Consultants Selected For Grandview Small Area Plan

A group of Edina residents and business and property owners has selected a team of consultants to help develop a small-area plan for the GrandView District, the city announced.

Representatives of the Steering Committee interviewed nine firms. Bruce Jacobson of Close Landscape Architecture and Mike Lamb of Cunningham Group Architecture were picked to be lead consultants on the project. Other consultants include Jack Broz of HR Green, Antonio Rosell of Community Design Group and Tony Schertler of Springsted. Together, they will work with the Steering Committee to study land use, community needs, transportation and market analysis and finance.

The group has been trying to determine the future of the City’s former Public Works site on Eden Avenue and the area surrounding it, known as the GrandView District. The community-led small-area planning process began in April 2011 and is being led by a 50-member Steering Committee.

The City Council is expected to act on the recommended consulting team and work plan at its meeting on Sept. 6.

“Our community-led process has broken new ground for Edina. We have worked hard over the past few months to organize community members and other key stakeholders. Now, we look forward to engaging those folks and others in creating a plan for the future of the GrandView District,” said Steering Committee Chair Kevin Staunton in a statement.

A $100,000 grant through the Metropolitan Council’s Livable Communities Demonstration Act will defray the costs of the year-long planning process.