Corridor Housing Initiative
Providing a framework for housing development
Projects - Phase I
5 Minneapolis corridors -- including a total of 11 neighborhood and community organizations -- have participated in the Corridor Housing Initiative. Each project had its own steering committee, goals, outcomes, and unique contexts. Read more about each of these 5 projects below.
Nicollet Avenue - Loring Park
I-94 to 14th Street
| Overview |
Loring Park is a non-impacted neighborhood with
a mixed-income community, supportive of increased density development and
affordable housing options. However, despite strong support from the
residential and business community to move forward with new development,
Loring Park has had difficulty attracting and holding onto developers and
development projects along Nicollet Avenue. Through a series of developer
roundtable discussions, the neighborhood identified a number of obstacles to
developing along Nicollet Avenue, including parking requirements and zoning
that restricts high-density development. Issues such as land acquisition and
financing have also caused a number of developers to discontinue previous
planning efforts. Additionally, in collaboration with two other
neighborhoods, in 2001 CLPC conducted a marketing study of the corridor, the
product of which was a recommended Development Plan. While the plan
identified important development opportunities along the corridor, the
community was disappointed that the plan did not capitalize on residential
density opportunities.
Working closely with city and county staff
and the provided technical support, the Loring Park neighborhood addressed
development challenges on Nicollet Avenue and explore possibilities for
coordinating city policy with our neighborhood’s vision. This would enable
the neighborhood to work with developers and residents to implement a
project that both addresses the needs of the surrounding community and acts
as a catalyst for even more housing development in coming years. |
| Community partners | Citizens for a Loring Park Community (CLPC), Nicollet Avenue Task Force |
| Additional resources |
Download the CLPC Nicollet Avenue Development Guidelines Read more about the Loring Park project and view a PowerPoint presentation prepared by the Metropolitan Design Center at the University of Minnesota Policy Inventory: summary of relevant planning and policy documents for Nicollet Avenue in Loring Park |
East Lake Street
11th Ave. to 15th Ave.
| Overview |
Following a participatory
planning process called the Lake
Street Initiative, the Corridor Housing Initiative explored design
options for three opportunity sites on Lake Street. Through an interactive
development exercise using estimated development costs for the area,
residents created development options from building block models
representing standard unit sizes. Development costs were calculated by a
development consultant during the workshop, enabling participants to test
the viability of their ideas with market realities. The Metropolitan Design
Center created the building blocks and sketched concept designs at the
workshop. |
| Community partners | Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA), Spirit of the Lakes church, the Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Association, Inc. |
| Additional resources |
Download the East Lake Street Development Guidelines. Read more about the Lake Street project and view a PowerPoint presentation (available in English and Spanish) prepared by the Design Center |
Nicollet Avenue - Kingfield
36th Street to 46th Street
| Overview |
The Kingfield Neighborhood enlisted Corridor
Housing Initiative support to plan proactively and comprehensively for
future development along Nicollet Avenue. Through this Initiative and a
subsequent master planning process, the Redevelopment Committee wanted to
ensure that Kingfield remains accessible and diverse by maintaining a
variety of housing options, so that that families and individuals who
consider Kingfield their home are not forced to leave the neighborhood due
to rising property taxes and market values or lack of housing options.
They would also like to encourage first-time home ownership, the
improvement of rental properties, and the continuation of
neighborhood-sponsored programs to help businesses and homeowners maintain
and improve their properties.
Additionally, the Nicollet corridor is one
of the most important north/south transit corridors in Minneapolis.
Historically, it held one of the city’s famed streetcar routes, which
helped to establish its importance as a key circulation route. The
Nicollet transit corridor is still heavily used and can only become more
important in the future. As plans for new ramps from 35W evolve, there is
the distinct chance that 38th Street will become a much
stronger and highly used travel corridor. Already 38th is a
connecting hub for transit transferring from north/south travel to
east/west travel, as is 46th Street. With the inevitable
re-opening of Nicollet at Lake Street, travel and traffic will most likely
increase along the entire length of Nicollet. |
| Community partners | Kingfield Neighborhood Association Redevelopment Committee, Lyndale Neighborhood Development Corporation |
| Additional resources |
Download the Kingfield
Nicollet Avenue Development Guidelines. Policy Inventory: a summary of relevant planning and policy documents for Nicollet Avenue in Kingfield |
West Broadway
James Avenue to 26th Avenue
| Overview |
The West Broadway Project
sought to build long-term relationships among
neighborhood/community organizations, the City, Hennepin County, and key
stakeholders for the purpose of housing redevelopment in the West
Broadway corridor; develop concepts and strategic implementation,
action, and financing plans for housing development at selected
opportunity sites on West Broadway; and secure community support for
housing redevelopment of on West Broadway. |
| Community partners | Jordan Area Community Council (JACC), Northside Residents' Redevelopment Council (NRRC), West Broadway Area Coalition (WBAC) |
| Additional resources | Policy Inventory: summary of relevant planning and policy documents for West Broadway |
South Lyndale Avenue
Minnehaha
Creek to Highway 62 ("Crosstown")
| Overview |
In 2002, LASR-CC led a community effort to create a new vision for
South Lyndale. In 2004, the Mayor's Office announced allocation
of funds for a master planning process to support that vision, which
will take place in 2005. To prepare for this next phase of
community planning, LASR-CC, in conjunction with the Corridor Housing
Initiative, created the South Lyndale Development Workshops
increase public understanding of density, housing, development
considerations, and master planning processes. The were three community meetings where you will learn about the basics of development, density, and housing, and as a community create a vision and design guidelines that can be used by the City in their master planning process. This will prepare us to participate fully in the master plan, which is planned for early 2005. |
| Community partners | LASR-CC (Lyndale Avenue South Renewal – Creek to Crosstown), on behalf of the Lynnhurst, Tangletown, Windom, and Kenny neighborhoods. |
| Additional resources |
Learn more about the South Lyndale Development Workshops at
www.southlyndale.org Download a PowerPoint presentation about the "Nuts and Bolts of Master Planning," presented by the Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development. Download visual preference input from the South Lyndale Development Workshops. |