Category Archives: Minneapolis 2040

Opposition to overreach of Minneapolis 2040 spreads

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The more residents in many parts of Minneapolis learned about the massive upzoning throughout the entire city contained in the new comprehensive plan, the stronger their pushback became. The group Minneapolis for Everyone led the way in mobilizing opposition to the plan’s overreach. City planners, deluged with 10,000 written comments, hired a public relations firm to help deal with the fallout. Here is the story.

On September 18 Lisa McDonald, former City Council member and one of the founders of Minneapolis for Everyone, held a press conference to highlight parts of the plan that are indefensible and ill-advised and to call for a restart to the entire process. Here are McDonald’s press conference remarks.

 

Kenilworth Corridor’s ‘remnant lands’: Keep Public Lands Public!

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We stared in disbelief at the Minneapolis 2040 Built Form map, meant to direct development throughout the city: it called for a Corridor 4 district, meaning four-story apartment buildings, on the county-owned land along the east side of the Kenilworth Corridor. Unintentional error? Or a trial balloon from planners intent on densifying the entire city? Either way, Hill and Lake residents pushed back — hard. This is the story.

Residents listen, learn, and speak out about Minneapolis 2040

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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.

Meet your neighbor: Shawn Smith

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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.

Minneapolis 2040, the 10-year comprehensive plan update, aims to transform the city

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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.