Fiat Dealership, France Avenue Improvements Hitting SLP City Council

The redevelopment of a former Suzuki dealership and significant improvements to France Avenue are two of the bigger items set to go before the St. Louis Park City Council for consideration Monday night, April 15.

The France Avenue pedestrian improvements have been simmering since 2006, when the ownership of France Avenue between Minnetonka Boulevard and West 22nd Street was transferred from Hennepin County to the City of St. Louis Park. Pedestrian improvements as well as traffic calming measures have been in the plans since then, with $320,000 in funding from Hennepin County ready to pick up the bulk of the bill.

The City is proposing to build a 6-foot-wide concrete sidewalk along the west side of France Avenue between West 22nd and West 26th streets. The plan also includes narrowing traffic lanes, installing new cub and gutter on both sides of the roadway, a mill and overlay of France Avenue in addition to 5.5-foot-wide painted shoulders that can be utilized by bicyclists.

Total project costs are estimated at $499,000, with the City planning to pay $156,700 using Sidewalk, Trail and Bikeway funds, $2,300 using SLP Utility Maintenance funds and $20,000 using Capital Replacements funds. The Sidewalk, Trail and Bikeway funds are estimated to come from future bonds issued by the City for the Sidewalk/Trail Plan, currently under City Council consideration.

City Staff also recommend installing "No Parking" signs north and southbound between West 22nd Street and West 26th Street, to help allow for on-street biking. 

A conditional use permit for a new Luther Fiat dealership proposes to re-establish automotive sales and service and repair at 1820 Quentin Avenue South. The site formerly housed a Luther Volkswagen dealership and, most recently, a Luther Suzuki dealership.

A portion of the structure still occupying the 2.7-acre lot will be demolished, while the remaining building will see extensive interior and exterior renovations. The parking lot will also undergo reconstruction and a substantial amount of landscaping will be added as part of the project.

The development received unanimous support from Planning Commission members just last month, passing on a 4-0 vote.

“We’re happy to be doing something with this parcel in St. Louis Park,” Linda McGinty, Luther’s director of real estate and development, said at the time. “We know that it’s been stagnant for a little bit now—a little bit too long. So we are just ecstatic at the prospect of bringing Fiat here.”

The City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, in the Council Chambers. See the full agenda attached above as a PDF file and check back later this week to see how the Council voted.

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