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Dear neighbor,
This morning, my office received an influx of constituent correspondence regarding demolition occurring at the Smith Foundry. The health and safety of Ward 9 residents has always been my top priority, so I understand and share the well-founded concerns raised by residents. With this update, I want to share with you what I've learned and what is next.
Today I learned that since January 15, 2025, contractors working on the property have been granted three permits by the City of Minneapolis:
- The company conducting the demolition, a heavy civil contractor, applied for a wrecking permit in December 2024 and the permit was approved on February 20, 2025 at a cost of $1,816.50.
- Under the permit, which was issued pursuant to the Minnesota State Building Code, the work is to be completed in stages. First, the building will be removed and then testing and removal of footings and foundation is to be completed. Finally, the hole must be filled and the site must be graded and seeded for this permit to pass inspection and be completed.
- The project manager from the demolition contractor sent on December 10, 2024 a letter to “adjacent neighbors” stating that, around the end of December, they will be working on the demolition of the Smith Foundry building. My office is not sure how far and wide this letter was sent, though we have seen a dated copy of it so we know that at least some residents did receive it.
- According to City staff, the wrecking process is utilizing proper dust control.
- According to City staff, there is still ongoing air monitoring at the site and that can be tracked here.
- According to City staff, all potential environmental hazards were identified on the site per legal requirements and all asbestos-containing materials and regulated waste items were removed prior to demolition.
- City Staff is looking into what notifications the contractor provided before the demolition.
- Several City staff from CPED, Health, and Public Works visited the site today. According to information that they provided to my office, the contractor has two 8,000-gallon water trucks on site to prevent dust from demolition.
- Staff will coordinate with Construction Code Services to ensure we have staff monitoring the site regularly
- The current schedule shows them being done around March 21, 2025 for the above-grade structure portion of demolition. After March 21, 2025, they plan for the sub-slab testing, followed by slab and footing removal.
- The City will request that it be notified when further work is being done and share that with the office of Ward 9 and trusted neighborhood organizations.
- The company conducting the demolition was issued an erosion control permit on February 20, 2025 at a cost of $258.10.
- Xcel Energy was issued a utility permit on January 15, 2025 to remove cable under 28th St. E. and to remove the transformer on the south side of 28th St. E.
Since being informed this morning that the demolition had begun, I have been in constant communication with a number of City staff, who have been responsive. In addition to sharing with staff the questions and concerns that I’ve been hearing from Ward 9 residents, I have also been in discussion with my colleagues to come up with potential actions we can take so that when something like this happens again in the future neighbors are not taken by surprise.
While my office was aware about future intentions, I was never communicated with details on the process, specific dates, and any neighborhood engagement. At a bare minimum, on an issue as important and high-profile as this, I believe strongly that there could have been more forthcoming with the permitting process and community meetings to inform neighbors on what to expect in the demolition process, including a specific timeline.
As mentioned above, I am already talking with my colleagues about what we can do moving forward to prevent something like this taking so many of us by surprise. While City staff have told me that the contractor has acted properly and in accordance with the relevant laws, I still find the nature by which this process happened to be unacceptable.
My office will continue to bring your concerns and questions to City staff (who have been extremely responsive) and the contractors, so please stay in touch. I’m considering hosting a community meeting or office hours on this issue to take community feedback.
Jason Chavez |
