
plan overrides the following:
•2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan’s Figure 4.3, Future LandUse Plan along with Tables 4.2 and 4.3.
•2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan’s Figure 4.6A ; to amendthe building height limitation for the Study Area consistent
with the policies of this plan.
Policies and guidelines regarding the Study Area in the next
update of the Comprehensive Plan will be adjusted to reflect this
plan.
Community
Development
Department
Upon Adoption
2018
Comprehensive
Plan Update
Zoning Regulations and Map.
The City will amend the Zoning Map to replace the two sites
zoned Planned Commercial District-4 with the Planned
Commercial District-1 designation.
•The PCD-4 district allows automobile service centers, car
washes and gasoline stations.
•The PCD-1 district allows certain retail or service businessesas Permitted Uses and multiple-family housing as
Conditional Uses.
The City will use the policies and guidance of this plan as the
conditions of review for proposed multiple-family housing.
The City will amend the zoning ordinance regarding height
maximums to be consistent with this plan.
Community
Development
Department
2015/2016
2015/2016
Application Reviews.
City staff and Officials will use this plan when reviewing
applications for land development or zoning amendments in the
Study Area.
Community
Development
Department;
City Planning
Commission
and Council
Ongoing
52 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 4 - Land Use and Community Design
Chapter 5
Transportation and
Street Design
Current Conditions 5.1 Trends and Challenges 5.2 Goals and Policies 5.3 Implementation Steps 5.4
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 53
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
5.1 Current Conditions
Image from Bing Maps, 2015
Jurisdiction of Roadways
Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and 62nd Street are under City of Edina
jurisdiction and are designated as Municipal State Aid (MSA) streets. This
designation is afforded to streets that link regional roads. Therefore, the
Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has an interest in their
design, operation, and maintenance. Mn/DOT design standards must be followed
when considering improvements to Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and
62nd Street, and deviations must be approved before they can be implemented.
Functional Classification of Roadways
Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and 62nd Street are functionally classified
as collector streets. This is particularly important for Valley View Road, which
operates as an east/west connector corridor. Its location within the City (south of
50th Street and north of Highway 62 and with linkages to Highway 100 and
France Avenue) position it to carry through traffic, which does not have a trip
end (origin or destination) in the Small Area Plan Study Area. At the same time,
Valley View Road is lined with residences and neighborhood-oriented businesses,
and some of its traffic is, therefore, local traffic.
54 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Wooddale Avenue
As shown in the Figure 5.1, the typical condition of Wooddale Avenue north of
Valley View Road is 31 feet-wide from face of curb-to-face of curb and is
constructed within 66 feet of public right-of-way. It exists today as a two lane
street between Fairfax Avenue and Garrison Lane. A five foot-wide sidewalk is
located along the east side of Wooddale in the segment between Fairfax Avenue
and Valley View Road. There is no sidewalk on the west side of Wooddale
Avenue within this segment.
Bicycles are accommodated on Wooddale
Avenue, north of Valley View Road, with
sharrows (shared lane markings). Within each
existing 14 foot-wide lane, the effective width
of roadway for cyclists is approximately six feet
wide in both directions.
Private properties are located outside the public right-of-way on both the west
and east sides of Wooddale Avenue. The Edina Village Market is located on the
west side of Wooddale Avenue, and the ValleyWood office building is on the east
side. The right-of-way on the west side of Wooddale Avenue includes several
curb cuts, with trees planted in grassy areas between driveways. On the east
side, the surface parking lot for the ValleyWood office building actually
encroaches into the public right-of-way by about twelve feet.
Chevrons are painted in street to indicate a
“sharrow” or a “share the road” condition.
Figure 5.1 Wooddale Avenue Existing Conditions Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 55
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Valley View Road
The overall right-of-way width of Valley View Road is 66 feet between property
lines on the west side of Wooddale Avenue. Within the right-of-way are two
travel lanes, each 17 feet wide, and one five foot-wide sidewalk on the south
side of the street. There is no sidewalk on the north side of Valley View Road in
this segment. Outside the right-of-way, west of Wooddale Avenue, is the Edina
Village Market on the north side of Valley View Road and an apartment building
on the south side of the street. As shown on the typical section, the Edina
Village Market has been built on a rise that is about 12 feet higher than Valley
View Road at the western property line of the Edina Village Market.
This segment of Valley View Road to the west of the intersection with Wooddale
Avenue was studied because of its relationship to the Edina Village Market and,
additionally, because it is a comparatively older roadway segment than Valley
View Road east of the intersection.
Figure 5.2
Valley View Road Existing Conditions
56 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
62nd Street
Sixty-second (62nd) Street is an east/west MSA street (and regional route) that
links two other regional routes, Valley View Road and France Avenue. It also
provides direct access to residences.
The configuration of its intersection with Oaklawn Avenue and Valley View Road
is not desirable because:
•Inadequate Spacing of Intersections. The intersection of Oaklawn Avenue
and 62nd Street is only 50 feet from the intersection of 62nd Street and
Valley View Road.
•Storage Distance. The storage (stacking) distance for southbound vehicles
on 62nd Street approaching Valley View Road is less than 20 feet long.
•Approach. The curvilinear alignment of 62nd Street, as it approaches
Oaklawn Avenue from the east, encourages drivers to enter the curve at
higher than desirable speeds.
•Lack of Traffic Control Device. There is no traffic control device to regulate
the flow (or speed) of westbound traffic on 62nd Street as it approaches
Oaklawn Avenue from the east.
Intersection Oaklawn, 62nd Street, and Valley
View Road.
62nd
Valley View
Oaklawn Brookview
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 57
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
5.2 Trends and Challenges
Traffic Control and Safety
Regional and Sub-Regional (or Through) Traffic versus Local Traffic. The
majority of traffic on Study Area streets is likely regional and sub-regional traffic
that passes through the area. This traffic is defined as having a trip origin and
trip destination outside the Study Area. Today, the design of streets and
intersections is more oriented toward serving regional traffic than local traffic,
even though a significant percentage of traffic in the Study Area is local traffic
with one or more trip end in the Study Area.
Daily Traffic Volumes. Traffic within the Study Area is forecast to grow. Daily
traffic actually decreased between 1999 and 2005 but increased between 2005
and 2013. The percentage of growth in daily traffic has historically been higher
on Valley View Road compared to Wooddale Avenue. This trend is expected to
continue in the future where daily traffic on Wooddale Avenue is forecast to
increase from 3,200 (in 2013) to 3,500 (in 2030), a nine percent increase. During
this same period, daily traffic on Valley View Road, east of Wooddale Avenue, is
forecast to increase from 7,900 (in 2013) to 11,000 (in 2030), a 39 percent
increase.
Table 5A: Historical and Forecast Daily Traffic Volumes
Year Two-Way Daily Traffic Volume
On Wooddale, North
of Valley View
On Valley View,
West of Wooddale
On Valley View,
East of Wooddale
1999* 4100 6400 9400
2005* 3050 5000 7900
2013* 3200 5900 7900
2030** 3500 Not Provided 11000
*Mn/DOT MSA Street Series Mapping
** City of 2008 Edina Comprehensive Plan
The Roadway Design Challenge. A roadway system that accommodates all users
is what is desired in the Study Area. The challenge is to coordinate any design
improvements for Wooddale Avenue, Valley View Road, and 62nd Street to
ensure that all modes of transportation are integrated. As learned during the
planning process, the City and its residents are interested in seeing the Study
Area become more friendly to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.
58 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Parking
Parking Supply Currently Exceeds Demand. The supply of parking at the two
commercial/retail centers in the Study Area (Edina Village Market on the
northwest corner of the Wooddale Valley View intersection and ValleyWood
Center on the northeast corner) currently outstrips parking demand most of the
time. This situation could change in the future as redevelopment and
development occur and parking generation associated with new uses increases.
Parking Takes Up Space. Each parking stall requires a minimum of 162 square
feet, and, with the addition of 24 foot-wide drive aisles, an average of 350 square
feet is required for each parked car.
Parking is Expensive. The cost of constructing a single parking stall in a surface
lot is between $6,000 and $7,000 in 2015. Parking structures and parking
garages, with additional costs for supporting structures and excavation, can be
four times to seven times more expensive than surface lots. As is obvious, the
provision of on-site parking can impact project development economics and
bears on the amount of usable space that can ultimately be constructed.
The Parking Challenge. Parking supply and configuration can impact
development potential. Of concern would be development and redevelopment
economics. There is a balance that should be considered during the
development review and approval process where the size of a development is
weighed against the supply of parking that is required.
Site Access
Excessive Driveways. The Study Area for the Wooddale Valley View Small Area
Plan has 16 access driveways in the immediate vicinity of the key intersection.
Numerous access driveways can make it more convenient for cars to enter and
exit private properties. At the same time, each driveway introduces a conflict
point along the roadway network, and it is at conflict points where crashes occur.
Pedestrian and bicycle circulation is impeded by driveways where cars can enter
and leave a site.
The Accessibility Challenge. As redevelopment and development occur over
time, the proper number of driveways should be required. The number of
driveways can be reduced through strategies where adjacent property owners
share a driveway.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 59
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Walking, Biking and Access to Transit
The Study Area lacks a consistent provision of facilities that would encourage and
support safe and convenient reliance on alternative travel modes. Lacking are
sidewalks for walking, dedicated bikeways for biking, and comfortable and
properly located transit shelters for riding the bus.
Lack of Sidewalks. Sidewalks are not provided within the Study Area on:
• the west side of Wooddale Avenue, north of Valley View Road,
• neither the west nor east side of Wooddale Avenue, south of Valley View Road,
• the north side of Valley View Road, west of Wooddale Avenue.
Lack of Marked Crosswalks. There are only two marked pedestrian crosswalks
(instead of four) at the intersection of Wooddale Avenue and Valley View Road.
Lack of Pedestrian-Oriented Street Lighting. Pedestrian-oriented street lighting
is provided along Valley View Road east of Wooddale Avenue. Consistent
lighting provided throughout the entire Study Area could greatly increase the
sense of safety and walkability after sunset.
Lack of Dedicated Bikeways. Dedicated bikeways are needed on Valley View
Road, west of Wooddale Avenue.
Lack of Tree-Planted Boulevards. Boulevards with a consistent canopy of
planted trees between sidewalks and the streets enhance walkability by
providing:
• protection from the elements,
• buffering etween pedestrian and vehicles,
• beauty.
Lack of Comfortable Transit Facilities. Existing transit facilities are bus stops
(without shelters) that are too close to the street and without pedestrian
pathways for access to/from them. Providing improved, comfortable and
climate-protected transit shelters, that are positioned in safe locations, will
encourage more people to use transit.
The Alternative Mode Challenge. The challenge is to fit sidewalks, marked
crosswalks, pedestrian-oriented lighting, dedicated bikeways, planted
boulevards, and improved transit facilities into the existing public right-of-way
and/or to ensure that as redevelopment and development occurs these facilities
are included in approved design plans. A related challenge is to ensure that
facilities that encourage and support alternative travel modes are located so as
to make travel to/from key destinations in the Study Area safe and convenient. A
final challenge is to determine the timing for implementation of improvements.
60 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
5.3 Goals and Policies
Transportation goals and policies for the Wooddale/Valley View Small Area Plan
are consistent with transportation objectives identified in the City of Edina
Comprehensive Plan and the intent of the City’s Living Streets Policy, which is
awaiting adoption as of February 24, 2015. They also address specific issues
raised in the community
Consistency with Comprehensive Plan. As stated in the Comprehensive Plan,
“There is a fundamental link between transportation planning and land use
planning. Successful land use planning cannot take place without taking
transportation considerations into account. Conversely, transportation planning
is driven by the need to support existing and future land uses which the
community supports and/or anticipates.” Transportation goals developed for
the Small Area Plan recognize this fundamental linkage and are aimed at
ensuring safe and convenient travel through and within the Study Area.
Consistency with Living Streets Principles. According to the Edina Living Streets
Policy, streets in Edina should “balance the needs of motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians
and transit riders in ways that promote safety and convenience, enhance community
identity, create economic vitality, improve environmental sustainability, and provide
meaningful opportunities for active living and better health.”
The Living Streets Policy envisions Edina as a place where:
•Transportation utilizing all modes is equally safe and accessible;
•Residents and families regularly choose to walk or bike;
•Streets enhance neighborhood character and community identity;
•Streets are safe, inviting places that encourage human interaction and
physical activity;
•Public policy strives to promote sustainability through balanced
infrastructure investments;
•Environmental stewardship and reduced energy consumption are
pursued in public and private sectors alike; and
•Streets support vibrant commerce and add to the value of adjacent landuses.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 61
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Goals for Transportation and Street Design
1.Automobile Traffic. Ensure safe and convenient travel for traffic passing
through and within the Study Area by:
•Reducing lane widths
•Implementing intersection improvements at problem locations
•Limiting the number of driveways providing access between the roadway
system and private property
•Vigorously enforcing traffic laws and regulations
2.Parking. Ensure adequate parking supplies that:
•Are located on-site in accordance with specific land uses
•Meet multi-modal parking needs
•Are safe and secure
3.Walking, Biking and Transit. Design public rights-of-way to facilitate and
encourage safe and convenient multi-modal travel by providing:
•Sidewalks, boulevards, marked crosswalks, and pedestrian-oriented
street lighting within the Study Area
•Dedicated bikeways within the Study Area
•Connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists to surrounding neighborhoods
and destinations
•Transit stops
Policies for Transportation and Street Design
1. The City will coordinate with Mn/DOT on traffic improvements to Municipal
State Aid (MSA) Streets. Recognizing that Valley View Road and 62nd Street are
MSA streets, the City will coordinate with Mn/DOT on the design and
implementation of public improvements within the rights-of-way of these two
streets. Improvements should include:
•Travel Lane Width and Bikeways on Valley View Road. Study the feasibility
of reducing the width of travel lanes on Valley View Road, west of Wooddale
Avenue, to 11 feet, as shown on Figure 5.3. (As shown on Figure 5.2, existing
lane widths on Valley View Road are 17 feet in each direction.) By reducing
the width of lanes on Valley View Road, traffic will be forced to drive a
comparatively slower speeds and more cautiously than it does with wider
lanes. The reduction in lane widths will also allow the introduction of
dedicated bike lanes or sharrow markings on Valley View Road.
62 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Figure 5.3
Valley View Road Illustrative of Long-Range Policy Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 63
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
•Intersection Improvements at 62nd, Oaklawn
and Valley View. Study the feasibility of
improving the intersection of 62nd Street,
Oaklawn Avenue and Valley View Road to reduce
conflicts between northbound left-turning
vehicles and westbound south-turning vehicles.
An example of how this intersection might be
improved is shown in Figure 5.4, which illustrates
the elimination of a direct connection between
Oaklawn Avenue and Valley View Road. It also
shows a remnant parcel that would be created
and an existing pedestrian linkage that would be
maintained.
2. The City will work to improve safety throughout the Study Area.
•Reduction of Driveways: Where feasible, as future development occurs,
encourage the sharing of driveways across property lines and ensure that
future developments are only allowed the minimum number of driveways
necessary to provide convenient and safe ingress and egress.
•Enforcement: Increase enforcement of existing traffic safety laws (e.g.,
speed, tailgating, coming to a complete stop at Stop signs, yielding to
pedestrians, etc.) to improve safety.
3. The City will work to ensure appropriate configuration, size and location of
parking supplies. Current parking supplies at the Edina Village Market and the
ValleyWood Center typically exceed current parking demand. Recognizing that
this may change in the future as development occurs, the following parking-
related policies should be adopted.
•Commercial Parking: Commercial parking should be behind or along-side the
buildings and be visually buffered by plantings so as to encourage an active
streetscape.
•Residential Parking: Residential parking should be located under the
buildings to the extent allowed by market conditions.
•Flexible Parking Ratios: Parking ratios that reflect residents’ increasing use of
transit service should be applied to new residential developments.
•Pedestrian and Bike Amenities. All parking lots should include clearly identified
pedestrian pathways between the parking lot and building entrances. Parking
lots should also include parking facilities for bikes that are located near
entrances in order to give cyclists a competitive advantage over drivers.
Figure 5.4: Alternative #3 of 3; Oaklawn, 62nd
and Valley View Intersection Study. This alternative
shows the elimination of a direct connection from
Oaklawn Avenue to Valley View Road. Full study
found in the Project Archive at EdinaMN.gov/WVV.
64 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Figure 5.5 Wooddale Avenue Illustrative of Long-Range Policy
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 65
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
4. The City will work to ensure adequate facilities for walking, biking and
transit use. Providing facilities for pedestrians, transit riders and cyclists that
offer sufficient levels of comfort, convenience and safety will make it easier and
more practical for alternative travel modes to be used. Where necessary, the
City will need to coordinate with Mn/DOT or other agencies such as Metro
Transit to implement the following improvements. In some cases the City and
property owners will be able to act alone.
The public improvements described below are illustrated in Figures 5.3 and 5.5,
which are both illustrative cross-sections of Wooddale Avenue (north of Valley
View Road) and Valley View Road (west of Wooddale Avenue). These section
should to be compared Figures 5.1 and 5.2, which show existing conditions in the
same locations. Figure 5.6 - Public Realm Improvements shows the location of
the following improvements in the Study Area:
•Crosswalks. Complete the crosswalks at the intersection of Wooddale
Avenue and Valley View Road, connecting all four corners.
•Sidewalks along Wooddale Avenue. Construct a new sidewalk and tree-
planted boulevard on the west side of Wooddale Avenue between Fairfax
Avenue and Valley View Road. Construct a sidewalk on either the west or
east side of Wooddale Avenue (or both sides), south of Valley View Road,
consistent with the installation of pedestrian-scaled street lighting.
•Install Pedestrian-Scaled Street Lighting. Pedestrian-oriented street lighting has
been installed along Valley View Road, east of Wooddale Avenue. Install new
pedestrian-scaled street lighting within the Study Area consistently throughout
the entire node. Extend lighting to a point on Wooddale 150 feet south of Valley
View Road (approximately one-half block).
•Construct a Sidewalk along Valley View Road. Construct a new sidewalk and
boulevard on the north side of Valley View Road between Wooddale Avenue
and St. Johns Avenue and further west as appropriate.
•Provide Bus Shelters. Coordinate with Metro Transit and adjacent property
owners to provide bus shelters that will protect transit riders from inclement
weather at the locations with the Study Area where passengers board and
alight Routes 6B, 6U, and 587.
•Construct Boulevards. Boulevards should be developed along the east and
west sides of Wooddale Avenue between the sidewalks and the curbs.
•Plant Boulevards. Boulevards within the Study Area should be planted with
a variety of trees that grow to a height of less than 30 feet.
•Bicycle Lanes: Construct a pair of bicycle lanes on Valley View Road between
Wooddale Avenue and St. Johns Avenue and further west as appropriate.
66 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
5. The City will employ Living Streets principles and other established best
practices in all improvements. The Small Area Plan process, and this Small Area
Plan document does not set specific performance standards for public realm
improvements. Upon any improvement, a formal design process will be
necessary that ensures the use of best practices in regards to established
practice in the community such as:
•Community aesthetic or thematic preferences;
•Sustainable materials;
•Energy conservation and carbon reduction goals;
•District stormwater management;
•City of Edina’s Living Streets principles and policies;
•Safe Routes to School (SRTS) principles and policies.
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 67
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
Figure 5.6
Public Realm Improvements
68 | Page Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan
Chapter 5 - Transportation and Street Design
5.4 Implementation Steps
Table 5B - Implementation Steps for Transportation and Street Design
Action Leads Time Frame
Install and maintain crosswalks Engineering Department 2015
Provide bus shelters Community Development
Department, Metro Transit,
property owners
2016
Study addition of bicycle lanes on Valley View
Road
Engineering Department
City to consider with
future CIP planning as
budgets and priorities
allow
Study addition of sidewalk on north side of
Valley View Road
Engineering Department
Study addition of sidewalk on west side of
Wooddale Avenue
Engineering Department
Study installation of street lighting on Valley
View Road and Wooddale Avenue
Engineering Department
Study construction of boulevards Engineering Department
Investigate travel lane width reductions on
Valley View Road
Engineering Department
Study intersection improvements at Valley
View/62nd/Oaklawn intersection. Implement
related Valley View Road improvements
within period specified in CIP.
Engineering Department 2018
Consolidate or otherwise reduce number of
driveways
Community Development and
Engineering
As redevelopment
occurs
Implement policy regarding commercial
parking
Community Development
Department
When Comprehensive
Plan is updated
Implement policy regarding residential
parking
Community Development
Department
When Comprehensive
Plan is updated
Develop policy on flexible parking ratios Community Development When Comprehensive
Plan is updated
Update City of Edina Sidewalk Plan Community Development and
Engineering
When Comprehensive
Plan is updated
Increase enforcement within the Study Area Police Department Ongoing
Wooddale Valley View Small Area Plan Page | 69
r 1I
okPe - ,
RESOLUTION NO. 2017-102
RESOLUTION APPROVING A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT
TO EXPAND THE NN, NEIGHBORHOOD NODE DISTRICT TO INCLUDE 6108, 6112,
6116 AND 6120 KELLOGG AVENUE
BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Edina, Minnesota, as follows:
Section 1. BACKGROUND.
1.01 Edina Flats LLC is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for a project that would
include construction of 18 units of owner occupied housing at 4404&4416 Valley View Road,
and 6108, 6112, 6116 and 6120 Kellogg Avenue.
1.02 The purpose of the request is to re-develop the city owned property at 4416 Valley View Road
the vacant property on the corner of Kellogg), the row of parking for the commercial
development to the west,the vacant parcel at 6120 Kellogg and the three single-family home
parcels at 6116, 6112 and 6108 Kellogg. (See page Ala.) This portion of the development would
include a 3-story condo building with six units on the corner, and three 2-story
condo/townhome buildings to the north.
1.03 Specifically, the Comprehensive Plan Amendment is to expand the Neighborhood
Commercial District to include 6108,6112, 6116 and 6120 Kellogg Avenue.These lots are
currently guided LDR, Low Density Residential.
1.04 To accommodate the request, the following amendment to the Comprehensive Plan is
requested:
A Comprehensive Plan Amendment to expand the NN, Neighborhood Node District to
include 6108,6112, 6116 and 6120 Kellogg Avenue.
1.05 On September 27, 2017, the Planning Commission held a public hearing and recommended
approval of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment.Vote: 9 Ayes and 0 Nays.
1.06 On October 3,2017,the City Council held a public hearing on the request.
Section 2. FINDINGS
2.01 Approval is subject to the following findings:
1. The density of the project is half of what would be allowed in the NN, Neighborhood
Node district. The four single-family home lots are being replaced with three, three
unit buildings.
2. The units would be two-stories and 30 feet tall in height to match the maximum height
alfowed i1L the R-11
CIT OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street•Edina,Minnesota 55424
www.EdinaMN.gov•952-927-8861 • Fax 952-826-0389
RESOLUTION NO.2017-102
Page 2
3. The proposed project would meet the following goals and policies of the
Comprehensive Plan and Valley View Wooddale Small Area Plan:
a. Movement Patterns.
Provide sidewalks along primary streets and connections to adjacent
neighborhoods along secondary streets or walkways.
Provide pedestrian amenities, such as wide sidewalks, street trees, pedestrian-
scale lighting,and street furnishings (benches,trash receptacles, etc.)
A Pedestrian-Friendly Environment. Improving the auto-oriented design pattern
discussed above under "Issues" will call for guidelines that change the relationship
between parking, pedestrian movement and building placement.
b. Encourage infill/redevelopment opportunities that optimize use of City
infrastructure and that complement area, neighborhood, and/or corridor context
and character.
c. Support and enhance commercial areas that serve the neighborhoods, the City, and
the larger region.
d. Increase mixed-use development where supported by adequate infrastructure to
minimize traffic congestion, support transit, and diversify the tax base.
e. Increase pedestrian and bicycling opportunities and connections between
neighborhoods, and with other communities, to improve transportation
infrastructure and reduce dependence on the car.
f. Buildings should be placed in appropriate proximity to streets creating pedestrian
scale. Buildings "step down" at boundaries with lower-density districts and upper
stories "step back" from street.
g. Building Placement and Design. Where appropriate,building facades should form a
consistent street wall that helps to define the street and enhance the pedestrian
environment. On existing auto-oriented development sites, encourage placement of
liner buildings close to the street to encourage pedestrian movement.
i. Locate prominent buildings to visually define corners and screen parking lots.
ii. Locate building entries and storefronts to face the primary street, in addition
to any entries oriented towards parking areas.
iii. Encourage storefront design of mixed-use buildings at ground floor level,
with windows and doors along at least 50% of the front fagade.
iv. Encourage or require placement of surface parking to the rear or side of
buildings, rather than between buildings and the street.
h. Height limits near the center of the Neighborhood Node. North of Valley View
Road,building heights may be up to three stories,not to exceed 36 feet. South of
Valley View Road building heights may be up to four stories,not to exceed 48 feet.
i. Graceful Transitions to Surrounding Neighborhood. At certain specified locations at
the perimeter of the Neighborhood Node where graceful transitions to single family
RESOLUTION NO.2017-102
Page 3
areas are important(as specified on the Building Height Limits Plan), the height of
new buildings may be up to two stories,not to exceed 24 feet.
j. Establish universally accessible sidewalks along all edges of all spaces.
k. Plant trees along the edges of all streets and spaces to provide shade and protection
for pedestrians moving next to and in and out of buildings.
1. Gentle Transition from Node to Neighborhood. Whether the site is used for
commercial or residential development, landscaping, screening and building height
should be designed to help the building serve as an end cap for the residential block
next to Valley View Road. The building height limit in this location is two stories.
m. Encourage Underground Parking. Residents' parking should be located under the
buildings to the extent allowed by market conditions.
n. Commercial parking should be behind or along-side the buildings and be visually
buffered by plantings so as to encourage an active streetscape.
Section 3. APPROVAL
NOW THEREFORE,it is hereby resolved that the City Council of the City of Edina,approves the
Comprehensive Plan amendment as follows,subject to Metropolitan Council approval:
Chapter 4,the Preferred Land Use Plan including Figure 4.3,Building Heights Limit is
amended to include the following:
Im
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Tianii 11
vim
R4F.r;
Neighborhood Node
Boundary
JP 1p ID I
Garrison Lane
Neighborhood Node (2 stories & 30 feet)
222
ftWdll
RESOLUTIO- O. 2018-26
APPROVING FINAL REZONING FROM R-I, PCD-4 and APD to PCD-I, AND FINAL
DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR EDINA FLATS
BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Edina, Minnesota, as follows:
Section 1. BACKGROUND.
1.01 Edina Flats LLC is proposing to build 18 units of owner occupied housing at 4404 &
4416 Valley View Road, and 6108, 6112, 6116 and 6120 Kellogg Avenue.
1.02 The purpose of the request is to re-develop the city owned property at 4416 Valley
View Road (the vacant property on the corner of Kellogg), the row of parking for the
commercial development to the west, the vacant parcel at 6120 Kellogg and the three
single-family home parcels at 6116, 6112 and 6108 Kellogg. This portion of the
development would include a 3-story condo building with six units on the corner, and
three 2-story condo/townhome buildings to the north. The property at 4404 Valley
View Road would be re-developed with a four-unit, two story condo building. The
existing structure would be removed.
1.03 The property is 1.27 acres in size. The density proposed in the project would be 14
units per acre. (18 units total.) This site is guided in the Comprehensive Plan as NN,
Neighborhood Node, which allows up to 30 units per acre in this area.
1.04 The property is legally described as follows:
Lots 3 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Block 21 Fairfax Addition Hennepin County, MN & Lots 11 and
12, Block 22 Fairfax Addition Hennepin County, MN
1.05 To accommodate the request, the following is required:
1) Final Rezoning from R-1, PCD-4 and APD to PCD-1, Planned Commercial
Development, Preliminary Development Plan.
1.06 On October 3, 2017, the City Council approved a Comprehensive Plan Amendment,
Preliminary Rezoning, a Conditional Use Permit to allow multi-family residential use,
and Variances. The Conditional Use Permit and Variances were conditioned on
obtaining Final Rezoning.
1.07 The applicant has submitted Final Plans that are consistent with the approved
Preliminary Plans.
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street • Edina, Minnesota 55424
www.EdinaMN.gov • 952-927-8861 • Fax 952-826-0389
RESOLUTION NO, 2018-26
Page 2
Section 2. FINDINGS
2,01 Approval is based on the following findings:
1. Zoning would be consistent with the predominant Zoning District (PCD-1) in this
area. The PCD-1 Zoning would be consistent over the majority of the NN,
Neighborhood Node District.
2, The existing roadways would support the project. Wenck conducted a traffic impact
study based on the proposed development, and concluded that the existing traffic
generated from the project would be supported by the existing roads.
3. The proposed uses are consistent with the Comprehensive Plan,
4. The project is consistent with the Valley View and Wooddale Small Area Plan,
Section 3. APPROVAL
NOW THEREFORE, it is hereby resolved by the City Council of the City of Edina,
approves the Final Rezoning from R-1, PCD-4 and APD to PCD-1, Planned Commercial
Development and Final Development Plan.
Approval is subject to the following conditions:
1. The Final Landscape Plan must meet all minimum landscaping requirements per
Chapter 36 of the Zoning Ordinance. A performance bond, letter-of-credit, or cash
deposit must be submitted for one and one-half times the cost amount for completing
the required landscaping, screening, or erosion control measures at the time of any
building permit. The property owner is responsible for replacing any required
landscaping that dies after the project is built.
3. Compliance with all of the conditions outlined in the city engineer's memo dated
September 20, 2017; including the requirement of a Site Improvement Performance
Agreement to be done with the re-plat, vacation of existing easements if needed,
construction of a boulevard style sidewalk on Oaklawn to connect to the Valley View
Road sidewalk,
4. Submit a copy of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District permit. The City may
require revisions to the approved plans to meet the district's requirements.