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Author Archive | Sean Hayford Oleary

MnDOT to Combat Dangerous Scourge of ‘Distracted Walking’ at Mall of America

By on April 1, 2019 in Humor, Suburbia

April 1, Bloomington — The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has announced an exciting new effort in its campaign to fight the dangerous epidemic of distracted walking, by targeting one of the metro area’s most dangerous areas for distracted pedestrians: the Mall of America. “Distracted driving claims thousands of lives each year,” noted MnDOT Commissioner […]

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Join the streets.mn Board to Keep Moving the Conversation Forward

By on November 6, 2017 in streets.mn

As Bill Lindeke noted a couple of weeks ago, the streets.mn board needs you to apply to join us! I have served on the board for the last year, after several years of reading, commenting, and contributing. It has been an amazing opportunity to help shape and support an organization I love, and to use […]

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Penn & 66th is the best small business district in Richfield. Why replace it?

By on October 20, 2017 in Planning, Suburbia

Last spring, at a voter forum for Richfield’s west-side Council seat, there were a number of questions about the mid-century commercial development that lines Penn Avenue between the Crosstown and 68th Street. Voters and candidates spoke of “tired” buildings, non-conforming sites, and inadequate parking. These questions about Penn Avenue seem to come up in every […]

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Neighbors Embrace New Oil Refinery for Ford Site

By on April 1, 2017 in Humor

St. Paul, Minnesota — residents of the Highland Park neighborhood have been struggling for months against an outrageous proposal to redevelop the Ford Site with business, homes, and public green space. Today, Neighbors for a Livable St. Paul announced the results of their successful campaign to preserve neighborhood character. Instead of unsightly urban apartment homes, the industrial legacy […]

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Cars (Alone) Can’t Sustain Interstate 494

By on March 14, 2017 in Freeways, Infrastructure, Suburbia

I spend a lot of time thinking about the 494 strip. I work out of a coworking space near 494 and 100, and live less than a mile north of the highway in Richfield. As a Richfield planning commissioner, I have seen many projects revolve around 494 visibility and access.  On a broader level, Richfield has ambitious goals […]

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The Orange Line Defunding is a Crisis for Hennepin County

By on July 26, 2016 in Politics, Suburbia, Transit

Residents of South Minneapolis, Richfield, and Bloomington got some very bad news last week. In response to a move by Dakota County to leave the Counties Transit Improvement Board, CTIB is considering withdrawing its funding for the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit. The Orange Line would be the metro’s first true bus rapid transit line, […]

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Hennepin County To Relocate Central Library to Geographic Center of Hennepin County

By on April 1, 2016 in Humor

Medina, Minn — The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners has announced a strategic relocation of the Hennepin County Central Library, to join the ideal location of Hennepin County Public Works in Medina, near the exact geographic center of the County. Since the Minneapolis Library Board merged with Hennepin County eight years ago, Central Library has sat at an extreme […]

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On the Cedar Lake Trail, St. Louis Park Rewrites the Law

By on October 9, 2015 in Bicycling, Suburbia, Trails

The City of St. Louis Park has a problem — a pretty good problem to have. They have two spectacular east-west trails, running through pleasant natural corridors, on their own rights-of-way. Those trails are the North Cedar Lake Regional Trail and the Cedar Lake Trail (this is often called the “Greenway”, since it becomes the […]

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In Brainerd, Business 371 is for Business

By on August 5, 2015 in Greater Minnesota, Sidewalks, Streets, Towns

I was up in Brainerd this weekend, visiting my sister. I’ve been up there several times since she bought a house just south of downtown a year and a half ago. Brainerd has a nice, walkable downtown. It has wide sidewalks, trees and benches, and active storefronts. Compared to the neighboring Baxter strip, it’s a breath […]

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Southdale to Rebrand, Establish Stroaddale Preservation District

By on April 1, 2015 in Humor

Edina, Minn — The City of Edina today announced ambitious plans to rebrand the aging Southdale District as “Stroaddale”, and to establish strict historic preservation guidelines to ensure that its low-density, stroad-oriented development is cherished for future generations. Stroaddale District is named for Stroaddale Center, and is roughly bounded by Crosstown to the north, Valley […]

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