What else should be built with the new Southdale Library?

In the next three to five years, Southdale Library will be rebuilt on the same site as its present location, 7001 York Ave. S. in Edina. There will be room for additional development on the site, such as housing, offices or retail. Hennepin County is working with the City of Edina to hold two community meetings to gather public input on redeveloping the 8-acre site. The meetings will be held at Southdale Library, 7001 York Ave. S., Monday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec. 13, 6-8 p.m.

Meetings to discuss library building design and library programs are planned to take place in 2018.

“The Southdale Regional Center site no longer meets the needs and expectations of Hennepin County residents. The space layout does not support County services and the building needs multi-million dollar repairs,” said Hennepin County Board Chair Jan Callison. “The County Board has identified better ways to provide service center and courthouse services for residents in this portion of Hennepin County. Moving those services out of the York Avenue site creates a major opportunity for creative redevelopment in conjunction with the new library.”

In May 2016, the Hennepin County Service Center relocated to Southdale Center. Court facilities are anticipated to relocate to Bloomington in 2019.

“As with many other aging facilities in the greater Southdale area, the Hennepin County site has an overabundance of surface parking lots,” said Bill Neuendorf, Edina’s Economic Development Manager. “The changing role and services of public libraries present a unique opportunity to reconsider the needs of a public library, while incorporating private uses elsewhere on the site.”

Based on the shared interest in the site and the eventual need for rezoning, a preliminary planning exercise is warranted before any proposals for development are received. The Edina Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) is leading the process, supervising three consultants. HGA will lead the public engagement process and prepare preliminary site concepts. Maxfield Research will conduct a preliminary market analysis. Braun Intertec will conduct a preliminary environmental assessment. Hennepin County will reimburse the HRA for staff and consultant time.

Public input from the community meetings in December will be used to shape a request for proposals that will eventually be issued to the real estate development community. Neuendorf said that formal proposals will most likely be collected in spring 2017 and forwarded to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners to make a final selection in summer 2017.

For more information, call Bill Neuendorf at 952-826-0407 or go to The City of Edina website - Southdale Library Site.

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