Downtown Study Phase II
Golden Valley’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan identified the downtown (the four quadrants surrounding Winnetka Ave N and Golden Valley Rd) as an area that required further exploration in a Downtown Study. In 2018, the City worked with the Urban Land Institute to investigate a number of questions around redevelopment.
Phase II of the study, now underway, focuses on:
- establishing an overall vision and guiding principles for preferred redevelopment and placemaking in the downtown core
- potential redevelopment concepts for each quadrant of the downtown
- a more detailed bike/walk network plan
Phase II Reports
- HKGi Final Report
- Golden Valley Community Input Report
- Hennepin County Active Living Report
- HKGi presentation to City Council
Downtown Golden Valley Concepts
At a community open house on Mon, Oct 21, at Brookview, high-level concepts were presented for each of the four quadrants in an effort to spur conversation with residents and business owners and seek feedback around what this privately owned land could look like at some point in the future. Key maps and images shared at the open house, along with brief video explanations, are included below.
With input from those who attended the open house or through the online comment form , HKGi will produce a Phase II report for the City Council in Jan 2020.
While most of the properties in the area are privately owned, future regulations could help shape the layout and character of redevelopment. City and County property on the City Hall campus could also be guided by the plan being created.
+ Active Transportation Opportunities
+ Redevelopment and Reinvestment Opportunities
Click here to view the Redevelopment and Reinvestment Opportunities map
1. SW Quadrant
- A = Wells Fargo
- B = All Strings Attached and Lighting Outlet Center
- C = Golden Valley Shopping Center
2. NE Quadrant
- A = Golden Valley Public Works
- B = Golden Valley Police and Fire
- C = Hennepin County Library
- D = Golden Valley City Hall
- E = McDonald's
3. NW Quadrant
- A = Existing Parking Lot
- B = Self Storage
- C1 = Parker Quick Coupling Division
- C2 = Metro Garage Door Co
- D = Midwest Mechanical Solutions, Anchor Plastics, American Rug Laundry
- E = MidWestOne Bank
+ Southwest Quadrant

Southwest Quadrant - Concept A
- - residential units replace the existing Wells Fargo Bank
- - grocery store replaces All Strings Attached and Lighting Outlet Center
- - current Golden Valley Shopping Center reconfigured
Southwest Quadrant - Concept B
- - residential units replace the existing Wells Fargo Bank
- - grocery store replaces All Strings Attached and Lighting Outlet Center
- - residential units replace existing strip mall, facing Golden Valley Rd
- - ground level retail added facing Hwy 55
(click photo to enlarge)
+ Northeast Quadrant

Northeast Quadrant - Concept A
- - residential units replace existing Golden Valley Public Works buildings
- - City Hall and Police and Fire Stations remain unchanged
Northeast Quadrant - Concept B
- - mix of retail and residential units replace the current City campus and McDonald's
- - City Hall and the Police and Fire Stations relocate adjacent the existing library
- - City Public Works relocates elsewhere
Northeast Quadrant - Concept C
- - mix of retail and residential units replace the current City campus and McDonald's
- - residential units also replace the existing Public Works buildings
- - City Hall and the library combined to one building
- - City Public Works and Police and Fire Stations relocated elsewhere
(click photo to enlarge)
+ Northwest Quadrant

Northwest Quadrant - Concept A
- - residential units replace the existing businesses
- - trail connection added to the Luce Line Trail
- - office building added to exist parking lot on north side on 10th Ave N
Northwest Quadrant - Concept B
- - residential units replace the existing businesses
- - existing office buildings between 10 Ave N and Lewis Rd reconfigured
- - trail connection added to the Luce Line Trail
- - office building added to exist parking lot on north side of 10th Ave N
(click photo to enlarge)
+ Southeast Quadrant
No significant changes are being proposed for the Southeast Quadrant. The focus in this area will be for better bike/walk connections within the block and to the other quadrants.
Phase III
Phase III of the study will begin to analyze infrastructure needs, staging and timing of potential redevelopment, and financial tools that could be utilized to support the vision. The eventual outcome of the study is anticipated to be a Small Area Plan that would be included with the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan.