City of Lakes Urbanism

What is the Constituency of a Local Land-Use Decision?

2011-12-15T19:12:00.004-06:00

cross-posted at Streets.mn

In the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, a local entrepreneur put together a proposal to develop a surface parking lot into a 5-story condo building with retail space on the ground floor. The location is a commercial node in an affluent Minneapolis neighborhood that was first developed along a streetcar line in the early 20th century.

The site

The proposed building

But some residents of the neighborhood aren't taking too kindly to the prospect of change to their beloved neighborhood retail corner. Opponents of the project started an online petition and distributed lawn signs. Many are concerned that the new project will change the "village character" of their neighborhood node. Others have less understandable concerns (For example, "the building will ruin the residential character of the area." The building is mostly residential, and the area is almost exclusively commercial! But I digress..). Regardless of the merits of the opponents' concerns, one thing is clear: they are LOUD and visible.

The main actors in this drama are the project developer, about 1,500 Linden Hills residents who strongly oppose the project, and a handful of other neighborhood residents who support the project. Act 2 will take place at the Minneapolis Planning Commission, the members of which will decide whether or not to grant the necessary zoning permissions that the project needs in order to be approved for construction. How the play ends will depend in large part upon how the Planning Commission decides to vote. Will the decision be based more on the complaints of the loud voices or on a broad consideration of the pros and cons of the project?

This case provides an opportune example to consider is how local land-use decision making process can be biased in favor of the opponents of projects. Consider that in the case of this project, the Planning Commission and City Council will hear and see lots of loud complaints from the 1,500 strong opponents of the project. But what about the following constituencies of people who have a stake in the outcome of this land use decision in one way or another, but who will mostly be invisible to the decision-makers:

?,000 Linden Hills residents who are indifferent or mildly supportive of the project, but don't have the time or interest to be any way involved in the political process for it. They may not even be aware of it.

?00 potential residents of this building that want to live in this location, but aren't currently able to. Maybe the nearby single family homes are too expensive. Maybe they are physically impaired and need to live close to retail amenities and transit service. Maybe they simply prefer living in a condo in a mixed-use setting that isn't as busy as Downtown or Uptown. Denying this development is also denying more people a chance to live in a nice neighborhood of their choice.

? entrepreneurs and business owners who would like to open a business in Linden Hills if there was new retail space available that met their needs.

??,000 people that visit Linden Hills to shop or eat and would enjoy having additional retail destinations and restaurants to choose from.

382,000 Minneapolis residents who would benefit from broadening the tax base. Pretty much every property owner in the City has had taxes go up in the last few years, even as property values have fallen. There are two ways to help that: cutting the budget, and broadening the tax base. Since the City is now down to laying off firefighters and cops, broadening the tax base is probably the only viable route for any substantial relief from property tax burdens.

7,000,000,000 people across the globe who will in some way be impacted by climate change if we can't reduce our transportation emissions; to have any chance of doing so, we need to reduce dependence on motor-vehicles by increasing density in walkable communities. It may seem extreme to claim that the outcome of a single local land-use decision will impact billions, but this same process is repeated a thousand times over in cities across the country. If a 5-story building can't be built in a commercial node of a relatively dense urban neighborhood, where can it?

The potential constituency of people who might benefit from this project in some way is anywhere from a few hundred to 7 billion, depending on how you frame it. I put "?" on some of those numbers because there is no way of even knowing how many people are actually in that group. There may be other invisible constituencies who would be harmed by this project. But in general, while the visible, noisy constituency of people who oppose this particular development can easily influence the political process, there is a large potential constituency of people who would in some way benefit from the project that will have no direct input.

What are the implications of this? I'm not entirely sure, but it speaks to the intractability of local land-use decision-making processes. Because of this, it will be a challenge to achieve real progress towards addressing problems like climate change at the local level. Perhaps it is supporting evidence for the argument that zoning regulations should be loosened to allow more mid-rise buildings to be built as-of-right without requiring special zoning permissions (and thus entering into the local political process, which is biased towards loud and visible opponents). On the other hand, maybe there really isn't a problem with a process that makes it easier to hear concerns of opponents; perhaps it acts as a check against "bad" development like the type of projects that occurred in the urban renewal era.

But one thing is certain: it makes development in an urban area even harder and more complex than it was to begin with.

Any other thoughts? Write them in the comments!

Metro Transit Go-To Card: A Lifesaver!

2011-12-14T10:00:00.003-06:00

This local video is a finalist in a national competition to promote the benefits of "go-to card" transit passes:

Nice examples of how technology can make using transit more convenient. Go-To cards will be even more useful if Metro Transit expands and improves network of routes with frequent, reliable, all-day service.

Really Narrow Streets: A Missing Element in Twin Cities Urban Design

2011-12-02T15:29:00.001-06:00

Cross-posted at streets.mn

Even the narrowest of Twin Cities streets are pretty wide. With few exceptions, streets in Minneapolis tend to be in the range of 30 to 60 feet in width, curb to curb. If you include sidewalks and boulevards, the width stretches to a ballpark range of 40 to 70 feet. Streets get even wider when you move into the "stroad" territory of suburban and semi-rural commercial strips. An average neighborhood street in Minneapolis may not seem wide in the context of an average American city, but compared to the "really narrow streets" of traditional cities in Europe and Asia they are gigantic:

Paris has its share of wide streets, but they are complemented by really narrow streets like this one. (Photo credit: Nathan Lewis)

Some pre-19th century American cities such as Philadelphia have examples of really narrow streets. This one is in a residential setting. (Photo credit: Nathan Lewis)

While there are few exceptions in Minneapolis to the general rule that streets must be wide, the exceptions tend to be comparatively nice places and offer a welcome change from the average wide street:

Milwaukee Ave in Minneapolis is very narrow, as well as out-of-bounds to motorized vehicles. I defy you to walk down this street and not wish it was longer than a few blocks or a more commonly implemented design! (Photo credit: Twin Cities Greenways)

This two-block stretch of 47th Avenue in South Minneapolis is comparatively narrow. Nothing too special, but it could be a good model for many low-traffic residential streets in Minnesota that could very easily be narrower and still adequately meet their traffic and parking loads.

Why might we want more really narrow streets? Many reasons. First and foremost, they are great places to be, to experience life, and to generally appreciate being a human being living in a city. Our cities need to accommodate motor vehicles, but wouldn't it be nice to have some streets designed in scale to you, a person, rather than to your vehicle? The vast majority of our streets are wide; why not make more narrow streets to provide that choice of an environment to shop, live, or simply pass through to those who want it.

Fiscal and environmental benefits are also good reasons. As David pointed out, transportation infrastructure is expensive. With more narrow streets, we could reduce the amount of money spent on paving, maintaining, and plowing our streets while at the same time physically expanding the property tax base (which could be a boon to a 100% built-out city such as Minneapolis). Less land devoted to pavement would mean more land devoted either to green space or to buildings, the former having environmental benefits to water stewardship by reducing storm water runoff, the latter increasing built density, which has associated benefits in areas such as vehicle miles traveled and transit ridership.

A few urbanist bloggers have explored strategies to implement narrow streets in a wide-streets built environment context. One idea is to actually reconstruct existing streets to be narrower. A challenge with that strategy is that existing buildings are usually already setback from the existing wide street, meaning that they would be even farther from the street if the roadbed was made narrower; the resulting effect could be a space that feels vast and desolate--not really the goal we have in mind when talking about narrow streets. Another idea is to simply implement narrow streets whenever large scale redevelopment projects occur in either greenfields or large vacant sites such as parking lots or former industrial land. Such projects could connect to existing network of wide streets, but have their own internal network of narrow streets.

Could it be done in Minnesota? Well, it already has been done, if only for a very short stretch in Minneapolis near Loring Park:

This alley-like street near Loring Park in Minneapolis is possibly the closest thing in the Twin Cities to a European-style really narrow street. It can accommodate vehicles if necessary (such as for deliveries), but is oriented to people. Too bad its only a half-block long. (Photo credit: Minneapolis 81)

Have any other examples of narrow streets in Minnesota? Post 'em in the comments!

How the Dutch Do Intersections

2011-10-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

I came across this video of a Dutch style of intersection that addresses many safety hazards for people on bicycles:

It is an elegant design that addresses two common hazards for bikes at intersections: conflicts with right-turning cars and the problem of how to make a left turn across bi-directional car traffic. Note that right turns on red are not allowed for cars in intersections such as this.

Here's another video of the same concept that shows how it works in action:

Would be great to see this concept applied to some "junctions" in Minneapolis. 15th Ave SE & 4th Ave (an intersection near the U of M that has resulted in fatal collisions between people bicycling and vehicles) might be a good start.

A Personal Account of the Role of Parking in Driving Habits

2011-10-07T12:15:00.002-05:00

Sometimes personal accounts do a better job of explaining how urbanism works than do studies and statistics. That is one reason way so many people have found Jane Jacob's classic book Death and Life of Great American Cities to be so compelling. I found this confession of a person's driving habits to be a similarly excellent summary of how urban form, transportation policy, and parking supply affect everyday transportation decisions that people make:

"When I lived in San Francisco, my daily life was 90% car-free. I owned a car but aside from moving it on street sweeping days (or trying to remember to), I barely thought about the thing unless I was leaving for a weekend trip. My bike, my feet, the bus, BART and the transbay ferries were my chariots. Some of it had to do with the city’s human-scaled streets and efficient public transit. But mostly, it was just too damn time-consuming–or expensive–to find a parking spot most of the places I wanted to go. I couldn’t be bothered to drive.

When I moved to L.A., nothing about my core being changed (despite what my Bay Area friends feared), but now my daily life is about 90% car-full. I drive to work alone, where I park in the free parking space my company provides me. (Even though my partner works in the same office as I do, I confess we do not carpool.) I drive to the grocery store, where I park in the free parking space the shopping center provides me. I drive to my exercise class and, yes, park in the free lot out back. I drive pretty much everyplace except one: the airport. Parking costs too much at LAX, so I take the city shuttle." Source: KQED Climate Watch

This personal account confirms what research has already shown and what common sense dictates: free parking incentivizes driving. Lots of free parking encourages lots of driving. This highlights a problem in Minneapolis: despite talking sustainability and building things like bike lanes and light rail transit, the City still has a zoning code that requires properties to provide off-street parking (except in downtown, where the minimum parking requirement was removed about a year ago). It may be the "#1 Bike City in America," but it still mandates that every home and business provide ample free parking for cars. The continued existence of this policy is a significant roadblock in Minneapolis' path to becoming a more environmentally sustainable city and a better place to live and enjoy urbanism.

Planning Commission Roundup: Mini Infill Development Edition

2011-10-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

A roundup of actions taken at the October 3rd Minneapolis City Planning Commission meeting:

Approved: Linden Hills Mini-Development

The Planning Commission approved this proposal for a three-story* building with six apartments and a small ground-level commercial space. The building will replace an existing house on a .15 acre lot. The project will include a few surface parking spaces in the rear, accessed via the alley.

Editorial comment: I find this project to be extremely interesting. Small-scale, yet high density development projects are not common in Minneapolis these days. Most higher-density development in the recent past has come in the form of large apartment and condo buildings on large lots, typically containing 30 units or more. This project is reminiscent of the types of buildings which were built when much of South Minneapolis was originally developed in the first quarter of the 1900's, i.e. houses and apartment buildings in the range of two to four stories on small lots. A nice thing about small buildings such as this is that they cumulatively make for a much more interesting and fine-grained place/streetscape/urban environment than do buildings on large lots. No matter how nice the architecture, large buildings produce a monolithic feel. Aesthetically and functionally, small-scale dense buildings are more likely to create the necessary conditions for healthy, vital urban neighborhoods (density of people, mix of uses, and diversity of building age and type) than are large buildings.
*Note- The panning staff report on this project refers to the building as being three stories, but the rendering above is clearly of a four story building. The report refers to the bottom story as a "basement level", so I am guessing that the elevation of the site are such that the ground floor on the France Ave side of the building ends up being a basement level on the alley side.

Approved: "The Cameron" Historic Renovation

Image from Schafer-Richardson

The Planning Commission approved this project to renovate a historic warehouse in the North Loop into a 44-unit apartment building. The project will include an adjacent surface parking lot with 33 spaces.

Editorial comment: Always good to see more housing downtown, but also disappointing to see a new surface parking lot. At least the parking lot will contain fewer parking spaces than apartments, which shows that the developer and Planning Commission recognize that not everyone needs a car, especially in an urban neighborhood such as Minneapolis' North Loop.

Other Actions: The Planning Commission also approved a new night club at 5th & Hennepin. It delayed review of Surdyk's apparently controversial application for a new dynamic sign to the next meeting.

Photo: Nature's Bike Lanes

2011-10-05T14:36:00.005-05:00

On my ride to work this morning, I came across this nice fall scene. It felt like the falling leaves were forming themselves into painted yellow bike lanes on the street. I wonder if any cities have tried yellow bike lanes?

Its a beautiful fall day in Longfellow, Minneapolis. Get out there and enjoy Minneapolis urbanism!

Nicollet Mall on a Sunny Day

2011-09-30T16:21:00.001-05:00

This video really captures the feeling of being on Nicollet Mall on a sunny day:

Bikes, pedicabs, transit, people walking around, sidewalk cafes, and other things that make Minneapolis urbanism a joy to experience.

Planning Commission Actions Roundup: Lets Build Apartments in Northeast Edition

2011-09-29T17:12:00.001-05:00

A roundup of actions taken at the September 19th Minneapolis City Planning Commission meeting:

Approved: Apartments at 1st Ave & 2nd St NE

The Planning Commission approved this proposal is for a 10-story, 94-unit apartment at the northeast corner of 1st Ave NE and 2nd St NE. Parking will be accommodated in an existing adjacent two-story parking ramp.

Editorial comment: Great to see some new infill development in Northeast. Shrewd move by the developer to use the existing underutilized parking ramp for the new apartments, thus saving the enormous expense of constructing new structured parking. Also good for the City to see this existing parking supply used, instead of having more land in another location be converted to the non-productive use of car storage.

Approved: 700 Central Ave Mixed-Use Historic Rehab with Penthouse Addition

The Planning Commission also approved this proposal is for 105 apartments in two renovated warehouses (one 7-story and one 4-story building) at 7th Street and Central Ave in Northeast Minneapolis. The project would include a three-story penthouse addition on top of the 7-story warehouse, an interesting construction technique which is not frequently seen in Minneapolis.
Editorial comment: Northeast is becoming a more and more vibrant urban neighborhood, thanks in part to projects like this and the Corner Apartments project discussed above. If dense, mixed-use redevelopment continues, Minneapolis will eventually have a nice core stretch of quality urban neighborhoods in Uptown, Downtown, and Northeast, each with their own character. Maybe these three districts could be eventually form the backbone for a new streetcar line or even new rapid transit?

Approved: 222 Hennepin Avenue Apartments & Grocery

The Planning Commission approved this proposal is for a 6-story, 238-unit apartment building and a full-service grocery store, which is rumored to be Whole Foods.

Editorial comment: Previously discussed here and here.

Approved: Kowalski's Wins the Liquor Store Race on South Hennepin
The Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a new wine shop at the Kowalksi's at 24th & Hennepin in Uptown, effectively beating two competing proposals for liquor stores in the area.

Editorial comment: Previously discussed here. Read more good commentary at OurUptown.

Approved: Oak Street Apartments in Stadium Village
The Planning Commission approved an additional zoning variance for this student housing project in Stadium Village. The project received approvals back in June, but had to return to the Planning Commission to request permission to increase the number of compact stalls in their parking plan.

Editorial comment: Previously discussed here. Also, see twin city sidewalks' take on the demolition of the Oak Street Cinema to make way for this project.

Review Postponed: Linden Hills Mini-Development The Planning Commission postponed review of a proposed building with six apartments and 1,000 square feet of office space at 4525 France Ave. You'd think a six-unit apartment building on a commercial street wouldn't be controversial, but this is Linden Hills: NO NEW DEVELOPMENT ALLOWED. The Planning Commission will review this project on October 3rd.

Planning Applications Roundup: September 3 - September 10, 2011

2011-09-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

New Commercial Building Proposed for Lyn-Lake There is a proposal to construct a new 3,000 square foot commercial building at 3045 Lyndale Avenue, currently a vacant lot:

View Larger Map

Editorial comment: A multi-story, mixed use building would be ideal for this site in an urban neighborhood, but I'll take a one-story retail building over a vacant lot any day of the week. This new building will add a new retail destination for the thousands of people that already live within walking distance of this location.

A multi-story building with residential units on the upper floors would have added the further benefit of increasing population density and mix of uses, both of which produce favorable outcomes for urban neighborhoods, such as safer streets due to increased activity at all hours of the day and lower car dependency due to more people living within walking distance of businesses. Given that the site is in one of the few areas of Minneapolis zoned for mixed-use development, it would have been nice to see a mixed-use building proposed here. But this is Minneapolis not Manhattan, so the economics for expensive mixed-use developments aren't always workable. Since that's the case, I gladly welcome this new infill development of a vacant lot, and look forward to seeing what new businesses will fill this space.

Weekly Planning Applications Roundup

2011-09-06T17:07:00.001-05:00

I thought it would be interesting to try a weekly roundup of the major highlights from the City's Weekly Planning Applications Reports. Planning applications are a first step in the process to obtaining the zoning approvals which are generally necessary for significant commercial and residential development projects in the City. The submittal of a planning application is thus early notice that a project is moving forward.

Planning Applications Roundup- August 28 - September 3, 2011

Race to Fill Liquor Store Gap in Uptown
Last week's Planning Applications Roundup noted a proposal to demolish a gas station and build a new liquor store at 2700 Hennepin Avenue. Our Uptown has also previously reported that the Kowalski's grocery store two blocks away at 25th & Hennepin is seeking to add a liquor store. The two proposal seem to be competing to secure the rights to sell liquor in one of the last areas of Uptown where a new liquor store would not be prohibted under Minneapolis' antiquated liquor store regulations, a stretch of Hennepin Avenue between 24th and 27th streets. Presumably, only one of the two competing liquor store proposal would be allowed, as the existence of one would create a new 2,000 foot buffer area which would prohibit the other from opening.

This map by Anders Imboden at Our Uptown shows the current landscape for liquor stores in Uptown. I've added in red lines from commercial streets and three dots to note the locations of three competing proposals for new liquor stores. Minneapolis regulations prohibit new liquor stores within 2,000 feet of an existing one or within 300 feet of the property line of a school or church. Liquor stores must also be located in a commercially zoned property, which further limits the freedom of new liquor stores to open for business. As the map shows, the gap between roughly 24th and 27th streets along Hennepin Avenue is one of the only commercially-zoned areas in Uptown where one (and only one!) new liquor store would be allowed. Thre is also a small gap between 26th and 27th on Lyndale Avenue where a new liquor store could potentially locate. (Map originally by OurUptown, edits added by City of Lakes Urbanism)

Now, another enterprise appears to have joined the race to fill that last remaining liquor store void. An application has been filed for the necessary permits for a new liquor store in an existing building at 2653 Hennepin Avenue. As visible in the map above, this is in the same area that the other two proposals are competing for. This new proposal may have a leg up on the other two, as it is for a vacant space in an existing one-story commercial building (see below) and would require no new construction. How will the City address this issue? I have no idea. Ideally, it would drop the buffer regulations and just allow new liquor stores to open wherever they are economically feasible. But since that is unlikely to happen anytime soon, it will be interesting to see how the City handles the three applications for liquor stores in an area where only one would be allowed.

View Larger Map Uptown's next liquor store?

AT&T to Add South Minneapolis Antennas
Other than the liquor store application, there was not much of note to report from this week's Planning Applications roundup other than that AT&T has applied for the necessary permits to build additional antennas on existing towers and buildings in six Minneapolis locations, including five in South Minneapolis.

Photo: Prairie in the Sky

2011-09-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

On top of the Target Center's green roof. Photo from The Line

Cool photo from the Target Center's green roof, the largest in the state and fifth-largest in the country. Read more about it in this story in The Line.

City Council Considering Elimination of Bike & Pedestrian Coordinator

2011-09-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

I haven't covered this issue on the blog yet, but recently there has been some debate in Minneapolis regarding the importance of its Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator position. This is a new position at the City the primary focus of which is to improve transportation options for people walking and riding bikes in the City. This position will be very cost-effective because it works to get safe bicycle and pedestrian access incorporated into regularly planned road improvement projects (which normally focus exclusively on the needs of cars). These improvements will last years into the future, and could potentially save the lives of many people by preventing frequently deadly car/bike and car/pedestrian collisions.

The City has been dealing with a budget shortfall, which resulted in the elimination of ten firefighter positions. At the same time, the City posted the job opening for the new Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator position. The funding for this position came from eliminating several budgeted part-time Public Works positions. The Star-Tribune took this opportunity to print an inflammatory "news article" (which was really more editorial) which basically pitted the City's budget for fire fighters against its budget for this position, despite the fact that the funding for the Bike/Ped position was unrelated to the firefighter cuts. For more background, see this from the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, this from Thoughts on the Urban Environment blog, or this from Twin City Sidewalks.

Now, the City Council is considering eliminating the Bike/Ped Coordinator position and shifting the funding to the Fire Department. Apparently one person dedicated to the safety of people on bicycles and people walking is too much, while 380 firefighters is not enough. I'm still trying to figure out which Council member introduced the motion, but I think it was CM Johnson. Regardless, I think this is horrible policy and that it is more important for the City to have one person dedicated to the safety of people on bikes and people walking than it is to have one additional firefighter on a team of 380. If you agree, see the below link from the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition on how you can provide your feedback to the City Council. The Council meets tomorrow morning (Friday, Sept 2) at 9:30am.

Take action today to support biking and walking

August 29, 2011 Planning Commission Actions Roundup

2011-08-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

A roundup of actions taken at yesterday's Minneapolis City Planning Commission meeting:

Emanuel Housing (3rd Street & Chicago Ave)

Proposed 101-unit supportive housing building at 3rd & Chicago (photo from site plan)

The Planning Commission approved the conditional use permit and site plan for a 101-unit supportive housing project proposed by RS Eden, a supportive housing provider with a strong reputation for effective management. The building will reserved for veterans and will offer treatment programs for drug and alcohol addictions. The project includes the renovation of an existing 4-story building and construction of a new 5-story building on the site of a current surface parking lot. The Planning Commission also recommended approval of a rezoning for the property, a decision which will now go before the City Council.

Editorial comment: It is always good to see moderate density buildings replace surface parking lots, and this area of downtown near the Metrodome is in dire need of such development. Also of note is the development's proximity to the Downtown East light rail station; increasing the supply of housing near high quality transit service is a smart growth best practice, and the residents of this supportive housing will likely value having a short walk to the light rail.

For more info, see this article from Finance & Commerce.

Cedar Towing & Auction (3500 block of Snelling Ave)
The Planning Commission approved the necessary applications for a towing service to locate on the 3500 block of Snelling Ave, which is about 5 blocks from the 38th Street light rail station. This was somewhat controversial, as the location is within the area which the Planning Department had designated for conversion from industrial uses to pedestrian friendly residential. The Planning Commission reasoned that this location is far enough from the station that near-term residential redevelopment is unlikely and that interim light-industrial use would be appropriate and reasonable.

Hennepin & Washington Apartments & Grocery

Proposed apartments and grocery at Hennepin & Washington

The Planning Commission postponed review of this application to the September 19th meeting. The proposal is for a 6-story, 238-unit apartment building and a full-service grocery store, which is rumored to be Whole Foods.

Editorial comment: As I previously discussed here, it would be great to see a Whole Foods downtown. It would really help the transition to a true urban neighborhood where residents can access work, food, entertainment, and other amenities within walking distance of their home. There has been some debate as to whether the design of the proposed building is "substantial" enough to do justice to its prominent location at the intersection of two major avenues. I see pedestrian friendly design at the street level, increased housing density in an area that could use it, and the addition of a grocery store that will be a great amenity for downtown residents. Win, win, and win. There are still plenty of surface parking lots nearby for a "landmark" building in the future.

700 Central Ave Apartments

Proposed apartments in renovated warehouse buildings in Northeast Minneapolis

The Planning Commission also postponed review of this project to September 19th. The proposal is for 105 apartments in two renovated warehouse (one 7-story and one 4-story building) at 7th Street and Central Ave in Northeast Minneapolis. The project would include a three-story penthouse addition on top of the 7-story warehouse.

Update on Central Corridor LRT Construction

2011-08-30T09:47:00.000-05:00

Via the Twin Cities Transit blog, a video update on Central Corridor light rail construction progress thus far:

Nice commentary on the streetscape and sidewalk improvements that are being implemented as a part of the project.

Weekly Planning Applications Roundup

2011-08-29T16:04:00.001-05:00

There's been a lot of housing development activity in Minneapolis recently, particularly in the Downtown, University, and Uptown neighborhoods and along the Hiawatha light rail line. Much of this activity has been on the entitlement (pre-construction) side of the development process, as housing developers race to get units approved and built the fastest in response to the current extremely low vacancy rates in the city. Because of this, I thought it would be fun to try a weekly roundup of the major highlights from the City's Weekly Planning Applications Reports.

Planning Applications Roundup- August 21-27, 2011

More Student Housing Proposals for Stadium Village
The Stadium Village area continues to be a hot area for new student rental apartments. Following the recently completed Solhaus and the under-construction Stadium Village Flats, two new projects are now in the pipeline . The same team that completed Solhaus is now proposing a 75-unit building one block south at 521 Huron Ave. The developer has applied to reduce the parking requirement from 67 to just 38 spaces, a move which proponents of walkable urbanism and reduced car dependency would strongly approve of, but one which is likely to encounter opposition from the Prospect Park neighborhood group and possibly from the Planning Commission.

Stadium Village Flats, currently under construction, is a good example of the dense, mixed-use, pedestrian friendly development that is occurring in the University area (photo credit: http://www.stadiumvillageflats.com/)

Over on Oak Street, Doran companies seeks to build on the success or their Sydney Hall and 412 Lofts projects with another student rental building, this one adjacent to Opus' under-construction Stadium Village Flats project. Doran's proposal for a 60-unit apartment building appears to be moving forward as the developer has applied for the necessary demolition and wrecking permits to remove the existing one-story commercial buildings on the site.

Editorial comment: It is great to see continued infill housing development near the University of Minnesota. These sorts of projects promote numerous positive outcomes by increasing the population density, mix of uses, and pedestrian-friendly design of the University area. In general, this will help the area transition into a more dynamic urban neighborhood where people are able to live within walking distance of campus, transit service, and commercial destinations and enjoy the economic, social, and health benefits of not being car-dependent. St. Paul could learn a thing or two from Minneapolis in how to harness demand for student rental housing to promote new infill development by increasing the density of zoning in areas near university campuses.

New Liquor Store Proposed for South Hennepin Ave
Hoyt properties has applied for the necessary permits for a new one-story, 6,000 square foot liquor store at 2700 Hennepin, currently the location of a BP gas station. Presumably the gas station would be razed. This is particularly interesting given the recent history of liquor stores in this area, one of which resulted in the City Council passing an ordinance to make it more difficult to open a liquor store in Minneapolis. See Our Uptown's stories on booze buffers for more info: Part I and Part II. For those unfamiliar with Minneapolis' liquor regulations: the City prohibits any new liquor stores from opening within 2,000 feet of an existing liquor store or within 300 feet of the property line of a school or church. By my reading of the maps on Our Uptown linked to above, this location appears to fall within 2,000 feet of a proposed liquor store at Kowalski's at 24th& Hennepin. It will be interesting to see how the City reacts to this new proposal.

Editorial comment: Replacing a gas station with a liquor store is a plus from an urbanist perspective as it replaces a car-oriented use with something that isn't exclusively oriented to cars. Ideally, the building will be flush to the sidewalk so as to enhance the pedestrian appeal of the area. It is disappointing though to see a one-story building proposed in a location that would be great for a multi-story mixed-use building, with retail on the ground floor and residential units above. Regarding the City's regulation of liquor store locations: it is an inefficient relic of past social mores that results in reduced access to liquor stores and higher prices for their items than there would be if regulations were relaxed and more competition was allowed. As a former resident of the area, I can personally attest that the lack of liquor stores within walking distance can be a significant encumbrance to the booze-appreciating Uptown resident seeking to live a car-free lifestyle.

St. Paul Considers Discriminating Against Student Renters in the Housing Market

2011-08-03T10:54:00.015-05:00

(UPDATED 8/30/11: The St. Paul Council did in fact pass a 1-year moratorium on new conversions to student rental housing and is considering long-term restrictions. See below)

Both the Star-Trib and Finance & Commerce have covered the news that the St. Paul City Council is considering implementing a moratorium on new student housing in the area around St. Thomas University. Lots of houses near the campus have been converted into duplex or triplex housing for students over the years. This angers homeowners, who prefer quiet at all hours and unhindered access to on-street parking in front of their homes. Given the nature of local politics, City Council members are more likely to respond to the needs of their homeowner constituents than their student renter constituents. In this case, St. Paul City Council members are considering banning students from entering into the neighborhood, purely because the homeowners don't want them. I would argue that this is blatant discrimination and constitutes an unfair intervention into the housing market that will be detrimental to both student renters and the City of St. Paul, and ultimately won't address any of the current issues that homeowners in the neighborhood are complaining about.

Note the zoning map above, which is focused on the area of St. Paul in question. For geographic reference, I-94 is at the top, the Mississippi River and Minneapolis in white on the left, and Snelling Ave (Highway 51) towards the right. The University of St. Thomas and nearby Macalester College campuses are marked in light blue. The yellow areas are zoned for single-family houses and the beige areas for duplex houses. Essentially, 90% of the area is zoned for low density housing, either single-family or duplex. The remaining brown and red are multifamily housing and commercial zones. The multifamily zoning in this area tends to be the "RM2" district, which limits building height to 5 stories.

Given what we know about the proposed moratorium and the zoning characteristics of the neighborhood, what effects would we expect this moratorium on new conversions of homes to student housing to produce?

By restricting the supply of student housing near the campus, rents for existing student housing will increase. This will be a benefit to property owners and landlords, but a loss to student renters, many of whom are already incurring $10,000-$20,000 a year in student loan debt.
If rents for student housing in the area increase, we might expect the development market to respond with the construction of new student apartments. But, as noted above, less than 10% of the area in question is zoned for anything other than single family homes or duplexes. Furthermore, it seems that most if not all of the properties zoned for multifamily apartments buildings in the neighborhood are already developed. AND, even those areas which do have zoning for apartments are in the "RM2" zone, which limits building height to five stories; so even if a developer sought to tear down an existing apartment (most of which are 3 stories) to build a new building with more units, she would be restricted by the zoning law from substantially increasing student housing supply due to the height restriction. So, there is very little room, if any, for the development market to respond by building new supply of student apartments.
If students are unable to obtain affordable housing near campus, they will be forced to seek housing further away. This will simply spread the student renter population (and the associated "issues") into more neighborhoods at lower concentrations. One might argue that this makes the "issues" associated with student renters more difficult to address than would be a concentrated population in a single neighborhood. Additionally, student renters will now be required to get to campus by means other than walking; presumably, some would bike, some would use transit, and some would drive. This is a burden not only to the student renters (increased transportation costs in terms of both time and money) but also to the City (increased traffic congestion and parking demand).
St. Thomas University might respond to the increased demand for student housing by building additional on-campus housing. This would suit the neighborhood homeowners; it may or may not benefit student renters, depending on how expensive the housing is and whether or not the amenities are comparable to what could have otherwise been obtained for the same cost in the private housing market near campus. However, it is a lost opportunity for the City of St. Paul, as the new on-campus building will generate no property tax revenue for the City.
What will be the effect in the neighborhood in question? Well, no more houses in the neighborhood will be converted to student rentals. This will prevent any issues associated with student renters from becoming a larger problem than they already are, but the issues that are already present will remain, since the existing student housing will remain in place. One might think that property values would remain stable or increase due to the "preservation of the homeowner character of the neighborhood" (a common belief which has no basis in reality). In reality, economic theory would imply that by removing the highest potential bidders for housing near the college campus (student renters who value proximity to campus, and in some cases their parents that are footing the bill) from the market, property values will be lower than they otherwise would be. With the moratorium, a homeowner in this neighborhood that wishes to sell his property will not be able to sell to the most obvious candidates to buy housing in the neighborhood. Does that result in higher or lower resale values? I would think lower.

How would I suggest addressing this situation? As you can tell, certainly not by unfairly intervening in the housing market to limit access for one particular group of people (student renters). First and foremost, barriers to the development of new, dense apartment housing marketed towards students in areas immediately adjacent to the campus should be removed; these barriers are primarily in the form of restrictive zoning which limits 90% of the area near the campus to single family homes and duplexes. Even the areas zoned for apartments limit building height to five stories. Remove these barriers --even just in targeted areas such as commercial streets adjacent to the campus-- and the development market will be more likely to respond to the demand for student housing near campus by providing new supply. This would likely result in, on the whole, more students living in managed apartments near campus than in converted single-family houses and duplexes slightly further away (although the conversion from owned homes to student rentals may nevertheless continue, albeit at a lower rate, depending on demand).

The "issues" with student renters in the neighborhood (which the student housing moratorium does not address!) could be approached through increased police patrols and targeted building inspections--something that targets the actual issue, be it noise, building maintenance, or what have you. The university would be an ideal partner to help pay for the costs of increased patrols. But ultimately, if the ideal situation is to have student renters living in managed apartment buildings rather than single family houses and duplexes, then the existing barriers to the construction of those new, well-managed apartments for students should be removed. Banning students from living in homes is not only blatant discrimination, it is simply bad policy that doesn't even address the existing issues that motivated the action.

That's my take on the issue. Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments!

Update (8/30/11)- As Nate mentions in the comments below, the St. Paul City Council did indeed pass a one-year moratorium on new student rental conversions. Additionally, the PiPress article indicates that the City Council is considering the "possibility of instituting permanent new restrictions on conversions in the area."

Photo: Night Market in British Columbia

2011-08-03T09:03:00.000-05:00


Night market in Richmond, British Columbia. Image from the BBC

I saw this photo in a BBC Travel profile of the best "night markets" in the world. A night market is simply a market held at night. This would be an interesting concept to apply to Minneapolis, where (as far as I'm aware) all outdoor markets are held during the day. On a hot summer day, an outdoor market held at night when things have cooled off would certainly have its appeal. It could even be a compliment rather than a competitor to Minneapolis' many daytime farmers markets by focusing less on produce and more on prepared food and non-food goods. Maybe one night a week during the summer on St. Anthony Main?

Finally, A Full-Service Grocery for Downtown

2011-07-23T17:32:00.005-05:00

Downtown Minneapolis is home to over 25,000 residents but still lacks a full-service grocery store. It does have a Target with an expanded grocery section, as well as three seasonal farmer's markets and several small-scale groceries with limited selections. But access to a full-service grocery will be an important milestone in marking the transition of downtown from just a place to work to a complete neighborhood with a full range of goods and services where people can enjoy a true urban lifestyle--one in which they are able to obtain their daily needs within walking distance of their home.

Yellow Grocery Basket- Full-Service Groceries Near Downtown
Yellow Markers- Limited-Service Groceries
Green Markers- Seasonal Farmer's Markets
Blue ?- Planned Full-Service Grocery
View Downtown Grocery Options in a larger map

Two full-service groceries are currently planned for downtown. Both have been in the works for several years in on-again off-again development proposals, but at least one of them now appears to be moving towards construction: a Lund's at 12th & Hennepin, which has received zoning approvals and is now being advertised on the Lund's website. This location would also include a "wine market" and would be constructed partly on an existing parking lot and partly in a renovated three story building. Kudos to Lund's for keeping the existing historic three story building in place and incorporating it into their plans, rather than simply demolishing it and building from scratch as so many large chain stores often do.

Rendering of the planned Lund's grocery and wine market at 12th & Hennepin

The second planned full-service grocery is part of a mixed-use development plan for the location of the former Jaguar dealership at the intersection of Hennepin & Washington. While the name of the grocer has yet to be named, there is speculation that it may be Whole Foods, as the company was previously involved in plans for a condo development on the site that never broke ground. This project has yet to apply for zoning approvals, so it is not as far along as the Lund's plan. Given the recent past history for development proposals on this site, it may never get off the ground.

It would be great to see two new full-service groceries downtown--one each on both the north and south ends. These would be great amenities for current residents and increase the appeal of downtown living for new residents, allowing the core of the city to continue to grow into a true urban neighborhood with a diverse mix of residents, workers, services, and entertainment, all within walking distance.

Bicycling and Mainstream Culture

2011-07-22T11:04:00.000-05:00

It's exciting to see bicycling integrated into mainstream culture in various ways. Here's one example in the fashion world.
These pair of jeans were prominently displayed at the Levi's store in the Mall of America. They are specifically marketed towards everyday bike commuters, with features such as a special belt loop to hold your U-lock while riding and reflective material on the underside of the pant leg (designed to be visible when the pant leg is folded up, as most people on cycles do so as to avoid the pant getting caught in the bike while pedaling). This isn't spandex shorts for "hardcore cyclists" at a bike store...its just a pair of jeans at a regular clothing store at the mall, marketed towards everyday cyclists.

This is one example of how the free market responds to transportation patterns. If you build a huge system of roads and highways, then you will get lots of driving and lots of companies will provide services, and amenities oriented towards car users beyond just cars themselves (car washes, dashboard GPS navigation systems, etc.). Create infrastructure and policies which promote bicycling and you will get the same effect. Bicycling as a common everyday method of getting around will truly blossom when companies which inherently have nothing to do with bicycling begin to offer goods and services oriented towards cyclists. This example of Levi's jeans marketed towards bicycle commuters is just one sign that the Twin Cities (and other cities) are already beginning to see those benefits.

Minneapolis Development Plans Now Available Online

2011-06-29T09:52:00.010-05:00

Minneapolis puts development plans online - Finance & Commerce:

Per the F&C article:

"The city of Minneapolis is making information about submitted development plans in the city easier to access. Any project in the city that has been submitted for a site plan review application to the Minneapolis City Planning Commission is now available online. Barbara Sporlein, director of planning in the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) department, called the move “a significant step toward providing more online information about proposed development projects in Minneapolis. Submitted plans will be in draft form and are subjection to revision, based on actions taken by the Minneapolis City Planning Commission or other factors." -Finance & Commerce, June 27, 2011

This is good news for anyone interested in development in Minneapolis and particularly for community members who want to know about development projects proposed in their neighborhoods . It also a step forward in government transparency and making information open and easily accessible by the public.

From now on, site plans and renderings of building designs will be available online for any development project which has applied for site plan review. Site plan review is required for commercial and mixed-use development projects, as well as residential projects containing five or more housing units.

While putting this sort of information online is a good move, the process of actually viewing the information is somewhat cumbersome:

First, one must navigate to the City Planning Commission meeting agenda website: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/agendas/planning-commission/
Second, select the link to the meeting agenda for the date on which the project will be reviewed by the Commission. Note that this requires either knowing beforehand when a project you are interested will go before the Planning Commission, or simply browsing every agenda to see if a project you care about is being reviewed.
Finally, for each development project on the meeting agenda, there will be a link underneath which says “Site Plan.” Click that to download a PDF document which includes renderings of the building and the site plan.

Previously, text-only Staff Reports were typically the only information on proposed development available online through the City. But a picture is worth a thousand words, particularly when it comes to envisioning how a proposed development will look and feel once built.

Take for example the proposed Oak Street Apartments project in Stadium Village, which received zoning approvals from the Planning Commission yesterday. Here is the text description of the project from the Staff Report for the project:

The applicant proposes to construct a new 6-story, 60-unit mixed use building with one 1,418 square foot ground floor commercial space. The proposed building will contain 60 dwelling units that are a mix of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units. Specifically the unit mix is five studios, 30 one-bedrooms and 25 two-bedrooms. One level of below grade parking is proposed. The first floor of the building contains parking, a retail space, lobby, fitness center, leasing office and community room. An additional residential amenity is provided in the form of a rooftop patio fronting along Oak Street with tables and seating. This patio will provide outdoor space for residents that has not been provided at ground level due to the large footprint of the building. The retail space on the first floor will have a translucent overhead door that can be raise as weather permits to allow interaction with the public realm.

This is good information, but including renderings of the project via the inclusion of the Site Plan helps give a more complete picture of the proposed project:

A rendering of the proposed Oak Street Apartments, taken from the Site Plan

Open access to project renderings will hopefully increase the attention paid to how proposed developments will influence the pedestrian realm. This project creates a nice sidewalk experience with tree-lined sidewalks and open-air storefronts, but many projects line the sidewalk with blank walls and garage doors. (Image taken from the Site Plan)

The availability of this information online won't necessarily have much of an impact on the zoning approvals process for proposed developments. Those who are opposed to urban development projects typically focus on the height, parking, or housing unit density of the proposals. Having access to renderings of the proposed building won't necessarily help assuage those concerns. But creating easy access to this information will hopefully lead to more informed debates and increase the involvement of community members in shaping decisions about how their city and neighborhood will look in the future. Additionally, wider access to visual renderings will hopefully increase the attention paid to how development projects effect the pedestrian realm, which is one aspect of development that can't be effectively captured in narrative descriptions or metrics such as parking ratios or housing unit density.

Flat Population Change Masks Significant Demographic Shifts in Minneapolis

2011-03-22T18:51:00.020-05:00

Minnesota's 2010 Census counts were released last week. Many were suprised to see Minneapolis' 2010 population count at 382,578 - a net decline of 40 people from they year 2000. But that miniscule change in the city population total hides the significant amount of demograhpic shift occurred over the decade.

While the city population remained essentially unchanged, the underlying demographics changed quite a bit. The Hispanic population increased by over 10,000. The Black population also increased, while White, Asian, and American Indian populations declined in the city. The supply of housing units increased by close to 10,000 units to a historic high. However, this substantial increase in the number of housing units was offset by a dramatic increase in the number of vacant units. Additionally, it is possible that average household size again declined (although we won't the official Census data on this until the summer). Decreases in household size mean that the city's population can remain unchanged even if the number of households in the city increases. In other words, gains in the number of empty nesters living in condos downtown can be offset by fewer families with kids living in North and South Minneapolis.

There were also shifts in where population is concentrated in the city. As the map below shows, downtown and the University area saw large increases in population, while North Minneapolis experienced large declines. Other areas of significant growth include Uptown, the area of the Grain Belt Brewery redevelopment, the area of the Midtown Exchange, and neighborhoods along the Hiawatha Light Rail line.

2000 to 2010 population change by census block group (click to enlarge)

Of particular note is the substantial population growth downtown. The North Loop population increased by 2,700 over the decade. The Mill District increased by over 1,100.

2000-2010 population change in downtown area census block groups (click to enlarge)

The 2010 Census data is so interesting that I finally dusted off the blog for a new post. I hope to add some addtional analysis of the latest Census data in the near future!

Northstar Ridership Update

2010-05-31T18:54:00.004-05:00

After over a month of inaction due to other obligations, I hope to resume regular posting in the coming weeks. For starters, here is an update on Northstar commuter rail ridership numbers:

Northstar train with Target Field in background; downtown Minneapolis (photo from Star-Trib)

The start of baseball season and the opening of Target Field has driven a jump in ridership for Northstar. After serving about 40,000 riders per month since opening in November 2009, in April Northstar served over 61,000. Average daily ridership is now over 2,000 (up from 1,500 in February), but still below the 3,400 daily riders predicted by the end of this year.

The Star-Tribune and KSTP have good coverage of the standing-room-only crowds that have been packing Northstar trains for Twins games:

Star-Trib
KSTP

Photo of the Week: Guangzhou Before and After BRT

2010-04-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week's photos are a look at a major street in Guangzhou, China before and after the implementation of bus rapid transit service on dedicated bus lanes:

Pre-BRT

Massive congestion; buses forced to navigate through regular car traffic, making for very slow travel time for transit riders

Post-BRT

Guangzhou's BRT system gives true priority to transit service. This speeds travel time for existing transit riders and incentivizes drivers to make the switch from driving to taking transit because it will now be faster and more convenient than driving for many trips.

Public Hearings on Xcel Energy's Proposed Midtown Greenway High Voltage Line Continue

2010-04-06T11:21:00.005-05:00

Public comments are still being received on Xcel Energy's proposed high voltage power line on the Midtown Greenway. As discussed in an earlier post, the proposed high voltage lines would be a significant detriment to the Greenway's attractiveness as a linear park, and likely destroy its proven ability to as a catalyst for nearby infill development by creating a visual blight and potential health hazard. There are several potential alternative routes for the planned new high voltage line (including an underground route along 28th St.), but public opinion is needed in order to influence the outcome.

The ultimate decision on where the new line goes will be made by the Public Utilities Commsision. An above ground line on the Midtown Greenway would be Xcel's cheapest option, so they are pushing for that. But if there is enough public opposition, it is likely that the PUC would require an alternative route. There are several opportunities to add your feedback to the process to help influence the outcome:

Public hearings TODAY, Tuesday, April 6, 2010
2:00 p.m. and again at 7:00 p.m.
Plaza Verde, 1516 E Lake Street

Comments may also submitted online or in writing until May 11, 2010. For email address or mailing address, see this one-pager created by the Midtown Greenway Coalition.

If you oppose the high voltage line on the Greenway but are unsure of what to say in your comments, the Midtown Greenway Coalition has some helpful advice.