Southdale Apartments Get City Council Approval

Following a lengthy discussion of berms, pedestrian safety and trees, the Edina City Council approved a 232-unit apartment complex for the southeast corner of the Southdale Center parking lot.

The development, which has been tentantively named 1 Southdale Place, was brought forward by Simon Property Group and Stuart Development Company. Minneapolis-based architects BKV Group designed the three-building complex, which will consist of one 10-story building, one 6-story building and one 3- or 4-story building. The taller two buildings will house luxury apartments, while the shorter one will consist of townhomes.

David Motzenberger, an architect with BKV, said the goal was to fill in an area that's currently underutilized as well as adding some "vitality to the space."

"We really think we're going to be pulling an iconic building into an iconic landscape," Motzenberger said.

Mike Krych, a fellow archtect at BKV, said the group focused on a number of key words for this project: sophistication, elegance, fashion, forward, contemporary and iconic.

"We looked at words we wanted to articulate that could describe the project and the high quality level we wanted to achieve," Krych said.

The council approved several conditions to the project, including a direct connection be created via a sidewalk between the new three-building apartment complex and Southdale and the berms around the buildings be no higher than six feet to reduce the “bunker effect” at the buildings.

When all was said and done, the Council unanimously approved a site plan, conditional use permit, two variances and a re-plat for the Southdale Center site. The approval included a number of conditions, including a number of pedestrian improvements and a direct connection via sidewalk between the complex and the mall.

Council Member Ann Swenson said she appreciated changes made to the complex since an earlier design, which featured a mainly white exterior. 

"When you first showed your design … I found it to be pretty austere," Swenson said. "You've tried to change that, but I'm not sure how I feel about that to be honest. It still to me reminds me pretty much of an island onto itself>"

Swenson said she has trouble envisioning the look of the complex 20 or 30 years down the road, saying she was "not sure (she knows) what iconic is."

"It's a great word, but I'm not sure I know what that means with your design," she said.

While the complex would elmininate more than 300 parking spaces from the Southdale lot, it would include a parking structure underneath the development for residents. A courtyard between the three buildings would also house barbecue grills, a swimming pool and deck area, bocce ball courts, sculptures and a potential mist or steam fountain.

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