I know that people are essentially just floating ideas, but the whole idea of
"fixing" 38th and 42nd by "creating" a corridor at 40th seems (with all due
respect) absurd. The existing infrastructure at both 38th and 42nd is more
conducive to commercial use than at 40th, and changing the use of 40th would
affect even more people's homes than either of the other two streets. Further,
businesses that would potentially be grandfathered in on 38th and 40th would be
on the fringe of the corridor, and would continue to struggle.
I live very close to a freeway off ramp, so I can definatly empathize with those
facing increased traffic if ramps are installed at 38th. I see many positives
and negatives around the issue. I do think it might be the optimal solution
from the standpoint of automobile traffic, but I am generally opposed to
planning that accomodates increasing numbers of automobiles; mass transit
remains largely non-existent in our metro area, and that seems like a more
important issue than cars. As Dore Mead once remarked in a public meeting
regarding I35W expansion, (and I LOVE this analogy!) "Expanding a freeway to
fight traffic delays is like loosening your belt to fight obesity".
If ramps are eventually installed at 38th, then it is critical that spill-over
effects of the traffic be mitigated. This may include moving (not removing per
say) some of the housing stock. I consider it patently unfair to ask current
residents to endure becoming a commercial corridor, or to take their homes away
when they might not be interested in selling. A better option is to offer to
move those homes to some of the many vacant lots in the adjacent neighborhoods.
This option also is more environmentally friendly as well, and far less
disruptive to the affected families in the longer term. I know the city of
Minneapolis is not crazy about the idea of moving houses, but many other metro
areas as well as some MSP suburbs (think of the old Ford Town portion of
Richfield) have been quite successful in this endeavor - Minneapolis would do
well to acquire the skill!
David Piehl
Central
"David Brauer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on 03/14/2001 08:36:59 PM
To: "Mpls list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
cc: (bcc: Dave G Piehl/USA/Pillsbury)
Subject: RE: [Mpls] re: 38th St ramps
Tim Bonham observes:
>This broke down somehow around 40th St, which should have been a
>"commercial" street based on this pattern. Instead both 38th and 42nd
>became "semi-commercial", with an uncomfortable mix of commercial
>intersections and residential housing.
One minor demurral (from a 42nd street resident): 38th is a heck of a lot
more commercial on both sides of the highway than 42nd. For example, at
Nicollet, 38th has businesses on all four corners, 42nd on one (Curran's,
with the best dessert deal in town: the $7.49 homemade pie. That's for the
whole thing. Yum!). At Grand, 38th has businesses on all four corners, 42nd
street one. In fact, 42nd is officially considered a residential street west
of Nicollet, while 38th is a "community corridor," the intermediate step
before Lake-type places.
The story is the same many blocks east of the highway, at least as far as
Park/Portland...though I'm not intimately familiar with how 38th and 42nd
compare at, say, Hiawatha.
>Maybe we should take this as an opportunity to "fix" this -- put the ramps
>onto 40th St, rezone it to allow commercial development, rezone 38th & 42nd
>to discourage commercial use (only grandfathering in the existing ones),
>reroute buses to 40th St, etc.
Ironically, 40th used to be a bus route and is built to withstand buses
(unlike 42nd west of the highway). However, it is purely residential between
Nicollet and Lyndale and has much less commercial development than at 38th.
I think altering the use pattern would be extreme.
Of course, it also was 40 years ago by putting the ramps at 35th/36th (by
the way, anyone know why?). However, in four decades 36th has become more
commercial and 38th has become less (especially west of the highway). I'm
not sure how to split this baby - half the ramps at 36th and half at 38th
has been studied -- but 40th is too good to be true.
David Brauer
President, King Field neighborhood association
King Field - ward 10
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