Excellent new sign posted outside the Hampden Park co-op… can anyone explain the color coding of the different parts of the neighborhood?

Falcon Heights is hosting an open house on the future of the U's golf course on Sept. 16. www.falconheights.org/Home/Compone...

Wendi Ward, proprietor of Saint Paul's wonderful Practical Goods shop, died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. So much I didn't know about her and how she came to open the store. (Gift link) 😪

Nice turn out of the Minnesota bar for the National Law Day of Action in support of the rule of law. Thanks to the MSBA, HCBA, and RCBA for organizing and to retired Justice Chutich for leading us in retaking the attorney’s oath.

Join this lunchtime gathering on Thursday at the Government Center in support of the rule of law mnbars.org?pg=events&ev...

"A few days later, likely because they didn’t want to appear to be silencing ... pro-Palestinian expertise too overtly, the administration removed all university website statements supportive of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.... All of them had been up for years without objections."

For everyone dying to know whether state law allows Minneapolis to have the planning commission decide variances along with other approvals rather than sending them to the board of adjustment, the Court of Appeals has said yes. www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/...

It’s the end of the road for the 2040 Plan challengers, at least in the district court. Case dismissed with prejudice this afternoon.

Any Minnesota house-knowers out there know what this little door on the back of a 1920s house was for? Milk deliveries?

Use a heatpump in MN? Xcel's proposing changes to the elec. space heating rate for Oct-May. Rate would rise from 8.6 to 9.2 cents/kWh for 25/26, but they are proposing to drop the rate by 20%, to 6.5 cents, in the time-of-use rate they've also floated. Numbers are in the filings, not the notices.

Driftwood gar by Julie Szczyrbak. #garweek #gartwork

Billy Bragg, First Avenue Oct. 2024

Anyone know anyone providing this service in Minnesota or the upper Midwest?

Today in the 2040 litigation, the City made clear it still wants a ruling on its motion to stay the injunction against the 2040 plan until its latest appeal is decided. Statute requires a decision on that motion by 1/8/24.

Cars.

A proposed order filed yesterday by the City in the 2040 lawsuit succinctly states its arguments against the injunction sought by the plaintiff—chiefly, there’s no evidence the 2040 plan will be more impactful than a full build out under the 2030 plan.

Architecture historian Kristin Anderson will be leading a series of 6 tours of St Anthony Park this summer, including one focusing on the neighborhood’s historic manufacturing district.

The Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis just filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice its lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis over the 2040 plan. The filing provides no explanation.

Helpful rundown of the latest batch of proposed zoning reforms in Saint Paul, which would also allow 2 ADUs per lot. (Minneapolis is still at one.)

Good to see that the former Penny’s Coffee space at 100 Washington is being taken over by Cafe Ceres starting Monday.

Great episode about an important topic. Another good short haul destination is Elm Creek Park Reserve, which allows bike camping at the small, quiet equestrian campground on the northern edge of the park. Nice ride via the MRT out of downtown Mpls along the river.

Now that Minnesota has eliminated virtually all in-person hearings in civil cases other than trials, that’s a lot of lawyers and parties no longer driving to court, often at a significant distance. That has to be a measurable VMT reduction.

Excellent wayfinder at east end of Como Trail, but “Minneapolis 1.2 miles” tells users nothing (unless they are really looking for the city boundary) and is misleading. Better destination to the west to identify? SE Como bus. district? Van Cleve Park?

Pretty wild to think about the ways the "full build-out" theory could be applied... some ordinances amending the definition of a "family" have allowed more people per dwelling, citywide ... ADU ordinances could in theory double the number of single family dwellings in a city ...

Disassembling our old workbench today and found this poster carefully scotch-taped between layers of plywood. 8 ways!

Writing re ADUs for seniors, @cfarrellecon notes, "The pressure to lower barriers to ADU construction and ownership will only intensify, thanks to the potent combination of too little affordable housing and the swelling demographics of an aging population."

A rural take on "character of the neighborhood": today the Court of Appeals upheld denial of a conditional use permit for a solar farm that had been rejected to "help preserve the agricultural character of the land."

Just heard that these two ADUs I wrote about last fall are going to be part of this spring's Minneapolis-St. Paul Home Tour. Good opportunity to see the interiors. April 30-May 1.

Thanks to the Minnesota Tool Library for all of the tiling tools and tips! #mtlmade

The Town & Country property is guided Urban Neighborhood and zoned R-3 / low density housing. "College/university" is a conditionally permitted use, as is golf course.

I wrote a little piece about the many birds we spied while walking and biking around in 2021.

In 2019, Seattle passed new rules to make it easier to build ADUs, including: *Allowing 2 ADUs on all single-family lots *Reducing min. lot size for detached ADUs to 3,200 SF *Increasing max. height and size to allow family-sized ADUs *Removing parking requirements 1/4

“I mean, this is a classic environmental justice fact pattern ... We have a minority community, a disadvantaged community, bearing the brunt of two huge infrastructure projects that serve other people.”

I have an upcoming day trip to Winona and am thinking of taking the train. Anyone have any experience or info re how often the eastbound Empire Builder leaves St. Paul on time or close to on time?

So far you can still see all of St Paul’s ADUs in one pretty easy bike ride. The article includes photos of all of them.

Great WFH background sounds today, as its biking lessons time again at the neighborhood junior high

Don't leave a second key fob in the car. Yesterday MPD informed our building that Amazon sells a gadget that indicates which empty cars have a key fob left inside and that can be used to control the key fob to open the car door.

I'd always wondered where these two wonderful wooden Route 3 bus shelters ended up after the Como Ave. rebuild a few years ago. At least one of them lives on, even if the built in pay phone had to be replaced.

Tucked into the bill to legalize sports betting in Minn. is this provision making betting shops a permitted use in "all commercial, retail, industrial, nonresidential, and mixed-use zoning districts of a municipality."

This is a very worthwhile read of the push and pull between the zoning ordinance and housing policy goals as they relate to the Alatus proposal for Lexington and University.

How often do you get to weigh in on a new park? The new Westgate park is in St. Paul, and this is a St. Paul process, but the park borders on Minneapolis and will no doubt serve neighbors in Prospect Park, too.

What’s on your “town planning playlist”? Right now on BBC Radio 6 Amy Lame is dedicating her show to World Urbanism Day by “curating a two hour playlist of appropriate town planning tuneage.”

Interesting look by @BillLindeke at anachronistic zoning code language, most of which appears in city zoning codes around the state. Some of the language, like the "essential character" standard, is statutory, and thus exists in every zoning ordinance in Minnesota.

Minnesota district courts to resume civil jury trials on September 1 in cases already filed; jury trials in new cases to remain on hold.

Odd headline on this story given that the City acknowledged that the deed restriction has already expired. This was a political decision.

Great to see the finished ⁦@PPLTwinCities⁩ project at the old Bunge site is SE up close today. Missed seeing the daily progress while WFH. Such a fantastic reuse.

Too bad. After almost 30 years, North Loop cafe Moose & Sadie's has closed.

Minneapolis has issued an emergency order suspending acceptance of all new land use applications, to avoid violation of law requiring decision within 60 days.

Working on a summary of COVID-related legislation tonight and learned that Fla’s only action to date was to pass a resolution declaring FSU NCAA basketball champions by default.

Filling the gap on Energy Park between Everett and the Transitway would also finally provide a safe connection to the Transitway from the bike lanes on Raymond. Is this in the cards @RamseyCounty?