Editor’s note: This article is a part of the Neighbors for More Neighbors (N4MN) ongoing discussion around the current zoning changes due to the Minneapolis 2040 plan implementation and advocacy to allow More Uses in More Places in support of complete neighborhoods. It was written by Zachary Wajda and posted by Brit Anbacht with permission.

I live in the Northeast Park neighborhood in Minneapolis. I recently bought a house here, and I do not own a car. It is a personal goal of mine to remain car-free. It should be possible for anyone living in a large city to do so. Everyone should have easy, convenient access to what they need in life. For me, a few of these things are food, employment and recreation.

Before moving to my home, I lived in downtown Minneapolis. I worked 15 minutes (walking) from where I lived. I lived less than a block away from a small-format grocery store. I could leave, grab groceries, and be back in my apartment within 10 minutes. I frequented Minneapolis’s gorgeous Mississippi riverfront and the fantastic restaurants minutes away.

My new home is just south of 18th Ave NE and Central Avenue NE. It’s in a large R2B (up to three-family residential) primary zoning district, and it’s in an Interior 2 built form overlay district. All primary residential zoning (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6) does not allow for most commercial uses. Small corner stores and restaurants are banned. 18th Avenue NE is sandwiched between Central Avenue NE and Johnson Street NE. The popular Sociable Cider Werks brewery is right there, and 18th Avenue’s Great Northern Greenway runs parallel to it.

18th Avenue NE is a prime example of why these types of small businesses should be allowed within Urban Neighborhood zoning. This street is an ideal location for small shops and services. People who live there should be able to legally run a business out of their home to take advantage of the great greenway and transit access. Will the new zoning code allow these small businesses here? Or will they be limited to existing corridors? If the city wants complete neighborhoods, called for in Minneapolis 2040, it must legalize the uses people need in every corner of the city.

To be clear, I am not advocating for strip malls or big box stores in the neighborhoods of Minneapolis. We already have many examples of small businesses that are tucked into neighborhoods. I’m not advocating to rezone 18th Avenue. I want the city to consider the uses that are allowed in the new “Urban Neighborhood” primary districts. Part of what makes a neighborhood a neighborhood is a sense of community. A sense of community is built in local shops, meeting spots, hangouts and recreational areas. Should swaths of our city mandate more than a 10 minute walk to the nearest hypothetical legal corner store?

I call on Minneapolis to expand the uses allowed in residential areas to include the basics of a complete, walkable neighborhood. Allow homeowners to run businesses out of their homes. Allow small, every-day retail, like grocery stores, hairdressers and dentists in our neighborhoods.

Take Action!

What can you do to support complete neighborhoods in Minneapolis?

• Take Neighbors for More Neighbors’ complete neighborhoods survey!
• Volunteer with the N4MN Minneapolis 2040 implementation task force!
  • Support 8 volunteer leaders on advocacy (email neighborsformoreneighbors@gmail.com with “2040 task force” in the subject line to learn more)
• Share your email to get action alerts on this project
• Talk with your neighbors and friends about what complete neighborhoods are and why they matter to you.
• Sign up for the N4MN newsletter and watch for action alerts from the task force; they may include attending community meetings, testifying at hearings or sending emails.

Written by Zachary Wajda. Posted by Brit Anbacht.