By Diane Hofstede:
The Krause family has withdrawn their agreement for a proposed liquor store at 80 Broadway Street Northeast in our community’s gateway!
The St. Anthony West Board voted to deny the conditional use permit and the application for the Krause Liquor Store. The community submitted over 700 public comments against the proposal, and over 400 people signed a petition against the 7,500 square foot store, in the heart of the arts district of Northeast, only a stones through from the Mississippi riverfront, the new Sheridan Veterans Memorial Park, and the historic Grain Belt Brewery Complex.
The reasons for the community support against the proposal are the following:
1. We support the Minneapolis Plan for Sustainability and Growth Parks and Trails plan for Marshall Street designated as a future parkway. Marshall Street is a well-travelled bike corridor. Biking amenities are critical as a means of connecting with the rest of the city, and to embellish our transportation network. Off street bike lanes along the river front are not possible, due to the topography of the area as the riverfront moves north. Dedicated bike lanes and a parkway is one of many reasons for our discussions with Hennepin County, the Minneapolis Parks Board, and the purpose of our vison of dedicated bike lanes and parkway integrated in the Above the Falls Master Plan.
2. The intersection is a Gateway to Northeast Minneapolis, and the Northeast Arts District. This Gateway parcel is adjacent to the international headquarters of a Fortune 500 company (Graco), the historic Grain Belt building wheel house, repurposed as the Pierre Bottineau Public Library, and the headquarters of locally based Northeast Bank; it is near the historic Grain Belt Complex which is the location of two buildings on the National Historic Register, the former Grain Belt brewery, and the Grain Belt office building, currently under restoration. The proposal would have not created the impression desired for the community, or maximize compatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods, nor meet the stated goals of the Grain Belt Brewery Area Development Objectives.
3. The proposed development would have increased traffic and congestion, in addition to the daily 27,000 cars, trucks and semi-trucks it would have created additional conflicts with our stated long term goal of dedicated bike lanes, parkway, and our active biker pedestrian area. The impact of the Marshall Street curb cut on bicycle/pedestrian safety, in one of the most congested intersections in the City. We believe it is critical to maintain multimodal transportation corridors in order to link open spaces and parks with surrounding neighborhoods. The highly trafficked area would have become more congested, negatively impacting needed linkages in the city.
As a community, our collective goals are to ensure that adjacent land uses contribute to the safety and ambiance of parks and open spaces. Maintain and improve the accessibility of open spaces and parks to all residents. Continue to beautify open spaces through well designed landscaping that complements and improves the city’s urban form on many scales from street trees to expansive views of our river.
The development was the wrong idea, in the wrong place. Marshall Street is slated to become the parkway, and dedicated bikeways with millions of dollars are being invested to create a more vibrant front door along this river corridor. We embrace our distillery and brewing past & present in Northeast, and we celebrate our history which was crafted carefully after many years of an industrial focus. In a three mile radius we have 72 on and off sale liquor establishments. We support amenities to our community that embellish and support our rich history. This proposal did not!
What’s next you might ask? Upon withdrawal of the Krause agreement the property owner had three offers, all for the same amount as the liquor store proposal. At this time, the agreement with the owner is for the development of a health care facility. More information will in available in mid-October. In the interim, the St. Anthony West neighborhood has begun a small area plan. We are looking forward, to looking forward with our history as our guide and thoughtful dialogue.
Diane Hofstede is a community organizer and former City Council Member representing the 3rd Ward.
Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 2:00AM
The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association (MHNA) commissioned six local artists to create original artwork to cover utility boxes throughout Marcy-Holmes. These utility boxes, formerly covered with graffiti, are now permanently wrapped with original designs.
