Edina again on pace for record year in teardowns

Bollig & Sons has completed several demolition and excavation projects in Edina, MN.

There’s no slowdown on teardowns in Edina.

Demolition permits are on a record pace, about 26 percent ahead of last year, which also set a record. Recently, seven new applications came in on a single day.

Last year, the city hired a residential redevelopment coordinator to enforce teardown rules, educate builders and deal with frustrated neighbors. In her 16 months on the job, Cindy Larson has barely had time to catch her breath. “There hasn’t been a lull ever since I started, that’s for sure,” she said.

Teardowns have become a chronic, divisive issue in many built-up neighborhoods across the Twin Cities metro area. Minneapolis had a short-lived moratorium on teardowns this year, and St. Paul has wrestled with the issue in its Highland Park neighborhood. But Edina, home to some of the highest house and land values in the metro area, is in many ways the epicenter of the phenomenon.

By John Reinan Star Tribune

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http://www.startribune.com/edina-again-on-pace-for-record-year-in-house-teardowns/280602512/