Redevelopment of Edina Macy's furniture would bring housing and offices

Details: Developer Enclave of West Fargo, North Dakota, is behind the proposal, according to city documents.

What they're saying: Macy's confirmed to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal that it has an agreement to sell the 8-acre site. It did not say if this is the end of its furniture showroom or if it will move somewhere else.

• But the retailer considered selling the site seven years ago and, at that time, envisioned moving its furniture sales into its Southdale Center mall store.

Zoom out: Few areas of the Twin Cities have more interest from developers than Edina's Southdale district, even if the mall itself has struggled with high vacancy.

• Right across the street from Macy's, another developer is proposing an upscale hotel with a rooftop bar alongside a high end office building.
• The new proposals come in the wake of several other recent projects that have added thousands of apartments, a Life Time health club, offices and several restaurants and retailers.

Flashback: When architect Victor Gruen designed Southdale as the nation’s first enclosed shopping mall in the 1950s, his long-term vision was to make the suburb more urban with housing and daytime jobs.

• It's happening, but it took 60+ years.

What's ahead: The Edina Planning Commission will review the Macy's redevelopment during its April 12 meeting.