West metro news briefs: Edina City Council sets affordable housing buy-in fee

The Edina City Council has set a fee of $100,000 per unit for housing developers who decide to bypass affordability requirements set down in the city's housing policy, with plans to use fee revenue for future affordable-housing projects.

Council members unanimously approved the fee at their meeting Tuesday. The fee, which would be paid to the city, was recommended last month by city staffers.

For any large-scale development that requires rezoning, Edina requires that either at least 10 percent of the units be affordable to families making 50 percent of the area median income, or that 20 percent of the units be affordable to those making 60 percent of the area median income.

The so-called "buy in" fee would allow developers to skip the affordability requirements, according to city documents. The city would issue a building permit once the entire fee has been paid, according to city documents.

Edina has required a buy-in fee only once before, for construction of The Loden apartments on the city's west side. That fee was about $81,000 per unit.

Miguel Otárola

The Hennepin County Board has reappointed two managers to another term on the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District board.

White, who lives on Lake Minnetonka, has worked to save her shoreline from polluted runoff. Rogness, a retired architect, has lived near Minnehaha Creek and Lake Harriet for more than four decades.

White said that she looked forward to continued service on the board "which, together with the organization's committed staff, has forged strong relationships with its partners to make lasting water resource improvements."

Rogness said he was grateful to have the chance "to help the district and its partners align investments and identify mutually beneficial goals that protect and improve the quality of water and the quality of life in this beautiful watershed."

From Minneapolis to Maple Plain, the watershed district covers parts of 27 cities and contains 129 lakes, and manages everything from flooding to the spread of invasive species. Six of the seven board managers are appointed by Hennepin County and one is appointed by Carver County.

David Chanen

The multiyear project led by Hennepin County is repairing deteriorating pavement, updating utilities and making drainage and stormwater management improvements.

Officials hope that the work between Lake Street and Wolf Pointe Trail will be finished in the next several months. Costs will be covered by funding from the state, county and respective cities.

The first phase of the project, budgeted at $19.1 million, includes restoration of the Long Lake shoreline, new sidewalks on Lake Street, new trails along the north side of Wayzata Boulevard, crosswalks with raised medians connecting area trails, ornamental railings on retaining walls in downtown Long Lake, and Long Lake city monuments at Brown Road (County Road 146) and Martha Lane.

The second phase, between Wolf Pointe Trail and Hwy. 12 and budgeted at $12.4 million, will include the replacement of pavement and underground utilities, and improvement of curbs and gutters for better stormwater management.

While access to businesses will remain during construction, Wayzata Boulevard will be closed three times for short periods during the year.

Minnetonka officials are considering building mountain bike trails and invite residents next month to offer their views on trail designs.

The off-road biking trails would go in Lone Lake Park, 5624 Shady Oak Road. City staffers will decide where they would be built and how long they would run.

City officials conducted a resident survey in 2016 in which many voiced an interest in mountain bike trails. Lone Lake Park was considered most feasible for the trails, according to the city's website.

Three open houses are planned for May 17 to give residents a chance to provide feedback on the trails, starting at 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Minnetonka Park Board commissioners will review concept plans on June 6. If they approve, the plans will go to the City Council for a final vote.

Carl Anderson, an Anoka City Council member for 13 years, announced at the March 19 meeting that he will resign his seat later this month because he is moving to Champlin.

And he already shared some ideas about the kind of person he'd like to see fill his shoes on the council.

"Let me just give you a hint," Anderson said at the council meeting. "One thing we need on this council is somebody of the other gender."

He told the five-member council that it could also benefit from a younger person.

City leaders plan to discuss the vacancy at an upcoming workshop. The person they appoint to the seat will fill out Anderson's term, which ends Dec. 31. Anderson's seat is one of several City Council spots on the November ballot.