Non-Motorized Transportation - Access Minneapolis

Minneapolis has long been one of the top bicycle commuting cities in the country. Commuting by bicycle offers benefits to both the riders and the community in the form of health and reduced pollution and traffic. Increasing density along the Glenwood corridor will mean more residents going to an from work. Unfortunately for bicycle commuters, Harrison lacks a designated, direct connection to downtown.

As a part of Minneapolis' 10 year Transportation Access Plan, pedestrian and bicycle facilities have been analyzed throughout the city. While off-street paths exist close to Harrison and Bryn Mawr within the Cedar-Lake Corridor and Bryn Mawr Park - and north-south connectivity will see major improvement in the neighborhood with the construction of Van White Boulevard - east-west movement is still challenged. See the Bicycle and Pedestrian Gap Analysis - PDF. Improvements to the Glenwood Avenue corridor in the form of on-street bicycle lanes would serve to connect new commercial development and new residents to downtown resources as well as amenities within Wirth Park.

In the image above - from the Gap Analysis - item 25 is the Glenwood Corridor. Purple lines are existing or proposed off-street pathways and orange is the Downtown network.

Additional info:
City of Minneapolis Bikeways Masterplan - Northwest quadrant identifying the Glenwood Corridor

Chic Street

Here's an article by Christy DeSmith for Rake Magazine hinting at one possible direction for Glenwood Avenue.

"It seemed like a bold move at the time, but when Ini Iyamba opened a second store—his Ivy Men’s + Design boutique at 1220 Glenwood Avenue—just this March, design devotees started buzzing about the potential of his new address..."

More at the Link

C2 and PO Zoning Districts

C2

The C2 Neighborhood Corridor Commercial District is established to provide an environment of retail sales and commercial services that are larger in scale than allowed in the C1 District and to allow a broader range of automobile related uses. In addition to commercial uses, residential uses, institutional and public uses, parking facilities, limited production and processing and public services and utilities are allowed.
Examples of uses permitted

• Residential development, 850 s.f. of lot area per d.u.
• General retail sales and services
• Child care center
• Parking facility

Development characteristics:

• Maximum height of principle structures: 4 stories or 56 feet, whichever is less
• Maximum height of single and two family dwellings and cluster developments: 2.5 stories or 35 feet, whichever is less.
  

PO

The PO Pedestrian Oriented Overlay District is established to encourage the pedestrian character of commercial areas and to promote street life and activity by regulating building orientation and design and accessory parking facilities, and by prohibiting certain high impact and automobile-oriented uses.

Development characteristics

• Maximum setback: 8 feet
• Buildings should be oriented so that at least one principle entrance faces the public street.
• Parking lots may be located to the rear or interior of the site and are limited to not more than 60 feet of street frontage.
• Forty percent of first floor façade that faces a public street should be clear doors or windows at eye level.

More links from the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances:
(Hard copy of selected sections will be available at the charrette)
Zoning Code
Off-Street Parking Requirements
C2 District
PO District

The Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth

The City of Minneapolis, like all other cities in the metropolitan area, puts forth it's vision for the cities future in a document called a Comprehensive Plan. The plan is currently being updated, looking ahead to 2030 to describe how the Minneapolis of the future will look, feel and function.

The plan describes how the city can accommodate projected population growth and pursue economic development, while preserving the character of its neighborhoods and enhancing the quality of its natural and built environment. The plan specifically addresses urban design and land use, transportation, housing, economic development, heritage preservation, arts and culture, public services and facilities, parks and open space.

The Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth is only in draft form, with final approval anticipated for July of 2008. Re-development in the Harrison Neighborhood will be guided by the final version of the plan and as such, the draft document will be referenced for the charrette.

Specific highlights to review include:

• Land Use - Page 13 Neighborhood Commercial Nodes
• Transportation - Page 4 Creating a Walkable City
• Economic Development - Page 8 Places - Business Districts
• Environment
• Open Space and Parks - Page 11 Beauty and Built Form
• Urban Design

Maps:

• Projected Household Change
• Existing Land Use
• Future Land Use
• Land Use Features
• Current Traffic Counts

Bassett Creek Valley Rezoning Study

In addition to constructing Van White Boulevard, one of the key implementation steps for the Bassett Creek Valley Plan is to prepare the parcels for redevelopment. Policy statements in the plan allow the City Council to adjust the regulatory framework for the area. One part of this process, titled the Bassett Creek Valley Rezoning Study is underway and more fully explained on the city website.

Excerpted here.
"Achieving the long-range vision for the BCV Area requires proactive steps to foster new development, improve the area’s environment, and strengthen its connections to nearby areas. It also requires adjusting the regulatory framework for the area, zoning being the most important part of that framework."

"What is zoning? All property is in a zoning district, and that zoning district determines whether you can build a single family home, a condominium building, a restaurant or a factory. The rezoning study proposes changes to the zoning of property in the BCV area so that what can be built corresponds as closely as possible to what is called for in the BCV Master Plan."

"Community Planning and Economic Development staff have conducted an analysis of the existing land uses and zoning in the BCV Area and developed recommendations for the rezoning of many of the properties in the area. Recommendations include changes to primary zoning as well as the addition of overlay districts."

Multiple options have been explored, with City Staff recommending a preferred option to the Council. PDF here. Note that the charrette site (Glenwood between Humboldt and Dupont) is identified as C2 with a Pedestrian Overlay. Those districts are explained here.

Bassett Creek Restoration Plan

Hot off the presses - the Bassett Creek Restoration Plan is now on the Minneapolis CPED website. "...a 10- to 15-year plan that provides guidance on restoring a degraded section of the creek adjacent to the Minneapolis Impound Lot, and developing a sustainable habitat and attractive open space." The Harrison Charrette will include areas adjacent to the Greenway (partial picture above) - identified as section G1 in the plan. Specific Greenway sections are here - PDF alternate designs, PDF preferred design, PDF implementation.
Image - City of Minneapolis website - Bassett Creek Restoration Plan 2007

Commercial Nodes - what and why?

Plannerspeak is full of many words to differentiate between physical locations in the city and ways to describe components of that space called "the street". Most of us are familiar with words like sidewalk, alley, corner and intersection. But can we call define frontage or corridor or node?
The City of Minneapolis defines a node like this - Neighborhood commercial nodes are small clusters of neighborhood-oriented retail and service uses focused around an intersection. Businesses in commercial nodes primarily serve the needs of the immediate surrounding area, although they may also contain specialty stores or restaurants that serve a regional client base. Not every small cluster of neighborhood businesses or historic commercial buildings is a designated neighborhood commercial node. Why not? Studies have indicated that the loss of Minneapolis population from a peak in 1950 of 521,718 to the 2000 count of 382,618 and changes in retail markets and resident mobility have resulted in an oversupply of neighborhood commercial space within the City, much of which was constructed in the early 1900s along streetcar lines.
A great example of a node is Sheridan Ave. S. and 43rd St W - aka Linden Hills. Pictured above, this intersection has strong mix of retail, residential and office uses. It also has a friendly pedestrian environment and places that support, in the words of Jan Gehl, a noted urban planner from Denmark, "life between buildings."
Image - City of Mineapolis website - Linden Hills Neighborhood page.

Great Streets

"Whether already vibrant, or in need of additional investment, our neighborhood business districts are our Great Streets—essential elements of a great city, [and a key way to re-weave the fabric]. In 2007 the Minneapolis City Council approved the “Great Streets” Neighborhood Business District program, a coordinated effort to help businesses develop and succeed along commercial corridors and at commercial nodes throughout the city. City resources are available for business loans, real estate development gap financing and business district assistance such as façade improvement programs, market studies and retail recruitment efforts." The Glenwood - Van White Node is on the list and could be a wonderful new case study. Here's a nice summary presentation that explains the program and offers a good explanation of commercial nodes as well - (many are related to historic streetcar routes). PDF

Project for Public Spaces highlights great streets of the world and what makes them work-link.

BCV - Buzz Website

We'll start the discussion about the Bassett Creek Valley Master Plan with a link to another website. Bassett Creek Valley Buzz was created as a part of the planning process. It's limited in content but is worth reviewing for a couple of items. Check out the maps page - for some clear background and analysis graphics. Also, the open house presentation offers a brief summary of key components of the plan.

Van White - Boulevard

As a part of the Minneapolis' Near Northside Master Plan and The Heritage Park Redevelopment, a new, north - south green-way boulevard is being created in Minneapolis. This new street will play a key role in urban planning for the Harrison Neighborhood. Now known as Van White Memorial Boulevard, the street will connect 7^th St North near Plymouth Avenue, to Dunwoody Boulevard at I 394, weaving a path through Harrison along Fremont Avenue and creating a new commercial node at Glenwood. Completion of Van White Blvd is planned for 2009 - setting the stage for significant redevelopment of the Bassett Creek valley.

Here’s how the master plan describes the route.

“A new north-south boulevard extends through the heart of the site and provides a focus for community activities. As the centerpiece of the master plan framework, the proposed boulevard creates a picturesque address for hundreds of mixed-income housing units and connects the Master Plan site south through Bassett Creek Valley to the Parade area and south Minneapolis. A pair of feature parks, one north and one south of Olson Highway, build on the boulevard framework and create more intimate neighborhood places.”

So who was Van White?

“Van Freeman White was born on August 2, 1924, the first of five children. When he was just ten years old White's father died, leaving him with instructions to take care of the family. Half a century of community service and a rise from laborer to city council member suggests that White took his charge seriously. White made history when he became the first African American elected to the (Minneapolis) city council in 1979.” - excerpted Van F. White Papers. Minnesota Historical Society. Read more here

A more in depth review of the recent Bassett Creek Masterplan will follow in upcoming posts. Feel free to dig in to the plan at your leisure.

Harrison Stats #1

The Harrison neighborhood is located in north Minneapolis. With a population of 4,156, this community is nestled between Bassett Creek (on the south), the Farmers Market / Lyndale AvenueOlson Memorial Highway (on the north) and Theodore Wirth Park
(on the east), and is bounded by (on the west).

According to the 2000 Census, the population of Harrison overall grew 21% in ten years without an increase in housing units. Accompanying the population increase is the startling statistic that 37% of those in Harrison are under the age of 18, and, of those, 63% live in poverty. – Harrison Neighborhood Association

Paperless Visit

This site will be the Team information source for the AIA Minneapolis, Mayors Great City Design Team visit to Harrison Neighborhood - January 4th and 5th , 2008. In an effort to share information quickly and without paper - Team Co-Leaders Daniel Green, AIA and Rick Carter, AIA will post to this site. Please feel free to email Daniel or Rick with any questions.
dgreen at millerdunwiddie.com
rick.carter at LHBcorp.com