This fall, south France Avenue is gaining new places to shop and eat. It is also losing, for a few weeks, the trail that connects them to Centennial Lakes Park. The Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail is closed east of France for utility work on the former Macy's Furniture site at 7235 France Avenue. That site is planned as a seven-story apartment building with ground-floor retail, on the same stretch of France as Galleria and Southdale.
So the corridor is adding things worth walking to, and it is also building homes for people who would walk to them. For now, though, it has its worst walking route in years. Here is how those pieces fit together, starting with the part that affects your route this week.
What's closed, and for how long
Three Rivers Park District owns the trail. The closure started Wednesday, Aug. 26, and the city expects it to last through the end of October 2026. The closed stretch runs between France Avenue and Centennial Lakes Park. The bigger change came Sept. 16, when a second closure removed trail access to France Avenue between Hazelton Road and Gallagher Drive.
The city's posted detours for that phase:
- Coming from the west: go south on France Avenue, east on Parklawn Avenue, then north on York Avenue to rejoin the trail.
- Coming from the east: take The Promenade north to Hazelton Road.
The city expected those routes to stay in place through Oct. 7, three days from now. It hasn't said what replaces them. Before your next ride, check the city's closure notice. Questions go to Edina Transportation Planner Andrew Scipioni at 952-826-0440.
If you walk farther north, there's a separate closure at Rosland Park. The pedestrian bridge there is being replaced and stays closed until June 2027, though the city says the park's amenities and all its trails remain open during construction.
What the digging is for
The utility work supports a plan that the city council hasn't approved yet. Doran Group has proposed 138 apartments on the northwest lot of the old Macy's Furniture site. The plan includes 7,400 square feet of ground-floor retail at 7235 France. The site's owner, Enclave, intended to sell that parcel to Doran and was looking for a separate developer for the southwest parcel.
The revised design moves the planned promenade south. The Sun Current reported that council members raised concerns at the July 21 sketch-plan review, citing the larger building footprint and the promenade shift. A sketch plan only gets informal council feedback, not a vote. The Sept. 15 council agenda included a resolution to extend the site plan for 7235 France through Dec. 31, 2026. The outcome of that vote isn't in the public summaries we found.
The promenade is the part to watch if you use the trail. It is the walking link between the shopping district and Centennial Lakes, and right now it is part of the detour. Where it ends up affects how the area connects once construction is done.
A few blocks south, 7600 France has a very different proposal. A July sketch plan there would split the property and add three 5,000-square-foot financial institutions with drive-throughs while keeping the existing office building. One parcel is planned around people living on the block. The other is planned around drive-through traffic. Both are still proposals.
What's open now at Galleria
Galleria's changes this fall are small shops, several of them coming back after time away.
Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier has reopened at 1 W. 69th St., next to Good Earth. Bring Me The News reported it would be the chocolatier's only Minnesota shop, returning after more than a decade away. Galleria's directory lists it as now open near Door 6. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The exact reopening date was never announced publicly.
Foxwell opened Oct. 3 near Door 1. It carries home décor, tableware, kids' items and gifts.
Lodge Twenty Five is listed as "Coming Soon" and "Returning this fall," with no date yet.
What's coming at Southdale
Most of Southdale's announced arrivals are national retailers. The one restaurant on the list comes from a local team.
| Name | Where | Status as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Smithson | 2160 Southdale Center | "Arriving October 2026," no exact date |
| Läderach | Southdale Center | Coming soon, no date |
| Princess Polly | Southdale Center | Coming soon, no date |
| Lids | Southdale Center | Advertised as on the way |
| ALO | Southdale Center | Expected early 2027 |
Smithson is the steak-and-seafood restaurant from Randy and Sharon Stanley, the owners of Baldamar and 6Smith. The Star Tribune described it in September as a 200-seat room with both a mall connection and a separate exterior entrance. The menu covers formal steakhouse dishes plus casual items like burgers and sandwiches. The restaurant's own site says its steaks are aged 40 days and still lists the opening as "Arriving October 2026." It hasn't named an exact day or posted hours. An on-sale liquor license item for the restaurant was on the Aug. 18 council agenda. If you're planning a dinner around it, check the restaurant directly before you book a sitter.
Läderach makes the second premium chocolatier announced for this stretch of France Avenue this year, along with Bissinger's at Galleria. ALO's new Southdale store doesn't mean it's leaving Galleria. The Star Tribune reported in August that ALO's Galleria lease remained in place.
A little farther away, the city approved a Salvation Army store at 4200 W. 76th St., also targeting early 2027. The plan includes about 18,425 square feet of retail space plus 9,434 square feet for donation intake and processing.
Your calendar for the rest of the season
The family events nearest the construction are at Edinborough Park, on the York side of the detour.
- Oct. 5 to 9: Drop off costumes for the city's free Halloween Costume Swap.
- Sunday, Oct. 11, 2 to 4 p.m.: The Costume Swap at Edinborough Park, 7700 York Ave. S.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: HalloBoo, an indoor trail at Edinborough Park for kids ages 1 to 12, with sessions from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 4, 4 to 6 p.m.: Pumpkin Smash & Bash at Countryside Park, with pumpkin rolling, a catapult contest and composting.
- Dec. 3 to 5 at Centennial Lakes Park: Photos with Santa on Dec. 3; Jingle Bingo and Puzzles, Pizza & Pints on Dec. 4; Holiday Family Bingo on Dec. 5.
If the trail closure ends on schedule at the end of October, the Centennial Lakes holiday events will be the first time this season you can walk straight from France Avenue to the park.
If you live near the 7235 France site and are wondering how a new building, a relocated promenade and a reopened trail could affect your home's value, David Brandner and The Accelerated Team can show you what nearby sales say right now. Start with your instant home valuation.
