The Lake Street Initiative

The Lake Street Initiative is a joint project of Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA), Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Association, and Powderhorn Residents Group (PRG). The goal of this project was to work with area residents, businesses, and property owners to come up with a vision and plan for improving and developing the area of Lake Street between 11th and 15th Avenue in Minneapolis.

We held workshops for each of the intersections in the project area to gather detailed ideas from participants about what they thought would be good outcomes for the future of each of these places. We prepared detailed assesments for each of these areas and produced alternative development scenarios that incorporated the ideas we gathered from workshop participants. We also prepared urban design guidelines for the project area as well as short, medium and long-range strategies for implementing the changes proposed. Additionally, we designed and published a project website containing most of the information gathered and many of the documents produced.

One of the most dynamic stories in the project area is the role that immigrant entrepreneurs are playing in its revitalization. To support this activity we prepared a Business Resource Guide listing resources available locally for new and existing businesses.

And this project is moving forward towards implementation: the Lake Street Initiative served as the basis for Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association's application for the Center for Neighborhoods' Corridor Housing Initiative which is moving towards developing three of the sites identified in our project.

Resources

• The Lake Street Initiative >
• Spirit on Lake Housing Cooperative >
• Center for Neighborhoods' Corridor Housing Initiative >
• WCCO: GLBT Senior Housing Will Break Ground >

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