Doran Companies will be bringing a new 228-unit housing development to Uptown. Through the Inclusionary Zoning Tax Increment Financing Plan (2025-00919), 20% of the units in this 228-unit property will be affordable housing at 50% AMI. That means Uptown will be getting 10 studios, 31 one-bedroom units, 3 two-bedroom units, and 2 three-bedroom units all at affordable rates. This is a great way to meet our City goals of expanding affordable housing options AND bringing new residents to Uptown. 

Additionally, as a City supported project, our Department of Civil Rights and Community Planning and Economic Development department will be overseeing contract work to ensure fair labor practices throughout this project. This is great news for Uptown that will support housing density, support the retail environment on this block and bring good paying jobs to our partners in the building trades. 

While I did not support this policy, City Council passed a new ordinance (2024-00154) which requires property owners to give advance notice to the City of a proposed sale of commercial property within an established Cultural District, as well as certain properties near University Ave. SE & and Washington Ave. N near the Mississippi River. Commercial property owners will be required to give notice to the City 60 days prior to the commercial property being made available for sale. Non-compliance results in a fine of $250.

I voted no because I have some concerns about what this ordinance would do to the investment climate in our City. We don’t have evidence about what happens when you put a policy like this in place. The extra administrative requirements and uncertainty it creates might reduce property values in the area and keep them lower over time, hurting existing owner-occupied buildings and nearby homeowners, and limiting opportunities for future BIPOC wealth-building. It may also create uncertainty about what this policy really means and where it will apply in the future, potentially reducing investment across the City at a time when we need it. That is why I did not vote in favor of this ordinance. Another way to help tenants purchase their buildings and build wealth in the cultural districts is through keeping the Ownership and Opportunity Fund. I will be working to make sure the OOF program remains funded during our budget process. 

This week, I authored the ordinance to renew the Downtown Business Improvement Special Service District contract for another 5 years (2025-00834) and a resolution to authorize their 2026 Budget and Operating Plan (2025-00831). This partnership with the Downtown Improvement District keeps our Downtown clean, safe, and inviting! I want to give a shout out to DID Chief of Staff Ben Shardlow for meeting with me on a monthly basis to collaborate on emerging issues. I also want to show my appreciation for Shane Zahn, the safety lead who is incredibly responsive to getting DID ambassadors and outreach teams to areas that need service, and Lisa Middag, who leads the economic development portfolio to support small business planning downtown.  

In terms of our work in 2026, I will be looking to collaborate with DID to: 

1. Incentivize building owners to keep their skyways open later. 
2. Design a better solution to access the Nimbus statue outside the Downtown library. 
3. Fund and operate more public bathrooms Downtown.
4. Expand DID services into Loring Park. This will involve a lot of community engagement with neighbors. 

I’m looking forward to the next initiatives that come from the City and DID’s partnership. 

Upcoming Public Hearings: Public hearings are officially confirmed when meeting agendas are published in the roughly 48 business hours prior to a scheduled meeting, so I recommend checking back on the respective links to verify the timeline. Find out more about participating in scheduled hearings and submitting a public comment or watch meetings on the City’s YouTube channel. 

As we shared in our last newsletter, the City has found a way to bring a new playground to the Loring Greenway, at no cost to the taxpayers. I am excited to share the renderings for the new playground our neighborhood will be receiving this fall. This playground comes from KOMPAN, a company with a long history of bringing quality playgrounds to kids around the world. 

We know the sudden removal of the Loring Greenway playground last fall had a significant impact on families in the area, and we are so glad that all our hard work advocating for a new one has paid off. I want to thank the staff at Public Works who helped make this happen; Director of Public Works, Tim Sexton; and Special Service Districts staff David Bauer and Afeez Ibrahim. This was no easy task, but I am glad we are bringing this playground to life. The children and families of Loring Park deserve it. 

Are you passionate about housing? Do you wish you could lead on historic preservation policy? Are you a bicycle enthusiast? Now is the time to share your expertise and make a difference in your community. 

Serving on a City board or commission is your chance to directly shape policies that affect daily life, like housing, transit and public safety. Your voice brings fresh perspective and drives transparency in City decisions.  

Most boards meet monthly, and it’s a great way to gain valuable skills, build relationships with community leaders, and grow your understanding of local government. Boards and commissions with openings are: 

• Charter Commission (5 seats) 

• Civil Rights Commission (10 seats) 

• Ethical Practices Board (1 seat) 

• Heritage Preservation Commission (3 seats) 

• Local Board of Appeal and Equalization (3 seats) 

• Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (4 seats) 

• Northside Green Zone Task Force (5 seats) – For wards 1, 3, 4, & 5 

• Planning Commission (3 seats) 

• Southside Green Zone Council (4 seats) – For wards 2, 6, & 9 

• Workplace Advisory Board (15 seats) 

• Zoning Board of Adjustment (4 seats) 

You can find a full details of all the board and commission openings on the City website. 

Summer may be over, but our incredible neighborhood organizations are still hosting fun events until the snow falls. Here are some upcoming events: 

• Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association will be hosting their Neighborhood Clean-Up Day on Saturday, September 27 from 9:00 a.m. to noon (with a rain date of Sunday, September 28). 
• Cedar Isles Dean Neighborhood Association will be hosting their Fall Festival on Saturday, October 4th.  
• Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association will be visiting 15 small businesses in the neighborhood for their Sip and Stroll event on Thursday, October 9th. 

Back in April, Minneapolis was one of two cities in the country to win the 2025 Vision Zero for Youth U.S. Leadership Award. The award committee recognized the collaborative work of the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) on Vision Zero traffic safety and Safe Routes to School, with specific mention of our citywide 20 miles per hour speed limit and our universal bike safety education. 

I want to give a huge congrats to the Vision Zero team at the City of Minneapolis on this award. I think this is a huge piece of recognition in our work to make this a City for everybody. From Kenwood Elementary and Anwatin Middle School in the more residential areas of the City, to Emerson Dual Language and Fair School in our Downtown corridors, we have a lot of students in Ward 7 who bike, bus, and walk to school every day. One of the number one things I have heard from constituents in my nearly two years in office is the need for traffic calming in our City. Parents and kids alike want better sidewalks, improved traffic signals, and road designs that slow cars down. While there is still so much work to do, this award is proof of how much progress our City has made in keeping schools safe.  

Right now, our City is hurting. Places that are supposed to be the safest are feeling more vulnerable than ever. Being able to celebrate a major accomplishment in the safety of our youth is a ray of hope in a hard time. I am so grateful to be a part of this celebratory occasion. 

The City of Minneapolis Health Department Asthma Program is conducting a Gas Stove Swap Out Pilot for 2025-2026 for families enrolled in the program to address the environmental risks associated with gas stoves. 

Enrollees in the asthma program already enjoy a free in-home asthma assessment conducted by a trained professional in Asthma and Housing Inspections to find common asthma triggers and educate families on ways to reduce and remove those triggers. 

After the home visit, enrollees are also given durable medical equipment such as: 

• Air purifiers
• Vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters 
• Allergen-proof mattress and pillowcase protectors 

As part of the pilot project, families enrolled in the program are now eligible to have a licensed mechanical and electrical contractor swap out their gas stove for an electric induction-type cooktop. 

Benefits of electric induction cooktops: 

• Healthier indoor air  
• Burning gas during cooking creates pollutants like nitrogen dioxide that aggravate respiratory illnesses like asthma. 
• Safer and more energy efficient  
• They heat up very quickly when turned on and cool down just as fast when turned off. 

The stove swap pilot demonstrates the positive impact energy improvements will have on resident health and highlights the opportunity for program overlap. To qualify for and for questions about this free program, contact Asthma Coordinator Vu Tran at 612-449-0778. 

• Celebrated Transit to Work Day by speaking at the Downtown celebration.
• Attended Open Streets Hennepin Avenue.
• Spoke at the Safe Routes to School Vision Zero Award Celebration at Whittier Elementary School.
• Met with 5th & Hennepin business owners
• Ate a team lunch at Sushi Takatsu in the skyway. Our office suggests the curry bowls. 

To find out about what’s going on in your part of town, check out the nine neighborhood organizations working to keep folks connected and engaged in Ward 7: