On Monday, the Planning Commission approved the zoning upgrade for Nicollet Ace Hardware's proposed parking lot.
Our esteemed Moderator made a eloquent pitch for the upgrade as President of Kingfield Assn. I followed the thread about this project. The committee struggled with the decision. It wasn't that they were not sensitive to the needs of the Ace Hardware owners. They just are leery of upgrading the zoning, in this case from R2 to C2. In the end Chairwoman Martin broke a tie and approved the new zoning. What weighed heavily in her mind was the absence of neighborhood opposition to the change. Indeed, all who spoke at the public hearing told of the importance of the business to the neighborhood and their quality of life. The only problem that remains is the structures on the property. The hope is that land can be found and the houses can be moved. Lyndale neighborhood was mentioned as a possible area because the homes will become more reasonably priced than if they were in Kingfield. This might come as a surprise to the City Assessor. When an old friend of mine appealed the decision of the Assessor to increase the Market Value of her house she was told categorically that it had nothing to do with the neighborhood but only with the house itself. Of course we knew that was a lie. It was the former administration's way of raising taxes without raising taxes. The other factor that affects the cost of the houses is the possibility they can be sited on land that is held in trust. I don't want to reopen the land trust discussion. I would point out though the existence of community gardens and that those may be perfect sites for just these sorts of contingencies. During the life of the last City Council, the ceding to the neighborhoods of the sort of informal gardens that had sprung up around some areas of town where the bulldozers had been active make this a possibility. I had real concerns when I saw this legislation in the City Council. I saw these gardens as buildable lots taken out of circulation. On a walk today I happened to notice such a garden on the 3500 block of Grand close to 36th Street. I don't know if this is a possible site being looked at but it seemed made for one of the homes. It's close enough that it would be a short night ride from 38th and Nicollet to 36th and Grand. Speed is of the essence at this point in time. Good luck to Kingfield which is committing energy and money to make this happen. This could be a great story and an endorsement, by me at least, of the NRP. Tim Connolly Ward 7 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings! http://greetings.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
