Planning commission recommends approval for OPUS headquarters project at 5100 Eden Avenue, with conditions on access and ground-level materials

The Edina Planning Commission on March 26 recommended City Council approval of a rezoning, subdivision, site plan and related variances for a proposed OPUS corporate headquarters at 5100 Eden Avenue in the Grandview district. The proposed development would demolish the existing “building on stilts,” consolidate seven parcels into one new plat and build a primarily glass 112,000-square-foot office building with roughly 6,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant space.

Staff described the property as uniquely constrained by surrounding roadways, large rights-of-way and steep topography. The application seeks rezoning from Planned Office District (POD) to Planned Commercial District 2 (PCD2), variances for floor area ratio (requesting 2.0 FAR where staff cited a typical requirement of 1.5), height (building to rise to about 81 feet where a 48-foot standard was referenced), and several setback and materials exceptions. Staff said the proposal is consistent with the Grandview mixed‑use land use designation and concluded the variances are justified by site constraints and by comparison to previously approved nearby projects with similar or greater heights and FAR.

Applicant representatives — Nick Renan (OPUS), Bob Loken and Matt Axman (ESG) — presented a revised design since sketch‑plan review that shifts the Level‑1 podium and increases Arcadia‑facing activation. The design includes a recessed pedestrian arcade on Arcadia, a landscaped “dock” element projecting into a pocket of planting, a rooftop tenant amenity terrace, and loading tucked under the building to reduce visibility. The team said they worked with staff to remove several earlier minor variance requests and that the project is code‑compliant for parking with proposed below‑grade and podium parking levels (two levels below grade and one above, reported in the presentation).

Commissioners who spoke praised the design moves that increase pedestrian activation on Arcadia and welcomed the headquarters as a generator of daytime activity for the Grandview district. Concerns were raised repeatedly during deliberations about (1) pedestrian and bicycle access from Eden (the east approach), which involves grade changes and roundabout crossings; (2) the long continuous north façade and the code provision limiting an uninterrupted façade to 200 feet; (3) the amount of glass and the adequacy of warm, durable materials at the ground plane; and (4) the location of required utility equipment and transformer screening in the right‑of‑way.

Staff and the applicant explained several technical tradeoffs. The applicant said the site’s stormwater mitigation (underground storage) and existing utility entries limited the amount the building could be shifted eastward; they said the infiltration tanks were sited at the east side to enable planting and to avoid tree root impacts. The applicant also said the rooftop terrace and its size are constrained by code‑required egress and travel distance limits, and they noted that the project team has been exploring wood‑look cladding alternatives and phenolic and composite panels to add warmth to the podium element.

After extended deliberation the commission made a motion to recommend approval of the rezoning, subdivision, site plan and variances, and also attached three direction/conditions for the City Council and applicant to address during final review: (1) that the applicant consider revisions to improve safe pedestrian and bicycle access from Eden to the building (including clearer paths from the east approach), (2) provide a continuous pedestrian connection (sidewalk or paved public route) around the building’s plinth on the north and east sides to reduce routing through parking and service areas, and (3) revise ground‑level materials and screening at vehicle and service entrances to add warmer, durable materials or other architectural measures to improve the pedestrian experience at street level. The commission recommended approval subject to those conditions and the normal engineering, screening and MnDOT reviews required for right‑of‑way work.

The commission’s recommendation will go to City Council for final action; staff noted the city has an open request for proposals for the adjacent former public‑works site, which could influence future pedestrian and public‑realm connections in the Grandview district.