Edina City Council — Transcript
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Story
Edina Council Approves Cannabis Rules, Bridge Replacement
Wooddale Avenue Bridge Replacement
Brar Park Trails Opening
Edina Aquatic Center Seasonal Closure
Votes (3)
Cannabis Sales Ordinance Drafting
City staff presented initial recommendations for an ordinance to regulate cannabis sales. Key points included limiting state-issued licenses to five for Edina, charging an initial retail fee of $500, and zoning cannabis retailers in all three planned commercial districts (PCD1, PCD2, PCD3) to ensure city-wide distribution. Public input will be sought via a public hearing.
Wooddale Avenue Bridge Replacement Approval
The council reviewed the deteriorating condition of the 1937 Wooddale Avenue Bridge, which is a local Heritage landmark but no longer meets safety or transportation needs. Rehabilitation was deemed impractical due to the extensive structural damage. An agreement was approved for replacement, which includes documenting the bridge's history and installing an informational sign.
Brar Park Mountain Biking and Hiking Trails Opening
Eight miles of new mountain biking and hiking trails are opening in Brar Park, utilizing previously unused sections of the 500-acre park. The project was funded by a local option sales tax approved in 2022 and included significant efforts to remove invasive Buckthorn. Input from local high school and middle school mountain bike teams helped design a course suitable for all skill levels.
Notable Quotes (5)
it's been an interesting thing uh we've had a group of Staff working on it a small like Committee of Staff working on it from planning to health to Administration um and other departments um so we've gotten input from lots of places um and we're trying to we're trying to make a a good decision for the current time and this is a new thing for the state so um hopefully we we we hit The Sweet Spot
if we had the rehab it you can see the bridge in the background it has a steel art that right at the water line it's starting to rust so to get access to that rusted portion of the steel you'd have to remove those uh failing railings remove the street and you'd go down to basically a half Tin Can Arch and then repair it and at that point the whole bridge is ripped up you might as well put back something that meets our transportation needs for wider sidewalks buffered bike lanes and just more space for people to to use the bridge from a transportation standpoint
here in the western suburbs there's kind of a desert of mountain bike trails
we've asked the city to uh create a system that has both challenging features uh but features that also can be ridden around or can be avoided by less experienced Riders
it really went from solid wall of green to what you're seeing kind of today where it's um a lot of this had to be forestry mowed down um it was really the only established species in here
Ordinances & Resolutions (3)
An ordinance being drafted by City staff to control where cannabis is sold in Edina, covering licensing, registration fees, and zoning.
Agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers St Paul district and the Minnesota state historic preservation office regarding the replacement of the Wooddale Avenue Bridge.
A tax approved by voters in 2022 that funded the Brar Park trails project.