The city's Housing and Redevelopment Authority greenlit funding for O Crepe, a new French crepe shop and bakery coming to the 44th and France intersection. The grants will support front entrance remodeling to meet accessibility requirements, installation of energy-efficient storefront glass, and reconstruction of the rear parking lot. Funding comes from the SPARK capital fund, a state program created in 2021 to attract small business investment and create jobs.

The O Crepe owner told the council about his motivation for opening the business. "I moved to Minnesota and I'm really passionate about my roots and where I'm from—Brittany, France, which is the region of France where crepes originated," he said. "When I came to Minnesota I couldn't find a good crepe, and I thought I need to show these people what it's how it's done and what it tastes like." The shop is scheduled to open in summer 2024, though the rear parking lot work may extend into fall.

An HRA official explained the broader purpose of the grant program. "This grant program is specifically intended to help that small business owner leap over a hurdle that they didn't expect to encounter," the official said. "Almost every small business owner faces that type of hurdle, and we're hoping that with this grant we can attract more small businesses to let them locate here, expand here, and thrive here."

The council also heard updates on mosquito control operations across the seven-county metro area and recognized HouseNovel.com with the 2024 Edina Heritage Award. The website, created by Edina native Amanda Zelki and her husband David Decker, documents home histories through crowdsourced contributions and contains approximately 600 Edina homes in its database of over 24,000 U.S. properties.