Planning commission recommends approval for Southdale Library and Edina Art Center plans and a building-height variance

The Edina Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend that the City Council approve a conditional use permit, site plan and building-height variance for Hennepin County’s proposed Southdale Library and Edina Art Center at 7001 York Avenue South.

Hennepin County and MSR Design presented a proposal to demolish the existing regional library and county service center and construct a new, more compact campus on the north half of the 7.75-acre site. Emily (city staff) told commissioners the existing library campus contains roughly 76,000 square feet of library space and a 38,000-square-foot service center; the proposal would replace that footprint with a new 43,000-square-foot library and a 16,000-square-foot art center.

County project manager Liz Viderico said the building sits at the southeast corner of York and 70th Street and that the county’s outreach has included nearly 100-person workshops and an open house. “We are embracing an opportunity to improve accessibility, strengthen our programming and partnerships, provide green space and showcase through sustainable design,” Viderico said.

MSR Design principal Matthew described the design intent: a building pulled toward the York street edge with the south half of the property restored as wetland, passive green space and trails. He said the design emphasizes daylighting, native planting, stormwater detention and reduced impervious surfaces. Landscape architect Britta Hansen said the permanent pools on the south part of the site would be “approximately 8 feet deep” and will hold water except in extreme drought.

Staff recommended the commission recommend City Council approval, saying the project meets conditional-use standards and meets code except for the building height. Emily said the existing library’s top height is roughly 60 feet; the proposed building would measure 59 feet from average existing grade, exceeding the R-1 district height norm for nonresidential buildings. “Staff believes that the proposed variance for building height is justified,” Emily said, noting nearby buildings are comparable in height and the site sits in the Greater Southdale District where greater height and density are contemplated.

The project includes parking, pedestrian and bike connections and a large amount of below-grade parking. Staff and the applicant described multiple parking counts during the presentation: in the staff report a minimum of 60 stalls is required by code; staff and the project team later described a plan with roughly 182 stalls overall (figures discussed included an 84-stall total in one staff summary, and later the team described “about 182 parking stalls” split between surface and underground). The project team said it relied on parking studies of the current library and arts uses to size the lot and that the design attempts to minimize the visible area of parked cars by lowering much of the lot into the landscape.

Commission questions ranged from tree preservation and the city’s tree ordinance to fenestration rules, pedestrian and bike access, and the proposed division of green space and managed wetlands. County staff said tree-preservation requirements are administered by the city forester and will be addressed prior to building permits; the county said it will work with the forester on tree preservation, onsite transplantation or escrow mitigation as needed.

Library director Scott Dimstra said the county intends the new facility to be “a warm welcoming space” for a broad range of residents, serving programming, technology access and community services in addition to collections. Hennepin County staff indicated a late-2027 opening is the current target for completion.

After public comment — a single in-person speaker who said he supports the project — the commission voted in roll call to recommend City Council approval. The roll call recorded ayes from Commissioners Nelson, Alkire, Padilla, Smith, Day, Felt, Hanneman and Chair Bennett. Commissioners also asked that the county and the city coordinate on trail connections and other items before City Council review.