Edina City Council — Transcript

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Story

Edina Council Reviews Plans for Environment, Planning, and Digital Access

Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan

Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Update

Comprehensive Plan Update Timeline

State Legislative Advocacy on Housing and Local Control

Food Truck Use Restrictions Study

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance

Tree Recognition Campaign and Green Business Outreach

School Bus Usage and Student Engagement

Multifamily Housing Organics Recycling

Microgrids and Renewable Energy Infrastructure

Call-In Public Comment Process

Data Governance and Document Compliance

Votes (5)

Energy & Environment Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

No formal vote recorded; work plan presented for council review and feedback

Commission Chair Corey presented seven work plan items: three continuations (tree recognition campaign, Earth Day promotion, Green Business Outreach) and four new initiatives (internal combustion engine idling study, school education outreach, multifamily organics recycling, food security assessment). Key discussion points included the connection between idling and school drop-off congestion, the value of student commissioner engagement, the need to expand organics recycling participation, and potential expansion of the tree recognition program. Council members praised student involvement and suggested exploring connections between initiatives.

Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

No formal vote recorded; work plan presented for council review and feedback

Planning Commission Chair Jimmy presented work plan including ongoing land use application reviews, zoning and subdivision ordinance update (targeting one-year completion), comprehensive plan update preparation (three-year timeline with consultant selection by late 2027), and food truck use restrictions study. Council raised concerns about parking ordinance variances approved for non-compliant projects, requested clearer public communication tools distinguishing building permits from planned unit developments, and emphasized the need for inter-commission coordination during the comprehensive plan update. Discussion included state legislative advocacy on housing and local control issues.

State Legislative Advocacy on Housing and Local Control

No formal vote recorded; informational update provided

Council member provided update on anticipated state legislation affecting local control, including housing production mandates, administrative approval streamlining, conversion of commercial/industrial property to multifamily use, and condo liability statute of limitations. The city is coordinating with the Municipal Legislative Commission (19 cities) to develop proactive legislative proposals. Discussion included concerns about infrastructure capacity (sewer) as a constraint on mandated housing, the need for exceptions to general rules, and the importance of educating legislators on building code protections.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

No formal vote recorded; informational presentation with council discussion

Communications Director Jen presented the city's plan to comply with updated ADA Title II digital accessibility requirements (deadline April 24, 2026 for cities over 50,000). The city is implementing a three-part approach: ensuring platform compliance, remediating documents, and developing a remediation plan. Staff is requesting compliance documents from approximately 40 websites and applications. The new primary website launches Tuesday and is compliant. Council will see changes to council packets, with large documents potentially moved to a portal. Staff is training departments on accessible document creation. Council discussed the need for data governance processes and expressed support for the accessibility initiative.

Call-In Public Comment Process Review

No formal vote recorded; council decided to continue monitoring and evaluate annually

Staff presented data on the call-in option for public comment during council meetings and requested council guidance on whether to continue the process. Staff noted that while the process requires minimal cost (primarily staff time), it allows residents uncomfortable attending in-person meetings to participate. Council members expressed support for continuing the process, noting that it provides accessibility for residents who cannot attend in-person. Council decided to continue monitoring the process and evaluate it on an annual basis, with staff to provide cost metrics.

Notable Quotes (26)

We've got seven work plan items for the next two years. Three of those seven are continuations of existing programs that we have in place, but I'll walk you through kind of the four net new ones that are worthy of discussion.

Corey/Energy & Environment Commission Chair
Energy & Environment Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

The anti idling is actually what triggered our thoughts around the school. So we anybody who's sat by old you or normal day on a school drop off morning. It is around the block and we think that needs to change.

Corey/Energy & Environment Commission Chair
Energy & Environment Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

Thanks for including your students. Really empowering for them. And thank you guys for giving us sophomore students. And because we now have people that are more engaged at a younger age and not seniors that are kind of checking out a little bit earlier.

Council Member
Energy & Environment Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

I like that tree recognition campaign. I was really home on the first year. Yeah. People seem to really be. We just got a meeting with a couple of residents. The governor residents here this week and they were really enthusiastic about including the tree canopy.

Corey/Energy & Environment Commission Chair
Energy & Environment Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

Certainly not even anything ready for the parking lot. But I think there's growing interest in those and cities are installing one. So we'll bring it up at one of our upcoming meetings and then we can look into it.

Council Member
Energy & Environment Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

Item number one, it's item number one. I think every year I've been a part of the commission, which is going on 10 years. That's just reviewing the land use application. So this occurs as you know during our bi-monthly meetings.

Jimmy/Planning Commission Chair
Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

The zoning and subdivision ordinance update. So this is on the heels of the audit that was completed in 2024. And the update will. It's just it's aiming to better align our code with our comp plan.

Jimmy/Planning Commission Chair
Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

This came up at our last council meeting when we approve the variance to the parking ordinance for. And I'm just wondering, are we going to try to rework that or get that as an item that is kind of an ASAP thing since we approved a project that is actually. Not compliant with our code.

Council Member
Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

We do intend to put something together. Staff wise, I was asked to go through planning commission, but we see that as kind of separate from this big process. So we will hope to get you something probably early next year.

Jimmy/Planning Commission Chair
Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

One of the things that wouldn't necessarily go on the code, but would be nice to go along with this is kind of a. Check sheet for people to understand. The difference between getting a building permit by the code and applying for a P.D.

Council Member
Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

At some point in time in that it would be nice to have someone to go to all the different commissions and just, you know, as a planning commissioner say this is how we're looking at it. And staff can do this too. But just to have that face because I remember when I was on the energy and environment commission. We worked on our complex, but we never really got the sense of how it fell into the overall thing.

Council Member
Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

So for the last two years, we've dodged some serious limitations of local control. Look at the reaction of local control on landings. We've had some really good allies over there in the legislature.

Council Member
Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work Plan Presentation

So that's one thing. The second thing is administrative approvals on projects that otherwise comply with the code. So a streamline that process, some way, somehow, you guys have talked about that already.

Council Member
State Legislative Advocacy on Housing and Local Control

Three is by right or by mandate the conversion of commercial industrial property to a low multifamily use. And of course, if you don't like it, if it's. By my mandate, my right for a city to be able to maybe.

Council Member
State Legislative Advocacy on Housing and Local Control

One of the big problems was over in Kaggill was that we don't have sewer capacity for a multi family. So what do you do in a situation where I think we could argue with the legislature. You can't mandate this because we can't do it. You can't just we don't have the infrastructure to pass.

Council Member
State Legislative Advocacy on Housing and Local Control

So those are kind of the things that are hanging fire and it's all coming up in the context of housing affordability. And I think if we can help our group 19 cities lead the way on that idea. I'm really thinking about that.

Council Member
State Legislative Advocacy on Housing and Local Control

A little over a year ago, in April of 2024, the federal register published the DOJ's final ruling on this updating its regulations for title two of the act. And that act has specific requirements about how to ensure that our digital content is accessible.

Jen/Communications Director
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

Most, the state has told us, they told us as recently as today at our annual communicators conference, that a ramp up for this usually takes two to three years. We have been working on this this year. So by the time April rolls around, it won't even be a two full years.

Jen/Communications Director
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

So digital accessibility is not just the responsibility of the communications department. It's not the responsibility of the administration department. It's not your responsibility. It's all of our responsibility.

Jen/Communications Director
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

We have thousands, thousands of documents and pages on our websites. Just think of one of your council packets, right? How many pages of attachments are in those? And that's kind of what Ari was getting at. What do we want to continue to include in the council packet because it'll have to be compliant?

Jen/Communications Director
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

If you ever pull up a PDF on your phone, you're not only scrolling up and down, you have to scroll left and right. It's not a good user experience. It would be better for you to have a mobile view that is responsive to the size of your device.

Jen/Communications Director
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

We deal with that every day with our employee population. We have several individuals that are visually impaired, some that are deaf, and we have to provide documentation so that they have access to it. And that does include the ability for them to be able to use a digital device.

Council Member
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

I do think it's awesome what you're doing. The only other question I have is do we have data governance process in place because if we don't, we should think about how to structure that so that as your documents change or people have documentation that they want to follow in the process, to be online or what have you, they really ought to have to go someplace that controls.

Council Member
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Compliance Implementation

There's no there's no recommendation from staff on it. We've just observed as you have, you've had a lot of long one minute. But knowing that if someone doesn't feel comfortable coming out at night to come to City Hall and wait to testify. I think it's important they have that option.

Staff
Call-In Public Comment Process Review

I think that then that the public doesn't hear what the person is saying. And so they're not part of the public conversation.

Council Member
Call-In Public Comment Process Review

We actually paid for a service that was costing us tens of thousands of dollars a year. And now I am your operator or Lauren is the planning commission operator. So it's just it's just stat time at this point.

Council Member
Call-In Public Comment Process Review

Ordinances & Resolutions (7)

Energy & Environment Commission 2026-2027 Work PlanPlan

Two-year work plan including internal combustion engine idling study, school education outreach, organics recycling in multifamily housing, food security assessment, tree recognition campaign, Earth Day promotion, and Green Business Outreach Program

Planning Commission 2026-2027 Work PlanPlan

Two-year work plan including land use application reviews, zoning and subdivision ordinance update, comprehensive plan update preparation, and food truck use restrictions study

2024 Audit (Planning/Zoning)Other

Audit completed in 2024 that prompted the zoning and subdivision ordinance update to better align code with comprehensive plan

2018 Comprehensive PlanPlan

Previous comprehensive plan referenced in discussion of what worked, what didn't work, and where the city fell short on implementation

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA StandardOther

Federal accessibility standard required by DOJ Title II ruling (April 2024); compliance deadline April 24, 2026 for cities over 50,000 population

Parking Ordinance VarianceOrdinance

Recent variance approved by City Council for a project not fully compliant with code; prompted discussion of need for parking ordinance update as part of zoning ordinance revision

Food Truck Use RestrictionsOrdinance

Current city restrictions limiting food truck operations to events and specific locations; subject of Planning Commission study

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