A Surprise Under the Basement
A unique Cold War relic sits 20 feet under a Highland Park home and most people have no idea it’s there. Come along on a tour of a rare home fallout shelter.
Tag Archives: Highland Park
A Look at the Coolest Garage In Saint Paul
Garages serve many utilitarian purposes. One Highland Park couple has a garage that does so much more including serving as a neighborhood hangout, restaurant, bar and workshop.
The Real Highland Bike Map
St. Paul made tremendous strides in connecting and constructing bike infrastructure this year. The Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition recently released its updated 2021 bike map, highlighting the extensive network. And it is impressive. My Strava feed, in a year that saw my highest mileage total in a single calendar year ever, has a lot of […]
Neighborhood Character and Redlining’s Legacy
“Neighborhood character,” it turns out, can be legally defined and covenanted, as I learned recently when I spent a morning conducting research at the Ramsey County records division. I found the warranty deed abstract for the multi-block plot of land that includes my lot and house, and a significant swath of Highland District Council (HDC) […]
The Planned Failure of the Ford Site
On January 25, 2019, Ryan Companies presented its plan for the Ford Site redevelopment to the St. Paul Planning Commission. One third of the way through the presentation, Ryan officials finished talking about themselves and turned to the city’s (supposed) vision for the Ford Site, That vision includes environmental sustainability, vibrant urban infill and a transit-oriented […]
Staving Off Bikesharing Shrinkage
A couple of days before the Nice Ride season started this year, I looked at their map to scout out stations by TCF Stadium. I was getting ready to go to a soccer game there and was looking forward to being able to use Nice Ride to get to or from games. But my neighborhood […]
I Got Kicked Out of My House — You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!
A handy, trustworthy tenant who paid his rent on time — nope, wasn’t enough for a suburban landlord who wanted to cash in.
Highland Character Quest
Recently, I purchased a home about a half a mile north of this industrial waste site. I was okay with this, since prior to finalizing the contract I had read some very intriguing things about the city’s plans for the site, known in conversation as “The Ford Site.” But after living in my new community a while, […]
Are District Councils Really Just Homeowner’s Associations?
Recently my neighborhood had its yearly district council election here in Highland Park. I couldn’t help but notice as the newly elected grid representatives received the applause of their neighbors, who they were: five white home-owning men, three out of the five sporting white hair. Out of the seven seats in contention that night, only one seat […]
Neighborhood Character is Not Just the Built Environment
Since I advocate for change in St Paul, an often Sisyphean task against the forces of KSPB, I often think about neighborhood character and what it means – especially what it means to different people. I have also struggled to find empathy and understanding for views that don’t exactly align with my own, and I […]