Saturday, September 29, 2018

Quick Takes on the Revised Minneapolis 2040 Plan


Some news and notes in the wake of the city's revised draft of Minneapolis 2040

  • The Star Tribune reports that the plan has been pretty significantly compromised in the direction of opponents.
  • Janne Flisrand, from the pro-side, put it best: "Many of these major changes will result in fewer homes and higher rents, especially near transit corridors. It will continue to funnel most development into the neighborhoods that are home to our city's most vulnerable residents."
  • Leading Minneapolis 2040 opponent and elected official, (and let's not forget, person who did this outrageous thing) Carol Becker, says her organization still hates the plan so much that her "phone has been like 'beep, beep, beep.'" [real quote]
  • Also from the opposition: Council Member Linea Palmisano, of swanky-single-family Ward 13, says planners need to get it through their thick skulls that "maybe [Minneapolis 2040] just sucks."
"Maybe this just sucks."
  • Read the plan, with redlined revisions: minneapolis2040.com
  • A Twitter person has noted a disparity in revisions to the plan based on where the white people live.
  • On a positive note, the wealthier/whiter west side of Hennepin was adjusted somewhat in the direction of matching the built-form proposed for the east side.
  • At a public meeting on September 25:
    • Minneapolis director of long-range planning, Heather Worthington reported that the city has conducted 200 community meetings regarding the plan.
    • A leading opponent of Minneapolis 2040 reported that the timing of an October 29 public hearing was problematic because neighborhood organizations wouldn't have enough time to get it in their newsletters. This is funny because this same person is paid money to run a neighborhood organization that hasn't updated their website in many years.
    • A guy told Heather Worthington his problem with the plan was changes to setbacks and lot coverage requirements. It was explained that zoning would continue to exist and the scale of 1-to-4-unit buildings would remain the same. I'm not sure this changed his mind about the plan.
    • Opponents remain focused on process complaints like the date of a public hearing, a PR contract, and pretend outrage over a "secret" plan (a plan so secret they've had many months to respond to it by blanketing Ward 13 with apocalyptic yard signs).
    • It's weird that Minneapolis 2040 opponents spent a significant chunk of time at this meeting being upset about a post-it note from 2017 that they really disagree with and think shouldn't have been included in a summary of public feedback. This seems like a needless distraction from their current outrage resulting from a mistaken belief that, right now in 2018, the city is actively withholding public feedback about Minneapolis 2040.
  • Local hero Ryan Johnson has used map technology to identify the geographic base for Minneapolis 2040 opponents: the epicenter is super-swanky-single-family Ward 13.
  • Did you hear about Lisa McDonald's odd press conference where she described an organization made up largely of residents of swanky Ward 13, as "marginalized"?
  • Dates of important Minneapolis 2040 public hearings:
    • October 29, City Planning Commission
    • November 12, City Council
    • You should testify at either of these hearings
    • You should also send email to your Council Member
  • The day has been scheduled on which Linea Palmisano will send Ward 13 residents to the Wedge to abuse Ward 10's very own Council President Lisa Bender. The meeting will be October 24, 6:30-8:00 PM at the VFW (2916 Lyndale Ave).
    • This joke is premised on the fact that Linea Palmisano routinely promotes the community meetings of other Council Members so that her worst constituents will go hassle her colleagues, making those colleagues more likely to oppose whatever it is Linea Palmisano wants.
    • Linea Palmisano, much like her mentor Lisa McDonald, is bad at politics.
    • Here's news of a rare political victory for Linea Palmisano and Lisa McDonald: after they repeatedly and bitterly complained that opponents were being called "racist" by city staff for opposing the plan, the revised plan no longer uses the word "racist" to describe historic housing policies that are actually 100% racist.


  • This post is brought to you by the Mpls 2040 APOCALYPTIC! t-shirt, ON SALE NOW!