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Public commenters press council on TIF garage, school pickup; commissions and proclamations approved
Summary
Public commenters urged the council to reject borrowing $20 million for a private TIF-backed parking garage, requested school-hour parking restrictions near Southview Middle School, and raised concerns about ICE, data privacy and Amazon contracts. Council confirmed commission appointments, adopted a school-bus-driver proclamation and presented a citizens award.
A range of public comments and routine items occupied the Edina City Council meeting on Feb. 17.
Ralph Sickert urged the council to reject a proposed $20 million borrowing to build a private parking garage at 7001 France Avenue with tax-increment financing tied to a developer’s unchanged proposal; Sickert described the site as a stalled TIF project that has remained undeveloped for years and criticized further taxpayer incentives. "Borrowing $20,000,000 for a parking garage the city does not need in the hope that sometime in the next 10 years a private office building and an apartment will rise from behind the blue tarp," he said.
Jill Garnier, representing Concord Terrace and St. Johns Avenue neighbors, asked the council to adopt no-parking/no-stopping restrictions on the north side of Concord Terrace during school hours (9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and extend restrictions onto Saint Johns Avenue to prevent pick-up congestion at Southview Middle School; she submitted a petition, photos and video for the record and said the traffic-safety committee’s narrower recommendation would simply move congestion down the street.
Laura Han thanked the council for work related to recent events and asked for city actions to protect staff who protest, to consider not allowing ICE officers to occupy certain city positions (particularly in schools, parks and election roles), to review Amazon procurement and to increase transparency about surveillance data shared with federal agencies. She also asked the city to examine reports that ICE vehicles have been observed violating traffic rules in Edina.
On consent business, council member Jackson presented a slate of commission appointments and alternates; the council approved the nominees. The council also adopted a proclamation designating Feb. 18, 2026, as School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Lieutenant Hecker presented a citizens award to Chris Hansen for founding the nonprofit Time on the Water, which organizes guided fishing trips intended to aid veterans and first responders’ mental health.
Council members said staff will prepare responses to public comments and post them on the city website by Friday of the week following the meeting.
