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Carol Anderson
Project Manager
612-348-2997
Lisa Middag
Community Works Communications
612-348-0134
Lowry Avenue Community Works is a collaboration between Hennepin County Public Works and the City of Minneapolis to improve transportation options, offer housing choices and support business growth in the Lowry Avenue communities.
Learn more at www.hennepin.us/lowry
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Members from the Lowry Avenue Community Works community advisory and technical teams chose one of the coldest days in February for a walking tour of Lowry Avenue Northeast. The unusual and surprising choice gave the group first-hand experience navigating the challenges of icy, snow-covered sidewalks faced routinely by the Lowry Avenue Northeast community each winter.
 One team walked Lowry Avenue from Washington Street to Marshall Street, while another walked from Fillmore Street to Washington Street. After the teams finished, they gathered at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization to share their experiences:
- Sidewalks and right-of-way are narrow in the winter/not
accessible
- Excessive noise and auto pollution
- Maintenance is an issue (snow removal)
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Boulevards would provide a buffer from the
traffic and a place to store snow (streets could be narrowed)
- Transit stops need amenities
This information will be used along with community input to develop recommendations for Lowry Avenue Northeast improvements.
The community gathered on Thursday, February 27 for the first Lowry Avenue Community Works Northeast public workshop at Edison High School. The event opened with warm welcomes from Hennepin County Commissioner Linda Higgins and Minneapolis Councilperson Kevin Reich.
More than 50 residents, business owners, faith community members, students and families were asked to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the Lowry Avenue Northeast corridor. Participants identified issues and suggested improvements at several intersections, while children engaged in mapping activities developed by Floodplain Collective.
 Many thanks to the Sample Room for providing coffee, Sarah Jane’s Bakery for the delicious cookies, and Bottineau Neighborhood for service supplies.
Our project partner Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) recently completed the outdoor elements of their new facility at Lowry Avenue and Marshall Street in Northeast Minneapolis.
 The design provides a model for future green development on the riverfront and features:
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Onsite stormwater treatment for the MWMO building and the commercial properties nextdoor, Siwek Lumber and Tony Jaros Rivergarden Bar
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A building layout that encourages Active Living (prominent stairways, active use patterns, parking away from the building entrance)
- Native trees and plants coming this spring
There is a new bookstore coming this summer to Lowry Avenue North-- Ancestry Books. Local poet and publisher Chaun Webster and his wife Verna Wong, an educator for the Anoka school district, hope to open in June.
 The couple recently signed a 16-month lease at 2205 Lowry Avenue North next door to the Lowry Cafe. Believing it's important for communities of color to see themselves in the literature they read, Ancestry Books will carry a wide-range of books from authors of color for all ages from children to adults.
The bookstore will host workshops featuring local and national authors. Webster launched a Kickstarter campaign and successfully surpassed the $10,000 goal with more than 300 backers after only fourteen days. Outreach efforts will continue with door-knocking to the communities about why arts-based community development like Ancestry Books is important.
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The City of Minneapolis is offering grants up to $15,000 through its One Minneapolis Fund to non-profit community and cultural organizations to help promote diverse leadership and community engagement among cultural communities in the city. The application deadline is April 7. See the request for proposal.
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