In reference to the Ventura Village lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis Keith Reitman asks: "Whatever happened in the matter of the development; and the lawsuit mentioned below?"
The project has been built, but the matter remains in Federal Court. Of course the project will not be objected to by Ventura Village as long as it is operated as affordable housing. Ventura Village asked PPL to participate in such an effort before they ever started the CVI fiasco. Unfortunately public dollars were used in this blatant flouting of the law and by a concentration that does discriminate against poor communities of color and poor people.
The Ventura Village Neighborhood that has created the renaissance on Franklin should be thanked for at least two other MAJOR contributions to Minneapolis (In addition to creating a model of, and teaching the City, how to renovate a troubled Commercial Corridors):
1. Ventura Village demonstrated that the Sabri's could be slowed down in their attempts to take over neighborhoods. Though Central Neighborhood suffered this fate, that same Ventura Village demonstration and the help of Ventura Village residents certainly aided Whittier in resisting another Sabri assault. (Also, with no small thanks to Gary Schiff for his help in stopping the latest one, the Elroy Block slight of hand). Hopefully, justice will finally reach out and touch Basim Sabri next week when he finally must answer to justice and face a judge and jury for his attempt to bribe a Minneapolis City Council Member. That effort broadcast to the whole Twin Cities via television news was attempted in order for Sabri to gain access to NRP and other City funds and further City owned property. A Federal Judge will hopefully make an example of Basim Sabri at the end of that trial. It is paradoxical that Keith's question comes at this time because Basim Sabri's first attempt on Ventura Village came in an attempt to bring a hoard of outsiders in to vote illegally on behalf of PPL and their CVI project. One can only wonder about the connection between Basim Sabri and PPL, and their allied efforts at illegal development. Sabri certainly presented himself as part of PPL's development team, and the PPL representatives allowed him to publicly do so. Though I am sure that now that Sabri is going to court PPL will deny any such "affiliation".
2. Ventura Village's action to fight the City's efforts to concentrate supportive housing in a few poor neighborhoods. The Federal Lawsuit lodged against the City and PPL, whether successful or not, will change how Minneapolis does business in the future. In the past Minneapolis has allowed "Fortress Neighborhoods" to prevent supportive housing from being placed there and discriminated against occupants of those facilities by concentrating most in poor Neighborhoods. Ventura Village has over 700 supportive housing beds within 1/4 mile of Chicago and Franklin Avenue. An area where Minneapolis "law" says only 32 can be placed. Hopefully the Ventura Village lawsuit will force the City of Minneapolis to act responsibly and "affirmatively" place some such facilities also within the fortress neighborhoods.
It is time RT Rybak and the Council tore down those fortress walls. Remember folks, the City could easily use the City owned land to begin to assemble such developable sites in neighborhoods where NO supportive housing is now allowed to exist. Perhaps if the City will not act responsibly then a Federal Court will.
By the way, thanks to Barb, Wizard, and others for their kind words and for doing such a fantastic job of "marketing" our Franklin Avenue. Keeping on coming down to the Avenue, we have a whole lot more new development in the bag just waiting to come out in the next several months. (Some starting in the next month or so) As the saying goes, "Ya ain't seen nothin yet". Ventura Village without regular paid staff has shown how to turn about 70,000 dollars of NRP planning money into one hundred thirty million dollars of new development. This effort shows the true power and empowering resources which NRP's strategic planning can bring to a Neighborhood and a community.
Perhaps that is why there is talk by some elected City officials about ending "Citizen Participation" funding for "Official" neighborhoods and for NRP. Perhaps the neighborhood's efforts make the City official's efforts "look awful weak and lame"! Those words came from Met Council staff people after seeing a presentation by Minneapolis "Planners" on one of their efforts, followed by one given by Ventura Village Neighborhood planners. Confident and responsible Council Members and the Mayor's office I am sure will extend the Citizen Participation Contracts for Neighborhoods and will be more forthcoming with support for NRP. Those politicians less than forthcoming with that support may just feel the sting of a disapointed voter base at the caucuses and City conventions early next year. Of course our politicians can be trusted to do the right thing. The right thing to get elected that is, so folks this next trip perhaps we should get the promises in writing. It's a long time until the next election after this one!
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village
"There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies, and revolution into minds."
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