Edina's practically perfect -- but facing change

How do you plan for change in a suburb that some residents think is already perfect?

If you're Edina, you hold 26 public meetings, have a task force work 1,000 hours and hire a consultant -- and then weather an onslaught of negative reaction during a public hearing.

More than three-quarters of the people who showed up to speak at the recent City Council hearing criticized the draft comprehensive plan -- like Casandra Mihalchick, president of the Cahill-Lewis Park Neighborhood Association, who said she and her neighbors don't want any more high-rises, traffic, dense developments or low-income housing.

"Edina has been a successful first-ring suburb, as evidenced by its historically strong tax base, high property values, nationally ranked schools, low crime rate and sought-after lifestyle," Mihalchick told the council when the comprehensive plan was presented. "Stay with the suburban model we have all moved here to experience."

But the people who shaped the draft plan worry that Edina -- which has the oldest population of any city in the metropolitan area -- is getting ever older. Moreover, they believe the city lacks the housing to hang onto active senior citizens who want to leave their big yards and houses behind.

They're also concerned that the city isn't attracting enough young families to keep the community and public schools vital. And with single-family homes selling at a median price of $437,250 in 2007, they say Edina has become so pricey that living there is out of reach for professionals such as teachers, police officers and the city's own employees, only 15 percent of whom reside in the city.

"Some people don't want to deal with change at all," said Mayor Jim Hovland. "But for the council, change is going to happen. The question is, do you deal with it or not handle it at all."

All over the Twin Cities, communities are working on 10-year updates of their comprehensive plans, which are required by state law and must go to the Metropolitan Council for review. But few communities have been as public in their updating as Edina.

While some other cities still don't have even drafts of their plans on the Internet, Edina has had pieces of the report -- now 359 pages long -- on the city web page for months.

Minimal changes foreseen

Recommendations have changed over time. John Lonsbury, chairman of the city's Planning Commission, said at the council meeting that if the draft is approved as is, just 5 percent of the city would see changed land uses. Though buildings up to 16 stories would be permitted in areas near Southdale and in the Cahill area near Hwy. 100 and Interstate 494, in other areas suggested building heights actually would drop, he said.

The plan includes goals for new affordable housing, including 212 rental units for people making up to $47,100 a year and 288 owner-occupied units for people with incomes up to $62,800 and $90,275.

Several residents criticized the housing goals, saying they worried that new residents could boost crime and drag the schools down. Michael Fischer, a member of the plan task force, said people like teachers and dental hygienists would be living in those units.

"What I've heard here tonight paints a picture of roving bands of dental hygienists going around the city stealing from people," he said. "I know it's scary when we use these terms, but we truly are talking about workforce housing here."

Later, Mihalchick said she and many of the 700 people in her association still oppose the housing initiative as well as development that they say will increase traffic and make Edina less suburban. The north Minneapolis native was unapologetic about wanting to keep Edina elite.

"I tell my children we weren't born to Edina, we achieved Edina," she said. "The vast majority of families work very hard to get here. Why change that?"

But Hovland thinks there's value in trying to open up housing that attracts young families. Edina was a pioneer in city planning — it had Minnesota firsts with a planning commission in 1928 and a full-time planning director in 1957 — and it's even more important now that the city is fully developed, he said.

Edina's struggle with the future isn't unusual, said Prof. Judith Martin , an urban geographer at the University of Minnesota. Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as other first-ring suburbs, are wrestling with issues of density and redevelopment. To a degree, Martin said, Edina is a victim of its own success.

"It's a big destination retail and entertainment center," she said. "You have to recognize that when you make yourself a place that people come to, some more people might want to come and live there."

Balancing those issues is a challenge in any healthy community, she said.

"If you don't like that situation, you could be Detroit or Flint, Michigan," she said. "They're not having any trouble figuring out where the growth is going to go because they don't have any."

Edina is accepting public comment on the draft plan until May 12, when the City Council will begin reviewing it.

Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380