Last night at the PRAC meeting, Peter McLaughlin defended the Access Project as a partial correction of the damage done to the neighborhoods and Lake Street when I-35W ripped them apart in the 1960's.
In my opinion, Peter has it partially right; I believe there is merit to the idea that the 40 year decline of areas of south Minneapolis and Lake Street near the freeway had a lot to do with the freeway being built, but I don't believe it was lack of direct access at Lake St. that caused the damage - West Broadway has direct access, and with all due respect to the folks living in that area, it hasn't stimulated much development or commercial activity on Broadway. Basically, the damage done by the freeway was that it made suburban flight possible; with a freeway, it was suddenly possible to commute 15 - 20 miles quickly compared to transit on city streets. People who could afford to moved further and further out, taking their disposable income with them. I think the Access Project, by creating direct freeway access for Wells Fargo and Allina, will exacerbate this phenomenon, making it even easier for suburbanites to come and work in the city, and flee home at the end of the day. Folks have noticed an increased interest in living in the city over the past few years - I believe one of the major contributors to that is the capacity constrained freeways that are limiting potential for sprawl through long commutes. Bigger freeways will not only destroy additional property in the city, but they will also have a chilling effect on development in the areas of the city where investment faces the greatest risk - the extended suburbs are viable alternatives with big freeways and "access". David Piehl Central __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
