A Metro Boulevard address sounds like Bloomington, but this one is in Edina. 7300 Metro Blvd. is home to One Corporate Center III, and in 2024 a dental office was approved there. The plan was to subdivide the property and put up a new building in the office complex's parking lot. That building never went up. Now the idea is back, in a smaller form.
The 2024 approvals ran out on their own. The site plan approval and variances lapsed after 2 years because no construction started. "They had two years to build per the conditions that were placed on the project, and that did not proceed," said Cary Teague, Edina's community development director.
The new applicant is Dr. Mitchell Loeb of Kid Grins Pediatric Dentistry, whose practice is currently off France Avenue. The proposed building is 5,000 square feet, 1,000 square feet smaller than the earlier proposal but 1,700 square feet larger than Loeb's current office. Loeb said the size was set "based on a fit plan of the number of operatories that would be necessary." The plan has 11 dental chairs. "In the current space that I'm in off of France Avenue, I have six chairs," he said. The building would also have room for 1 more pediatric dental provider.
The new site plan also has more landscaping than the 2024 version. The entrance moves a bit north. There's more green space, including a rain garden, and 14 overstory trees, which is 8 more than before, plus a full set of understory shrubs. Most of the parking would sit along the side of the building. The plan also proposes a future boulevard sidewalk along Edina Industrial Boulevard.
Traffic wasn't an issue. A 2024 traffic and parking study found enough parking and no impact on the roads. Because the new project is smaller, the city didn't ask for an updated study.
Edina's Planning Commission approved the proposal unanimously on Oct. 14. "I don't think we've seen an example of something so straightforward that we've previously approved. It's only gotten better," Commissioner Jimmy Bennett said. No further approval steps or construction timeline have been announced yet.
