City briefs - Mar 2024

An agreement has been signed between the City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) that is intended to align planning and investments in the Minnehaha Creek watershed area. It includes establishing a steering committee and “Partnership Implementation Plan,” and will evaluate the Penn Newton Morgan, Nicollet, and Bloomington Cedar areas to be the initial focus of the partner’s work over the next five years. MCWD will lead the feasibility evaluation process for the three projects and will be the lead agency for the group.

 

The city will be collecting a community input this spring regarding the Cedar Lake Road bridge over the BNSF railroad in the Bryn Mawr in plans to replace in 2027. Project staff will hold an open house on Tuesday, March 26 from 4:30- 6:30 p.m. at Bryn-Mawr Presbyterian Church (420 Cedar Lake Rd S). People may visit www.minneapolismn.gov/government/projects/cedar-lake-rd-bridge/  to learn more and sign up for email updates about the project. 

 

Following the public hearing on March 12, the city council is expected to authorize issuing tax exempt housing revenue bonds of up to $21,000,000 for this project in the Whittier neighborhood of Ward 10. This will help finance the building of a 110 unit, 6-story building with approximately 5,000 square feet of amenity space and 1,000 square feet of commercial space. The total development cost for this project is currently estimated at $41,108,424.

 

The city council and Mayor Jacob Frey have unanimously approved a $1.5 million per year contract with Effective Law Enforcement for All, Inc. to be the independent monitor for the city’s settlement agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights related to discriminatory police practices. The non-profit firm’s president is David Douglass, who is a former Assistant United States Attorney and Department of Justice Civil Rights Prosecutor. He was deputy monitor for the consent decree between the city of New Orleans and the Department of Justice. There will be a two-year performance evaluation of their work, after which the city may terminate the contract. 

 

On March 4, Ward 10 Council Member Aisha Chughtai hosted a meeting about the Labor Standards Board ordinance amendment that she is drafting. The amendment, if approved, would establish a Labor Standards Board to study and report on working conditions in specific industries in Minneapolis. She reported that more than 100 people attended the session, and roughly 20 people who work in Minneapolis spoke about their work experiences and how such a board could improve conditions in their work-places and industries. An official public hearing date on the ordinance amendment is expected to be set sometime this spring.   

 

The state legislature is considering a bill that would allow Minneapolis, and other local jurisdictions, to use traffic cameras to issue tickets for speeding and running red lights in high-crash areas near schools.  The effort has the support of city policymakers, and some legislators want to expand it to authorize the deployment of cameras statewide.  

Neighborhood Association Meetings

• Armatage: Third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m., Armatage Rec Center

• East Harriet: First Wednesday of odd months at 7 p.m., Lyndale Farmstead Park

• Fulton: Second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. Via Zoom. E-mail info@fultonneighborhood.org for the meeting link.

• Kenny: Third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m., Kenny Park or via Zoom

Zoom

Meeting ID: 817 5108 0936

Passcode: 121112

• Linden Hills: Second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m., Linden Hills Rec Center or via Zoom. Register online for meeting link.

• Lynnhurst: Second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m., Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church - 5025 Knox Ave S. Meetings are held in the library