Thread by @WedgeLIVE

Guy brought some math to the Edina City Council. He wants the city to use Edina income levels rather than Hennepin County incomes to calculate affordable housing rents.

For apartments targeted at 60% area median income, it would raise rents by $6,000/year.

Very sad the mayor cut him off before he could deliver this line from his presentation: "Let them live in Hopkins or Richfield or Unprestigious East Bloomington and commute ten minutes to work in Edina. Poor babies!!"

How do you strangle someone in their boxer shorts? Is that a polite way of making a "balls" reference?

Classic Frank from Edina: "apartments are a lousy place to raise children."

Response to derogatory comment about apartment families: "I grew up in a 2 bedroom apartment in a family of four and I would maintain that I turned out ok."

Chris says more affordable housing options for seniors.

Mic Drop Lady says don't make me live in an apartment.

"I have 5 children and I've raised them up here. I like Edina a lot. I'm just here to say I wish the city were growing not so at a rapid pace. I find it disappointing because I want my children to be able to live here some day and then raise a family like I did."

Council Member Kevin Staunton says many people move to Edina for the great schools but "the problem is eventually all the single family homes are filled and there isn't room for the next generation."

26% decline in enrollment for Edina schools, 1970-2010. Despite city adding households, families got smaller.

"Here's a statistic for you"

Between 1989 and 2017, incomes doubled but single family home prices tripled.

"Now some people would say that's a good thing, but I'm not sure it's sustainable. And it does raise a question about affordability."

Mayor Hovland says multifamily housing has "been subsidizing single family homeownership."

Points to condos that pay double the property taxes of the median single-family home.

"We haven't wanted to heap that burden on the 93% of folks that are living in a single family home."

Here's a quirk of Edina potlics: they take pride in their single family teardowns/ mansion rebuilds.

Says the mayor: "What a tremendous investment the town can be so proud of. We've had over 800 of our single family homes torn down and rebuilt."

Opposition to the Edina comprehensive plan was focused almost entirely on population projections.

The response from most members of the City Council and some plan supporters was that growth is being directed to just 7% of the city.

Planning Commissioner Todd Thorsen pointed out that they're not taking the Minneapolis approach of allowing population growth in all parts of the city (triplexes) .

Council Member Fischer used a car analogy. The comp plan is a roadmap. It's "not the acceleration or the braking system."

"The reality is we haven't actually increased [allowed] densities that much over the previous comp plan."

Fischer's remarks were kind of interesting if you enjoy 14 minutes of comp plan talk. He is now my favorite Edina Council Member. (Please don't dig up dirt on him and burst my bubble.)

Move over Hope Melton, here's Chris Bremer:

"I'm deeply concerned about what kind of world we will leave our children and grandchildren... This means higher density housing which will bring new and better transit and reduce commuting and greenhouse gases throughout our region."

Carolyn says it would be nice if some of the 40k people who commute into Edina every day could live there. Think of the traffic and environmental implications.

Edina Mayor Hovland hates when you clap.

#UNMASKED: Bruce Christensen is the shadowy figure behind the anti population growth websites "Stop the Lid" and "We Can Do Better Edina."

Video coverage of this week's Edina City Council comprehensive plan debate is brought to you by Wedge LIVE premium members. Thank you.

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