MINUTES of the MHNA General Membership Meeting Tues Oct. 18, 2011
University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN
- Meeting called to order at 7:35 pm by Doug Carlson, president.
- The minutes form the June meeting were approved.
- Council member Diane Hofstede thanked all who assisted with the Third Ward Neighborhood Fest. A second part, a sustainability conference, is coming to us from a city in Sweden that has reclaimed its riverfront. A public meeting is being scheduled for Granary Road. Increased traffic and truck traffic was discussed, as were some staffing changes at CPED and upcoming budget decisions. CM Hofstede suggested we contact Steve Kotke about adding a bike lane to 8th St SE. People have been experiencing problems at some intersections – either with timing of stoplights or unusual striping and narrowing of lanes, such as at 10th Ave SE & University.
- Neighborhood Student Liaisons reported on the 15th Ave mural project. The painting area would be the walls on either side of the railroad bridge near 15th Ave SE & 8th St SE/Rollins Ave SE. Some artists and liaisons have been working with SE Como Neighborhood Association (SECIA) on the design and will be extending the design process over the winter. They now plan to stage design workshops in the neighborhoods and eventually layer resulting imagery to create a final design for the murals. They are working at getting more students involved. It was suggested they could also invite participation from Wilderness Inquiry, a nearby business.
- Board actions from tonight’s board meeting were announced:
– A motion to approve the recommendations for official committee membership on Land Use and Safety & Livability committees, as circulated previously, was unanimously approved. It was clarified that anyone can take part in committee meetings and discussions, but only appointed members can vote. A committee’s vote is then sent on to the MHNA Board for action.
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1409 5th St SE: Pete Degan appeared before the committee requesting support for a conditional use permit (CUP) for an attached 3-car garage with living space above the garage in the R5 zoning district. The board approved the conditional use permit and sideyard variance .
Dominium Development After several meetings and presentations with the developer, the MHNA board voted to support the Dominium plan for developing the Pillsbury A-Mill site as artists’ live-work affordable housing. At this time, we believe this is the best use of the site as a means of bringing additional diversity to the neighborhood and the riverfront area. Currently this development seems to be the best opportunity for preserving the historic A-Mill site, which is a tremendous asset to the neighborhood, the riverfront and the City of Minneapolis.
In addition the neighborhood supports the site plan contingent upon the developer continuing further efforts to reduce surface parking along the historic rail corridor and continuing to work with others interested in the riverfront to provide a rich and rewarding interpretive experience with this historic site.
The board approved a motion from the Land Use Committee to lower the interest rate of our CEE Loan Program to 2.5%, These loans are for properties of 1 – 4 units.
6. President Doug Carlson updated the group about conservation districts and how they can be helpful in cases where neighborhood character is impacted when the original building stock is removed due to lack of maintenance.
7. Board member Chris Meyer would like to re-start the Student Affairs committee (now called the Student Involvement committee). A meeting will be organized for those interested.
8. A motion to re-appoint MHNA’s reps to SEMCOL (SE Minneapolis Council on Learning) Don Fraser, Harriet Johnson, Laurice Jamieson, Kathleen Reilly, and Ardes Johnson, was approved with appreciation for their dedication.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm. Melissa Bean, Executive Director
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