Onyx Apartments - 6725 York Ave - Edina

[Anondson]

Few weeks later, and a shift of ten feet, now approved!

http://m.bizjournals.com/twincities/blo ... order.html

The Southdale district's York Ave. is really turning into a residential and retail area.

[twincitizen]

"Our council chamber was full to the brim with many Richfield residents," [Edina City Manager] Neal said. "They don't like it and they asked our council to not adopt it. They believe it's too tall and they believe it's too close to their city."

The funny part is that hardly anyone in Richfield cared until the (Richfield) Mayor made a big stink about it at the Edina Planning Commission meeting and it got in the press. I heard the number of Richfield residents that showed up to the Planning Commission public hearing last month was around 5.

[mattaudio]

That is so tall! Six stories! Is that a highrise or a skyscraper? Gah, Richfield.

[Wedgeguy]

That is so tall! Six stories! Is that a highrise or a skyscraper? Gah, Richfield.

Richfield only wants towers at the corners of 66th and Lyndale, go figure!!

[Archiapolis]

Anybody look at the drawings? How the building is situated on the site/meeting York Ave./Xerxes Ave. etc?

[mattaudio]

errr....
https://m.facebook.com/notes/richfield- ... 0063163750

[FISHMANPET]

How is this in the city of Edina but within Richfield's school district?

I think the claims about the "wall" and reducing property values is bogus, but if Edina is dumping low income students into Richfield rather than sending them to Edina schools, that's a huge problem.

[Tcmetro]

School districts are separate government entities and their boundaries are generally not analogous to their namesake city boundary.

[FISHMANPET]

But why? That sounds really silly. And while the city government and school board are separate, they don't each exist in a vacuum. If a member of City X's school board spoke at a City X planning meeting about a new development, he wouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

And at a higher level, does it sound morally "right" to anybody that a city can dump students into another school district? I'm sure Edina didn't consult the Richfield school board about this project, at least not the same way the Richfield city council would consult the Richfield school board about a project.

[Tcmetro]

First of all, any school district would be happy with a high density high wealth residential project like this in it's boundaries. This will contribute significantly to the property tax base that the school district uses.

This isn't dumping poor kids on Richfield either. Only 10% of the units are Section 42, which doesn't even help people who are truly poor. These students are likely to be lower middle class. If we are going to help the poor then we need more Section 8 housing or public housing. Those programs are hardly expanding, and it'd be pretty difficult to build something like that in Richfield, let alone Edina. The homeless youth housing isn't going to have a significant affect on the school district either. These students usually attend schools that accelerate GED education.

And... Richfield School District is facing lower enrollment. They need more students to remain sustainable.

Also, it isn't morally wrong or right. It's just a fact that cities and their school districts rarely match up to their boundaries. Minnesota has open enrollment, so students can attend any school in the state if they want. Transportation can sometimes be an issue, but city buses and bicycles can connect Richfield School District residents to Edina School District schools.

This is honestly NIMBYs who just are trying to find something to shoot this project down.

More info on Section 42: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-Income ... Tax_Credit

And here's a Edina Schools map, where you can clearly see that Richfield Schools have a significant amount of high wealth development areas, including half of Southdale, Fairview hospital, and Centennial Lakes.
http://edinaschools.org/Page/939

[FISHMANPET]

Ok, yeah, these are only section 42, and is only 10% section 42. But I can't help but agree with that post, why is this a project that's 10% Section 42 but not other projects that have gone up within the Edina school district? And it also mentions what is essentially a homeless shelter for teens and young adults. I have no idea how the church came up with the location they did, but that's a population that will certainly put a higher than average burden on whatever school district they go to.

But on a larger level, shouldn't the needs of the school district line up with the needs the city? This appears to be only a single block of difference between the city border and the school district border. But what if half of Edina was in the Richfield school district? And what if all the surrounding cities were a little bit part of the Richfield school district? Each city could allow a balanced housing stock amongst itself, but if they put all the low income housing in the Richfield district, then Richfield schools become a ghetto. The Richfield city council has the interests of the Richfield school district in mind, the Edina city council does not.

[FISHMANPET]

Also, I 100% agree that this is NIMBY's grasping at straws. But I think somewhere deep down, totally by accident, there's a nugget of truth that deserves further examination.

Also, why in tarnation don't school districts line up with municipalities?

[David Greene]

Also, why in tarnation don't school districts line up with municipalities?

They shouldn't. If anything our school districts should be larger and encompass more municipalities. That way cities have motivation to consider the needs of other cities. Let's put Maple Grove and Osseo in a district with Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park.

EDIT: I do agree that having parts of cities in schools districts isn't a good idea, for the reasons you've outlined.

[MNdible]

I'd wager that Richfield benefits much more from having the commercial property tax generation of Southdale Center in their district than they are hurt be a few extra kids who may or may not be poor.

[Tcmetro]

There are a lot of lower income apartment buildings on Parklawn Ave that are in the Edina district. All cities have low income housing targets to meet that are set by the Met Council based on population. So this isn't really that outrageous. Also these facebook activists didn't ask Richfield school district if they want more tax money or not, but I'm sure they do.

Also, the other project isn't a homeless shelter. It's transitional housing to help at-risk young adults get on their feet and get on with their lives. This isn't People Serving People in Edina, and I personally think that it's good to place something like this in an area with tons of entry level jobs.

[FISHMANPET]

Also, why in tarnation don't school districts line up with municipalities?

They shouldn't. If anything our school districts should be larger and encompass more municipalities. That way cities have motivation to consider the needs of other cities. Let's put Maple Grove and Osseo in a district with Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park.

EDIT: I do agree that having parts of cities in schools districts isn't a good idea, for the reasons you've outlined.

I have no problem with a single school district for multiple cities, I just don't think a single city should have more than one school district in their city.

[Tcmetro]

I think that the state needs more power to collect and distribute funds based on population, but that's better for another thread.

Here is a good resource about the problems of school districts in Minnesota:

http://www.amazon.com/Region-Planning-F ... 0816665567

[Anondson]

School district boundaries were drawn many many decades ago. Long before many suburbs incorporated as a city these were farms with kids who had to go to school somewhere. School districts we're draw zig zagging through farm fields. It's possibly odd today but made huge sense then. But there is zero surprise to homebuyers where their kids will go to school. A realtor would be derelict to not bring it up to their client.

[Archiapolis]

Soooooo, no comments on the way that this building meets York Ave then?

[FISHMANPET]

It's Edina. Of course they're going to put a parking lot in front. Nothing to see here.