June 2018_November 2005.qxd 6/24/2018 3:17 PM Page 1
Hill&Lake‘WherePr the biggiesess leave off...’
Published for East Isles, Lowry Hill, Kenwood Isles, & Cedar Isles Dean Neighborhoods
VOLUME 42 NUMBER 6 www.hillandlakepress.com JUNE 26, 2018 Comment NOW on your city's future at Minneapolis2040.com By Jeanette Colby If you care about the future of Minneapolis, you should care about the city’s draft comprehensive plan called Minneapolis 2040. This plan touches every cor- ner the city — neighborhoods, lakes, parks, streets … your daily life. Many Hill & Lake Press readers would support most of the plan’s lofty goals, but some action steps merit close attention. “It is imperative that residents weigh in now while there is still time for changes to some of the most objectionable and questionable parts of this proposed plan that will affect the future of our city and neighbor- hoods,” says City Council Member Lisa Goodman. In the draft Comp Plan, Franklin and Penn Avenues and 21st Street receive Corridor 4 designation as a "high “Like many [Hill & Lake neighbors], I was taken aback frequency transit route" on a "narrower right of way" or "select streets with local transit service. The illustration by some of the ideas presented in the draft 2040 plan, (above) portrays the Corridor 4 description: "[b]uilding heights should be 1 to 4 stories. As the lot size increases in some of which are completely inconsistent with current this district, allowable building bulk should also increase." (Illustration: City of Minneapolis. Caption: Michael planning and zoning guidance and policy,” she noted. Wilson.) “The best way to be heard on this issue is to make your opinions known to those working on the draft.” Land use changes: Development, Traffic, Transit? In last month’s Hill & Lake Press, Michael Wilson provided an overview of the many changes proposed. Some of the most impactful changes relate to Land Use and Built Forms and will lead to an overhaul of existing zoning ordinances. Examples in the Hill and Lake neighborhoods include: • allowing new construction of duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes on regular 40- or 50-foot lots anywhere in the city; A PDF version of the draft Comp Plan can be The Hill Lake Press gos • allowing 10- to 30-story mixed-use buildings with- accessed by clicking in the upper-right corner of the Everywhere! in the current Shoreland Overlay Dis-trict in Cedar-
2 HILL AND LAKE PRESS HAPPENINGS JUNE 26, 2018
Lunch with Lisa Field Trip HAPPENINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD June 28, 2018 Neighborhood monthly meetings We are touring Animal Care and Control CIDNA: 2nd Wednesday 6pm Jones-Harrison Come see what takes place when a pet is found or dropped off. Please be on site EIRA: 2nd Tuesday 7pm Grace Community by 11:45 am. 212 17th Ave N. Tour will begin at noon. MUST RSVP TO RUTH at Church KIAA: July 9, 7pm Lake of the Isles Lutheran. 673-2207 for this tour. No meeting in August. Park Siding Park Gardening LHNA: 1st Tuesday 7pm Kenwood Rec Center Saturday, July 21 Summer Music Series at Plymouth 9:00-11:00 a.m. Church Jazz and classical musicians will be featured Park Siding Park, 3113 W. 28th St. at free concerts at 7 p.m., on four Tuesdays in July at Join CIDNA’s volunteer gardening team. No gar- You are invited to volunteer in Thomas Lowry Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. dening experience necessary. Tools will be provided. Park from 10am to 12 noon. Presented by Plymouth’s music director Philip Brunelle, Help is needed all season, so mark your calendar for the July 14, Aug.11, Sept. 8, Oct. 13 the concerts will last 75 minutes. Free parking is avail- following Saturday mornings: August 18 and September Friends of Thomas Lowry Park supply able. 15. Details at www.cidna.org gloves, small tools, and treats. July 10—The New Standards, Chan Poling (piano), 4th Annual Walker Library Jewelry Sale wants your donations! Steve Roehm (vibes) and John Munson (bass). July 17—A Leonard Bernstein Spectacular. This year, the amazing Maria Jette, Lisa Drew, Vern Sutton and James Bohn, with Sonja Thompson at the piano, will regale us with the Best of Bernstein! July 24—Tony Ross, acclaimed leader of the Minnesota Orchestra’s cello section, performs music of Bach, Britten and Brahms with pianist Mary Jo Gothmann.
Congratulations to Jones-Harrison on 130 Years of Service to Older Adults!
Photo by Dorothy Childers If you need motivation to de-clutter your accessories collection, Friends of the Walker Library says your 'some- thing old' can become 'something new' at their fabulous jewelry bazaar coming up Saturday, August 4, during the Uptown Art Fair. Everything welcome, even pieces needing minor repairs. Leave your donations at the Information Jones-Harrison stands as the longest, Desk now. Proceeds provide special programs at the Walker. Seated, Left to right: Mary Sabatke, Maryann Weidt, continuous operating non-profit home for Jeanne Scheiderer, Marcia Marshall, Betsy Thomas, and Bonnie Bond. Holding the poster: Jim Otto. older adults in the state of Minnesota. Jones-Harrison Assisted Living Irving Avenue S | • Studios, 1-bed and 2-bed apartments Charming 2,250 sq. ft. upper 2-level condo in the heart of Lowry Hill • Spectacular views of Cedar Lake. • Activities for every interest! anniversary 1888-2018 • Located in a quiet, residential neighborhood with spacious courtyards. • Warm Water Pool, Wellness Center and extensive Exercise Area. • Conveniently located close to Highways 394, 100 and 7 with easy access to Uptown and the Shops at West End.
Offering Assisted Living, Transitional Care, Long Term Care, Long Term Memory Care. Main level has plenty of living space with 3 bed/2 bath, and a sunroom. Upper level adds flexibility with a 4th bedroom, family room, and office space. New boiler, hot water heater, and driveway. Tons of storage space. Cats/dogs allowed.
Call today for more information 612-920-2030 Sue Westerman or visit us at www.jones-harrison.org 612-599-7050 3700 Cedar Lake Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55416 [email protected] The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Burnet are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. ©2018 Coldwell Banker Burnet. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Burnet fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by asubsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
Because every house has a story.
2919 JAMES AVENUE SOUTH • UPTOWN • 612.353.4920 • PKARCH.COM June 2018_November 2005.qxd 6/24/2018 3:37 PM Page 3
JUNE 26, 2018 HILL AND LAKE PRESS 3 Meet your Neighbor, Shawn Smith
Craig Wilson and Michael Wilson interview largest investment and hope that through building Shawn Smith about chairing KIAA, the controver- equity, they can cash that equity in someday. If the sial Minneapolis 2040 plan and just finishing city changes the game via the plan and manipulates the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. housing stock in our neighborhoods, it is difficult to Where did you grow up? I’m originally from predict the effect on equity. The city planners, by their Rhode Island, and I graduated from Syracuse own admission, are not economists and did not University in 1988. engage any in the drafting of the plan, so they can’t What brought you to the Twin Cities? I first speak to the impact on property values. It’s why many moved to the Twin Cities in 2001 and worked as a property owners are nervous and frustrated. leader in Merchandising and Global Sourcing at You’ve been active with the Hill and Lake peo- Target. I left a few years ago to start a consulting ple working to get Southwest LRT done right. agency, and my core work is business development What are your thoughts on the project? What are with global manufacturers doing business with Target. its prospects? The neighborhood is really mixed on Why the Hill Lake area? I moved to Kenwood this and I want to respect opinions on both sides of from St Louis Park in 2006 with my wife Lori, after the issue. That said, if I was in charge of regional we got married. We wanted to live near the Chain of planning and had to spend $2B, it would not be on a Lakes and looked at various neighborhoods within single 14.5-mile light rail line. We could fix dozens of walking distance. We picked Kenwood because we issues like school budgets, repairing infrastructure, and found the right house for us and liked the fact that it the homeless situation with that money and have was tucked away in a quiet neighborhood between Shawn and Lori Smith and Baci. enough left over to give tax relief. And in Kenwood, Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles. we are sacrificing so much. The Kenilworth Corridor What are your hobbies and interests? My inter- is a significant natural resource and urban forest, ests are travel, both US and Internationally, cooking, which will be altered forever. It’s one of the few gardening, and camping up north. places in the city where you can still get an “up north” well; we intentionally structured it one half written What led you to get involved with the Kenwood experience. questions and one half open microphone. That way, Isles Area Association (KIAA)? I started to attend You’re a Republican in a heavily DFL part of we ensured we covered a diversity of topics, but also KIAA meetings a couple of years after moving into town. Has that led to good conversations with gave the attendees time to directly address questions the neighborhood because I started to hear a lot about your Hill and Lake neighbors? I was wondering if to the Director of Long Range Planning. To prepare, I Southwest Light Rail. I was interested in hearing you’d ask me that. My life path has brought me to a set aside any of my personal feelings about the plan. about issues affecting the neighborhood and helping place where I am a conservative. In KIAA, I was re- The meeting wasn’t about my opinions; it was about out. A few years later, since I was already attending elected chair because people see that I care about providing our constituents a forum to get more infor- most of the monthly meetings, I decided to run for Kenwood and I want to be engaged. Everything is so mation about Minneapolis 2040 so they could provide Secretary in 2012. I was elected chair in 2017 and just political now; I mostly keep my views to myself. informed feedback. And I think it was mission re-elected for this year. Actually, I think I have a lot in common with many accomplished. I hope they have submitted their com- How do you enjoy chairing KIAA? I really enjoy neighbors regardless of party: wanting a strong safe ments to the city website. KIAA and the Chair role; the thing that is great about neighborhood, keeping property taxes in check and How do you personally view the Comp Plan? our board is that we are non-partisan. We get to do spent wisely, protecting our lakes, and having a city Like any plan, there are positives and negatives to it. some really great things for the Kenwood without hav- government that actually listens to all points of view, My concern is not necessarily about the content, if it ing to worry about party politics. Being Chair has not just the ones they want to hear. is implemented thoughtfully. We are already seeing enabled me to meet and work with some great people What would you like Kenwood to be ten years market forces bring multiplexes and development with one goal in common: making Kenwood the best from now? I’d like it to be a place that keeps its spirit where that development is a wanted commodity, such it can be. of everyone in the neighborhood caring about every- as what you see in Uptown. And it’s focused, not You did a sterling job as moderator of the one in the neighborhood. What makes Kenwood random. My concern is that the plan, if approved, will four-neighborhood Minneapolis 2040 work today is that neighbors know each other, and allow for random big development in established Comprehensive Plan information session on June people live their lives in consideration of their impact neighborhoods, without concern for homeowners. 6. What did you do to prepare? How do you feel on others. I hope it stays like that. And quiet. I hope People buy a home based on their personal criteria. the session went? Thank you! I had a great team to it keeps its serenity and quiet. They enter homeownership knowing it is their single help plan and orchestrate it. I think the meeting went You completed Grandma’s Marathon on June 16? How did it go? Will you be doing the Twin Minneapolis is Not for Sale Cities Marathon (TCM) this fall? I was a little slow- er than I wanted to be but still happy to finish in less A guest column by Carol Becker, President Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation than 4.5 hours. It was a great event and a fun after party. I will not be doing Twin Cities this fall; at 51 I The City of Minneapolis has released a draft of its off. The reality is that new construction costs are too only have one marathon in me each year. I’ve run long-range plan, the 2040 Minneapolis Comprehensive high to create new affordable housing without govern- Twin Cities four times, which is why I signed up to Plan. It lays out how the city will develop over the ment support — which isn’t included in the plan. run my first Grandma’s this year. But I’ll stay involved next 20 years. Advocates argue that by letting developers build wher- with TCM by supporting them with my time and It includes a wide range of policies, but the most ever they want we will address historic racism in hous- resources. important ones are those that lay out how physical ing — without explaining how new market-rate hous- space will change and how transportation will happen. ing will do that. They similarly argue that benefits The proposed plan is a radical departure from pre- from new market-rate housing will advance economic vious comprehensive plans: The City has proposed up- zoning the whole city. This would make it possible to Carol Becker to page six bulldoze any single-family house and replace it with a fourplex. It has also proposed allowing 15-to-20-story towers in most parts of the city. Uptown and around the lakes would become Manhattan, with tower after tower crammed in. None of this housing would be required to have parking. The plan would trump small area plans created by neighborhoods. All of these changes are aimed at reducing require- ments for developers. This is part of a national pro- developer agenda called “YIMBY.” Developers want 1934 HENNEPIN AVE. S SANDWICHES fewer regulations so they can build whatever they MPLS, MN 55403 BUTCHER SHOP want, wherever they want, to make the most profit – (612) 999-4200 DELICATESSEN without regard to the community or its needs. Plan advocates argue that if we build enough mar- ket-rate housing, somehow poor people will be better LOWRYHILLMEATS.COM June 2018_November 2005.qxd 6/24/2018 3:41 PM Page 4
4 HILL AND LAKE PRESS JUNE 26, 2018 “Hill and Lake Residents Speak”
Over 160 residents attended the June 6 Minneapolis 2040 Comp Plan Information Session, sponsored by the four Hill and Lake neighborhoods. Several of them offered their comments on the meet- ing and on the draft Comp Plan itself. (Compiled by Michael Wilson.) Canan Karatekin / Cedar-Isles-Dean It was good to have a chance to hear about the 2040 plan. However, I was disappointed to hear the city planners say several times that they had no control over “market forces” and had no way to predict what the market would do. The impression I got from the meeting was that the developers of high-end homes would have free rein over the city by 2040. I hope there will be a mechanism by which we find out how feedback from the community has been incorporated into the plan. Thanks for the chance to give feedback. Sam and Barbara Murphy / Kenwood Alert neighbors. The draft Minneapolis 2040 plan is a far-reaching change that will have a major, irrevo- cable impact on the lakes neighborhoods. Driving four-story apartment buildings up along Franklin Avenue and 21st Street through Lowry Hill and Kenwood will impact entire neighborhoods that are the envy of most cities. Look how the increased densi- Photo by Dorothy Childers ty along Lake Street into uptown has generated serious The June 6 Comp Plan Informtion meeting was led by Heather Worthington (left), the city’s director of long- traffic and pedestrian safety issues, with no improve- range planning, and Brian Schaffer (right), principal project coordinator. Shawn Smith (center), KIAA board chair, ment in transportation, affordable housing or segrega- was the moderator. tion. That is your future. Robert Hinck / Lowry Hill The Minneapolis 2040 proposal extols the virtues tions from now, grandkids could still see the sky. Is streets with no parking, streets dedicated to bikes, and vibrancy of our city, and then states the intention that achievement now to be lost? buses, taxis, Uber, Lyft etc.? We do not have good to change it. Density merely for growth's sake is Karen and Jerry Bergseth / Cedar-Isles-Dean mass transportation and often the streets are closed coerced, not an organic response. The desire to The strong anti-automobile bias in the plan is trou- for events. increase density, as suggested, will likely result in the bling. Commuting aside, most people will still need a Nancy and Jim Nikora / Cedar-Isles-Dean same effect as the freeways dividing neighborhoods in car for independence and flexibility. Penalizing car Ms. Worthington stated the Plan 2040 recognizes the 1960s. This time it'll be the canyons of condos owners by mandating minimal parking while increasing the shortage of affordable housing and encourages that dwarf and isolate businesses, homes and residents. density in proposed new housing seems counter-pro- density of existing and new development. Significant Sometimes what is not built is as important as what is. ductive. Auto industry sources predict 40-50% of new projects are slated for the Lake Street transit corridor, Harriet Horwitz / East Isles vehicles will be electric by 2040, and those will be fac- but their higher rents contradict the Plan's goals. We're What is worth saving? In 1988, as developers pro- ing a parking nightmare under this plan. We may be told the city cannot control development projects, posed a 25-story apartment tower adjoining the trying to solve a problem that will not exist beyond however the Hiawatha corridor has fully developed Calhoun Beach Club, concerned citizens throughout 2040. transit where more affordable housing could be the city let their council members know how vital our Linda Mack / Kenwood encouraged with TIF funds. Our lakes, protected by Chain of Lakes Regional Park is to the unique identity Is allowing four-plexes in all neighborhoods the Theodore Wirth and 1987's Shoreline Overlay, are the of Minneapolis. In response, the City Council unani- best way to make housing accessible to all? It seems city's most valuable asset, and must not be walled off mously voted to adopt the Shoreland Overlay District likely that the least valuable properties would be the to profit a few. ordinance, conforming to DNR protections limiting ones that would be re-developed—smaller houses in Brian Repko and Kristin Gaarder / Kenwood building height within 1000 feet of lakes. Under affordable neighborhoods—and therefore a housing Unfortunately, transit plans don't keep up with the Minneapolis 2040, however, those protections will be stock that meets the need for affordable housing density plans. People still need cars that require park- removed and buildings reaching 30 stories are possible. would actually be destroyed. Let’s test out the eco- ing and traffic planning. Also, lack of affordable hous- Currently, buildings with over 1200 units near Bde nomics of this proposal before a wholesale change ing and altering the single-family neighborhoods are Mka Ska are min 1988 for limitations so that, genera- that could have negative consequences. issues. We prefer density at intersections, not along full Cam Winton / Lowry Hill corridors. We are concerned that density near Bde I have three key concerns about the Minneapolis Maka Ska has an environmental impact. For 2040 plan: Kenwood, any corridor to SWLRT would be better as Comment NOW from page one • It would threaten the safety of our neighbor- a bike corridor and not a Corridor 4 level. forward this fall.” hood’s children to allow four-story construction across Michael Rothman / Cedar-Isles-Dean Heather Worthington, the city’s director of long the street from Kenwood Elementary – as the draft At 245 pages the Minneapolis 2040 Plan is indeed range planning, assured Hill and Lake neighbors who plan does. That many more people and their cars—in utopian in scope. Racial equity is a wonderful priority. attended an informational meeting on June 6th that an area that’s already congested every morning and So is more density. I fear, however, that the plan is comments will be read and taken into consideration, afternoon—would increase the risk of a child being something of a Trojan horse insofar as the 30-story especially comments that provide concrete, detailed hit by a car. towers in CIDNA indicate a field day for developers information that the planning team may have over- • It would trample a community resource to allow who will, as always, let the market be their guide. looked. any construction along Kenilworth Trail south of West Affordable housing will be the loser. Let there be low- You can review the plan and submit comments 21st Street – as the draft plan does. rise and walkability. Save my Calhoun Village Punch on
JUNE 26, 2018 HILL AND LAKE PRESS 5
Hill and Lake residents speak from page four
mistakes in, the land use designations, there is substan- tial policy overreach and an absence of consideration of how the implementation of the policies is to be funded. The plan is difficult to understand as it is full of technical terms and written in jargon. It promotes a particular ideological agenda. Written in an arrogant and patronizing tone, it denigrates those who haven't "gotten with the program," in particular "white peo- ple" (Goal 1) and automobile users. The plan promotes overreaching regulation, which LAKEWOOD: COYOTE TURNS Today’s enlightened board of directors at Lakewood expands the city's police power. It has very little about TO GRAVE THOUGHTS celebrates not only Memorial Day but Earth Day and basic municipal services: public safety, utilities and By James P. Lenfestey many other events open to the public. And its beautiful street maintenance. It implies city control of the Park What do McKnight, Pillsbury, Glueck, Ueland, setting of more than 250 acres allows glorious weddings Board and Metro Transit. It does not consider that the Dunwoody, Loring, Lowry, Blaisdell, Woo, Humphrey, as well as peaceful funerals, particularly in its historic city is part of a region and that some issues could be Wellstone and Lenfestey have in common? We all own Byzantine chapel whose spectacular interior mosaics better addressed in cooperation with other units of real estate in Lakewood Cemetery. Captains Of indus- shimmer with light reflected from 10 million hand-laid government. It does not consider the appropriate try, pioneering suffragettes, an abundance Of Elks, doc- tiles. form of government for the city or city finances in tors, lawyers, soldiers, restaurateurs, firefighters, jour- Speaking of funerals, according to “Haven in the general. nalists, clowns and marathon dancers inhabit the rolling Heart of the City: The History of Lakewood Mike Sward / Cedar-Isles-Dean park-like grounds on the shores of Bde Mka Ska, Cemetery,” businessman Woo Ye Sing set a highwater Over ice cream with my 12 year old godchild yes- maybe someday also home to the Urban Coyote mark in 1925. His service began at Westminster Church terday, backyards came up. “Are they important”, I Column. Read on. near downtown, marched with a Chinese band past his asked. “I know everyone can’t have one," she replied. Ahh, Lakewood, the city’s most glorious sculpture house to gather his soul, then on to Lakewood, fol- "I just can’t imagine growing up without ours! We play park, filled with obelisks, Greek temples, a pyramid, lowed by an effusive Chinese dinner and gifts. there all the time. My moms like it because we’re safe!” romantic statues 20 feet tall (Pillsbury), 15 feet tall Of course, one can be quietly interred at Lakewood I'm a Realtor, and her words echo the concern I (Glueck) ten feet tall (Brown), more obelisks, modest without granite or bronze or fanfare, in one of the hear most frequently from Buyers: “What assurances sculpted lambs and humble logs and granite slabs, the many memorial parks and crypts. And these days giant are there that multi-unit dwellings won’t take over and Sit family arch and the Wellstone family boulder over- memorials and funerals are out of fashion, like knickers ruin the neighborhood?” Most of us welcome diversi- looking the lake, a repository of regional history open and roadsters and Chinese bands. ty in all forms, from home-styles to life-styles. What to all, a parking place for the body so the soul can wan- Nor for me. I admire the exuberant vision of the rises to a valid, consistent concern is how to integrate der without prejudice or worry about historical amnesia. founders and Mr. Woo. Why not add another startling a balance of growth that's reasonable and sustainable The city’s founding mothers and fathers did so sculpture to Lakewood’s sculpture garden, this one ded- given our current infrastructure without losing the much right, Lakewood a prime example. At a time icated to the memory of the city’s robust neighbor- beauty of these magnificent-single family settings. An when religious and racial prejudice and private owner- hoods and community journalists who tells their sto- old yet wise saying reminds us not to “toss out the ship were the rule, Lakewood, founded in 1871 by abo- ries? Why not a 20-foot-tall column with a howling baby with the bath water!” Nurturing community must litionist Louis King, is nonprofit, non-denominational, coyote on top – the Urban Coyote Column! That’s not include mindfulness surrounding what has sustained non-racial. Imagined when our city was just four years unreasonable, is it kids? itself and even flourished, as many search for single- old with only 13,000 residents, the founding board family dwellings, protected by sensible zoning rules. planned for a horizon that anticipated the rain