The $19 Million Redevelopment of Southdale Center: 2012 in Review

Edina Patch covered a lot of different stories, topics and events throughout 2012. That said, there were a few that stood out as the most interesting, important, touching or possibly infamous to our readers.

And as we near the end of 2012, we're looking back at those articles. The following is one of those stories.

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More than $19 million went into overhauling Southdale Center this year, thanks to a collaboration between the City of Edina and Simon Properties.

The City Council approved a $5 million, zero-interest loan to Simon Property Group to help incentivize the overhaul of the aging mall. The loan only covers improvements to the common areas of the mall, with parent company Simon Properties reported to invest $14 million of its own money into the project.

The extensive renovations at Southdale Center included the addition of a new dining pavilion and play area, redesigned common areas with upgraded ceilings, new tile flooring, soft seating areas, a redesigned guest services area, new indoor signage and cosmetic upgrades to the facility's texture and color palate.

"These renovations are going to revitalize Southdale and be very appealing to our loyal customers," Southdale manager Laurie VanDalen said.

Southdale officials announced a slate of new mall tenants in the fall, then gave readers a digital tour of the revitalized shopping center earlier this month.

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