The Edina Planning Commission unanimously approved a request Tuesday to rezone the Southdale Office Center at 6600-6868 France Avenue, allowing the property owners to make accessibility improvements to existing office buildings.

The commission voted to rescind the site's PUD-11 (Planned Unit Development) zoning and revert to PCD-3 (Planned Commercial District) zoning, along with approving a conditional use permit for office uses. The rezoning was requested by Olympus Ventures and Southdale Office Partners to enable minor renovations, including ADA accessibility improvements, which cannot be completed under the restrictive PUD zoning.

The 22-acre site, located directly west of Southdale, has been subject to multiple development proposals since the PUD was established in 2017. None of the ambitious redevelopment plans outlined in the original PUD have moved forward, leaving the property owners unable to make even basic improvements to existing structures.

"We've always wanted more amenities for our site as a transition zone," said Sean Smith of Southdale Office Partners during the meeting. The proposed improvements include small entry additions to two existing office buildings and resurfacing of parking areas.

Lake Cornelia neighborhood resident Nora Davis testified in support of the request, praising the reuse of existing buildings rather than demolition. "They are not going to tear down those buildings and create a lot of waste," Davis said. "They're going to reuse what they have." The Planning Commission's recommendation will go to the City Council for final consideration on April 15.