Preliminary Grandview Plan Sits Well With City Council

The preliminary plan for the Grandview redevelopment in Edina clearly passed  Tuesday night with the city council.

“Everybody associated with this project has done an outstanding job,” Mayor Jim Hovland lauded.

In a work session before the regular council meeting, key members of the Grandview Steering Committee as well as the consultants retained to do the preliminary plan, an overview was presented of what is generally being recommended.  The committee and consultants also fielded questions and made suggestions about moving forward for what is hoped will be final city council approval in March or April.

That final approval was discussed toward the end of the nearly 90 minute session and a decision is forthcoming as to specifically when the plan will be brought to the council for their blessing.

What is driving that is the desire by the city to notify all residents about the Grandview project and the decision date.

It was originally believed the council could act on March 20. However, the best existing mechanism for reaching all residents is in the quarterly About Town. The publication, produced by the city’s communications department, ostensibly reaches all residents and businesses in Edina and has a circulation of about 25,000.

“The next issue of About Town is scheduled to come out in late March and the deadline for the issue is Jan. 20. “ City Manager Scott Neal told the council and steering committee members.

“Maybe we should consider moving the final approval date back into sometime in April, Council Member Ann Swenson suggested.

No formal action was taken on the matter but expectations are that the council and steering committee most likely would make the change in order to insure communications on the approval meeting date reaches everyone.

Council Member Joni Bennett endorsed the idea of having an open house with exhibits be on the same night as the planned public hearing that is tentatively planned for Feb. 22^nd.

Kevin Staunton, who both chairs the steering committee and also serves on the city planning commission, responded to a question about costs for the project stating the plan is to have more details on the financial component completed in about a month.

“We expect this will most certainly be a project funded by private developers with some public funds,” he said, adding that public funds other than just from the City of Edina will be sought.

Gene Persha, a steering committee member, told the council “We have put in a lot of time on the Grandview project and don’t want to see it die.”

“I suggest we have an oversight committee which would take annual looks at the project and report on its project,” Persha said “All of us want this to happen and don’t want to be deterred by blips in the economy or actions from other governmental agencies.”

The committee and consultants are projecting the life of the development could be as far out as 20 years when factoring in all of the phases and components

In January, the steering committee is scheduled to release its final recommended plan on Grandview.