Readers Write - Say No to Parking Variance for Pillsbury A Mill Project

From neighbors on the East Bank:

We're long time residents of Minneapolis and currently live in the MHNA. We also love the Central Riverfront District. We urge you to vote no on the parking variance being sought for the A Mill project. The historic parking ratio for the A Mill requires 290 spaces. If the variance is granted, the number of on-site parking spaces will be reduced to 204 or 70% of what's required under historic guidelines. If the buildings are important enough to save, shouldn't we honor the parking guidelines put in place to protect the historic neighborhood? Furthermore, this variance could have been avoided under a comprehensive development plan for the entire site. Please consider that when the bank foreclosed and took possession of the entire A Mill site, there was plenty of land available to avoid a parking variance. Because the bank decided to split the property in two (either to maximize their profit or to minimize their loss), it created an on-site parking shortage for the A Mill piece. Please take the long-term view in keeping with the historic preservation of the neighborhood - even if it means waiting for the next development proposal on this parcel.

- Melanie and Rob Stanek

Here's a link to the meeting agenda for the Zoning and Planning Committee hearing scheduled for this morning:

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/meetings/zp/WCMS1P-091187