As previously mentioned, the current city plan for bike lanes on 38th Street is to allow parking in the bike lane from 6 am to noon in two spots near local businesses. While I wasn’t personally there to witness it, I’m told that Council member Andrew Johnson described this new plan as a “compromise” at […]
Minneapolis has a Complete Streets policy. The city website describes one of the key elements of this policy thus: “Establishment of a modal priority framework to inform City transportation related decision making that prioritizes people as they walk, bicycle, and take transit over people when they drive.” The concept it pretty simple. When we’re deciding […]
“Parking is a really personal and passionate issue.” That was Gil Gustafson’s admonition to the West Saint Paul City Council last week as he and a neighbor made their case for an arguably very personal residents-only permit parking zone on his block of Livingston Avenue, a block away from an apartment complex on Robert Street. […]
Via the peerless City Observatory, here’s a new report that measures the relative cost of downtown parking in US metros. (Note: I’m not sure if they used Minneapolis, Saint Paul, or both for this study…) You can see the chart here, with Minneapolis-Saint Paul highlighted: The report’s authors followed up the chart with an admittedly […]
A co-worker recently began biking to work. As I have counseled him along the way, he has shared the many things he enjoys, but there have also been some headaches. One challenge was finding parking for his bicycle. “I hardly ever see other bikes on the rack out front, but I know a bunch of […]
“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” –Yogi Berra If you have lived in Rochester long enough, you may remember downtown buildings as the businesses that used to occupy them (e.g. Dayton’s, Wong’s, Henry Wellington’s). And you may remember a time when it was very convenient to drive downtown and park right in front of […]
My open letter to City of Minneapolis officials and staff regarding the disposition of a vacant, city-owned lot. I’m disappointed to see the recent article in the Southwest Journal, “Project with most parking wins vote in Lyndale neighborhood.” I am urging you and city staff to choose the 32+ unit apartment proposal that serves the interests […]
The Southwest Journal reports on a housing competition in Minneapolis: Lyndale neighborhood residents heard two competing development concepts Monday for 3329 Nicollet Ave., and voted 20-11 in favor of the pitch that provided the most parking. The developers’ concepts ranged from eight-unit townhouses rising three stories with garages, to a four-story apartment building with at […]
The other day it was hotter than it should ever be in Minneapolis, and I needed my car for work. I drove downtown and parked in Ramp C to keep it out of the sun. Otherwise, I could have prepared a tater tot hot dish inside my car by the time I got back. This experience […]
As someone who follows local development politics pretty closely, I’ve been watching a strange new debate unfold at City Hall. We’re used to hearing concerns about parking and neighborhood “character” from longtime homeowners. Now, that same argument is coming from a cast of comedians in support of Acme Comedy Co’s quest to stop the development […]
