WM: The city of Mpls has stepped forward. It's the city that is wrapping the rent cut into the TIF funding (as I understand it).From Friday's Star Tribune Letters to the Editor:
Allina does its part As an employee of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, I cannot say that I am thrilled at the outlook of staying in south Minneapolis. However, I am proud of Allini CEO Richard Pettingill and the board's resolve to remain part of the community. ...
Allina, Wells Fargo and many small businesses and residents are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the Phillips neighborhood.
Now it's time for the city of Minneapolis to step forward and reward that commitment with a promise that it will aid and support the future development of the area.
The papers tying the city into this redevelopment are, many of them, already in place. Powderhorn Park took the leadership in this whole process. It was they who put in the biggest chunk of money to push the process. It was they who brought the city, county, and state to the table.
At that time, one attempt was the Chicago Lake Safety Center. It was doomed to failure from step one, since none of us could admit (or maybe even understood at that time) that it was undoable at that juncture. So long as there was 11 acres of land which was as dead as a kipper on cracker, there could be no safety at that place. Some entity, business, non-p, rental housing, something, had to be in place for the police to make any headway with Chicago and Lake.
The very fact that Allina is going to move umpty-umpty people south of 28th St. is going to exert considerable pressure. Allina has it's own safety department, well equipped, access to cameras, radio cars, what all. It runs 24-7 just like the police and has a good relationship with the police.
The head of Allina's safety department was one of those who rescued an old victorian with a wrap-around porch no more than a block from the hospital.
WM: That's an improvement. There was a time it was right outside the Chicago Avenue door, right across the street from Children's. But none of the pressure applied could be enough so long as Sears was still empty of human industry of some legitimate type.Within blocks of our current address, it's not difficult to experience one of south Minneapolis' maladies - prostitution, drugs, theft or homicide. If that kind of behavior continues, it will surely hinder the positive environment that its current and future inhabitants hope to create.
The question is, how do we go about changing this perception?WM: That will come about as people realize that, inch by inch, block by block, this area has made and is making it's own revival. Drive South on Portland from 94 to 38th. Look at the enormous changes which have occurred. Drive down some of the side streets. See the changes for yourself. We've spent ten years (so far) working on this through NRP and whatever matching dollars we could find.
The sadder thing would be that the Sears bldg. never was brought back to life, then all the money invested to date will have been for naught.
For those who can see change and ignore it, I'd say they have a vested interest in not seeing it and that it's a personal problem. Personally, I don't give a rat's patootie what any particular suburban person thinks about this area. I'm not sold on suburban living any more than they're sold on city life. However, if I had a job in the burbs, I'd still go to work every day.
WizardMarks, Central
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