Edina residents love to wine and dine, and someday they’ll get a beautiful view of the city while doing so. Following a seven-year ban on rooftop dining, Edina enacted an ordinance allowing restaurants to offer rooftop seating. It went into effect in March.
“We started with the ordinance that was proposed back in 2011,” says Cary Teague, Edina’s community development director.
“We made tweaks and changes. There wasn’t much opposition.”
Rooftop dining will be an option for any restaurant in the city’s commercial district, including 50th and France and Southdale. Restaurants looking to add rooftop dining must first apply for a conditional use permit and follow a series of conditions.
Diners can expect to enjoy a rooftop patio from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Interested restaurants will have to install a separation and screening between the patio and any nearby homes, in addition to installing safety fencing for customers. Noise will be regulated by Edina’s city code, and outdoor lighting will be restricted to the rooftop patio. Restaurants wanting to serve alcohol on the rooftop will also have to update their liquor license.
Lifetime Fitness has shown an interest in adding a rooftop patio for its new 3-story facility coming to Southdale Center. The health club submitted its application in late May, though the building isn’t set to open until 2019. No other restaurants have shown interest so far.
“In order to [add a rooftop patio] in existing restaurants, there are a number of building code requirements to be met,” Teague says. “The biggest hurdle is to provide an elevator. It will be a challenge to retrofit existing buildings.”
That’s not to say restaurants won’t consider adding rooftop dining. Teague says, “We just haven’t had any proposals yet.”
