Feature

Great Streets Makes Businesses Even Greater

by Rebecca Parrell

The Great Streets Business District Support Program supports a variety of activities that promote commercial vitality, strengthen businesses, and advance business district success. Below are three examples of the type of work undertaken with Great Streets grant funds in 2015.

Street Experience

• Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Made Here Dance Series in downtown office plazas over the lunch hour activated spaces with dance performances and enhanced the sense of place downtown, encouraging passersby to stop, linger, and engage in their surroundings.
• Lake Street Council’s Poetry in Storefronts projects enhanced the pedestrian realm with poetry in 15 storefronts and community events highlighting the installations.

Marketing Initiatives

• The West Market District’s interactive opportunities map markets properties for developers and businesses interested in making the West District their home.
• The Latino Economic Development Center’s Taco Tour was an approach to draw new customers to Lake Street and increase sales by getting the word out about lesser known restaurants. Their marketing campaign had a reach of 25,000 impressions.

Business Engagement and Education

• Lake Street Council assisted 15 businesses with implementing energy efficiency projects and 33 with waste reduction projects.
• The Franklin Area Business Association assisted 20 businesses and organizations to activate space during Franklin Open Streets and increased participation and collaboration in district activities and promotions.

In 2016, CPED received 24 proposals requesting a total of $770,000 and 19 proposals were funded totaling $500,000.

Trends

Streamlining Home Development on the Northside

by Chris Vrchota

Over the past several years, Development Services staff has been working in several ways to help simplify and streamline the development of new single-family housing in North Minneapolis. 

For instance, Zoning and Plan Review staff have been involved in the Green Homes North project since the onset of the program in 2012. Staff from these teams are active participants in the design review meetings, providing feedback early in the process to help developers refine their designs, speeding up the formal review process when it comes time for site plan review and building permits. Zoning staff is also involved in the working group Council Member Yang has initiated to sell City owned vacant lots and encourage infill development on these sites, which are concentrated in North Minneapolis.

In addition to working with developers involved in these City-led initiatives, staff has met with several individual builders interested in building on the Northside to help them understand code requirements and the application and review processes.  Our goal is to help make building on the Northside an uncomplicated and positive process.

2016 Minneapolis Preservation Awards

by Hilary Dvorak

The 26th Annual Preservation Awards were held on May 12, 2016. The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, AIA Minneapolis, and Preserve Minneapolis, annually partner on this awards program to honor exemplary projects, individuals, and community organizations that celebrate and enhance the heritage and historic character of Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis Preservation Awards highlight the year’s top achievements for transforming a historic property, building, or landscape and reinventing it to incorporate both new and old elements in a way that is respectful to the past. Projects are judged on attention to the quality of design, architecture, workmanship, and materials as well as the positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood and community.

The following honors were presented at the 26th Annual Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Awards:

Historic Restoration, Rehabilitation, or Adaptive Reuse Project
J.B. Hudson House Restoration
Minnehaha Refectory Rehabilitation
129 Bedford St. SE, J. Emory & Cora Muzzy House

New Addition to an Historic Building
‘Wild about Jones’: A Complement to History

Grassroots: Advocacy & Education
Will Lumpkins Old North Minneapolis
Brian Finstad
JoEllen Haugo

The Steve Murray Award
Virginia Lackovic, AIA
For more information about each project visit AIA Minnesota’s website.

Updates & Outcomes

Parkside at Humboldt Greenway

by Cherie Shoquist

Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation, with its General Contractor and development partner MyHomeSource, proposes to develop 65 single family homes, improving on their previous proposal of developing 52 single family homes and 11 townhomes, in three phases in the Humboldt Greenway. If approved by the City Council, the two outlets would be incorporated into the replotting of the development to provide more buildable lots for single family homes to better meet the current housing market.

The single family homes feature three bedrooms, two and one-half bathrooms, and a detached two-car garage, and 1,800 square feet. Features include landscaping, ledger stone and LP Smart Siding, Anderson Dual Pane windows, nine-foot first floor ceilings, wood flooring, wall-to-wall carpeting and tile flooring, a fireplace, granite kitchen countertops and stainless steel appliances, marble vanity tops and tiled flooring in the full baths,  and energy efficient systems and utilities. There are currently two spec homes completed and an additional four homes under construction. There are two firm purchase agreements and two holds with sales price ranges from $300,000 - $350,000 to date.  

More Funding Available for Home Improvement Projects

by Mark Anderson

The City is pleased to announce that new funds are available for two types of home improvement programs.  The first is a loan up to $25,000 for repair of code violations in the home.  Along with this loan, the homeowner can also receive a grant up to $10,000 to remove lead hazards.  Households must have an income at or below 80% of the area median income which is $65,700 for a family of four.  The loan is at zero percent interest with no monthly payments and is repaid when they move from or no longer own the home.

The second product is called Rehab Support and it offers financing at 2% interest with payments over a term up to 20 years.  The household income goes up to 115% of the area median which is $98,300.  The loan is for improvements that will enhance the value of the home such as new windows and siding, updating the kitchen and bathroom, or replacing and updating the flooring in the home.

To find out more, check out the website. 

CPED Staff Gather Big Ideas for the Future of Minneapolis

by Beth Elliot

The engagement process for Minneapolis 2040, the update to the City’s comprehensive plan, kicked off on April 2nd at the Community Connections Conference. Over 500 participants shared their big ideas for Minneapolis and heard keynote speaker Shawntera Hardy present the “power of a pothole,” a story of how a single individual can make positive change in a community.  Since then, CPED staff have been having fun and seeking input at street festivals and engaging in dialogues with cultural leaders. Check out Ms. Hardy’s speech and event information on our new website.

The draft Civic Engagement Plan will be presented to the Zoning and Planning Committee on June 9th. This plan was developed by a team of CPED staff who are experts in designing effective and efficient engagement strategies: Mary Altman, Joe Bernard, Paul Mogush, Jack Byers, Peter Crandall, Mei-Ling Smith, Suado Abdi, Rose Lindsay, and Shanna Sether.  If you like to engage diverse audiences on topics that directly affect your work in CPED, we’d love for you to join us! Please contact Beth Elliott.

A Day in the Life of a Senior Planner

Featuring John Smoley

by Megan Smith

John Smoley is one of 14 employees on the City’s Zoning Administration and Enforcement team, where he serves as a Senior Planner. Senior Planners are responsible for performing administrative reviews, enforcing the City’s zoning code, and making recommendations based on their knowledge of urban design. With an educational background in history, John also focuses on the historic preservation of Minneapolis properties, where he works to find a balance between preservation and development.

John interacts with everyone from the newest homeowners to experienced architects to administrate permits and educate them on the City’s policies and guidelines. Senior Planners are accountable for making sure that land uses for new projects are compatible, so one of John’s main goals is to explain the City’s building guidelines to help clients meet the necessary requirements. Since Zoning is the public’s first point of contact for planning inquiries, John says it is key for Senior Planners to have good listening and communication skills and to always maintain a good sense of humor throughout their work. 

Technology, Information & Innovation

See New Ways of Looking at Existing Data

by Ed Daley

Take a look this new map on the CPED website. Now, potential buyers of CPED Single Family vacant land can interactively view and research our lots for sale. Andrew Dahl (Business Development), with help from IT, worked to create this useful and informative tool. The data behind this map is currently managed in MINS and with a few modifications, MINS will automatically update the content of this map on a daily basis, reducing the amount of time and effort to create the map and increasing the accuracy of the map and its content. Now that's working smart!

Click on any parcel to display useful information and functionality. View a photo of the parcel, get the sales price, contact the CPED staff person in charge of the parcel or expand your research capabilities by linking directly to Hennepin County's property information web site for more lot information.

To view the map:

1. go to CPED's external website: www.ci.minneapolismn.gov/cped 
2. Under "Quick Links, choose the "Vacant Lot Information" link.
3. Choose the "Residential Properties for Sale" link.

(Note: if you are unable to view this webpage in the explorer browser, simply copy and paste the URL in a Fire Fox browser address line and view from there.)

Employee Profile

Elfric Porte

Elfric Porte has dedicated his entire career in the housing field. His experience has been in the private, non-profit and government sectors. He has been with the City of Minneapolis since 2003, making him one of the first employees of CPED. Elfric is CPED’s Residential and Real Estate Development Manager. There’s no “typical” day for Elfric. He manages a team of 15 City employees who work on developing programs, as well as improving processes and policies to advance housing stabilization efforts in Minneapolis. Other than the joy of working with his colleagues, Elfric says the best part of the job is to be able to use his skills and access to resources to serve others.

Outside of the office, Elfric has a strong competitive spirit. He coaches an under-16 girls traveling soccer team, in which one of his daughters plays, and has been coaching for over ten years. He also enjoys playing soccer, basketball, table tennis, and board games such as scrabble, dominos, as well as a variety of card games. And of course, he loves spending time with his family. He is married and has three daughters and a niece who lives with them.

Employee Profile

Lisa Hartwig

June 12th marks the fourth year Lisa Hartwig has been with the City of Minneapolis. As a Plan Examiner I with Construction Code Services, a majority of Lisa’s job is spent reviewing residential construction plans, requesting revisions when there are issues, and approving building permits when the plans are complete. She works with a variety of professionals from contractors to designers and homeowners to ensure their proposed construction will meet minimum building code requirements. Lisa finds it extremely rewarding to be able to contribute to the livability of the city and says that’s the best part of the job. With codes and technology constantly evolving, Lisa enjoys being able to use her research skills to better understand the advances in her field.

When not working, Lisa enjoys traveling, photographing, going to museums, listening to live music, and spending time with her son, Alec, and their dog, Honey. They especially like playing soccer or football in the backyard, swimming or fishing at White Bear Lake, and biking the Gateway Trail. 

New Hires, Promotions, & Retirements

New Hires

Joe Schumann, Building Inspector

Kitrina (Kitty) Stratton, Plans Examiner

*Additions/corrections? Please send to Dorothea Martti.

Calendar of Events

Upcoming Diversity and Equity Trainings

This series of diversity and equity training is presented by CPED in partnership with the University of Minnesota. All CPED staff are welcome and encouraged to attend any/all of the workshops. The workshops are presented in a brave space where sharing is encouraged and all ideas are respected. Light refreshments will be served and 50 seats are available for each session. Contact Greg Simbeck for more information or to reserve a space at a workshop.

Workshop 4: Engaging Universal Design Concepts to Increase Access and Inclusion
Monday, June 13
1:00pm-4:00pm
Central Library, Doty Room

Workshop 5: Communicating on Issues of Equity and Diversity
Thursday, August 25
1:00pm-4:00pm
Central Library, Doty Room

Experience Your Streets in a Whole New Way at Open Streets

The streets of Minneapolis will be active again this summer as the city plays host to eight Open Streets events starting in June. During an Open Streets event, families and neighbors can walk, bike, skate, have fun and shop in a safe, car-free environment on a significant length of a busy street for four to six hours while it is closed to automobile traffic.

This is the sixth year the City has cosponsored Open Streets. The event is designed to help promote walking, bicycling and mass transit for the well-being of people and our environment.
Learn More

Shop the Police Bicycle Auction

Shop this year’s police auction to find bicycles, jewelry and more. A list of items being auctioned with some photos will be posted to the Minnesota Auction Advantage website two to five days before the auction.

Schedule of 2016 police auctions

• June 9: Bicycle auction.
• Aug. 4: Bicycle auction.
• Sept. 29: Bicycle auction.
• Oct. 6: General auction.

Learn More

Bike Cops for Kids gets Some New Wheels

The Police Department’s Bike Cops for Kids program expanded its tactics for connecting with children in the community by using another kind of wheels: a renovated food truck with a freezer full of ice cream sandwiches inside and a basketball hoop and flat-screen TV attached outside.

The truck was designed to look as child-friendly as possible, painted with bright colors including a silly face on the front. Brackets outside the truck allow the officers to prop up a child’s bike and fix a chain or loose seat. The officers stock the inside with giveaways: free helmets, water bottles and the occasional free bicycle.

Police officers Mike Kirchen and Dave O’Connor, co-creators of the Bike Cops for Kids program, debuted the new donated truck last week at Lucy Craft Laney Community School. Expect to see them rolling around town in their new ride this year, meeting kids and building better relations between police officers and children.

You can follow Officers Kirchen and O’Connor and their community policing work this summer. Like the Bike Cops for Kids page on Facebook.

By the Numbers:

Since 2009, the Bike Cops for Kids program has given away:

• 53 new bikes.
• 900 bike helmets.
• 3,000 Minneapolis Police Department water bottles.

Learn More

Get Your Free Bike Helmet!

Nice Ride employees will be in the City Hall Rotunda from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, June 16, to fit all Nice Ride members with free helmets. To get their free helmets, members just show their Nice Ride keys or printouts of their Nice Ride registrations.