Over 100 people gathered at the VFW on Lyndale Avenue on May 18 to discuss recent changes made to the plan for the reconstruction of Lyndale Avenue. Lyndale is a county road, and the process calls for collaboration between the city and county.
Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene was there to listen to concerns and answer questions. The plan is scheduled to go before the City Council for approval early this summer.
The meeting was called by members of Vibrant Lyndale, a coalition of business owners and nearby residents, after they learned that the compromise plan that had been worked out over two years of community input had been scrapped in favor of a new plan backed by the bike lane coalition and by Commissioner Greene.
The compromise plan calls for a shared bike and pedestrian pathway, requiring less pavement, thus retaining a center turn lane and wider parking lanes for cars—things business owners believe are necessary to attract customers.
The new plan reverts to an older version, which includes a dedicated bike lane and a separate path for pedestrians, requiring a wider swath of pavement in front of storefronts, the loss of a center turn lane at some intersections, and a reduction in the size of the parking lanes.
No one disputed the benefits of biking, or the need to upgrade utilities and manage runoff. But what happens on the surface of Lyndale is where people disagree. Business owners want to make it easier for customers from across the metro area to access their establishments, which they believe means keeping convenient parking on the street. Bus and bike lane proponents believe that reducing reliance on cars requires better bus service and safer bike lanes.
“My customers will now have to climb over three snowbanks before getting to my door!”
— Saed Wadi, World Street Kitchen
The compromise plan, which was believed to be the final plan, was meant to balance the needs of both sides. The new final plan reverted to favoring the wishes of the bike lane proponents.
Given the volatility of emotions surrounding the issue, a contentious donnybrook might have ensued, but it didn’t. Those who showed up overwhelmingly opposed the new plan, and a colorful group of business owners, longtime residents, and Uptown legends took to the mic to pepper the commissioner with questions and concerns.
Accessibility
Saed Wadi, owner of World Street Kitchen on Lyndale, led off the evening by showing slides of the two plans, noting how the changes would narrow the roadway and the parking lanes, and require plowing of three different lanes.
“My customers will now have to climb over three snowbanks before getting to my door!” he said.
“I stand by this plan. It’s the safest plan.”
— Marion Greene, Hennepin County Commissioner
Necessity
Another speaker questioned the need for a dedicated bus lane.
“There is 40% less ridership, and they’re asking to remove small businesses’ parking for a dedicated bus lane. The improvements to our transit system via dedicated bus lanes are not improving ridership numbers. Customers will decide that the hassle of traveling in this area is not worth it.”
Trees
The new final plan would remove between 50 and 60 trees; the compromise plan would remove 45 trees.
“We are paving the right-of-way from border to border, like cramming six pounds of asphalt into a three-pound bag.”
— Tim Keene
Tim Keene, a lifelong resident of South Minneapolis, said:
“I’m here to speak on behalf of the voiceless. And the voiceless that have not had an opportunity to participate are the trees.
There’s going to be an additional net loss of trees on the revised plan compared to the original. We are paving the right-of-way from border to border, like cramming six pounds of asphalt into a three-pound bag. We’re suffering from a lack of imagination when it comes to what our urban canopy could and should be.”
Commissioner Greene responded that new trees are already being planted “in order to get out ahead of that.”
Comparison to Hennepin
Several speakers asked whether any data had been gathered on the effects of the Hennepin makeover on Hennepin businesses.
Others asked whether the county would provide financial aid for businesses during the construction period.
“I’ve been trying to sell Muddy Waters for four years now. People keep trying to buy it, and then they bail out when they find out what the taxes are.”
— Jon English, Lyndale property owner
businesses being open. “We need money, not signs,” grumbled someone in the audience.
Redundancy
Neighborhood residents and business owners who spoke against the new plan prefaced their comments with statements of support for biking — when possible. But they questioned why there needs to be another bike lane, given that Bryant Avenue, a designated bike highway, runs parallel to Lyndale just a few blocks east.
“The people that still come by bikes, the crime’s so bad, the bikes are all stolen. They come out and there’s tires laying around, bikes chopped up.”
— Randy, co-owner, CC Club
The only response came from a member of the audience who said that the connection to the Bryant bike highway at Franklin is dangerous. “So let’s fix that!” replied someone else.
The Process
Concerns about details of the new final plan were matched by questions about the process. How did a compromise plan that was arrived at after more than two years of community engagement and thought to be headed to the city for approval get shelved in favor of a plan promoted by the bus and bike lane advocates?
Commissioner Greene replied that it all came down to safety, and what she heard from national experts. Asked if she supported this plan, she answered that she did.
In a follow-up statement to the Hill & Lake Press, she wrote, “I stand by this plan. It’s the safest plan. The City of Minneapolis expressed operational safety concerns with previous iterations and communicated that in order to secure city support, the county would need to address those concerns. Together the county and city made modifications to further address safety.”
“H & B Gallery has been on Hennepin Avenue for over 45 years. But we became complacent. We thought the city was going to watch out for businesses. They haven’t.”
— Jonathan Campbell, H & B Gallery
If the council approves the plan, Vibrant Lyndale and other opponents will ask the mayor to veto it. If he does, the county will appoint a mediation board to resolve the dispute. If he does not, the plan will move forward, with construction slated to start in 2028.
Susan Lenfestey writes for the Hill & Lake Press. She lives in Lowry Hill.
