Developers pitch four townhomes on Vernon Avenue; planning commission gives nonbinding feedback

Edina — A development team told the Edina Planning Commission on Jan. 29 it plans to demolish the single-family house at 5516 Vernon Avenue and build four townhome units, and commissioners provided nonbinding feedback on site layout, parking and zoning.

Planner Carrie Teague said the property and surrounding lots are currently zoned R1 (single-dwelling) and guided in the city comprehensive plan for low-density residential, and that a formal application would require a land-use amendment, rezoning to PRD2 (planned residential district 2) and site-plan review. “The property in the whole surrounding area here is zoned R1 single dwelling unit district,” Teague said. She said the 5516 Vernon lot is about 38,000 square feet and that PRD standards include a usable-lot-area requirement of 1,500 square feet per dwelling unit.

Why it matters: Commissioners framed the sketch plan as an example of “missing middle” housing along a busy corridor. Several commissioners said the site’s location on Vernon — a higher‑traffic corridor near transit and Highland School — makes it a reasonable candidate for greater density, while others urged caution because a comprehensive-plan amendment and rezoning would change the land-use expectation for neighbors.

The…