On May 8, a sketch plan for 5780 Lincoln Drive was submitted by Solhem Development to Cary Teague and his team in the Planning Division of the City of Edina for consultation. The project intends to build an affordable housing apartment complex but many local residents have disagreed and want to voice their opinions on the proposal.
The construction plan aims to demolish a 2.59-acre area with mainly office buildings and build on a total land area of 54.4 acres. This building will be six stories high with a gross area of 149,388 square feet and two underground garages.
The largest problem for the project is sewage. “The city doesn’t have sewer [systems] and water to support the site,” Teague said. “What they are suggesting is to connect the city of Minnetonka into their system, so they would have to run pipes underneath the freeway.”
Kent Cramer, a local of Parkwood Knolls and an avid member of the community, is one of many leading the charge for their voice to be heard in protest to the project. “It’s about a $40 million project as it currently exists,” Cramer said.
The $40 million prospect was not confirmed or denied by Teague. “[$40 million] does sound a little high to me but I really shouldn’t speculate,” Teague said. Teague confirmed a $2.5 million pledge. “It’s a soft [commitment] to support the idea of affordable housing, though subject to approval of rezoning. So in a way [the city council] could pledge that money and still deny the project,” Teague said.
The city’s zoning ordinance changes every 10 years and this will not happen again until 2028. Currently, the 5780 Lincoln project does not fit with the zoning ordinance but an amendment has been sent to the Metropolitan Council, in charge of approving all types of orders around the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, for review. “We’re kind of in the middle of [confirming the amendment],” Teague said. “For a project this size, [the amendment confirmation] should probably take nine to 12 months.” Once this process is over Solhem Development will submit a full plan for the project.
The Parkwood Knolls community embraces new neighbors and is largely in agreement on what they want to see in this area. “We really want to have an impact on this space,” Cramer said. “What we’d like to envision is get the city’s help in understanding what that high-density group might be able to do to also engage into this space.”
Cramer and Parkwood United, the group advocating for a voice in this change, want their community’s space to be more friendly for families. “Right now we only have Olive’s restaurant, which is packed. Between the Londonderry Townhouses and the neighborhood beyond in Parkwood Knolls, one restaurant just doesn’t cut it. And Caribou closes at four or five,” Cramer said.
Parkwood United is doing as much as they can to give themselves a voice. “We have been attending all of the city council meetings, we’ve been attending a lot of the HRA [Housing Redevelopment Authority] meetings, and we have been offering statements both live in person at the city hall as well as calling in when the meetings are taking place and them writing in,” Cramer said. Parkwood United is currently asking for donations and spreading the word for their cause. “We’ve got about 350 signs already out into the market or into the neighborhood. We’ve got cards that match [the signs that] we give folks that might not even know [what’s happening].”
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on October 12, 2023.
