In a classic example of the sunk-cost fallacy, Hennepin County commissioners voted on May 31 to give the mammoth Southwest LRT another $204 million. “Given how much we’ve already spent, we can’t stop now” seemed to be the overriding sentiment. Concerns of Calhoun Isles condo tower residents remain in limbo. Here is the story.
Hill and Lake residents packed St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on June 6 with the changes proposed in Minneapolis 2040, the proposed revision of the city’s comprehensive plan, very much on their minds. Although feelings often ran high, the tenor of the meeting was respectful and focused, thanks in large part to the firm and skillful moderating of Shawn Smith, Kenwood Neighborhood Organization board chair. After the meeting I asked several folks in attendance for their opinions. Here is the story.
Craig Wilson has been profiling interesting people in the Hill and Lake neighborhoods since September 2008. In the June 2018 “Meet Your Neighbor” column, Craig and I interviewed Shawn Smith, Kenwood Neighborhood Organization board chair and resolute moderator of the Minneapolis 2040 information session on June 6. This is the story.
Minnesota’s municipalities are required to update their comprehensive plans every ten years. Minneapolis officials decided this time to pursue an ambitious overhaul that would affect every resident and every corner of the city. What came to the fore as people dug further into the details was the intention to upzone the entire city, unprecedented anywhere in the U.S., and to massively increase density. Hill and Lake residents found themselves pilloried as reactionary defenders of privilege, and the battle was on. Here is the story.
It seems so obvious: mass transit should run where masses of people live and work, not in the wooded, park-like Kenilworth Corridor where wildlife outnumbers people. What’s more, the costliest infrastructure project in Minnesota history spurns the city’s development and density goals for the two Kenilworth Corridor stations. Here is the story.
Minneapolis has 87 neighborhoods, all of them unique in their own way. It’s quite possible — likely, in fact — that Cedar-Isles-Dean is the most unique of them all. Here is the story.
Now in their 14th season, the musicians of the Isles Ensemble performed to enthusiastic audiences on four Sunday afternoons at Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church.
The first concert, on
The second concert, on November 19, included music of Martinů, Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven.
The third concert, on February 18, included music of Haydn, Mozart, and Brahms. Here is the story.
The fourth concert, on April 8, included music of Schnittke, Mendelssohn, and Dvořák. Here is the story.
Anita Tabb and her family moved to Minneapolis in January 2004, settling in Lowry Hill. She got involved with her neighborhood association, then with the activist group Park Watch. In January 2010 she took her seat as a Minneapolis Park Board commissioner, her first foray into electoral politics. Six years later, in April 2016, she and four colleagues accomplished an historic “first: a joint City Council-Park Board ordinance providing a new 20-year stream of revenue for park improvements. And in January 2018 she bade us goodbye and moved to Florida.
During her 14 years with us Anita developed close friendships, gave generously of her time and energy, and set an example of selfless and principled public service. The December 17 Hill & Lake Press profiled the friend, neighbor, and Park Board commissioner we all came to cherish. Here is the story.
Several friends, neighbors, colleagues, and fellow elected officials wrote words of appreciation for Anita and her service to the people of Minneapolis. Here is the story.
Yes, there used to be a school at West 29th Street and St. Louis Avenue. Here is the story.
michael • wilson • writes 