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Hennepin County has backed away from plans to move one of its libraries to Southdale Center, citing the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the evolving plans of other players at the shopping mall.
County officials had said moving Southdale Library would save money and provide an accessible, community-oriented place to pick up library materials. Now, they re back at the drawing board to map out the future of the Edina library and the 40 other libraries in the county system.
The Hennepin County Board in 2019 asked staff to negotiate an agreement to relocate the sprawling Southdale Library from its longtime home on York Avenue in Edina to Southdale Center, and plans formed to open the branch in the now-defunct Herberger s space. The library would have been below a new apartment tower developed jointly by Simon Property Group, the mall s owner, and Life Time Fitness and next door to a Kowalski s grocery store. Life Time opened a