 In 2006, while living in her husband Yulin’s hometown of Wuhan,
China, Ann Yin visited the local farmers market every day. She found it
refreshing to know exactly who and where her food came from. Shopping at the
market, Ann felt a strong connection with her food and the farmers - something
she missed upon returning to the United States.
Ann began thinking of ways to strengthen the connection with
her food back in the U.S. In 2008, after receiving funding from the
Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD), Ann opened Local D’Lish at 208 N 1st Street, Minneapolis, a “farmers market” in
retail format. The store has become a platform for the local food movement,
helping plant seeds for Minnesota brands such as Lucille’s Kitchen Garden and Bliss Granola. In 2013, MCCD
partnered with the City of Minneapolis to provide additional financing which
enabled Local D’Lish to expand its deli operations and enhance their cooking
classes. The City provided financing through its Two-Percent
and Homegrown
Business Development Center loan programs. Local D’Lish is now a North Loop
staple, filling the need for a specialty grocery store for residents, workers
and local food enthusiasts.
In addition to food, Local D’Lish sells kitchenware and offers
cooking classes that focus on local food products in a casual format. The store
also hosts a weekly “Farmer-in-the-Market,” which takes place each Wednesday
and features produce from the McKinley
Urban Farm in North Minneapolis.
Ann says that her greatest achievement is helping bring
awareness to the local food scene in Minneapolis and is proud that her store is
able to help small food brands gain a stronger foothold. Currently, Local
D’Lish is selling products from Minnesota brands including Minnesota Nice Spice, Sally’s Simple Syrups, Blue Henn Tonic Syrup, Superior Switchel, and Nordic Cinnamon Sprinkle.
 Top Left: Audience watching performance by Toki Wright; Top Right: Mayor Hodges talks about the importance of STEP-UP interns in the 21st Century; Bottom: Ribbon Dance performance by Iny Asian Dance Theater and Asian Media Access
On Monday, August 10, the City of Minneapolis’ youth-employment
program, STEP-UP, hosted its 12th annual intern graduation event at the Guthrie Theater. At
the event, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and STEP-UP Co-chairs R.T. Rybak, Executive Director of Generation Next
and Richard Davis, President and CEO of U.S. Bank, announced the 2015 Employer,
Intern and Supervisor of the Year awards.
2015 Award Winners:
Employer of the Year
- Pillsbury United Communities
- Xcel Energy
Intern of the Year
- Imani Evege, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority
- Logan Allen, Little Earth of United Tribes
- Jessie Vang, Ebenezer
- Juan Sanchez Garcia, U.S. Bank
Supervisor of the Year
- Marques Bates , Community Bridge
- Tina Johnson, Minneapolis Public Housing
Authority
- Diane Collins, HealthPartners
- Colin Owens, Metropolitan Council
The event was hosted by STEP-UP Alumni Matthew Vue, with reflections
from current STEP-UP interns Abdirahim Mohamed and Lor Vang. The graduation
featured a performance by Toki Wright, a former City of Minneapolis intern, now
a musician, radio host, educator, and community organizer. In addition, Iny
Asian Dance Group and Asian Media Access performed two Asian-American dance
fusion numbers featuring six STEP-UP interns.
The STEP-UP program is a partnership with AchieveMpls,
Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), and Project for Pride
in Living, serving Minneapolis youth ages 14-21 who face some of the greatest
barriers to employment, including youth of color, youth from low-income families, and
youth with disabilities. Learn more about STEP-UP at the City of Minneapolis website.
 Nearly 50 attended the Downtown Public Realm meeting at Central Library on August 10
On August 10th, the City hosted a public meeting
of nearly 50 people at the Central Library to discuss the Downtown Public Realm
Framework Plan (DPRF). The DPRF will establish a framework and policies to
enhance pedestrian experience downtown, prioritizing streets and public spaces.
The agenda of the meeting included comments by Council Member Jacob Frey and CPED staff, Park Board Commissioner Anita Tabb, and Steve Cramer (Downtown
Council). Attendees also had the opportunity to give their own feedback.
The Downtown Public Realm Framework contains existing
policies and practices in the public realm, intended to guide future outcomes
in capital planning, site plan review, and public/private partnership toward
public realm enhancement. “If we expect developers and businesses to make
investments that benefit the public realm (and we do), the City must get
everyone on the same page,” said Council Member Jacob Frey. “This framework is
a great step towards that end.” You can learn more about the Downtown Public
Realm Framework on the City’s website and
comment on the Downtown Public Realm Framework by taking this survey.
 Top: Lake Street Station senior affordable housing located on 2220 East Lake Street; Bottom Left: Ribbon cutting; Bottom Right: Station garden
On July 23rd, Wellington Management, Inc. held the official
grand opening of its new affordable senior housing development in Minneapolis,
Lake Street Station, with an official ribbon cutting with representatives from the City of
Minneapolis, the Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, Wellington Management,
Inc. and Steven Scott Management.
Lake Street Station is a 64-unit senior housing project
located between the Lake Street/Midtown Station Light Rail Stop and Hi-Lake
Shopping Center. The new building also contains 5,300 sq. ft. street-level
retail space on East Lake Street. According to Ninth Ward Council Member
Alondra Caro, the building “provides much needed affordable housing options for
the elders in our community while being conveniently located along one of the
most highly used public transportation areas of our city.”
The project was funded through Low Income Housing Tax
Credits, TCF Bank, the City of Minneapolis, Local Initiatives Support
Corporation (LSC), the Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County, and WNC
Associates.
 With over 10 years of experience in the coffee industry, Five Watt Coffee co-owner Caleb Garn
always knew he wanted a coffee shop of his own. He met his business partner,
Lee Cater, while working at Bull Run Coffee Bar in South Minneapolis. The two quickly connected over their affinity for the bass guitar. After realizing their great dynamic and shared vision, Caleb
and Lee opened Five Watt in the Kingfield neighborhood.
Before they could open their new shop, the building (built
in the early 1900s) needed extensive renovation. After stripping the outdated
drop ceiling and linoleum floors, Caleb and Lee discovered the building’s
original tin ceiling and wooden floors, which they left exposed. They received
a Great
Streets façade grant from the City of Minneapolis through a partnership
with the Nicollet East Harriet Business Association (soon to change their name
to the Southwest Business Association) that paid for Five Watt’s storefront,
signage, and bay door (left open on warm days.)
Now, Five Watt has a communal vibe, tons of regulars and
serves a variety of unique coffee drinks, from the Kingfield (vanilla,
coriander bitters, espresso, milk, and sea salt) to the Big Easy (cold press,
house-made chicory nutmeg simple syrup, black walnut bitters, and cream.) They
also host “Sunday Service,” a $5.00 oatmeal bar with live music that takes
place each Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon.
Beyond the Five Watt shop, Caleb and Lee continue to increase
their presence throughout coffee world. They have their own roasting facility,
Five Watt Roasting, located in St. Paul. In addition, by November 2015, they
plan to open Big Watt, a brewing facility for cold press, bitters and sodas,
located in Minneapolis.
 Photos provided by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
On Thursday, August 6th, Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro toured the Minneapolis Promise
Zone, located in North Minneapolis, along with Congressman Keith Ellison, Mayor
Betsy Hodges, Council President Barbara Johnson, Council Member Blong Yang and
other invited guests. The tour began in the West Broadway Commercial Corridor
at Dupont and West Broadway and ended at the EMERGE Career and Technology
Center. On the tour, Secretary Castro spoke to youth interns at Appetite for
Change and Cookie Cart.
In January 2014, the Obama Administration announced the
Promise Zone initiative, a cross-Cabinet collaboration that uses federal and
community resources to create opportunity and to revitalize undeserved neighborhoods.
Promise Zones recognize and reward cities that develop innovative approaches to
revitalize high-poverty communities. In April of 2015, Minneapolis along with
eight other areas, including Indianapolis, Sacramento and St. Louis were
welcomed into the program, which aims to designate a total of 20 Promise Zones nationwide.
North Minneapolis was selected as a Promise Zone because of
its plan to ensure high-quality education through mentorship and data-driven
instruction and deterring crime through supporting entrepreneurs and
small-business development.
 Homes located at 4700 and 4704 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis
On July 29, the City of Minneapolis and City of Lakes
Community Land Trust (CLCLT) celebrated the completion of the first two
city-funded multi-generational homes in Minneapolis with a program and tour.
The homes, located at 4700 and 4704 Bryant Avenue North, were built as a part
of the City’s Green Homes North initiative, an effort to build 100 affordable,
sustainable and energy efficient homes in five years. The project began as a
way to revitalize the North Minneapolis neighborhoods hit hardest by the
foreclosure crisis.
CLCT in partnership with architect Marnie Peichel and
general contractor J. Lewis Building & Remodeling built each
multi-generational home featuring a 1600 sq. ft. main unit with three bedrooms,
one-and-a-half bathrooms and an unfinished basement. Each home also has an
additional 500 sq. ft. attached accessory dwelling unit with one bedroom, one
bathroom and a kitchenette. Council President Barbara Johnson stated the homes
are, “a unique opportunity to meet the needs of families who care for extended,
aging family members including new American and immigrant families that stay
housed together as part of their culture.”
Currently, 28 Green Homes are complete with another 28 in
progress. In addition to being funded by the City of Minneapolis Green Homes
North program, they are also supported by
Minnesota Housing, Family Housing Fund and Twin Cities Community Land Bank.
 Top: Silicon North Star group at FaceBook; Middle Left: Students brainstorming ideas for new companies; Middle Right: Students in class session; Bottom: Students participating in activities at Stanford University
The City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program partnered for a second year with
the Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit organization founded by Google employees
Steve and Mary Grove.
Silicon North Stars is an experiential education program that gives a group
of high-potential incoming ninth-graders (eight from Minneapolis STEP-UP and
eight from St. Paul high schools) the opportunity to spend a week in
California's Silicon Valley, learning about technology from some of the top
tech companies and startups in the world.
Steve Grove, who grew up in Northfield, Minnesota said, “We felt like we
can make the biggest impact with students who show a lot of promise but may not
have as much opportunity.”
The group spent the week of July 26th visiting Google, Facebook,
YouTube, Indiegogo, Lyft, and several tech
startups. Mid-week they shifted gears
and learned about design thinking and created a tech solution to a problem
posed to them. At the end of the week they pitched their start-up ideas to
Silicon Valley tech leaders at an event in San Francisco.
“I feel more inspired in high school to work hard and get good grades,”
Camryn Franke, 14, said. “Now I feel like I can reach my goals.”
Trip chaperone Anna Peterson, Program Manager for STEP-UP, remarked, “We
want to spark that interest while they’re young so that they can continue to
grow and develop throughout high school.”
Learn more about the
program
|
