| Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to be a part of a panel entitled “Downtown Dialogues: Council Members Conversations," with my other downtown colleagues CM Osman, CM Rainville and CM Warren. We had a great discussion around various questions, mostly related to the future of downtown, and I thought some of those questions and responses might be of broader interest:
What do you envision Nicollet Mall to look like 5 to 10 years from now?
I am optimistic the Nicollet Mall of the future will be a thriving, bustling destination. We already have great building blocks of music venues, churches, retail, increased services for families at St. David’s, and have seen a vision of activation through events like Dinner Du Nord. The question is what is that destination? One opportunity is a top-tier green space…carefully manicured gardens where downtown residents could gather several times a week to relax outside bringing a ribbon of green right down the center of our city. Could there be a playground in the mix? Maybe an outdoor skating ribbon? I support considering the idea of pedestrianizing Nicollet Mall.
What is your view on the future of Target Center and future NBA/WNBA arena location?
I think it’s crucial to see the Timberwolves/Lynx stay downtown. Whether that means a remodel or rebuild on the current site, taking over the City Center, the Farmers’ Market, or some other space, their presence is vital to our downtown economy, and could be a huge driver for future growth.
If basketball does leave the Target Center, we have to be creative, intentional, and bold about what to do with that space moving forward. It’s a substantial amount of downtown real estate – it’s provided a major economic boost to the downtown core for nearly 40 years, and anything that follows needs to maintain (and hopefully even improve) the catalyst it has provided to downtown vitality.
What are you hearing from residents about public safety in your specific wards?
Crime is down in many areas of our city, and I am grateful for the hard work of city staff, MPD and others in this success. However, residents are still extremely frustrated with the open and blatant drug use and drug sales that are plaguing the livability of our streets and the viability of our businesses, especially in Uptown, Loring Park and parts of Downtown. When the rights of individuals infringe upon the rights of a community to function and businesses to thrive, we need boundaries.
What are the challenges and opportunities of more people living downtown?
The opportunities of having more people living downtown include an increased tax base, more activation of our streets, and the potential demand for more office to residential conversions. The challenge is to keep people downtown long-term. What goods and services do we need to add to our streets for residents to be able to do everything downtown? How can we open some great schools downtown to serve young people as they begin to have families? Lastly, how are we facilitating residential community block by block? If you have a strong, supportive relationship with neighbors, that is part of having a long-term home.
Along with this downtown discussion, I was able to connect with eight neighborhood community meetings in the last ten days, including Downtown Minneapolis, Kenwood, Stevens Square, Lowry Hill, West Maka Ska, East Isles, Cedar-Isles-Dean, and Bryn Mawr. The service and commitment of local neighborhood groups to the betterment of their communities is inspiring and, in my opinion, one of the key building blocks of a healthy, connected city. We talked about Uptown, Penn Ave construction, tax valuations coming for homeowners this weekend, various council votes, neighborhood safety concerns and the potential for more rental assistance. If you haven’t been to a local neighborhood meeting in a while, I would encourage you to check it out and connect with neighbors. If you are uncertain where and when your neighborhood meets, please reach out to the Ward 7 office and we can direct you.
 I’m looking forward to hosting our second Ward 7 Community Conversations event this Sunday, but – like you – we’re also watching the weather. Weather permitting, we’ll be gathering from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, with a focus on renter’s rights and tenant protection. We’ll hear from city enforcement staff, the president of a local tenant’s union, and a Legal Aid attorney with expertise in tenant’s rights and eviction prevention.
As of now, watches and warnings are up, but the exact storm track is uncertain. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we’ll send out a notice of postponement no later than 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, and then reschedule for another date. I’m hoping that won’t be necessary, and am hoping to see you there – the event is free and open to the public!
The big news in City Hall this week is that Mayor Frey vetoed last week’s council resolution to temporarily extend the pre-eviction notice period from 30 to 60 days, and paired that veto with a proposal to add an additional $1 million in direct rental assistance through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
In explaining his decision, the mayor pointed to something we heard repeatedly during council deliberations — trusted nonprofits on the front lines of the housing crisis told us that more time isn't what their clients need. It's emergency money, deployed fast.
"We know that more time only creates more debt for our residents – the only solution to the crisis we are in is direct and rapid-response emergency rental assistance." — Jamie Verbrugge, President & CEO, Catholic Charities Twin Cities
"Our experience has shown that early intervention — not delayed timelines — is what truly prevents renter displacement. Extending the eviction notice period alone would cause delays that often leave families further behind on rent, limit the financial tools available to help them, and make eviction more difficult to prevent." — Karla Henderson, President & CEO, Project for Pride in Living
"Our mission is to house, support, and empower people impacted by homelessness in our community…policies that serve to defer or delay rent payments create long-term unintended consequences. As we work with families and individuals who are attempting to get into rental housing, one barrier we encounter is past due rent balances from the last eviction moratorium in Minnesota." — Steve Horsfield, Executive Director, Simpson Housing Services
These same concerns were raised repeatedly: extended timelines don't prevent displacement, they delay it — and for many households, extra time in the notice period can actually disqualify them from assistance programs that only trigger after a resident has received a pre-eviction notice.
The data the mayor cited also paints a more nuanced picture than the headlines might suggest. Eviction filings in Minneapolis through early March are down 5.5% compared to the same period last year. Emergency rental assistance inquiries and applications are running lower than the final months of 2025. Rent collection across more than 46,000 tracked units has held steady at around 91.5% throughout the first quarter. None of this means Operation Metro Surge hasn't caused real harm — it has — but it does suggest that neighbors, organizations, and local government working together have helped blunt the worst outcomes so far. This is a testimony to the collective support we have shown one another to weather this storm.
The mayor is now asking the council to approve an additional $1 million in emergency rental assistance, to be matched dollar-for-dollar by a private foundation. That proposal requires a simple majority and will come before the council in the last week of March, at the same time as an anticipated pre-eviction notice override vote will occur.
We are grateful to everyone who has weighed in on this issue. These are genuinely hard decisions, made harder by the urgency of the moment. But what comes through clearly across every perspective is a shared commitment to the same goal: keeping people housed in the short and long-term.
 Hennepin County will be starting its long-planned reconstruction of Franklin Avenue this Monday, March 16th. Work is anticipated to continue until November, and it will require closing Franklin to through traffic from Lyndale to Lasalle/Blaisdell, and from 1st Ave. to Chicago for the entirety of the project (although please note that one lane of eastbound traffic will remain open for local access). The detour route will typically involve taking Lyndale to 26th/28th to Chicago, or vice versa, per the graphic above. For the most timely updates, please visit the project home page.
On that website, the County describes the current issues and benefits of the new work: “Franklin Avenue, between Lyndale and Chicago avenues, has two lanes of traffic in each direction, aging infrastructure, off-peak parking in various locations, and no designated bikeways. When this project is complete, Franklin Avenue will have:
- A three-lane design with center turn lanes and medians at key locations to calm traffic and reduce vehicle speeds;
- New paths for people who walk, bike, and roll;
- Safer travel for everyone, including improved crossings for people who walk, bike, and roll;
- Improved traffic flow for transit riders and drivers; and, Improved lighting and green spaces.”
 This year’s property valuation notices will be going into the mail today or Saturday, and should be reaching the mailboxes of property owners early next week. Property taxes account for roughly 30 to 40% of city revenue, and – while not beloved by anyone – those funds are crucial to providing basic city services.
While staff in the City Assessor’s office works hard year-round to arrive at accurate valuations, property owners don’t always agree with the assessment number and they do have appeal rights. Earlier this week I attended an information session run by the City Assessor, and she outlined those rights, which can be found on her city website.
Remember that property valuations can be informally appealed by directly reaching out to your assessor, whose contact information is found on the back of the notice. The most crucial point is that any agreements reached informally must be finalized by April 3rd, otherwise they must be formally appealed to the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization (also detailed in the link).
Many residents and businesses are experiencing financial hardship during this difficult time. While the City cannot forgive unpaid utility bill balances, we have flexible payment plans that may help if you’re having trouble affording your bill for City water, sewer, stormwater and solid waste.
You can call Utility Billing at 612-673-1114 to discuss which option may be best for you. Call center hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Please have your account information ready.
Radon is an invisible, odorless gas that causes lung cancer. It comes from the dirt surrounding a home’s foundation. Radon gas enters the home through small cracks or holes in the basement floor. Some other important things to know about radon are:
- Every home should be tested. Two in five Minnesota homes test high for radon.
- The only way to know how much radon is in your home is to do an at-home radon test.
- Winter is the best time to test your home for radon.
- Exposure to radon serves as the second leading cause of lung cancer and the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).
Video: Learn how a Minneapolis resident kept his family safe and healthy after his home tested high for radon levels.
Order a free radon test kit today (while supplies last).
Postage and testing instructions are included. Minneapolis residents who don’t have email or internet access can call 311 to request one.
Visit us at: minneapolismn.gov/ward7
Email: elizabeth.shaffer@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2207
City Hall
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Minneapolis, MN 55415
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