Seeing Red
I discovered last weekend that the right lane running the length of the Sculpture Garden up to the bus stop on Douglas Avenue and Hennepin Avenue South had been painted red and delegated for buses only. Today, at 2:30pm, I was on 94 headed east and the traffic was backed up to Broadway due to that lane closure.
My route home from work culminates with getting on 394 from Penn and exiting Dunwoody. Recently, the traffic has backed up the exit due to the closure of the right lane. This prohibits traffic from moving through the traffic light and allowing those of us who want to turn right to drive by Parade Stadium to get to Lowry Hill.
Who makes this decision?!! Not only does this cost the taxpayer unnecessary money, but it serves NO ONE. With declining businesses in downtown Minneapolis, as well as the destruction of Uptown businesses and viability, this is incredible!!! I have lived in Lowry Hill for the last 38 years.
For two years in the mid-80s, I lived in NYC and incessantly bragged about how Minnesota was a leading progressive state — politically, environmentally and socially.
Sadly, the list of complaints I currently have for the city of Minneapolis has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, but the most recent infraction takes the cake.
The decisions made by local governmental agencies is costing us economically and in quality of life. I’m ashamed.
Jody Lichtor | Lowry Hill
Baylor Boutique Boondoggle
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposed condominium project at Douglas Avenue and Fremont Avenue South as reported by Marty Carlson in the September issue.
While I understand the need for new housing developments in our community, I believe that the industrial design of this project is not in harmony with the historical and architectural character of our neighborhood.
Our community is characterized by its rich heritage, featuring turn-of-the-century homes, charming brownstonesand a wealth of gardens and mature trees that create a warm and inviting atmosphere. The existing streetscapes, with their traditional façades and architectural details, contribute significantly to the unique identity of our area.
The proposed design, with its stark industrial features, including its scale, its solid garage wall that extends the length of the block, and its metal balconies and staircases, stands in stark contrast to all the surrounding architecture. This design is more appropriate for the warehouse district.
We do not want or need a 14-car parking garage along our historically residential Douglas Avenue. The two existing triplexes built in 1910 have curb appeal and frankly, in my mind, historical significance.
Replacing these landmark street-facing façades with a 12-foot-high concrete or brick parking garage wall is out of the question. At the very minimum, the parking must go underground and the eye level view of the property must look and feel compatible with its current neighbors.
If this proposed project is approved, it would set a precedent allowing buildings to be built on top of street-level parking garages all over Lowry Hill. We can’t let this happen.
Mark Tierney | Lowry Hill
Preserve Lowry Hill’s Historic Character: Oppose Oversized Development
As immediate and nearby neighbors of the proposed Baylor Boutique development at 1302 Douglas Ave and 1716 Fremont Ave S in Lowry Hill, I am writing on behalf of area neighbors to express our concerns about the proposed project reported in the September issue of the Hill & Lake Press.
We are not opposed to new construction and welcome change, as long as it respects the historic scale and character of the Lowry Hill neighborhood. The problem with this proposal is that it is too large and contemporary, out of context with its location in the heart of our historic area. Minneapolis 2040, the city’s comprehensive plan, was designed to allow for reasonable upzoning, yet proponents of the plan emphasized that variances would rarely be granted and only in extreme circumstances. The existing zoning should be sufficient, and there is no hardship justifying these variances.
The proposed development seeks variances for lot coverage, floor area ratio (FAR), height, street frontage, and impervious surface area — none of which are necessary to create an appropriately scaled building for our neighborhood. This project would better fit areas zoned for greater density, such as UN3/Interior 3, not our UN2/Interior 2 classification, which was intended for "small to moderate-scale residential uses."
Allowing these variances would set a dangerous precedent for future developments, undermining zoning protections for our neighborhood’s unique character. We urge the city to respect the original intent of the 2040 Plan and consider the impact this oversized development would have on our community.
Please reject the variances and encourage a project more in line with the neighborhood’s historic context.
Howard Rubin | Lowry Hill
Let Me Finish!
It was very interesting at the meeting at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, scheduled by our City Council Member, Katie Cashman. We were told upon arrival that she would not be able to take any questions because she had another meeting scheduled someplace else. How convenient. And irresponsible! After her exit, she was followed by a gentleman talking about the mess of Hennepin Avenue, and then by a Minneapolis police officer.
After the police officer was finished, I raised my hand to speak. Not to ask a question, but to make a suggestion. I suggested that all the City Council members and the mayor spend one entire weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights) doing the following:
- riding in a police squad car and in an ambulance,
- observing the Hennepin County Medical Center's Trauma Center, and
- riding the bus and train from downtown Minneapolis and back.
This would ensure that when they are voting concerning the above items, they would have first-hand knowledge of what they’re voting about.
I live at Colfax Avenue, on the corner of Douglas Avenue, and overlooking Lowry Park. In the two-block area from Hennepin to the corner of Douglas, there have been five serious crimes in the past six months, including an 80-year-old man who was robbed after being pistol-whipped (resulting in seventeen stitches to his head and a broken eardrum). Tom, the antique dealer on the corner of Hennepin, was robbed; three cars were stolen; garden plants and planters were stolen and destroyed. And, finally, the former doctor across the street had his house broken into twice and was assaulted by someone from the park until his wife showed up with a baseball bat. They ended up selling their house less than two years after buying it because of the crime in the neighborhood.
After I asked my question of the police officer, I received an ovation of applause from the people present at the meeting. On the way out, the police officer asked if she could give me a big hug. Some of the people in the hallway said that they overheard Council Member Cashman remark that she did not care about the constituents in Lowry Hill as much as she did the housing problem in the city.
When I was speaking, the young man with the microphone kept trying to take it away from me until a woman, swatting him on the backside, said, "Let him finish!"
Patrick B. Porter | Lowry Hill
