Edina City Council — Transcript
Monday, March 17, 2025Analysis complete
Areas of Interest
- From industrial gravel pit to urban oasis: The 14-year transformation of Centennial Lakes.
- How Edina city officials bypassed early proposals for office warehouses to prioritize public green space.
- Engineering the amenity: Transforming required stormwater retention ponds into the heart of a public park.
5 Topics in This Document
History and development of Centennial Lakes Park
Conversion of industrial land to public park space
Urban planning and zoning ordinance amendments
Stormwater management design integration
Oral history of Edina commercial development
▸Full Extraction
- From industrial gravel pit to urban oasis: The 14-year transformation of Centennial Lakes.
- How Edina city officials bypassed early proposals for office warehouses to prioritize public green space.
- Engineering the amenity: Transforming required stormwater retention ponds into the heart of a public park.
“There was a big mound of gravel here back in the '50s and 60s... it was a open mining excavation.”
— Unknown SpeakerSite HistoryDescribing the original industrial state of the land.
“We had to amend our our zoning ordinance to make a project like this work.”
— Unknown SpeakerZoning and RegulationExplaining the legislative hurdles of the development.
“Let's hope the city keeps that vision and maintains this park system that's really second to none in the United States.”
— Tom CornellPark LegacyClosing remarks on the value of the park.