Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Retail Ev Showroom topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Edina council approves Rivian showroom at Galleria with fire-safety conditions
Summary
The Edina City Council approved a conditional use permit for Rivian to open a 3,200 sq. ft. showroom at 3510 Galleria, adding conditions that require an exterior door, a 30% maximum battery state-of-charge for vehicles kept inside, and verification of sprinkler coverage per the fire marshal.
The Edina City Council on Aug. 19 approved a conditional use permit allowing electric vehicle maker Rivian to operate a 3,200-square-foot vehicle showroom and keep up to six vehicles on site for test drives at 3510 Galleria.
City planning staff said Rivian and mall management revised plans after earlier council and fire-marshalc comments. The permit was approved subject to nine conditions — six in the published packet plus three added at the meeting: construction of the proposed exterior door, a maximum 30% state of charge for batteries of vehicles stored inside the showroom, and confirmation that the sprinkler system provides the ordinary hazard group coverage recommended by the fire marshal. The motion passed unanimously.
The council previously held a public hearing Aug. 6 and discussed fire and safety questions at that meeting. Addison, a city staff member who presented the item, told the council the added conditions reflected materials and commitments shown that night and that Rivian and Galleria management had provided a letter and revised floor plan showing an exterior door and sprinkler coverage. Addison said the fire marshal's recommendations had been incorporated: “So you could just add compliance with those 3 conditions,” the presenter said, summarizing fire marshal-recommended items.
Hannah Wu, a Rivian representative presenting the revised floor plan, showed the council a plan that reoriented the back of house to the left, preserved a tree, and added an exterior door with a small vestibule. She said the exterior door “will be used for an exterior entrance.” Paul Wagner, property manager for the Galleria, provided a letter confirming the sprinkler system meets the marshals' standard and said mall management supports the revisions.
Council members pressed for the new conditions to be written into the resolution so the permit would be expressly contingent on the revised plans and the fire-safety items. Member Jackson said she wanted the added conditions documented in the resolution; Member Pierce asked that the 30% maximum charge be made explicit after observing a disparity between a 50% figure in a mall engineer letter and the 30% requested by the fire marshal. Staff indicated Rivian agreed to the 30% limit.
The council’s formal motion approved resolution 2025-564, authorizing a conditional use permit for Rivian to operate an automobile agency for new and unused vehicles at 3510 Galleria with the nine conditions described at the meeting. The vote was unanimous.
Rivian team members remained available after the vote and council members welcomed the company’s retail presence at the Galleria.
Ending: The decision allows Rivian to proceed with a mall showroom under the agreed safety conditions; staff will enforce the conditions as part of the building and fire permitting processes.
