Craig Wilson interviews David Frank, Executive Director of the Uptown Association, about the local business community’s reaction to the Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction Plan and their hope for the future of Hennepin Avenue and Uptown.
Where did you grow up and what brought you to Minneapolis?
I grew up in New York City, and this has influenced my outlook on living and working in cities ever since. Our apartment was in the shortest building on the block, 12 floors, I think. Many years ago, I was on a panel talking about building height in Minneapolis, and a local developer said to me, you are the only person I know who grew up in a big building. I have used this ever since when I talk to groups of people - I ask anyone who knows anyone who grew up in a big building to raise their hand, and in a couple of decades I have had only a few people raise their hand. I think this makes a difference in how we think about places because we are all coming from somewhere, and everything we experience is in relation to that.
I lived in Portland, Oregon for 15 years, where I worked for a private developer and the City’s redevelopment agency. When I first moved to Minneapolis, people would ask me about Portland, and I would answer this way: The good and the bad that you hear about the place are both true. It is a fantastic built urban environment with outstanding on street bike facilities and transit, and it is also very expensive to build, and government exerts more control over development of private property. I’ve come to believe that this is a handy way to look at most things - that the good and the bad are both true.
You have had prominent positions with the City of Minneapolis acting as the Director of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) and Director of Transportation. What motivated you to assume your new position as the Executive Director of the Uptown Association?
I am energized by the work of helping neighborhoods and commercial areas achieve a vision of what they can be. There are so many property owners and businesses and stakeholders who care about the future of Uptown. I’m really enjoying the work of helping to lead towards a shared vision and then getting there as soon as we can.
What is the current state of the Hennepin Avenue Reconstruction Plan?
Public Works put out a revised recommendation for Hennepin Avenue a few months ago which considers some of what they heard from businesses about the impact an earlier version of the plan would have had on their operations. The current recommendation is working its way through City Council and Mayor review, and as of today (May 14), City Council will vote this week on the recommendation as amended by the Public Works and Infrastructure committee last week. The committee amendment would not allow parking anywhere along Hennepin.
What do businesses like about the new plan?
All the stakeholders I’ve spoken to believe the street needs to be reconstructed, so they are supportive of the project overall. And businesses appreciate the flexibility that the current Public Works recommendation shows by taking businesses’ concerns into account with the addition of on street parking on Hennepin during non-rush-hour times.
What concerns do businesses have about the new plan?
Businesses are concerned about the impact of two years of construction on an area that has already had its share of challenges. And some businesses are concerned about visibility with the locations of the enhanced bus stops.
Many people cite Phase 1 of the Plan, Hennepin Avenue from Lake Street to 31st Ave, as an example of city planning that disregarded the interests of businesses by removing all street parking and has led to the departure of many prominent businesses like the Apple Store, Kitchen Window and North Face. City planners and supporters of the project have admitted to the misjudgment. Is the City making the same mistake with Phase II from Douglas Avenue to Lake Street by potentially removing all street parking?
The changes a few years ago to the one block between Lake and 31st are very visible, and they have been on everyone’s mind when we’ve heard about the upcoming project north of Lake Street. But it’s worth remembering that there have been other issues besides parking involved in businesses’ decisions to close, although the loss of the on-street parking certainly didn’t help. We will be bringing forward some suggested changes to this block soon.
The City invested $1.25M in transportation planning consultants but $0 in commercial business planning expertise. Would having this expertise in the planning process have improved the outcome of the plan from the perspective of businesses?
I know from my time at the City that this is an area where Public Works and CPED have been trying to figure out how to work together, so business needs and considerations can be included in planning for infrastructure projects. I know that Public Works did a lot of outreach and heard a lot of feedback from businesses, but businesses did not see what they were asking for included in the recommendation until recently.
From an Uptown Association perspective, what would be a desirable outcome for Hennepin Avenue?
We’d like to see Hennepin as a street which works well for all users. This includes people who are coming to the area to work to shop or to hang out, as well as commuters passing through and the growing number of people who live here. That’s a lot to ask of a street! Whatever the outcome of the upcoming vote, we hope to stay engaged so that the construction goes as well as possible for local businesses and residents, and the finished street can work as well as possible for all users.
What are the challenges facing Uptown more broadly and what are some solutions you are working toward?
The first thing I hear from all stakeholders is safety. We are working on a series of presentations from local officials and experts so businesses and property owners can be as informed as possible about what they can do themselves for their property, their employees, and their customers. And we are working on vitality in the area using cell phone data to track historic and future counts of people coming to the area. We are gathering local property owners and brokers to work together on commercial leasing. And as I mentioned we will be recommending some changes for the block between Lake and 31st.
An article running this month asserts that it’s well-known at the city that businesses that fail will present an opportunity for high density redevelopment that’s called for in the 2040 plan. What are your thoughts on this?
The 2040 plan is a policy document which guides what will happen when properties are redeveloped. But policy documents don’t come into play unless the owner chooses to redevelop the property. Many businesses have pointed out that not having parking on the street would be an additional burden on them, but driving businesses away is not the City’s goal. The Council Members who are pushing for full-time bus lanes with no parking on Hennepin are using policy guidance for greenhouse gas emissions and transit as a racial equity tool; they are not trying to harm small businesses.
What is your vision for Uptown 10 years from now?
Another thing happening soon is we will be gathering stakeholders to come up with this vision. It will include learnings from commercial districts in other cities, as well as well as best practices from here in Minneapolis. It won’t be my vision; it will be a vision informed by lots of smart people.
