Edina Abandons Wetland Banking Bid, Moves Forward With Park Project
The Edina City Council approved a new strategy for the $17.7 million Fred Richards Park project after regulators rejected the city's wetland mitigation banking applications three times. The 43-acre park will still be developed as a wetland preserve, but without the formal banking designation.
After three failed attempts to secure wetland mitigation bank status from state regulators, Edina is changing course on its Fred Richards Park project while keeping its environmental restoration goals intact.
At a work session Tuesday, the City Council approved staff's recommendation to withdraw from the wetland mitigation banking application process. City officials said the park's evolving design could not meet the strict requirements of the banking program, and they expressed concerns about the cost and likelihood of continued rejections.
Wetland mitigation banking is a program that allows developers who damage wetlands elsewhere to purchase credits from approved wetland sites. Had Edina's application been approved, the city could have sold credits to offset development impacts in the region. Instead, the park will function as a wetland preserve without that formal designation.
Despite the regulatory setback, the project is moving ahead. The council last month awarded a contract to HNU Construction for early earthwork on the site. City staff emphasized that the park will still feature high-quality wetland habitat with native, climate-resilient plantings.
We're working with native and climate resilient plantings," a city representative explained during the meeting. "You're going to see some wildflowers" in upland areas, along with "cattails and the sedges and the rushes" in wetter zones. The project will also include removal of invasive species like buckthorn to establish "a sustainable native habitat.
The 43-acre Fred Richards Park site will incorporate multiple ecological zones, from upland wildflower meadows to traditional wetland areas, creating diverse habitats across the property. The total project carries a price tag of $17.7 million.
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Fred Richards Park Wetland Preserve Design and Development Strategy
Staff recommended withdrawal from the wetland mitigation banking application process after three rejections. The city council approved this recommendation. Despite abandoning the mitigation bank designation, the park design will maintain its focus on creating a high-quality wetland preserve featuring native and climate-resilient plantings across multiple ecotypes (upland wildflower areas and wetter areas with cattails, sedges, and rushes). Invasive species removal, including buckthorn, will be part of the restoration process. The council awarded a contract to HNU Construction for early earthwork, representing significant project advancement.
We're working with native and um climate resilient plantings. So, they're going to be some upland areas, so you're going to see some wild flowers. Um, you're also going to see some of the wetter areas, so some of what people typically think of as a wetland. So, the cattails and the sedges and and the rushes. Um, so a little bit of uh variability in all the different ecoypes.
we're taking all of what's existing and removing any invasive species. So, you'll probably even see there's some buckthornne behind me. Um, those will all be removed as part of this process. Um, and a sustainable native habitat will be put in.
Source document
The city is still committed to making the new 43 acre Fred Richards Park a wetland preserve, but officials are no longer pursuing the formal wetland banking process. In 2023, the city council approved seeking a wetland mitigation bank at the park. A mitigation bank is a restored or enhanced wetland area that can be used to offset impacts to other wetlands. Over the past few years, the city submitted three full applications to regulators. However, each was denied because the evolving park designs couldn't meet all of the program strict requirements. Last month, staff recommended withdrawing from the application process, saying further attempts would likely be costly and unsuccessful. Even so, the design of the 43 acre park will continue to center on creating a high quality wetland preserve. >> We're working with native and um climate resilient plantings. So, they're going to be some upland areas, so you're going to see some wild flowers. Um, you're also going to see some of the wetter areas, so some of what people typically think of as a wetland. So, the cattails and the sedges and and the rushes. Um, so a little bit of uh variability in all the different ecoypes. Um, but one other piece too is we're taking all of what's existing and removing any invasive species. So, you'll probably even see there's some buckthornne behind me. Um, those will all be removed as part of this process. Um, and a sustainable native habitat will be put in. Also last month, the council awarded a contract to HNU Construction for early earthwork, marking an important step in moving the $17.7 million project forward.
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