All right. Well, good morning everybody and welcome to the uh Thursday, May 15th, 2025 meeting of the Atlanta Housing Redevelopment Authority. Uh it is 7:33 a.m. And uh we are doing these meetings uh in a hybrid fashion. You can watch them on um uh cable TV or on YouTube TV. YouTube, YouTube.comv. Uh we've got one opportunity here during community comment for folks to call in for um the purpose of expressing any concerns that they might have about uh things that aren't on the agenda or scheduled for a future public hearing. And um having provided that information, there's a number on the screen that you can call in for community comment. And we will now call the meeting to order. and our executive director, Scott Neil, will call the role. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Commissioner Richer here. Commissioner Jackson, here. Commissioner Pierce is absent. Commissioner Agnu is absent. Chair Huffland here. President. Uh, next is the pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Uh we have a meeting agenda that's been published and for our benefit and the benefit of the public so they know what we're doing at these meetings of the HR or the city council. And uh is there anyone that wishes to modify the agenda in any form or fashion? Any commissioner or staff? Is there a motion to approve the meeting agenda as published? So moved. Second. Mr. Jackson moves Commissioner Risser move seconds to adopt the meeting agenda as published. Any further discussion? All those in favor of adopting adopting the meeting agenda as published say I. I. I. Opposed. Carried. Uh and now it is time for community comment. We have no one uh joining us live this morning. uh probably because we will soon be going into closed session. But nonetheless, we have nobody here live and waiting to hear from Director Benerott whether we have anybody joining us online that wishes to address the council or the the HR on a matter of concern to them. Good morning, Chair Hublin. I do not yet have anyone on the line, but because there is a brief delay in the broadcast, I would recommend we wait about 1 minute or so um to ensure we're giving people time to call in. My clock shows that it's 7:35, so I will come back to you at 7:36 or when I have a caller, whichever is first. Thank you. It's been about a minute and I still don't have a caller. So, I think it's safe for you to move forward with the agenda. All right. Thank you. We will now uh move by community comment and move to the executive director's response to community comments that were made at a prior meeting. Do we have any responses that are required? Uh, no sir, we don't. Okay. Uh, next is the consent agenda. We got a couple items on the consent agenda. Is there any commissioner that wish wishes to remove an item from the consent agenda? Hearing nothing. Is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda in a items in a si…

[Music] Construction should begin this month on the Vernon Avenue and Highway 100 interchange project, one that will improve safety and mobility throughout the Grand View District. At a glance, the $28 million project includes two new bridges on Vernon Avenue, one over the Canadian Pacific Railroad and the second over Minnesota Highway 100. The project also improves nearby intersections and eliminates redundant Highway 100 access ramps in favor of a standard tight diamond interchange, including the removal of the northbound on and off ramps at Graange Road. Noise walls will also be built. This project's been in development for five plus years with our partners Henipin County, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the city of Adidina. When the project started, it was just a county project, but the city added on to again improve the walking, the biking, and traffic operations within the district. So, once the project's complete, you're going to have big wide sidewalks for both bikes and pedestrians for walking and cycling. There's going to be additional dual turn lanes, lefthand turn lanes on both east and westbound 50th in Vernon and a new lefthand turn lane when you're heading westbound to get to Edina Liquor where you usually get backed up if you're making that left-hand turn. The city council is set to award the contract for the project at its April 16th meeting. If the contract is approved, the first phase of the project would begin as early as April 21st and finish by mid- November. Vernon Avenue and West 50th Street is tenatively set to close between Interlockan Boulevard and Graange Road on April 23rd. The on and off ramps to Highway 100 will remain open during the closure. Keep up to date by signing up for email project updates at betterto togetherina.org/veronhwy 100. Milner is also hosting online project talks every other Thursday at 11:00 a.m. until the project is complete. Anyone interested in the project, including residents, businesses, and visitors, are welcome to join online at edinan.gov/highway talks. The next talks are 11:00 a.m.

Well, greetings everybody. This is Jim Hovland, your Adina mayor, and this is the mayor's minute for Wednesday, May 7th, 2025. What about this streak of weather? And I've got a blooming good tip for you for the weekend. Warmer weather is finally here, and that means it's the perfect time to dig into your spring planting. One of Adina's bestkept secrets is, of course, the Adina Garden Council's annual plant sale. And it's only happening one day this year, and that's on this coming Friday, May 9th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at beautiful Arnison Acres Park on West 70th Street. I'm over there every year, and I think I'm one of their best customers. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just getting your hands dirty, there's something for everybody. perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, hanging baskets, house plants, all ready for Mother's Day weekend. Most of these plants are lovingly grown by local garden council members with additional selections from Glacial Ridge and Green Earth Growers. Need some advice? Master Gardeners will be on hand to share expert tips and answer your questions. Parking's free and easy. And yes, they take cash, credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even checks with an ID. Just don't forget to bring your own box to carry your green treasures home. Best of all, your purchases help grow the community, funding scholarships, greenhouse supplies, and garden improvements across Edina. So, stop by this coming Friday, spruce up your garden, and support a great cause. This is Jim Hufflin. That's your mayor's minute for Wednesday, May 7th, 2025. I hope you have a great rest of the week and I hope to see you at the plant sale this coming Friday.

[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. The Adina Police Department now has a certified therapy dog. Detective Morgan Piper and her K9 partner Lou passed their therapy dog certification test in late March. Lou, an 11-month-old woodle, began his training when he was just 9 weeks old. The training began with basic obedience and progressed into obedience and control in public settings. Training was done at Shields, Eden Prairie Center, Menards, and Caribou Coffee. Throughout training, Lou learned to be friendly with people of all ages he interacted with. To practice this, people were encouraged to pet him and give him treats. The certification was an in-person assessment at Eden Prairie Center done by the head trainer at Soldier 6. So, we really need the dog to be able to go into locations, behave, heal, listen to the handlers, but at the same time when they're allowed to go out and interact with people in the community or employees of the city. Lou had to follow all commands that he was given and needed to stay under control as he walked through the aisles of Shields and around other parts of the mall. After this, he was tested on his ability to remain calm in the busy atmosphere of the food court while Piper ate lunch. After being tested in these environments, Lou passed the certification test and is now ready to be an important asset to the city, providing emotional support services to the police department staff and to the community in the future. In my opinion, he has created more of a sort of a family atmosphere here at the PD. People look forward to seeing him. I I look forward to coming into work with him. I look forward to seeing people's reactions when they see him. It just brings a sense of warmness to the police department that wasn't here before. Lou's training is ongoing and he will test for reertification every year that he is working with the Edina Police

Well, good evening everybody and welcome to the um uh Wednesday, April 16, 2025 meeting of the United City Council. It is 7:01 p.m. Uh as Director Benerrod indicated, we've been conducting these meetings in a hybrid fashion. People can tune in uh virtually and and participate in these meetings. We've been doing it since uh the COVID era uh since the pandemic and post pandemic. And uh some folks are here in person to uh uh share their thoughts with us uh during one of two uh opportunities this evening and one is during community comment where you can speak uh to the council about a matter of concern to you that's uh uh not scheduled for a future public hearing or otherwise on the agenda this evening. Uh and then we've got a couple of public hearing matters as well that people will be able to participate in. Um, having provided that information, I'm going to call the meeting to order and ask our clerk Sharon Allison to call the role. Council member Agnu here. Council member Jackson and Pierce are both absent. Council member Risser here. Mayor Hufflin here. Uh, next is the pledge of allegiance to the flag of America for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thanks everybody. And um we talked about uh the meeting agenda briefly. Uh I'm going to talk about that a little bit more in detail. Right now we have a form of meeting agenda that gets published in advance of these meetings so the public can review it and decide if they want to attend. Uh and then council members and staff also get that meeting agenda and uh sometimes there's modifications of that meeting agenda. Is there anyone on the council or uh staff from a staff level that wishes to modify the meeting agenda any form or fashion? None from staff. Okay. All right. Is there a motion to approve the meeting agenda as published? So moved. Second. Got a motion by member Agnu, second by member Risser to approve the meeting agenda for this evening's meeting as published. Any any further conversation? Any further discussion? All those in favor of adoption of the motion as stated, say I. I. I. Opposed. Carried. We have a meeting agenda. That's approved for the meeting this evening. Uh we talked a little bit earlier about community comment. And um it is now time for community comment. We're going to get up on uh the screen here. The number that folks can call into if they want to call in to express their thoughts to the council on their concerns. um or anything that's on their mind other than something that's on the agenda this evening or scheduled for a future public hearing. But first, I'm going to turn to the audience at large and see if anyone in the audience wishes to address the council on a matter of concern to them. As folks know and director Benerro has indicated, you'll have three minutes. You'll get a 30 second yellow warning light and then you wrap up your comments at the red light. and this gentleman that's with us that knows that rule in particul…

[0:36] all right How's everyone doing tonight good Yes Happy summer It feels [0:43] like welcome to the May 14th 2025 city vina planning commission meeting On [0:51] behalf of the rest of the commission we're grateful you're here Whether it's in person or those tuning in remotely [0:57] say it every time but your curiosity your participation and your feedback is vital as we navigate change [1:05] here together in Edinus specifically regarding regarding the way in which we'd like to use our land So tonight we [1:12] have one public hearing um individuals who'd like to participate I'll provide you some information to do so later when [1:20] we get to that which should be quick because there's nothing else on the agenda But just want to reiterate your [1:26] feedback matters Any and all comments that get to the city get to us and we commit to consider them before we make [1:33] decisions The best avenue to do so is through the city's engagement website [1:40] which is ww.to better together.org You can track and follow [1:47] upcoming current or past land use related items that might be close to [1:54] home or others that you might be interested in So just to give you a [2:00] little idea of what to expect I'm just going to go through kind of the agenda here We'll start with a call to order and then roll call We'll have the [2:07] approval of tonight's meeting agenda followed by the prior meeting minutes from April 30th Then we'll have [2:14] community comment which is your chance to speak about a matter not on tonight's agenda Then we have the solo public [2:21] hearing Following that we have chair and member comments staff comments then [2:27] adjournment Without further ado we'll call the meeting to order and then do roll call [2:33] Commissioner Nelson here Commissioner Alky here Commissioner Padilla here [2:39] Commissioner Smith here Commissioner Bournestein here Commissioner Felt here [2:44] Commissioner Hanaman here Chair Bennett here Next we have the approval of tonight's agenda [2:53] Motion to approve Second Oh All those in favor say I I I So moved [3:02] Next we have the approval of the prior meeting minutes from April 30th [3:09] Motion to approve prior meeting minutes Second All those in favor say I I So [3:15] moved All right Right Now we're on to the community comment period which is your chance for anyone who is here in [3:22] person that would like to testify about a matter issue concern something positive worth sharing [3:28] that's going on that's not on tonight's agenda You'd have three minutes to do so You can come up to either podium When [3:36] the light turns green you can begin When it turns red your time's up We'll ask you to wrap up the comments Is anyone [3:41] here for a community comment [3:47] all right seeing none we can close that and move right on to our public hearing So we have one public hearing tonight [3:53] For those who are new and tuning into this process just give you a little idea of what to expect Uh so i…

[Music] After close to four years with Edina Public Schools, Superintendent Dr. Stacy Stanley has accepted a new position outside the city. As of April 18th, she leads the state's second largest school district as superintendent of St. Paul Schools. Before a permanent replacement is chosen, the district will be led by Dr. Daniel Bitman. Edina TV introduces us to him as he shares his plans for carrying the torch. Is this through fifth or sixth grade? Dr. Daniel Bitman is learning the landscape of Edina Public Schools. Starting with navigating the busy hallways of Normandale Elementary, but he's no stranger to the world of education. I've been really fortunate in my career to start as a teacher and to work my way up through various administrative roles. Oh, that was nice to have a friend. You can say it's a lifelong passion. And do you know what the dog's name is? Aul. Dr. Bitman recently retired as superintendent of the Elk River Area School District, but was compelled to return to work on an interim basis in Edina. Well, I've been so fortunate to just work with amazing people just looking to do great things for kids and family, staff, and community, and that's been where my heart is. Um, I too have three children, and so it's personal to me. incredibly grateful. He takes over for Dr. Stacy Stanley, who served the district as superintendent since 2021, continuing her work on the school's strategic action plan. One of the beautiful things about the Edina public schools is the opportunity to access so many different types of programming for every student. Dr. Bitman also continues a close and necessary relationship with the city in two key areas, public safety and public development. first and foremost is public safety. Uh our our school resource officer program went on pretty good. That's awesome. Our communications that we that we have when there's an event uh with the schools, very important, very important to the public. Also important, sharing information as the community grows. It's the single most important relationship we have as an organization because real estate values and the reason that people move here really is so much of it is linked to having high quality public schools. Oh my goodness, I don't think there can be a more important relationship. Just like these students, Dr. Bitman sees an opportunity to learn with and from each other. And I think it's crucial to make sure that we have that partnership. We're creating efficiencies, but we're also making sure that we're partnering along the way, and our families deserve that. A temporary role. We're going to welcome him in as as quickly as we can, but an important transition. And so nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, Maria. Maria, nice to meet you. I'm Dan Carpenter for Adina TV. The school board will begin the search for a permanent superintendent in the fall. The permanent superintendent will begin in July 2026.

[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. To reduce costs and lighten the municipal property tax load, the Dina City Council has directed staff to prepare an agreement to possibly transition assessing services to Henipin County. The assessing division made up of seven full-time staff members establishes estimated market value and determines the property classification of every Edina property each year for property tax allocation. The division also maintains property records, performs annual quintile property reviews, performs property reviews based on new construction and building permits, administers the appeals process, including the board of appeals and equalization, and works with Henipin County on programs related to property assessment and classification. The county currently provides assessing services to all cities in Henipin County except Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Edina, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Minnotonka, and St. Louis Park, as well as Fort Snelling, and the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. Maple Grove is also considering moving assessing services to the county. If implemented in 2026, the change could reduce city spending by approximately $500,000 and by $1 million annually starting in 2027. Exact details of the possible transition have not been determined. Over the next several weeks, city manager Scott Neil will work with the county to prepare an agreement on the transition. The agreement is tenatively scheduled for the city council to review and possibly approve at its June 2nd meeting. The city has approved plans for a new Southdale library with space for the Edina Art Center. Last month, the city council approved a conditional use permit, site plan, and building height variance for the new 43,000q ft building. The existing building at 7001 York Avenue would be raised and the new building will be built closer to the intersection of York Avenue and 70th Street. Their proposed building design aims to be respectful of the surrounding area, particularly the scale of single family housing along Xerxes Avenue since the parcel borders a residential neighborhood in Richfield. The clear story popup is set back an additional 25 ft at the center of the facade to create the appearance of a smaller scale structure at the building perimeter. The biggest kind of wow factor will be the complete transformation of this site. Uh going from a majority parking lot paved um a high building that's on essentially stilts. uh so having a a kind of different feel than it has uh currently into the restorative aspect. So a very much uh native um process for the landscape and the overall uh moments that are created on the site will be really key to how a user will be uh experiencing the site. The Dina Art Center would be located on the upper level. Plans include a clay wheel room, a handbuilding space, a glaze room, and electric indoor a…

[Music] An Edina house built in 1963 was recently added to the National Registry of Historic Places. The Oscam House was designed by architect Elizabeth Close, one of the first female architects in Minnesota. It is considered one of the best examples of the international style in the Twin Cities. Edina TV shows us why the home earned this special designation. Nestled in the Indian Hills neighborhood in Edina is a modestl looking house along the lake shore. Contrary to some of the larger houses nearby, this quiet and simple residence is small but elegant. We love the location of course Indian Hills very attractive area and also the fact that we close to the lake. Mari Ocam and her husband Hrik immigrated here from the Netherlands. When looking to build a new home, they wanted to incorporate familiar European features. Well, the midentury and we were familiar with it in the Netherlands because there you had the stale movement. The Mari and Hendrickk Occom house has become part of an endangered species. The Oscam house is the first house designed by Elizabeth Close that has been elevated to the National Register. Architect Elizabeth Close, known as Leisel, had a particular approach to designing a house. Before the design work, she would ask her clients to complete a detailed questionnaire to make sure they were getting the house they wanted. Here, she included materials that connected to Oscam's roots. In the Netherlands, brick is a very prevalent building material and so she incorporated the brick floors and also repeated that in the fireplace. Function over style. This was an aspect of European modernism in architecture and Close enjoyed a design challenge. She used practical materials on the exterior, another hallmark of her work, easy maintenance for the owner. The interior is equally innovative with this non-traditional floor plan. In 2015, Mari was able to get the house a heritage landmark designation. Then in January of this year, the Mari and Hendrickk OCAM house was approved to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. We would hope that Mari's interest in listing her home on the National Register could possibly inspire other homeowners in that same direction because these homes are clearly threatened. Such unique examples of architecture in Adina are important to protect. This is part of the mission for the Heritage Preservation Commission. Our role is to just make sure that these um community assets are um not only preserved but also celebrated and that people are aware of them and how they've contributed to the history of the community. For Edina TV, I'm Kenneth Gaml. May is historic preservation month. To learn more about heritage landmarks, visit the city of Edina's website where you can find a map that shows the locations of historic sites throughout the

[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. After months of collaboration and community input, Edina has a new vision for the Lincoln and Londereerry area. The city council has adopted a small area plan that lays the groundwork for thoughtful development. In 2023, a proposed development in the area faced neighborhood opposition due to the lack of an established plan. The city council turned down the proposal and directed the planning commission to develop a small area plan. A working group of planning commissioners and other residents met 10 times over the course of about nine months to work on it with consultant mend collaborative engaging with the neighborhood several times during the process. The plan includes 26 recommendations under six priorities. Promote a balanced approach to housing that reflects community needs and preferences. Encourage a diverse array of businesses that support the community's needs. Create vibrant spaces that encourage and foster community and inclusivity. Preserve and enhance the natural environment, prioritizing sustainability and outdoor activities. Ensure safe, accessible, and efficient movement for all. And foster a forwardthinking approach to development that involves the community. The recommendations of the plan really talk about imagining the future as being a real kind of eco district, an an area where whatever development is happening, whether it's commercial or residential, it's really focused on the environment and creating a really beautiful place to be that really takes advantage of these natural resources. Council members applauded the group's work on the plan, calling it a model for other small area plans. I really appreciate including the city policies and the value statements that we already have into the framework of this. Um it really echoes back what we hear over and over again that we like our green spaces in Nina. We like the environment and we want a place that we can walk and enjoy. Um so I I was really pleased with the structure of the report as well as the content. Because the small area plan is an amendment to the city's comprehensive plan. It must also be approved by the Metropolitan Council. That review is underway. The Opus Group has received the green light to move its headquarters from Minnetonka to Edina. Opus plans to tear down the fourstory office building at 5100 Eden Avenue and build a new 112,000 square foot fivetory office building that would include a restaurant or retail space on the first floor. Opus intends to occupy a portion of the building which would serve as its corporate headquarters. There's really a a shortage of highly functional class A and amenitized office space and um subm markets where the demand is there. And so as we kept kicking the tires on the site, we realized our lease was coming to an expiration and thought we'd be a great anchor tenant to kick off an office…

[Music] The city has approved plans for a new Southdale library with space for the Edina Art Center. Last month, the city council approved a conditional use permit, site plan, and building height variance for the new 43,000q ft building. The existing building at 7001 York Avenue would be raised and the new building will be built closer to the intersection of York Avenue and 70th Street. The proposed building design aims to be respectful of the surrounding area, particularly the scale of single family housing along Xerxes Avenue since the parcel borders a residential neighborhood in Richfield. The clear story popup is set back an additional 25 ft at the center of the facade to create the appearance of a smaller scale structure at the building perimeter. The biggest kind of wow factor will be the complete transformation of this site. Uh going from a majority parking lot paved um a high building that's on essentially stilts. Uh so having a a kind of different feel than it has uh currently into the restorative aspect. So a very much uh native um process for the landscape and the overall uh moments that are created on the site will be really key to how a user will be uh experiencing the site. The Dina Arts Center would be located on the upper level. Plans include a clay wheel room, a handbuilding space, a glaze room, and electric indoor and gas outdoor kils. There would also be a maker space, large art creation studio, gallery, and gift shop. Building the art center along colllocating it with the Henipin County Library really gives us the opportunity to build on the already vibrant arts community in Edina. It's something that residents are really going to benefit from having both library and art center in the same location. We'll also have a really amazing opportunity to work on different kinds of programs that will be a huge benefit to the community. The project is expected to take about 3 years to complete.

[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. To reduce costs and lighten the municipal property tax load, the Dina City Council has directed staff to prepare an agreement to possibly transition assessing services to Henipin County. The assessing division made up of seven full-time staff members establishes estimated market value and determines the property classification of every Edina property each year for property tax allocation. The division also maintains property records, performs annual quintile property reviews, performs property reviews based on new construction and building permits, administers the appeals process, including the board of appeals and equalization, and works with Henipin County on programs related to property assessment and classification. The county currently provides assessing services to all cities in Henipin County except Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Edina, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Minnotonka, and St. Louis Park, as well as Fort Snelling, and the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. Maple Grove is also considering moving assessing services to the county. If implemented in 2026, the change could reduce city spending by approximately $500,000 and by $1 million annually starting in 2027. Exact details of the possible transition have not been determined. Over the next several weeks, city manager Scott Neil will work with the county to prepare an agreement on the transition. The agreement is tenatively scheduled for the city council to review and possibly approve at its June 2nd