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2009-05-25

Reading the Highland Villager #1 (May 20 - June 2 Edition)

This is a feature I've wanted to start for quite some time. Basically, the problem is that the best source of local streets / sidewalks news in Saint Paul is the Highland Villager. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. The editor / publisher Michael Mischke (who I've never met) clearly doesn't like the internet for some reason. But there's a lot of good stuff in this local bi-weekly about developments and street debates.

So basically, I'm going to have a twice-monthly post about what I discover when reading the Highland Villager. Maybe it'll encourage you to go get your own copy, available anywhere that's anywhere in Saint Paul. Or maybe I'm reading the Highland Villager so that you don't have to? Either way...until this newspaper goes online, information must be set free.

Story #1: Basement use remains sticking point at Grand Place, by Jane McClure

An article about the space in the huge development at Grand and Victoria (the one with Pottery Barn, J Crew), and particularly the space that used to be a bookstore (Bound to be Read) and then a Best Buy health store (EQ Life). Both failed, and it's been empty, but there's a lot of tension about what kind of thing should go there next. The 'HealthEast' clinic is trying to move into that space, and the debate is over whether or not the basement can be used as a commercial space, or whether or not it has to be used as a storage space.

As usual, the Summit Hill Assn. (SHA)'s zoning codes are restricting what kind of commercial spaces can be used and for what purposes. (I seem to recall that they were trying to get a no chain store ordinance passed, and that it might have failed?) There is a definite tension between controlling and shaping capitalism according to certain values, and having too many restrictions on how and what kind of business can move into a street. I'm not sure on which side of the line this falls...

Councilmember Dave Thune is also quoted.

Story #2: Selby shops are weathering a season of road construction, by Steve Pease

An article about the new sidewalks and surfacing going in at Selby Avenue b/w Dale and Victoria this summer. It refers to the Dance Studio, the Great Harvest Bread Co., and the chair of the Sel-Dale Business Assn.

It's basically an uninteresting piece about kvetching about construction, but it does point to how difficult it really is to weigh short-term and long-term interests when it comes to businesses and commercial streets. Any improvments for the long term (nicer sidewalks, new pipes, new street trees, repaving, etc.) comes at the expense of the short-term (streets are completely inaccessible for a few months, fees and assessments for owners). And because future returns are basically nebulous scratch marks in some planner's notebook while business owners and Sel-Dale Business Assn. chairs are real people with votes and constituents and clout and money, you have a situation that tends to the NIMBY and status quo.

This piece also points out how strongly cars are linked to the economy, even in a walkable place like Saint Paul's Selby Avenue. Basically, for most commercial enterprises, cars + parking = business. This is true almost everywhere in the T.C., with very few exceptions (maybe the U of MN campus). Changing this equation is going to be a very, very long term project. And until then, the tension between providing business owners with parking spaces and making walkable places is going to be one of the main neighborhood battlegrounds.

Story #3: Neighbors aren't wild about Onion's request, by Jane McClure

Piece about aforementioned SHA voting against the Wild Onion's (on Grand Avenue) request to serve liquor on its outdoor patio.

The debate is really about the current policy for getting approval for drink-laden patios. You currently need between 60% and 90% of neighboring proeperty owner's consent to recieve the zoning change. The Wild Onion is claiming to have sufficient support from rental tenants, but not the actual building owners. I guess it raises the question of whether or not you have to actually own property to get a say in neighborhood disputes. Should we have a system where only property owners (i.e. the wealthy) can have a say? Where property values trump everyday use? Or, do renters lack the long-term interest in the 'neighborhood' because they don't have an 'investment' in actual property in the area?

More disturbing, perhaps, is that (according to the article) the Wild Onion is the only business on Grand Avenue that can't have drinks on the patio. Of course, it's also the only "dance club" on Grand Avenue, which means its also the most racially diverse spot on the street. And it's also the only place that can't get neighbor's approval for a zoning regulation? Certainly it's no worse (in terms of noise pollution) than Billy's? (For the record, neither of these bars are my cup of tea.)

Story #4: Hearings set on standards for infill housing, home additions

Another NIMBY story this time literally about back yards... about whether or not prefab houses should be allowed to be built sideways on their lots (so that completely window-less walls face the street). There's also a bit about how people are upset about pre-fab homes and house size / lot ratios in Saint Paul.

House size / lot ratios, in particular, have been one of the main ways that suburbs have tried to keep densities very low. Typically, they will set housing lot sizes so that you have these big yards, and only certain kinds of people can afford to build homes in the suburb.

This exampls isn't really very similar, but does point to the same kind of tension over density. I'm struck by my old neighborhood in the North End, where the houses are really close together. There weren't any zoning codes when my house was built in 1905 or so, but somehow people managed to put windows on the front of the home, and deal with the density of having very small yards and houses smushed together. It's not so bad, really.

Story #5: CommonBond is granted a parking variance for Lex-Ham development, by Jane McClure

This is a short piece on a nursing home turning into a low-income housing development, located directly along the North side of I-94 off Lexington Pkwy.

It's interesting only because even here, directly choking on the fumes of the freeway, it seems to be difficult to build low-income housing. The neighbors in this very poor neighborhood are voting against having a parking variance for a smaller-than-zoned parking lot at this big apartment site.

And again, parking for cars seems to be the main public problem for most Saint Paul-ites.

Story #6: BZA denies requiest to allow Dayton Avenue home's renovation as duplex, by Jane McClure

This is another story about denying an increase of density in a neighborhood, this time about a regulation requiring a minimum property width. It's worth pointing out that these sorts of neighborhoods in Saint Paul used to be far denser than they are now. Dayton Avenue when these homes were new likely had almost twice as many people living in the homes. Larger families, multi-generation families, etc.

Well, that's about all the intersting city&planning news in the Highland Villager this fortnight, other than the usual op-ed about taxes, letters about the Snelling Avenue median, local high school sports reporting, and Saint Paul crime reports. Maybe someday it'll all be online...

2015-03-12

Reading the Highland Villager #126

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.]

Headline: Residents express some concerns over new Target store in Highland
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version:The old chain bookstore is becoming a chain "urban" big-box retailer. "Residents are concerned about traffic, pedestrian safety, and parking." [Well, at least they added pedestrian safety to the list! Baby steps, Highland.] There's basically nothing anyone can do as all no permits are required. Best quote: "It's a local store for the local community." [A friend of mine is fond of pointing out how most of the "small businesses" in "Highland Village" are chains. That's not quite totally true, but kinda is.] There is a traffic study in the works [though vague about what it is going to study, or when it will study it]. The "deteriorated information kiosk" has been removed. [Huh? As far as information kiosks go, it was not bad... and I should know because I've been documenting them for years.] There will be a farmer's market in the parking lot somewhere near there on Saturdays. [Cool!] The business plan is thus: "each TargetExpress wil stock what local residents need." [Well, that seems straightforward. So, it'll sell parking spaces? Anti-anxiety drugs?] That list includes toys. The floor will feature "hickory plank accents." [OK, I'm done. I can't read any more.]

Headline: West 7th Street is reborn as a retail destination; new and relocated stores rise up in the shadows of historic Schmidt brewery
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Long vacant storefronts now have stores in them. [Woah.] Article features CM Dave Thune. [If pigs fly, and somehow Bill Hosko and David Glass get elected to the city council, then Saint Paul's long-standing Thune-ian tradition of electing marginal business/gallery owners will be alive and well.]

Headline: City decides to reopen portion of Lilydale Park; area for hiking, fossil hunting has been closed since fatal landslide in May 2013
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Part of a bluff park in Saint Paul that was the location of a horrible tragedy [and coverup?] is open again, or at least most of it, i.e. not the part where the accident happened. [Climate change, increasing rainfall, erosion and destabilization, etc. This is a cool part of Saint Paul near where I live. I'd link to think that Saint Paul's unique caves, paths, bluffs, and woods can be used to everyone without the city getting sued and kids dying.]

Headline: Ward 2 DFL adjourns with no endorsement for City Council
Author: Kevin Driscoll

Short short version: The delegates to the DFL convention in Ward 2, which is an open seat, did not endorese a candidate. [For the record, this is my neighborhood and I am helping with Rebecca Noecker's campaign, and attended this entire marathon affair. Noecker is a great candidate. I'll be writing more about this during the summer, but basically, I'm happy that the party didn't endorse anyone in this open seat. I find endorsements problematic in one-party towns with ranked-choice voting, because they dramatically decrease the number of people who are involved in the democratic process. Also for the record, Noecker was the #1 candidate during every round of voting, achieving 40% support on one of the ballots. 60% is needed for the endorsement. You can hear the speeches here (rewind to hear them all).]

Headline: Improvements in store for long-neglected Dickerman Park
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A [very strange] city park that is basically a boulevard along University Avenue is going to be "revitalized" and remodeled with new sidewalks "water features" and "art opportunities", at least if they get the $3 million from the city's Capital improvement Budget request. $2M has already been appropriated through the 8-80 funding. Article includes brief history of the park, which dates back to 1910.

Headline: Mac-Grove residents reject widening Randolph at Lexington
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Saint Paul and Ramsey County want to purchase [and bulldoze] homes at a corner near a freeway and a [soul sucking chain] grocery store in order to expand the road there and build turn lanes, but neighbors are upset about it and the local group voted against it. [In a fit of Orwellian irony] Money for the project comes from the city's [aforementioned] 8-80 funding [which is in theory meant to make the city more walkable but in this case does the opposite]. "A committee" [I'm guessing the "transportation committee"?] voted against the idea. The county needs a year to purchase and demolish the homes [including a mixed-use "apartment-office building] so they need to decide soon. [Bulldozing perfectly good and dense houses and mixed-use fabric in order to make turn lanes... How very 1950s.] CM Tolbert, who originally got the city money for the project, would like to hear other ideas for how to use the $1.5M in 8-80 money. [Paging all 3rd Ward residents; send in your better ideas!] Article includes reference to induced demand, pedestrian safety, and improving the sidewalks over the freeway there. Randolph will be reconstructed regardless in 2016. [Lets not bulldoze homes for onramps any more, Saint Paul.]

Headline: City OKs lot sale to open space for Stone Saloon
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city HRA [basically the same as the city council, only with money] is selling land to move a house on Smith Avenue in order to free up space for a [really really old] future brewing building that dates back to 1857. "It is one of only five surviving small limestone houses in Saint Paul." [This is a cool building near my house that I will visit often once it opens in 2017.] The house they will be moving is really really close to the old saloon building.

Headline: O'Gara's in spat over closing time for St. Patrick's parties
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A [right wing, semi-intolerable] bar on Snelby wants to play loud music until 1:00 am, but neighbors want them to stop at 10:00.

Headline: St. Paul brings back proposal for organized trash collection
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: In Saint Paul, everyone on every block has a different trash truck that picks up their trash, all on different days. [That exponentially increases the amount of wear on the city streets, BTW.]

Headline: Coleman puts cuffs on police body cameras, residency issue
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The mayor does not want police to have to wear cameras or live in the city.

Headline: City council approves liquor licenses for Episcopal Homes
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Retired Episcopalians can drink now. [I was raised Episcopalian. I'm predicting a lot of gin.]

Headline: Accessibility report shows stride made by Green Line
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: University Avenue isn't quite the hellscape for people in wheelchairs that it used to be.

Headline: BZA denies Marshall duplex expansion
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A landlord who wants to convert an old student rental property from a duplex to a triplex can't because there's no "hardship shown."

[Editors note: apologies for the late Villager recap. I was in THE Highland Village the other day and intending to type this up. Lo and behold, I looked in vain for a copy of the Villager on the actual, newly-refurbished-at-great-expense sidewalks of the actual Highland Village and all was in vain. Nowhere had a copy of the Villager!

[No Villager on the sidewalk.]

[No Villager at the coffee shop.]

[No Villager at the bookstore.]

Also no Villager at the tea shop, the local bro bar, the diner, or the cute girly gift shop.

Meanwhile, over in West Saint Paul, see picture above.

I don't know what to make of it. It was simply weird. The Villager had been out for less than a week.]

2013-04-15

Reading the Highland Villager #81

[A Villager waits for spring.]

2015-10-30

Reading the Highland Villager #141

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also: Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager.]

Headline: St. Paul nets Major League Soccer team with Midway stadium site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A soccer stadium will be built at Snelling and I-94 for the local soccer team, which will be upgraded to MLS status. Article includes quotes from the press conference. The stadium will cost $120 of private dollars. [And an open question about the public side of the ledger, depending on a lot of things like parking, roads, etc.] The Port Authority is involved [for some reason]. It requires legislative approval for the tax abatement and Federal Transit Administration approval for the land deal. The lease length is undetermined. There might be soil pollution. There will be an advisory committee of members of the public. The shopping center may be redeveloped. [We can only hope, though the underground bowling alley is kind of special to me, if problematic for its own reasons.]

Headline: Mac-Grove releases report on organized trash collection: Study indicates residents would be open to system under certain conditions
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The Mac-Grove neighborhood group did a study about [the destructive practice of] non-organized trash collection in Saint Paul. They got a grant. There are laws and precedents for the city to organize trash hauling, which would, according to supporters, reduce costs and have fewer trucks in alleys. Others disagree citing the way that small businesses get "muscled out" by big or national companies. [Well, garbage collection is a famously mob-run activity, it's true.] CM Stark is a fan of the idea of organized trash collection. Article includes quotes. There was a survey about how people like saving money. There are 19 trash companies in the city. Article includes quote from a small one about how it would kill his business. Saint Paul used to have city-run trash collection 40 years ago. [I did not know that. Thanks Highland Villager! I've always been dumbfounded by the fact that Saint Paul cannot have organized trash collection. My #1 reason why it's a good idea has to do with street maintenance. Each garbage trucks weighs a crapload, and if you multiply all the extra trips by all the extra weight and do the math about how many more potholes and pavement destruction occur, I'd bet it's a pretty large number.] A CM in the late 90s tried to organize trash collection but the trash men stopped him.

Headline: Parking meter debate revs up on Grand; Anti-meter sentiments resound at packed meeting with mayor
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: [There was a meeting. I transcribed the first half of it. Either there is a "parking problem" on Grand Avenue or there isn't. Apparently there isn't. Which is one reason why I'm expecting to hear no complaints about parking on Grand Avenue for the next decade. It's great, easy to park, and go ahead and build infill apartments or open new businesses because it's all just fine as it is. No parking complaints. Phew, what a relief!]

Headline: St. Paul extends downtown meters along W. Seventh St.; Other meters, longer hours, higher rates during events also go in place this January
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city is finally going to extend enforcement and raise rates for on-street parking downtown, especially during events. They are also expanding the meters into the very congested area along West 7th Street by the Xcel Center. [You know, by Cossetta's. This is about as much news coverage as parking meters should be worth, because they're not a big deal at all, simply a solution for how to make on-street parking as useful and efficient for businesses and residents as possible. Getting upset about parking meters is like getting upset about a thermostat. They're both very simple devices that provide feedback.]

Headline: Veteran pols of St. Paul STRONG seek return to the city's tradition of citizen participation
Author: Kevin Driscoll

Short short version: [Old people that used to be making decisions in the back room, but aren't any more, are now upset about the existence of back rooms. They have an acronymn. There is a list of "grievances" that is straight out of the Costanza family home at Festivus: some fair points, but mostly seem to be upset about parking and traffic. Also really dislike the mayor and stadia.]

Headline: Liquor licenses, TIF aid sought for Schmidt site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The tax-increment financing district at the old industrial site where Victoria Park is along West 7th will now be used for the Schmidt Brewery nearby. [Especially the rathskellar, I hope, which has just been sitting there but has a lot of potential to be a bona fide public place.] The city would also like to expand liquor licenses, because there's an [archaic, weird] system that limits licenses by Ward.

Headline: City considering lifting limits on restaurant liquor licenses
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The City is reviewing an amendment to the charter that would exempt restaurants from the existing limits on liquor licenses, [allocated by ward]. Ward 3 [home of the Highland Villager] has the fewest.

Headline: Dispute over public sidewalk painting is laid over 'til spring
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The owner of a magic shop / headshop painted cute footprints on the sidewalk in front of his store but the city is charging him with vandalism. Owner says its street art. [What do I think? Um, I guess I'll have to check it out. Why not use chalk?] Someone once demanded a City art sidewalk poem be removed from in front of their house. [I want to know where!]

Headline: City adopts new sanctions for owners of abandoned pools
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: If you abandon a swimming pool and it fills with garbage and kids fall into it, you can be cited. [Asking for a friend.]

Headline: Trees felled, bluff graded as Victoria Park is landscaped
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city is making a big park on the site of the old oil storage facility along the river bluff. It involves cutting down trees. "I was flabbergasted," says one neighbor. There will be something called a "moist soil cell" which is like a wetland-related thing. [Could be where Ramsey County keeps their inmates now that the old jail is being demo'd.]

Headline: StuartCo is building 53 studio apartments off West 7th Street
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An apartment building is going up in a vacant lot in Highland Park. There's a lot of demand for studios, which apparently appeal to young people. [Article fails to mention traffic or parking.]

Headline: Clear skies ahead; Bad Weather Brewing brings spirit of seasons to West 7th
Author: Loren Green

Short short version: A new brewery has opened up at the base of the high bridge. "Parking has been a bone of contention." Apparently rules will be enforced by "police" who will issue something called "tickets." [Saint Paul is breaking new ground!] Best quote from the brewer: "We're not super into weather puns."

Headline: Icon of Ramsey Hill hospitality is reborn; After 30 years, Rupp reopens a restored Commodore restaurant
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The Commodore [where Baudrillard once drank in Minneapolis] is open again. [I've already been. Very nice, and apps are affordable.] There are two articles on it, with tons of history details.

Headline: BZA grants variances for new Grand condo
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An apartment building that was denied approval by the Planning Commission because of concerns about size, traffic, and parking [even though its almost exactly the same size as the two older buildings on either side, and has off-street parking, unlike its historic neighbors] might be approved after all thanks to a vote by the Board of Zoning Appeals.

2016-05-02

Reading the Highland Villager #154

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also: Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager.]

Headline: Tours highlight ‘pinch points’ of building new Riverview line
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There are plans to maybe build rail transit somewhere on or near West 7th Street. The Rail Authority is going to lead walking tours of some of the routes. A “preferred route and mode” will be chosen by the fall. [I recently joined the “technical advisory committee” for this project. You can see some of my early thoughts here, but it turns out there are a lot of interesting options for how to build rail along or on West 7th Street. Surprisingly, the plan that I suggested, at least parts of it, is on the table in some familiar form.] Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking. Article quotes CM Noecker: “The loss of parking is obviously an issue in my ward, so not to identify the street as a pinch point is an omission.” [A lot can be done without taking away most of the on-street parking.] Crossing the river is still the biggest determining factor. [It’s the #1 issue, in my opinion. Other concerns are much more flexible, with more options and solutions.] The tours are May 11th and 19th.

Headline: Citizens sound off on Midway stadium plans; Neighbors grill city officials with questions about project
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There was a meeting about the new soccer stadium and surrounding development at Snelling and University. Neighbors were concerned about traffic, parking, noise, and taxes. Article quotes CM Prince: “This is a project that deserves much more public process.” Article describes a moment in the meeting: “When asked for a show of hands, more than half of the audience indicated that they are worried about parking.” [The “show of hands” thing is a terrible way to run a meeting, by the way, as it divides people into black-and-white categories when in reality there is almost always a great deal of grey area and middle ground.] In theory, the new development will have 4,500 parking spaces. [Also there’s a brand new train and a soon-to-open bus rapid transit that go right to this corner. They're both kind of a big deal.] City staff is aware that people are concerned about parking.

Headline: District revises $15M plan to expand Linwood-Monroe
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An arts school was going to expand but neighbors were concerned about “loss of green space” so some small changes have been suggested by an architect. There are “dueling Facebook groups.” One neighbor likes being able to “use” the green space around the school. [To walk his dog because he doesn’t have a yard of his own?] Neighbors are concerned about “long shadows.” The school desperately needs renovations and expansion. [Um, this is pretty ridiculous. The #1 priority should be a good school for the children that attend the school, with quality spaces for the children in the school. The property is for the school and its kids, not for neighbors to feel better because they can see some grass out their windows or something.]

Headline: Area around St. Thomas at top of list as city reviews permit parking issues
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city is studying changing and tweaking its permit parking system. [This is a good idea. I’d like to see some quantification of use for permit areas, the fee raised (it hasn’t gone up since the 80s, I believe) and perhaps some sort of “target” set for occupancy – say 50% – and then permits “sold” to people for a much higher price if they so choose.] Neighbors are concerned about parking. A public works staffer called the current system “archaic.” [Strong words for an engineer!] There are 26 permit parking areas in St. Paul. Even when students have garages, they don’t use them. And other students with their cars are parking illegally. [Ticket them until they cry!] The permit thing is a lot more complex than it appears. [Rely on some studies to solve this problem. I recommend Shoup’s work, obviously. The real solution though is to have more on-campus housing at St. Thomas and to restrict the access to cars for students, especially for first- and second-year students.]

Headline: East 46th Street bridge to be replaced
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: [Yes, the Villager technically covers small parts of Minneapolis. Did you know that in Minneapolis they build bike lanes without riots in the streets? It's true. I know people that live over there and I talk to them on a regular basis. In fact, few people seem to complain about the bike lanes. The debates they have over there, which did I mention is in the Villager coverage area technically speaking, is whether their bike lanes should have planted boulevard medians or whether they should just be really wide. Incidentally, Minneapolis is right across the river from Saint Paul located within the Villager coverage area.]

Headline: Permit denied for Summit Hill triplex
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A couple who bought a building that had been a triplex now have to have it be a duplex because that’s how it’s zoned and it hasn’t been a triplex for ten years straight. The fire marshal was involved.

Headline: HRA OKs bonds for Model Cities site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A one-story brownstone project on University Avenue will become a four-story mixed-use building.

Headline: BZA OKs variances for Garden Theater
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An old theater on West 7th Street will be allowed to be remodeled even though it doesn’t have its own large parking lot with 12 more spaces. [Classic minimum parking requirement v. historic preservation situation here. It’ll still take a lot of money though.]

Headline: Council denies early closing of skyway
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A building manager for a downtown building won’t be able to lock her skyway doors at 10:00 pm like she wants to because skyways in St. Paul are regulated and publicly owned. [Unlike Minneapolis! See Peter’s column on this, that features a photo from me!] There will be a group to study security in the skyways.

Headline: Leave roadway project markings alone [Note: this is the best headline in years! Very Britney.]
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: People should stop taking away the flags placed on the boulevards and streets that are designed to show people where gas mains and utilities are located. Apparently this is a problem somehow. Article quotes a “damage control supervisor”: “We don’t want anyone else to hit a line and cause an accident or explosion.” [Jeez, people.] Best line: “The flags are removed when the work is done and the paint fades with time.” [All things fade with time.]

Headline: RS Eden gains support for four-story Marshall Avenue apartment building
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A neighborhood group voted to support plans to build a 4-story apartment buidling on Marshall. It will be supporting housing for low-income people. No mention of neighbors being concerned.

Headline: Work finally starts on building an updated McDonald’s in Highland [No wait, this is the best article in years]
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: [Finally! I don’t know how Highland Village has survived this long without an updated McDonald’s.] Zoning changed from “commercial” to “traditional neighborhood” a while back. [In theory that means drive-thrus and curb cuts are discouraged, fencing is required, etc.] Article quotes franchise owner: “it’s going to be beautiful.” [I like the film Coming to America, don’t you?] The set-back will be much less, closer to West 7th Street. It will have two curb cuts, a “double drive-through”, and 40 parking spaces, which is 14 more than the parking maximum [yes, you read that correctly] set by the city. Quote from the article: “The argument for more parking was that the new restaurant is expected to have 50-80 customers per hour at peak times. Like other new McDonald’s, the redone Highland restaurant will have such amenities as Wi-Fi and television screens. That entices customers to linger longer and was also an argument for additional parking.” [McDonalds wi-fi lingering: I’m going to have to hang out there for an afternoon and live-blog it.]

Headline: Quaint Hi-Lo diner brings a taste of bygone era to E. Lake
Author: Loren Green

Short short version: [Again with the Minneapolis. Did you know that they have double the bicycle mode share in Minneapolis, which is right across the river from Saint Paul and technically part of the Villager coverage area? They do things like install bike racks, stripe bike lanes, and things like that. Apparently people like it, and also somehow, though I’m not sure how, businesses seem to survive. Dunno, it’s a mystery to me too!]

Bonus: this fortnight's RTHV opera was Falstaff, which is apparently about "the thwarted comical efforts of a fat knight to seduce two married women to gain access to their husbands' wealth."

2011-01-20

Reading the Highland Villager Op-Ed Extra! #1

[By popular demand, here is the latest Op-Ed from the Highland Villager. Image of the sun-blotting Olin Crossing High-Rise Housing Project, taken from Fred's website.]

Sounding the alarm for light rail in St. Paul

By Barnaby Wiesner

To the residents of the neighborhoods along the route of the planned Central Corridor light-rail line, from a resident of a neighborhood along the Hiawatha light-rail line: Yes, your neighborhoods will be destroyed.

If the Central Corridor line is built, you will not be able to park in front of your house, or behind your house if you share an alley with one of the high-rises that will be built along University Avenue. On my block, I have witnessed as many as 23 parked cars at at time that did not belong to any resident of the block. This winder due to the snow, Minneapolis declared a permanent ban on even-sided parking. This reduces the number of available parking spaces on my block to less than 23, which means I have to park on another block.

When developers -- like those from Metro Plains, which built Vantage Flats -- tell you that parking from their new high-rises will not be a problem for you, they will be lying. The residents of the new high-rises and their guests will park along your street. Fans of the Twins and Vikings will use your street as free parking lots and as garbage cans and ashtrays. Your streets will become the long-term parking lots of those traveling by train to either downtown.

High-rises are not a spectre here in Minneapolis; they are a reality. Come and see Vantage Flats, Minnehaha Place and Olin Crossing along Minnehaha Avenue between 52nd and 54th streets. Because of the shadows they cast, the snow takes longer to melt, so in the winter you have longer to deal with the problem of trying to turn into your garage from the frozen ruts in the alley. In the summer, your backyard gardens will suffer from a lack of direct sunlight.

In the summer, you will never be able to have your windows open. Crossing alarms for the train will sound at every street crossing, and even though the Metropolitan Council will tell you these alarms will be "aimed" only along the road, the aimable alarms will only be installed downtown, so that in the neighborhoods you will be able to hear the alarms from four blocks away.

These alarms will sound 24 hours a day. The Met Council will tell you that the trains will not run between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m., but the trains start at both ends of the line, so they will need to travel the route from the garage to downtown every morning. These alarms will sound more than 20 times an hour during rush hour. Because these alarms are specifically designed to be warnings, you will never get used to them.

At the light-rail stations, there will be several other alarms. The alarm for when the train is approaching also sounds the entire time the train is stopped at a station. The trains themselves have two alarms and, in true Minnesota-nice fashion, they like to sound the louder one as they pass a half block from your home.

You worry about alley traffic. Yes, there will be alley traffic. The high-rise construction crews will park their trucks in the alley during morning rush hour even though it is illegal to do so. They will also block University Avenue while they clean their trucks out even though it is illegal to do so. But more important, and more distressing to you, will be the fact that every street that parallels University Avenue will become a secondary circulation route, because University itself will become a nightmare to drive along. Traffic will become so difficult to manage on University that drivers will seek other routes.

The disruption of traffic will extend south of I-94. As there are a limited number of streets that cross the freeway, traffic on these streets will back up for blocks because of the trains, especially when a second train causes a stoplight override to begin even though a previous stoplight override has just ended.

Remember what driving along Marshall Avenue was like when it had four lanes of traffic? Now it has two lanes of traffic with a left-turn lane that has no left-turn signals, which effectively prevents drivers from turning left. That is what University will be like if the light-rail line is built there. After the trains have been running a while and traffic problems have become horrendous, the city will spend a quarter million of your tax dollars to fund a study to determine why these problems exist.

Finally, you will have to live with the fear that your homes will be taken by eminent domain so that your city can give the land to a developer even though this is illegal under Minnesota law. (This is what is happening on my block. The state took homes from my block to build a highway. When the highway was built somewhere else, the state gave the land to the city of Minneapolis, and the city now plans to give it to a developer to build a high-rise.) Before the city does this, it will make you pay for another study that will show you what your neighborhood will look like after it has been "revitalized."

You may think that I paint a dim picture. I have personally witnessed every problem I have told you about. And I am only one resident. Multiply my stories by the number of residents along the Hiawatha light-rail line and you will have an accurate assessment of what life will be like for you if the Central Corridor is built.

[Barnaby Wiesner is a resident of the Nokomis East neighborhood of South Minneapolis.]

[Contact info for the Highland Villager: Publisher, Michael Mischke: mmischke@myvillager.com; Editorial, press releases, calendar items and editorial questions: news@myvillager.com.]

2017-11-30

Reading the Highland Villager #195

[A stack of Villagers loitering by a pole.]

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also: Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager.]

Headline: City council commits $4 million more for infrastructure around new soccer stadium; latest outlay will pay for new streets, walks, drainage system
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city is spending more money on infrastructure around Snelling and University where the soccer stadium is being constructed. CMs Bostrom, Noecker, and Prince voted against, including floating an amendment that would strip out $250K for the “great lawn”, a public/private park. The park will be mostly controlled by the soccer team. $2.3M is going to the stormwater management project. [Still waiting for the tax-paying development part of this to kick in…] There is a debate about whether to move the stoplight at Snelling and Spruce Tree Drive, but it is likely to happen.

Headline: Public debates the merits of streetcars on West 7th; supporters held sway at hearing that drew 200
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There was a public meeting about the proposed Riverview / West 7th streetcar and lots of people came. Article includes brief summary of the project, with “proponents outnumbering opponents.” [That goes contrary to every narrative about “neighborhood opposition” I have seen written or spoken anywhere. A good sign I reckon, for people like myself who support the plan’s potential.] Some people are concerned about existing businesses or pedestrian safety or future bike lanes or on-street parking. One guy would like it to serve the Ford site. The project might be done by 2027.

Headline: Organized trash will lower fees for some; new system could be operating by next fall
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: It took 14 months for the city to get an agreement with the garbage companies. CMs Bostrom and Prince voted against, because of “increased costs.” Costs will be something like $20-30 a month, depending on the size and frequency. [Seems reasonable to me. Have to include the collective savings for reduced road wear, which is a large unknown number.]

Headline: Pre-leasing begins for new tenants around soccer stadium
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: New places are going into the old strip mall, the part that wasn’t torn down. [I want new buildings, and new office / retail / residential spaces in the old parking lots! Replacing a Radio Shack with another tenant isn’t what I was hoping for.] Quote from owner: “the current L-shaped space on the eastern side with 20 active businesses will remain following the demolition of Rainbow, Walgreens, Home Choice and Big top Liquor.”

Headline: County seeks new proposals for jail, West site in downtown
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The County is still trying to develop the land right on the bluff by City Hall. The last project fell through when the County would not agree to subsidize a huge parking ramp. [Good for them, but we need something amazing here. It’s certainly worth waiting and doing it right.]

Headline: Hearing set on plans for senior housing at old Riverside site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An abandoned elementary school will become subsidized senior housing. It will also likely reconfigure Lexington Parkway [also mentioned in my recent West 7th ideas piece, now updated with a rendering!] where it meets West 7th, which is currently really dangerous.

Headline: Mc-Grove rejects proposal to study student housing district
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A neighborhood group voted against extending the “student housing zoning overlay” to the area around Macalester. [I think the current policy should be evaluated before being expanded.] Some people are concerned about the increase of student rentals in their neighborhood. [One perverse impact of the overlay is that it will “push” students to live just outside the boundaries of it, no matter where you put the boundary. Treating students / young people with a default stigma is not that great of a thing to do, IMO.]

Headline: HRA agrees to sell Selby Ave. lots for mixed-use projects
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Two city-owned Selby Avenue long-time vacant lots will become mixed-use senior housing and live-work retail.

Headline: St. Paul property owners brace for tax increases in 2018; but fist they may want to sound off to city, county, school district officials
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Property taxes will go up. There will be meetings.

Headline: City eases rules for raising chickens; ordinance removes the required consent of neighbors for flocks of one to six hens
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: You have to ask forgiveness rather than permission for having chickens now. The city maximum is 15 chickens. [That’s a lot of chickens!] CMs Tolbert, Prince and Bostrom wanted to keep the permission rules in place even for smaller numbers of chickens.

Headline: Downtown’s Pedro Park won’t be as large as supporters had hoped; city favors plan to sell police annex for use as ‘creative’ office space
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Land that had been earmarked for a park for a long time will now still be earmarked for a park but only one that’s half the size because the some people at the city do not want to tear down an old building that it owns but instead want to redevelop it instead. The new developer would pay for the new park, and there’s a proposal in place. The City Council voted 4-3 to sell the old building on the proposed park to a developer for an undisclosed amount that is more than $1.13M. The proposal for the building will be a mix of office and retail, as well as $650K to improve the remaining part of the park. [The original park budget was $30K.] CM Noecker, Prince, and Thao opposed the sale of the building. Some people think downtown needs new office space. [Q: how public will the new park be? Will it look like a park only for people in the new building, or will anyone be comfortable in it?] People who really liked the idea of the full half-block-size park are upset about the loss of half the proposed park. The park was originally proposed in 2009. Building the park would be expensive. [As long as it doesn't continually play Mozart concerts out of a deadened empty stage in the hopes of keeping homeless people at bat, like they do over Mears for some reason.]

Headline: Variance denied new James Ave. home; contractor placed front of home closer to street than survey indicated
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A new house that was built on James Avenue is almost a foot closer to the property line than is permitted. The home is 19.3’ from the property line, but code says it must be 20’ from the line. The Board of Zoning Appeals denied a [post-facto] variance. The contractor made a mistake, and admits it but wish that the city had said so sooner.Quote from neighbor: “this house is bigger than any other on the block. Standing in our front yards and looking up and down the block, the house will block the views.” The original home was once lived in by a young Charles Schultz. [Insert Charlie Brown “kite stuck in tree” joke.] Nobody knows what will happen next, but “tearing down part of the structure” is listed as an option. [This is an extremely Saint Paul moment, right here.]

Headline: St. Paul strengthens its efforts for dealing with vacant buildings
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: City inspectors will now be able to coax building owners to rehab vacant buildings a bit more easily because inspectors have tracked them more closely. Article includes lots of stories about vacant buildings, which come in three categories, and are mostly located in the East Side, North End, and Frogtown. Last year, about 40 vacant building were razed. [I remember this being a big thing in Minneapolis’ North Side as well.]

Headline: City, county adjust their proposals for leasing Highland reservoir site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A large piece of land that used to be needed as a water reservoir [and is located just across the street from Highland Villager HQ] will be reused as something, but nobody knows quite what yet. The city wants more rec fields, and maybe a bit of a parking lot. The county still wants a big parking lot, and maybe ice rinks someday. There is also a “more ambitious” County proposal involving ice rinks, a “water tower park” [WTH?] and retail. [Can we not with the surface parking lots? It seems like “pave it for parking” is like the #1 answer, no matter the question asked.]

2016-04-05

Reading the Highland Villager #152

[Villager in the window of a Cleveland Ave barber shop.]

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also: Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager.]

Headline: Residents push to save St. Paul's oldest fire station; Developers want site for new Marriott Hotel
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: An old fire station that was built in 1871 but has been shuttered for decades might be torn down in order to build a new 100-room hotel. Preservationists want to save the building. The neighborhood is called "Little Bohemia" apparently. [I have maybe heard this name only rarely. It's too bad they tore down half of Little Bohemia to build parking lots and wider roads.] The building has no "historic designation." There was a "rally." A firefighter who fought fires from the fire station died in 1882. The building is "Italianate." It had a belltower on its top until the 1930s. [Woah. Kinda cool history. If they can get it done, great. But this part of town could use a pulse, and a hotel seems like a decent thing to be on this corner. Note that the developer, Herb Brooks' brother, is the guy who bricked up the alley without asking permission from the Lowertown preservation district. See this article for details and a photo.]

Headline: Whole lotta business at Selby-Snelling: New market (and then some) ushers in a new era at corner
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The new Whole Foods is open now. [Haven't been yet, but wanna check out their beer and snacks!] Article includes reference to 150 types of cheese. [Hm.] Article states that parking and traffic not a big deal. [Yes, the article says this! I'm not sure what to make of it.] The 277-space underground heated parking lot is only 60% full. [That's what, $50K per space or something?] Article includes quote from [my favorite] vintage store owner: "I think it's a positive improvement in the neighborhood."

Headline: Stop For Me campaign seeks to make city's streets safer
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Walkability and neighborhood safety advocates are working with the police to set up crosswalk law enforcement stings and an awareness campaign. [See also my article on this topic.] Drivers "did not see" people trying to cross the street. Two grants are paying for the project. Last month a woman was killed trying to cross Kellogg Boulevard in a crosswalk. People on foot or bikes have been hit by cars 38 times so far this year. Article quotes CM Stark saying "we'd like motorists to pay attention." Article includes picture of a person using a [surrender] flag to cross Snelling. [How long did the Villager photographer have to wait to see this? I assume they posed this surrender flag user, because I've only once in my life seen anyone actually using these orange flags. I was arrested.]

Headline: Council approves the use of TIF to help finance development of Ford site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Whoever develops the land on which an old truck factory had sat might be able to use some city money in deferred taxes to do so. The TIF district was already approved in '13, and was re-approved. [Still waiting on Ford to announce something about the environmental cleanup.]

Headline: City considering new medians to calm traffic on Snelling
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Snelling Avenue, a busy [Mn-DOT controlled] street might get 10' medians between Randolph and Ford. [It's also the #1 most dangerous street in the city, and is all-but-uncrossable if you don't have a traffic signal to lean on.] The medians should slow traffic and improve safety. Bumpouts will also be added. The money, $2M, would come from the 8-80 fund and maybe state grants. Left turns from Snelling would not be allowed on every other street. City staff are anticipating that neighbors will be concerned [though nobody is known to be concerned as of yet].

Headline: Council OKs Cleveland bike lanes; Opponents brace for loss in on-street parking
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city and county are striping a new bike lane on Cleveland Avenue. [Didn't read the article, but as far as I can tell, there seems to be broad support for the change. Basically, it's like these two little white lines of paint on the street, about 5 feet from each other, and you ride your bike in between them so that cars know where you're supposed to be and don't run you over. Seems like a safety thing, like putting in a stop sign or installing a guard rail on a bridge. I'm sure it's no big deal.]

Headline: Council OKs handicap space for Stone Saloon
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: And old building that will serve beer someday will be allowed to build a handicapped-accessible parking space in the alley.

Headline: Midway neighbors coming to grips with prospect of pro soccer
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There was a meeting and the Mayor was there. Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking. Some of the shopping center that is there now will be torn down for the new soccer stadium. Lots of people drive and park cars on the streets. One individual who was at the meeting pays his taxes. Nobody wants the atmosphere to be like the State Fair. An "areawide review" is underway. The study will not include any Ayd Mill Road shenanigans. The soccer team would like to start using the stadium in '18. Buses were discussed. [From a study I have seen, the projected everyday mode share for the development around the stadium, which will take many years to complete, is 80/20 driving/non-driving, but I think that's not ambitious enough. However it is, apparently, "realistic."]

Headline: Council keeps open the possibility of TIF for Midway development
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Whoever develops the land on which an old streetcar barn had sat and current strip mall and parking currently sit might be able to use some city money in deferred taxes to do so. The Council vote on the subject was 4-3, which CMs Noecker, Bostrom, and Prince voting to restrict TIF. [CM Thao's comments at the meeting were very heated, by the way!] CM Noecker sponsored the resolution, citing the public money that has already been spent.

Headline: Comment sought on changes to city's congregate living regs
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There will be a public hearing to discuss how the city should classify things like group homes, boarding homes, shelters, frats, etc. Some neighbors from Merriam Park would like sober houses to be farther apart from each other because they are concerned about noise, traffic, and parking. [Don't people who live in sober houses often do so because their drivers' license has been revoked?]

[This fortnight's Villager opera was Wagner again, because it had the best fire scene.]

2016-12-14

Reading the Highland Villager #170

[Give me your tired, poor, huddled Villagers, yearning for more parking...]