6016 Vernon Avenue, Station Pizza-Comprehensive Plan Amendment, Rezoning and Site Plan with Variances

We strongly support the new station pizza proposal. We have two young children and live a couple blocks away. We have been excited about having a restaurant in walking distance to connect with our neighbors over food and support our community. This is a void in our neighborhood today and we would love to be able to walk somewhere as opposed to driving. I look at this opportunity very positively. We are tired of the old, vacant building and are in favor of the Station Pizza approval. Please approve this plan - this is what our neighborhood needs.

I strongly support the idea of Station Pizza joining the neighborhood. I love the idea of having a restaurant close, to be able to walk to and from and a place to bring the neighborhood together. We live across Vernon, and love the idea of somewhere close for the kids to meet their friends for lunch or even work at. Please vote YES to Station Pizza!

We are extremely excited and supportive for the pizza place proposal! It would be a value add for the neighborhood in many ways. We live on Kaymar Drive right around the corner and would love the walkability to a local establishment. It would be the perfect spot to gather with our kids, friends and neighbors. We vote YES!

We are extremely excited and supportive for the pizza place proposal! It would be a value add for the neighborhood in many ways. We live on Kaymar Drive right around the corner and would love the walkability to a local establishment. It would be the perfect spot to gather with our kids, friends and neighbors. We vote YES!

We are extremely excited and supportive for the pizza place proposal! It would be a value add for the neighborhood in many ways. We live on Kaymar Drive right around the corner and would love the walkability to a local establishment. It would be the perfect spot to gather with our kids, friends and neighbors. We vote YES!

This area of Edina would be perfect for Station Pizza. It will bring the community together, and have little noise pollution for our surrounding houses. This is a no brainer!

This area of Edina would be perfect for Station Pizza. It will bring the community together, and have little noise pollution for our surrounding houses. This is a no brainer!

I support this proposal and believe it would be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. The current building is a such a blight on the neighborhood.
We live on Mirror Lakes in the Highlands area and would love to have a small, 20 seat neighborhood restaurant that we could walk or bike to. I don’t see how traffic is going to be an issue as I don’t see people traveling from all parts of the metro to eat there, mostly those in the neighborhood. I believe it would add value and a nice addition to the area.

I like on Kaymar drive with my wife and two young children. I attended the city council meeting last week and feel very comfortable with this project being done in our neighborhood. It’s been a commercial building for many years and a restaurant makes a great re-use of this odd space. I think it will add character to the neighborhood, add value to the homes nearby and be a great community gathering spot. It’s clear no residential developer is interested in the space with how long it’s sat on the market. Let’s do this!

We completely support this small but important restaurant owned by a local independent resident of Edina. Please approve

We would love to see a restaurant in this location as there is nothing along that area for residents to go to and our city needs to support local ownership of small businesses. The city and council have created unnecessary, significant costs and delays in this project and as a result residents are frustrated with those who we elected. We do not want multi unit housing in this area. Any focus on multi unit housing should be on fixing up existing multi unit housing that already exists well before considering adding any more.

This property has become an albatross for the city council and planning department. The previous auto repair was an eyesore for 40+ years. The local residents who believe the space should be zoned for residential are unrealistic. Do they think a developer will put in single family homes? No. This small parcel of land would undoubtedly have to be multiple story apartments to make financial sense! Do they believe such a building would enhance their property values? Are they anxious to have a 6+ story building there?

The current proposal of a Station Pizza is a good one. It could be built to fit the property and become a local go-to dining option. Plus it is the city who is asking for inside dining! Not the developer who is clearly trying to work within the city’s parameters.

I support this proposal. Vote YES.
It’s time to move forward.

Mark Daum
Chowen Park
Edina

My family lives at 5513 Highwood Drive 1 block away from the proposed restaurant at 6016 Vernon. We are very much in favor of having a restaurant in this location as it will provide a walkable location for our family and many of our neighbors. We are very much in need of something in this neighborhood that will provide this type of service. We would most likely visit this restaurant every week or two with family or friends.

We frequently walk our neighborhood with our whole family and have no concerns about increased traffic and the safety of walkers.

Previous arguments about serving alcohol leading to loud patrons are assuming the worst. If you go to any similar restaurant of this size and scope this is not an issue. We have visited Station Pizzeria in Minnetonka and have never seen any issues with noise or disorderly patrons.

I don't feel that other options that have been considered would benefit the neighborhood as much as a restaurant/cafe. Housing would provide only a small benefit for only 1 or 2 families. A second hand drop off location (as previously considered) does little to benefit the neighborhood and I worry it would only clutter up the location.

Letting this location sit unused and deteriorating is not a good option either.

I was very displeased that the previous restaurant project did not pass and wholeheartedly endorse this plan.

As a neighbor that lives within one block of this location, I ask the City Council to vote YES to this proposal.

I oppose this project because it involves placing a commercial business on a lot that does not conform to zoning and lot dimensions for a neighborhood that is fully residential. In order to make this business fit requires rezoning and multiple variances. The impact to those of us who live in close proximity is likely to cause traffic and parking congestion which cannot be accommodated in this neighborhood. I do not see this business adding value to this neighborhood. Edina has commercial zones that are intended to support restaurants and other types of businesses.
Rick Bredice
6020 Kaymar Drive

We live on Leslee Lane and are in support of this proposal. It seems to address many of the concerns about the previous proposal. It would address the current issue of a vacant lot and unused building. A pizza place with a small seating area and takeout option is reasonable and provides an opportunity for a walkable spot on the west side.

I'm Richard Kuyath, husband of Laurie and live on Jeffrey Lane in the immediate neighborhood behind Kevin Keys. I agree with my wife that this new proposed restaurant would be an added improvement to our area. The reduced size and ample parking has addressed the concerns from the first proposal. I hope the Council votes yes. Richard Kuyath

Dear Mayor Hovland and the city council members,
Please uphold the comprehensive plan for future housing on the Kevin Kee’s site and vote no to rezone.

- Rezoning to PCD1 opens a Pandora’s box. It would give the city limited options to manage future uses for this property.

-There is inadequate parking. There will be less spaces than promised with 6 spaces that back up to the entrance and tandem parking, both presenting safety concerns. It was noted on one of the staff reports that the lack of parking spaces will cause parking to spill into the surrounding neighborhood.

-The traffic study did not appear adequate. It did not seem to fully address the increase in traffic on Vernon for both the sit-down and take-out options of the proposed restaurant. The lack of turn lanes will cause stopped traffic on both east and west bound lanes on Vernon Ave, where the speed limit is 40MPH. Cars will be forced to drive through bike lanes. The city has almost no control to change Vernon as it is a county road.

-It is Trojan horse for a bigger restaurant. The report was based on a 20-seat restaurant. There is a seating capacity of 32. It is a slippery slope.

-The owner of Station Pizza committed to have take-out only at the neighborhood meeting. The planning commission urged them to have a sit-down restaurant as well as take-out. There was with no further communication with the neighbors. The planning commission drove the plan. Members stated it would be nice to have another restaurant in Edina, yet none of them live in the neighborhood most impacted.

-There are currently two pizza restaurants less than 2 miles from the site, so we do not live in a pizza desert.

The overwhelming number of people who support the restaurant do not live in the neighborhood most impacted. Supporting this plan may make their lives slightly more convenient at the cost of the closest neighbors daily quality of life.

Please vote “NO.”
Mary KB
6020 Kaymar Drive

Gretchen Grey
The site should be zoned residential in keeping with the neighborhood. It is not suitable for commercial use. Speed limit on Vernon is 40mph with turn access only from east to west, and this would invite accidents and traffic problems on Vernon. This site is unsuitable for a pizza place because of very small site and lack of parking. I recommend it be rezoned for multiple housing to accommodate a 3plex or 4plex in keeping with the neighborhood.

• The Planning Commission’s desire to have gathering places in EVERY neighborhood community in Edina as a model for our city (Planning Commission Meeting (11-13-24) is extremely difficult to “retrofit” into an established city like Edina, with already well-known, built-up, older neighborhoods.
• The Planning Commission’s intention to configure the City of Edina so that there are “walkable food and other offerings as gathering places in all Edina neighborhoods”, that should be a clearly stated goal of the Edina Long Term Plan, with a considerable effort to help all residents understand the final and implementation rollout implications.
o There would be some difficulties in implementation.
o A couple of examples would be: where would the city determine to place such gathering spaces in Indian Hills, Dewey Hills, or other established neighborhoods deemed currently insufficient of adequate gathering places?
 I believe this model concept is impractical, has not been fully vetted with residents as a long-term Edina plan, and the Kee’s site should not be “an experiment without total Edina representation”. I ASK THE CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE NO and creatively search for other more suitable uses for this property.
• Additionally, concentrating on gross numbers for and against in ‘Better Together” may distort the decision process. Neighbors near the Kee’s site will always be outnumbered and lose the “numbers contest” when the adverse impacts only affect those closest to the situation. Those families further away have no need to think through or be concerned with disruptions to their nearer neighbors – I get it, it’s not their problem. But it is a situation that is likely to become our problem and will be almost impossible to reverse.
 The City Council should give additional weight to closer neighbor’s comments – those most impacted by this decision…for a true reflection of equity

James Allen, 6501 Eden Prairie Road, Edina, MN

The risks of jamming a commercial business into a residential neighborhood exceed described benefits. The extended fences will demand entrance to Station Pizza by vehicles alone. Walking and biking would be inconvenient and dangerous. The perceived gathering place might be allowed but Station Pizza business goals are high volume takeout and delivery of pizzas. The traffic for this business would infringe on county, city, and residential neighborhoods. A better use of this property without excessive variances is still in its destiny. Recommend Edina City Council disapprove this proposal.
Richard Arnold