An energizing start for our work!

Our August 21st Small Area Plan Kick-off was a great success! More than 50 people attended and contributed their ideas for this project. Members of all area neighborhoods, and representatives from the City, including Michael Larson and Kevin Walker from Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED), David Johnson and Commissioner Gretchen Musicant from the Department of Health and Family Support, Mayor R.T. Rybak and Councilmember Elizabeth Glidden attended and participated.

After overview presentations we broke into small groups to answer several questions related to changes we envisioned for 38th and Chicago. The questions included:

• What is your favorite place on 38th Street or on Chicago Avenue? Why?
• What changes would you make to our area? What would you keep?
• What do you want to achieve through development? What are your concerns?
• What changes would encourage you to walk or bike more?
• What changes would encourage you to talk with your neighbors more?

We also asked groups to come up with a better name for our Plan. The answers given by each group follow below. You can also see all the answers given for each question by following this link >

Summary of comments (sorted by group)

from the 38th and Chicago Small Area / Corridor Framework Plan Kick-Off Workshop

Workshop was held on August 21 2006 at Calvary Lutheran Church. Comments are presented as written (with minor editing for clarity) by each of the five groups that participated in this exercise, and also include additional comments spoken by group members when presenting their work.

Group 1

members: Brandon, Dallas, Angie & Keith, Carol, Les, Jenny

1. What is your favorite place on 38th Street or on Chicago Avenue? Why?

• Youth farm and market at 3600 Chicago
• Phelps Park
• The impact of recent development in how my neighborhood looks and feels
• Baha'i Center - it's beautiful
• Lavender
• the retention pond

2. What changes would you make to our area? What would you keep?

• organic co-op - groceries
• more garbage and recycling cans
• skating rink - outdoor for winter
• more flowers
• big windows in stores
• reduce number of redundant dollar / discount stores and quickie marts
• increase variety - get a wider range of commercial businesses
• improve storefronts
• safer transit
• address traffic issues - add speed bumps
• add cross walks

3. What do you want to achieve through development? What are your concerns?

• enhance safety and create a beautiful neighborhood
• concerned that we'll end up all condos and restaurants (like Uptown or Lake and Lyndale)
• concerned about the impacts of higher density
• make absentee landlords accountable
• would like property values to increase to support and reflect investment in one's home and neighborhood

4. What changes would encourage you to walk or bike more? (or take public transportation?)

• artists studios
• safety
• clean streets
• more express bus routes to-from downtown
• nicely surfaced streets
• better street lighting on main streets
• public education re: safe biking and safe driving with bikes
• add beat cops!

5. What changes would encourage you to talk with your neighbors more?

• spending more time in the front yard
• boulevard gardens

6. Name for the plan:

• "Utopia"

Group 2

members: Montana, Matty, Carolyn, Claudia, Amy, Ryan

1. What is your favorite place on 38th Street or on Chicago Avenue? Why?

• Midtown Exhange: phenomenal example of restoration, mixed use, blending of cultures, transit center, clean / welcoming / comfortable
• 48th and Chicago business district: great example of blending of cultures, , great example of intersection revitalization, good mix of practical uses
• Riverview Theater intersection: destination location - a 1-stop night out
• "Modern" building at 3rd and Chicago - unique, an architectural stand out
• 3801 Park: great location for a coffee shop!
• "Swiss chalet" on 38th and 3rd - unique architecture
• Jakeeno's: best pizza, supporters of the neighborhood, they've stuck around

2. What changes would you make to our area? What would you keep?

 

change:

• buses to streetcars
• major reduction in crime
• more walkable with more amenities to walk to
• street level / pedestrian lighting
• better / nicer bus stop stations
• improve streetscaping and traffic calming
• add trees
• keep library open: make Hosmer library hours same as Washburn
• make sure rental property is well kept and managed
• cleaner / less litter

keep:

• wide sidewalks
• turn-of-century housing stock
• diversity of neighborhood
• community centers and libraries

3. What do you want to achieve through development? What are your concerns?

• crime reduction
• increase walkability
• increase usable amenities
• get people staying / moving back to the city and to the neighborhood
• cleaner / less litter
• establish a special assessment area at 38th and Chicago to beautify corner (add lights at Christmas, etc.)
• make sure zoning is enforced
• restoration / revitalization of commercial and housing structures

4. What changes would encourage you to walk or bike more?

• change buses to streetcars - less emissions and better chance of being used
• street-level lighting
• more bike lanes
• businesses and amenities that you want to walk to
• bike racks
• if reduction in crime, more public benches, etc.
• north / south version of greenway / pedestrian mall
• decreasing traffic speed on Park, Portland, 36th and 35th, and bring Park and Portland to two-way streets with their original boulevards
• re-timing of traffic lights

5. What changes would encourage you to talk with your neighbors more?

• neighborhood amenities, "gathering places" (coffee shops, restaurants, etc.)
• theaters
• music / performance spaces
• community gardens
• "Blooming Boulevards"
• block clubs

6. Name for the plan:

• "38th and Chicago Renaissance"

Group 3

members: Scott, Andrea, Chris, Michelle, Mike, Dave

1. What is your favorite place on 38th Street or on Chicago Avenue? Why?

• Jakeeno's
• Turtle Bread
• Pepito's
• Riverview Theater
• Riverview Cafe and Wine Bar
• Mother Earth Garden
• Dairy Queen
• LeVain
• Parkway Theater
• Bagu
• Pumphouse Creamery
• Midtown Exchange / Global Market

2. What changes would you make to our area? What would you keep?

• Redevelopment or facelift for mall at 40th and Bloomington
• Arts Co-op:
  - Classes and gallery
  - Places to mix youth with adults
  - Writing center with youth focus
• Co-op grocery - carrying healthy foods
• yoga / meditation / exercise (example "Curves" gym)

3. What do you want to achieve through development? What are your concerns?

• maintain or increase historic element: architecture of area
• change image: attract and increase homeownership and desirability of neighborhood
• maintain affordability
• make it culturally welcoming
• increase cultural connections

4. What changes would encourage you to walk or bike more?

• improve the perception of safety in the area: more people, activity, better lighting
• improve bicycle infrastructure: obvious, plentiful and easy to use bike racks
• more destination points
• coffee shops
• needed services
• rental meeting spaces (for family celebrations, weddings)

5. What changes would encourage you to talk with your neighbors more?

• need more public spaces, meeting centers (not necessarily churches) - (for example a place to discuss Bryant neighborhood issues)
• something that brings out the benefits of living in a city
• more scheduled events that help bring neighbors together
• keep the buildings that add to the street's appeal - "we have great old buildings that could be great businesses"

6. Name for the plan:

• "Renaissance Initiative"
• "Intersecting"

Group 4

members: Emmet, Donna, Reese, Steven, Elizabeth, Richard

1. What is your favorite place on 38th Street or on Chicago Avenue? Why?

• Bryant and 38th
• 38th and Grand
• Chicago and Lake
• Sabathani
• Nice 1 story building (3732 Chicago?)
• MacDonald Sunshine Daycare - kids
• Baha'i garden and flood pond park with fountain

2. What changes would you make to our area? What would you keep?

• need to address safety issues - we have nice parks but people don't feel comfortable having their kids use them
• we need dedicated youth spaces designed by youth
• need intergenerational spaces - places to see things common to different generations / to talk about common things
• urban arts
• need more cohesive, stronger business community
• keep: community spaces
  - Hosmer
  - Sabathani
  - PUC (Pillsbury United Communities)
  - Parks

3. What do you want to achieve through development? What are your concerns?

• more community spaces
• attract anchor businesses that contribute to the area
• more art centers
• to encourage positive early evening activities
• start co-op businesses

4. What changes would encourage you to walk or bike more?

• designated bike paths
• community-organized walking clubs / garden clubs
• improved landscape / streetscape - it's key to make the streets more inviting
• improved lighting - pedestrian and city lights
• sidewalk cafes
• less negative early evening activities
• public art
• blooming boulevards (and alleys - flowers in the alleys)
• art / music

5. What changes would encourage you to talk with your neighbors more?

• working together on neighborhood projects
• youth programs / projects
• other neighborhood-wide events - we need something more than National Night Out
• sharing of cultural traditions
• "welcome wagon" for new residents - to help "break the ice"

6. Name for the plan:

• "38th Street Crossroads Plan"

Group 5

members: Vanessa, Lou Ann, Patty, Philip, Larry, Zach, Michelle

1. What is your favorite place on 38th Street or on Chicago Avenue? Why?

• Pillsbury
• Midtown Exchange
• Taco Blas (family owned ethnic food / market)
• 48th and Chicago area (small shops / theaters / food)
• "Finer Meats"
• "Ace Hardware"
• Garden project at Baha'i

2. What changes would you make to our area? What would you keep?

• remodel SA gas station
• address Cup Foods issues
• address loitering / hanging out in intersections
• address crime and gang activity
• get rid of street parking of 38th and Chicago intersection
• add pedestrian lighting
• develop outdoor seating cafes
• add pedestrian friendly storefronts
• add trees / greenery / planters with flowers
• move bus stop 1/2 block away from intersection

3. What do you want to achieve through development? What are your concerns?

• want to have a safer, more walkable community
• more visually appealing streetscape
• to build community
• concerns:
  - money - where will it come from?
  - timeframe - when will this happen?
  - will taxes go up to pay for this?

4. What changes would encourage you to walk or bike more?

• more lighting
• less crime
• put in a "shot-spotter"
• family-oriented cafes and businesses

5. What changes would encourage you to talk with your neighbors more?

• if it feels safer to walk around
• more lighting
• more neighborhood and neighborhood-building activities
• improvement on cultural / language barriers

6. Name for the plan:

• "The Family Plan"