Lining up to redevelop GrandView district in Edina

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The city of Edina wants a developer to build on about three acres of city-owned land off Highway 100. So far, it has no shortage of options.

Ten developers submitted responses to the city’s “request for interest” in redeveloping 5146 Eden Ave., the site of a former public works building torn down last year, according to city documents. The request was released in June, and developers had until mid-August to respond.

The city staff has selected four well-known developers to interview for the right to develop the property: Bloomington-based Doran Cos., Bloomington-based Frauenshuh Commercial Real Estate Group, Minneapolis-based Greco LLC and Bloomington-based Kraus-Anderson Realty.

A preliminary proposal from Doran — the only finalist to offer renderings — could include two 14-story residential buildings. Other finalists also recommend residential redevelopment in what’s called the GrandView District, though they don’t offer specifics on whether that would be multifamily rentals or condos.

None of the four finalists could be reached for comment Tuesday.

Six other development teams registered interest but were not selected as finalists. That list is led by a who’s-who of local companies: the team of Minneapolis-based Ryan Cos. US Inc. and the Eden Prairie-based Excelsior Group; the Hopkins-based Beard Group; Plymouth-based Dominium; Minneapolis-based PLACE; Eden Prairie-based TE Miller Development; and the Minneapolis-based Cuningham Group.

Other developers and architects, including the Minneapolis-based Lander Group, Minneapolis-based CPM Cos., Minneapolis-based Tushie-Montgomery Architects and Minneapolis-based Artspace, were involved with the various proposals.

Of the six other development teams to respond, all but Ryan/Excelsior were entered into a “secondary group” for consideration, said Bill Neuendorf, Edina’s economic development manager. Ryan’s letter indicated a willingness to build on the site, but urged the city to assemble more properties and didn’t answer many city questions laid out in the RFI.

“They were asking us to kind of rethink some things that can’t be redone,” Neuendorf said.

Most respondents did not outline a specific project for the site. The Edina City Council held informal interviews with the four finalists Tuesday.

The four finalists were chosen for their track records and how they would go about developing the site, according to Neuendorf. Companies with the ability to integrate public feedback, and to patiently work with the city, had a leg up on the competition.

“We could have had this piece of dirt sold and developed 10 times over by now,” Neuendorf said. “But it’s about more than that.”

The city is “completely open” to several different uses, Neuendorf added, but would want at least one new public element on the site. The site is zoned industrial, but “everyone agrees that needs to change,” he said.

Of the four developers moving on to the next stage of the project, only Doran offered a picture of what it might build there. The company submitted three potential plans to the city, the largest of which would include two 14-story residential towers, a five-story residential building, three-story townhomes and several public spaces. Specific numbers of units or building sizes were not provided.

Another plan pitched by Doran would include a 12-story residential building, an eight-story residential building, three-story townhomes and public space. The third plan would feature two five-story residential buildings and public spaces.

All three plans include a community building with a future transit station, according to city documents. Project partners would include Minneapolis-based ESG Architects and the Eden Prairie office of Westwood Professional Services.

Frauenshuh would team with the Minnetonka-based Opus Group, Iowa-based Reynolds Urban Design and the Minneapolis office of Confluence, a public space design and programming company. The partnership hopes to “create a ‘neighborhood district with regional distinction’ that delivers multiple components, public and private, and phases of development that will span years and possibly decades to fully implement,” the companies wrote to the city.

Greco would work with Minneapolis-based BKV Group and Hopkins-based Frana Cos. The company didn’t propose anything specific, but said in its letter that it would include housing, retail and potentially other commercial space in its project.

“It should be our shared goal to attract young professionals and families to Edina, while providing a lifestyle option for empty-nesters to move from single-family homes,” Arnie Gregory, president of Greco, wrote in a letter to the city. “With future transit improvements and the ability to have multiple modes of transportation to the site, the GrandView District will be the first choice for Edina residents who want to live in a transit-oriented community.”

Finally, Kraus-Anderson said it would work to create a “vibrant, integrated, transit-oriented community and a dynamic place to live, work, shop and play.” The company would act as lead developer and would partner with ESG and the Melrose Co., a company headed by former TOLD Development Co. principal Bob Cunningham.

“We believe as partners we can make this development an example of how public/private partnerships can work to create a civic amenity,” Mike Korsh, the company’s vice president of real estate development, wrote to the city.

Edina hopes to choose a developer by Sept. 16 and receive between two and four development alternatives for the site by March. The city would then approve its preferred development plan by June, with construction starting either later that year or in 2016, depending on the developer.