I am Chair of the Whittier Alliance committee that looks at zoning issues in the neighborhood, including the MIA expansion. I live less than a block away from the MIA and have been an unabashed supporter of the MIA, Children�s Theatre, etc.
Despite my love of the MIA, I�m disappointed that the Minneapolis Institute of Arts presented its expansion proposal at the Z & P meeting earlier this week. Last week, the Whittier Alliance voted to request that the MIA delay its presentation to Z & P until December to allow additional time to refine the design and work on traffic and parking issues. The request for more time was very reasonable; this is a $50 million, 100,000 sf plus project that is squeezed into a difficult site abutting a residential area. But the MIA decided to ignore the neighborhood and press on with its plan. Construction would not be delayed by continued work on detailed design issues, and one would think fundraising would be smoother if potential donors knew the neighborhood supported the project. Had the MIA been forthcoming with its expansion plans from the start, this delay and continued work might not be necessary. But unfortunately, the MIA has not told the neighborhood the full story of its development plans. At a meeting several months ago, I asked the local architect point blank what zoning approvals were needed and the response was that �the project complies with all applicable laws and ordinances.� Well, the truth of the matter is that the MIA needs a CUP, a variance, and needs to amend its PUD. I�m at a complete loss as to why the MIA has handled zoning and land use planning issues the way they have. Moreover, even the most partisan MIA staffer or board member must admit their interactions with the neighborhood organized by CM Zimmermann have made the expansion project better. The meetings have been contentious, but also productive. We need to have more sessions like those to make this project a success. The bottom line is this: this cake isn�t ready to come out of the oven yet. And the neighborhood needs to know what else is cooking before this expansion project goes anywhere. Either the MIA should back off and request delay before the next full Council meeting, or the Council should reject the proposal and send it back for more work. It pains me to say this, because I love the MIA and support its effort to expand. But many of the details of this project remain unresolved � loading docks, driveways, curb cuts, parking issues, etc. The time to deal with these issues is BEFORE approvals are given. I also have a little advice for the folks at the MIA. Don�t be so grouchy. If there is any group of people who should understand that art inspires debate, and that architecture is invariably better when it is a collaborative process, it should be you. Have a little fun. Listen. Lighten up a little bit. Cordially, Dave Harstad Whittier __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
