City staff presented initial recommendations for regulating cannabis sales in Edina, which will be limited to five retail licenses across the city's three planned commercial districts. The ordinance will charge retailers an initial registration fee of up to $500. Staff emphasized the collaborative effort behind the proposal, with input from planning, health, administration, and other departments. "We're trying to make a good decision for the current time and this is a new thing for the state so hopefully we hit the sweet spot," a staff member said. A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for later this year.

The council also approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Minnesota's state historic preservation office to replace the Wooddale Avenue Bridge, which spans Minnehaha Creek. Built in 1937, the bridge is a local heritage landmark but has deteriorated significantly, with rust forming at the water line. Staff determined that rehabilitation would be impractical, requiring removal of failing railings and extensive structural work. "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 use the bridge," a staff member explained. The old bridge will be documented for historic purposes, and an informational sign will be installed.

In other news, eight miles of new mountain biking and hiking trails are opening to the public at Brar Park, funded by a 2022 local option sales tax approved by voters. The project incorporated input from local high school and middle school mountain bike teams to create trails suitable for all skill levels. Staff noted that the western suburbs had lacked mountain biking trails. The project required significant environmental work, including removal of invasive buckthorn that had overtaken the previously unused sections of the 500-acre park. "It really went from a solid wall of green to what you're seeing kind of today," a staff member said of the cleared areas.