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MINUTES of the MHNA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING April 15, 2003 University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN

1. Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM by President Chris Wilson. He announced some changes in the printed agenda: Third Ward Council Member Don Samuels was present and wished to address the group; NRP news was added to the end of the agenda; and the Schafer Richardson riverfront development proposal that was to be heard at the board meeting was carried over to the general membership meeting. A motion (Brian Biele) to approve of the amended agenda was passed unanimously.
2. Board member Ardes Johnson passed an article about the historic mills here, published in the latest Hennepin County History Journal and written by MHNA member Bill Huntzicker.
3. Council Member Don Samuels introduced himself by saying, “Any friend of Paul Zerby’s is a friend of mine”. He explained that our neighborhood would join others in Northeast to become a new third ward in a couple of years, unless rep. Kahn is successful in her effort to spring forward the elections to next year. “Sooner or later, we’ll be friends”, he said. Mr. Samuels went on to say that he has entered a new way of life in this position, and he looks forward to our educating him. He complimented us on our high level of neighborhood participation and said that we have an opportunity to show how diverse peoples can come together to make the neighborhood and the city better places. He also informed us that he is hiring a new aide and urged anyone interested to apply for this good job that could be shared. Chris Wilson is assisting in the interviewing for the position.
4. Chris Wilson informed us that a large residential development has been proposed for our riverfront, from 3rd Ave SE to 6th Ave SE, encompassing most of the buildings from the A-Mill to 6th Ave SE, Main St to Second Ave SE. It does not include the Soap Factory, Minneapolis Equipment or WD Forbes buildings. The developer is Schafer Richardson and the architect is The Cunningham Group, in St. Anthony Main. The developer and architect met first with our Zoning and Planning committee and then held an informal gathering at their offices for those neighbors who will be directly affected by the project. All along, they have been collecting feedback and tonight their presentation was not in its final form. They will again seek input before coming back next month with a solid plan and design.A presentation by Noah Bly, of Cuningham and also a Marcy-Holmes resident, followed. He spoke about getting direction from some goals in the Marcy-Holmes Master Plan:
   • Place high density at the edges of the neighborhood
   • Preserve the single family core
   • Open more of the river for public use
   • Developments should be sensitive to historic preservation
   • Owner occupancy should be a priority
   • Conversion of industrial properties to residential encouraged after industries vacate
   • Relaxed height limits at the periphery of neighborhood only

   Noah talked about how the Cuningham plan supports the vision of the MHNA Master Plan, They intend to transform an industrial area to residential, with some possible retail. They expect to have 90% of the project owner occupied. It is possible the A-Mill itself will become offices or a hotel, still unsure. The condos in the project will be upper bracket, for-sale housing. They plan to save as many buildings on this site as possible, although only the A-Mill is listed for official preservation. They wish to bring the neighborhood to the river, not block the river from the neighborhood. They will be returning 5th Ave to a through street (currently vacated). They will add a pedestrian connection that roughly follows where 4th Ave SE would go to the river.

   The streetscape on 2nd St is not very pleasant at this time, The concrete silos go right to the sidewalk. It’s dark, uninhabited and uninviting (scary) at night. The streetscape on Main Street has potential, but really drops off after 3rd Ave SE. What is needed are pedestrians and a more human scale. Bringing people to the area will help it come alive.

   Noah then showed some concept illustrations, noting that the new buildings drawn in were for scale only, and have not yet been designed. Most of the older buildings will be saved – the A-Mill, the red tile building, the yellow brick machine shop on 2nd St & 3rd Ave. They will be razing the white grain elevators and the sheds. This will create an opening where 4th Ave would have gone through. The taller infill buildings would be built facing Main Street, but where you walk the buildings would be of a lower scale, with townhouses that have individual entrances. The taller buildings would be set back from the townhouses. The heights proposed fro them are: 15, 35, 30, 25 stories. He noted that taller buildings permit views, as opposed to a “street wall” that blocks views. The walk way through the property will be accessible by the public, but it won’t be so public as to permit activities like soccer games there.

   All resident and guest parking will be hidden from view – mostly underground. There will probably be a range of housing types offered, from town houses to rental loft style apartments. They will be providing 1.4 parking stalls per unit. They are also looking into having it become a flex-car site. They are aware of traffic concerns and have hired a traffic engineer. They know this is a significant project for us and they want to engage us in the process.

   Questions followed. How tall are other buildings on the river? LaRive is 32 stories, Pinnacle is 30, Winslow House is 12. The A-Mill is equivalent to an 18 story structure if you include the height of the sign. (The sign would be preserved.) As you move along Main St to 6th , the buildings get taller with the tallest one at the corner of 6th & Main. Tom Lincoln asked about the number of units in the project. 1400. The time frame? 7 – 10 years. The new buildings would be done first, the historic rehab last. With 1400 units they would expect a population of 3200. They plan to do some shadow studies and will share them with us when completed. There was some concern about the amount of traffic on the cobblestone street. Ardes Johnson asked if public transportation would be studied for the project. They would love to see more public transit nearby. Regis Gaudet asked about views being blocked from the neighborhood side. The developers are studying that now. Heather Beale asked if they are doing any models, and they are. A question was asked about how this plan would fit into the city’s affordable housing initiative. It wouldn’t. Since there is no public subsidy, there is no requirement to provide 20% as affordable units. Chris Wilson asked about the price of the units – not yet known. The developer will fund all infrastructure improvements. They expect 90% of the units will be owner-occupied.

   Ted Tucker complimented the developer/architect on their use of the MHNA Master Plan. He was particularly pleased to see 5th Ave SE returned to the street grid; to see a zigzag pedestrian walkway where 4th Ave SE would have been; the fact that the higher density is located at the edge of the neighborhood. But he was not thinking that this level of density would occur here. He thought the Master Plan was calling for 35′ height, not 35 stories.

   The developer/architect will return to the May meeting with more specific plans, incorporating our comments tonight wherever possible. Developer Kit Richardson’s office (Schafer Richardson Co.) is in the former Bank’s building, if people wish to contact him, and he left some cards on the table.

5. The minutes of the March meeting were approved (Arvonne Fraser motion).
6. Council member Paul Zerby addressed the group. He called Council Member Don Samuels a true community leader and a great asset to the city council. Addressing the recent hockey riots, he thought the police showed restraint in the face of a very difficult situation. Public Works was out there at 3:30 am. The U tried to do a lot of preliminary work to prevent it and Kathy O’Brien and Regent Maureen Reed were on the scene. Despite all of this, the results were bad. Council Member Zerby would like to see the U administration step up and acknowledge their responsibility of student conduct off campus. He would like students who did not riot to stand up for themselves and adopt a zero tolerance policy for these events. A number of meetings are scheduled to address the riot.The Mpls Library System was discussed. The Ways & Means committee is voting Friday to approve funds for excavation of the new central library. Paul likes the Cesar Pelli design, and he thinks we need a central library in the city. The voter referendum included improving neighborhood branches. Legally, the city cannot use the library referendum money for anything else. But the library faces a $25 million deficit projected by 2010. How do you put together a budget that’s sustainable and continue to operate all the branches? 673-2202 is Council Member Zerby’s office number.MHNA Board Member Brian Biele is now on the CLCC committee, which helps determine capital improvement projects for the city.
7. U of MN’s Jan Morlock addressed the group, saying it was a dark and damaging weekend for the university. The U police have photos on the website and are asking help in identifying perpetrators. You can link to it on the MHNA website. According to the U of MN police, 11 were arrested Saturday night. Jan stressed that many students are outraged and they know how the riot impacts the U’s reputation. She then introduced Eric Dyer, president of the MSA.Mr. Dyer noted the number of MN Daily editorials chastising the behavior. He said it was a small group whose sole purpose that night was to cause trouble. But he fears some students are trying to make this a tradition. He said that in issues forums on campus, many students have said they too are fed up with noise and trash generated at weekend parties and they would like to work on breaking this behavior. He once lived in Marcy-Holmes, but now resides in Stadium Village. The problem is there as well – in fact it’s a national problem at campus neighborhoods. MSA would like to have a bigger presence in our organization.Vic Thorstensen asked if the 21 yr old drinking age limit might be contributing to the problems. Drinking has been driven underground, and now rental properties have become speakeasies. Joe Stokes thanked Mr. Dyer for coming. Joe said that responsible behavior of students is an issue many here deal with every weekend and we can join them in their efforts to promote civility. Mr. Dyer said that he has 75 students in student government who are willing to work with us on this.
8. Ardes Johnson mentioned that next Tuesday there is a student-sponsored neighborhood clean up east of 35W. This is their second year of the Spring Jam Clean-Up.
9. New Housing Inspector Steve Weckman was present and announced that he is finally making progress after his post was vacant for the last 7-8 months. He is working on citations for garbage and debris here. He also covers some NE neighborhoods. If we have specific complaints, call the Inspections Dept at 673-5858. That logs the address into the system, and it is addressed within 3 days. A question was asked about the proliferation of basement egress windows in the neighborhood, for presumably basement dwelling units. He has checked on some addresses and discovered no building permits were taken out, and they have followed up. Even if a building permit is obtained, the owner may not have received authorization for a basement unit. To rectify this, a new information form is being created. If an illegal unit is discovered, it becomes a licensing issue. The owner will have to revert back to the original usage, or have to shut down. It would help him if we had a list of addresses with newer egress windows. Several members volunteered to conduct a survey and contact him with addresses. Steve’s email address is: steve.weckman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
10. Materials were passed out concerning an ordinance proposed for St Paul that would limit the number of student dwellings to allow 1 duplex or house every 350′ in neighborhoods surrounding campuses. Council Person Jay Benanav would be willing to speak to us about the concept. Chris Wilson asked people to read the information and discuss at the next meeting.
11. Sign up sheets for the MHNA Community garden were passed out. River Clean Up (May 17) posters were made available for people to post.
12. NRP Coordinator Elsisa Cottle announced a meeting Thursday evening at 6:30, Dunn Bros, to discuss possible projects for the MWMO stormwater management grant application. A landscape architecture group is facilitating our application. Rain gardens and rain barrels will be discussed. Elissa also called our attention to the cancellation of the May 4/ 6th Ave Gateway Sculpture dedication. The ceremony will be postponed until after all the sculptures are in place. She then reminded us of the April 30 Master Plan unveiling/open house at Univ. Lutheran Church of Hope. How to spend the last $500,000 in NRP funds will be discussed at an upcoming NRP Implementation Committee meeting. Forms were available this evening or people can contact Elissa at 379-3812.
13. Paul Zerby will be having coffee at Dunn Bros on Saturday from 9 – 10 am if constituents wish to have a conversation.

Meeting adjourned at 9 PM Melissa Bean, MHNA Staff

NEWS of the MHNA April 2003 Board Meeting

Two board members have resigned: Tara Beard, moving out of the neighborhood, and Sara James, unable to commit to Tuesday evenings. A motion (Ardes Johnson) to accept the resignations was passed. Many thanks to them both for serving.

Joe Stokes talked about the latest Noisy Party Task Force meeting. Hennepin County Judge Hopper talked to the group about restorative justice and restitution by offenders in the community. Joe felt this could be a way to bring the University into the picture; a more positive approach. The West Bank neighborhood is trying it out, but funding cuts may have an impact.

We also got a notice from SECIA that they are sending out the annual Noisy Party flyer and asking if we wanted to participate. Joe did not know the specifics, so a motion was made (Bob Distad) and passed to authorize Joe Stokes to spend up to $200 to augment the mailing of the flyer to the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood.

Chris Wilson updated us on a meeting that was held with Senator Larry Pogemiller and Rep. Phyllis Kahn about the livability issues / student off campus behavior. Both were receptive to the idea of forwarding some legislation and also setting up a meeting with President Bruininks and the three SE presidents. That meeting has been set up for May 1. The Hockey Riot following the Gopher win was discussed. Dinkytown was hit very hard, but so were parts of the neighborhood – a burning mattress in Marcy Park, a burning car on 6th St SE & 13th. Chris asked for input before the May 1 meeting. He will speak about the U adopting the St Thomas model; the need for the student code of conduct to extend into the neighborhoods; the U funding money for the neighborhood restorative justice concept; the fact that the riot behavior happens weekly, on a smaller scale, but emphasize the toll it is taking on the residents. Ardes will attend a student task force meeting on these issues.

The MHNA Zoning & Planning Committee met this month to review proposals. Chris summarized their meeting and reported to the board. Dr.Elmer Salovich, owner of the Gopher Motel, met with the group and informed them that the motel will be for “extended stay”. He noted that it would be similar to Wales House, with University-related guests. None would be under 18; no cash payments; picture id needed; behavioral standards to be posted at check-in. Paula Kamrath asked if we would be able to tour the motel before it opens, and Chris thought it would be possible.

The Coalition for Non Profit Student Housing is asking for support for changes in the zoning code related to fraternities and sororities. Currently they are only permitted to locate on a lot that previously contained one. This group is asking that to be changed to permit them on any residential lot that is zoned R-4, 5, 6 that is 1/2 mile from campus. Another change requested is an increase in the maximum number of residents, now at 32. They would like the occupancy to be based on the size of the building, number of units, same as any multi family building. The new Evans Scholars building was held up as an example – we OK’d a greater occupancy in exchange for increased parking and due to the higher quality building that replaced an inferior one. The Coalition is also seeking to change the required “transition area ” between adjacent buildings. They would omit that requirement if the adjacent building were of “like use”. The fourth change regards the frequency of inspections, once per year, which they felt was onerous.

The MHNA Zoning & Planning Committee recommended that the board does not oppose these requests. Other requests made by the coalition, such as larger footprints, taller buildings, the committee was not ready to allow, and felt individual cases could be determined by the variance process.

Bob Distad wanted to discuss this further. In the last 40- acre study (done in the 1980s) this was a hot issue; there was a lot of opposition from property owners who did not want a fraternity next door. In recent history, several fraternities and sororities have vacated their houses, gone out of business, not asked to build new ones in the neighborhood. This issue needs a bigger audience. Our approval would be a revision of the 40 acre study that so many worked so hard on. Tara Beard felt it was a “stretch” to put them in R4.or 5 because they function very differently than apartment buildings, especially regarding the many social events that take place in these buildings. It was suggested we need more information to form an opinion – a map of what 1/2 mile from the U would entail, whom it would affect. We also need the definition of an “educational facility” – would this affect other neighborhoods in the city, like around Augsberg? West Bank? MCAD? A motion was made (B. Distad) and passed unanimously to table this item pending further discussion.

Brian Biele asked about some of the other provisions- what about the number of occupants? Are there some fraternities looking to open chapters here? Steve Swanson felt it was more a case of survival for the existing ones; a money game. We need to know what their economics are and why this is needed. We also need to know how the city defines a fraternity or sorority.

The new owner of the former Supreme Marine building, at 514 East Hennepin presented plans for rehabbing the building into office/retail use. It is on the other side of Arone’s. He will be adding on to the building and adding new windows to the back- side. He is asking for a setback variance from the rear wooden fence – from 5′ to 2′. The fence is owned by the condo association behind it on 2nd Ave SE. A motion (Joe Stokes) was made and passed to send a letter to the condo association and support whatever they decide”.

The sale and development of the MGK site on 18th Ave SE & 5th St SE is under consideration from two different parties, the U of MN, and ReSolve Realty. ReSolve partner Barry Bosold met with our Z & P group about his plans, which call for the brick building to be saved and rehabbed for an office building. The U of MN would raze the building and use the site as part of their proposed Bierman precinct recreation park. The site is polluted. Resolve plans to cover and seal the pollution, not remove it. The Dinkytown Business Association wrote a letter that did not take sides, but instead, asked for an amicable solution between both sides. The U has moved to condemn the site vie eminent domain process. Tom Lincoln added that it would stay on the tax rolls if ReSolve acquired it. Kelly Carver liked the U’;s proposal because it adds green space for public use but can we assume the U would do a much higher level of clean – up? MN PCA told Mr. Bosold that capping it was sufficient, that the pollution hadn’t migrated to wells. To eliminate the pollution (some is creosote from a rail car spill) would require digging down to 18′ and hauling it away. Jan Morlock was present, but did not know the extent of the U’s pollution mitigation plans. A motion was made (Bob Distad) to table this item until further information is available.