Monthly Archives: August 2006

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET PUBLIC COMMENT MEETING – THE WAVE

The Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) provides information regarding the potential environmental effects of the The Wave Project AT 304 – 320 First Street South by Omni Investment. The Project includes 38 residential units, a 9,400 sq. ft. spa, and a 9,600 sq. ft. restaurant on the site of the former Fuji Ya Restaurant and vacant land to the west owned by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The Project is within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District and, as proposed, will likely have substantive effects on historic and archeological ruins.

Copies of the EAW are available for review at the Minneapolis Central Library located at 300 Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis, in the office of the City Planning Division at 210 City Hall and at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/planning/wave.asp#TopOfPage (note: the EAW is 22 MB and the archaeological report is 19 MB). Paper copies of this EAW and a compact disk of the report can also be provided upon request to the EAW Contact Person (refer to contact information below).

Public comments on the EAW must be submitted to the EAW Contact Person within the 30-day comment period, which ends at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2006.

The City of Minneapolis will conduct a Public Comment Meeting on the EAW on Wednesday, September 6. All are invited to attend and comment on the adequacy of the EAW.

Planning Division staff will present the EAW and the comments on the document to the Zoning and Planning Committee of the City Council at a later date. Subsequently, the City Council will act on the Committee’s recommendation.

EAW Contact Person:

Michael Orange, Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development Department-Planning Division, City Hall Room 210, 350 S. 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1385, by telephone at 612-673-2347, or E-mail. Email, emailed attachments in Word, and discs containing Word documents are preferred.

The Wave … time for Public comment on the EAW

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET PUBLIC COMMENT MEETING – THE WAVE

Wednesday, September 6, 7:30 pm

Mill City Museum, 704 Second Street South

The Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) provides information regarding the potential environmental effects of the The Wave Project AT 304 – 320 First Street South by Omni Investment. The Project includes 38 residential units, a 9,400 sq. ft. spa, and a 9,600 sq. ft. restaurant on the site of the former Fuji Ya Restaurant and vacant land to the west owned by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The Project is within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District and, as proposed, will likely have substantive effects on historic and archeological ruins.

Copies of the EAW are available for review at the Minneapolis Central Library located at 300 Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis, in the office of the City Planning Division at 210 City Hall and at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/planning/wave.asp#TopOfPage (note: the EAW is 22 MB and the archaeological report is 19 MB). Paper copies of this EAW and a compact disk of the report can also be provided upon request to the EAW Contact Person (refer to contact information below).

Public comments on the EAW must be submitted to the EAW Contact Person within the 30-day comment period, which ends at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2006.

The City of Minneapolis will conduct a Public Comment Meeting on the EAW on Wednesday, September 6. All are invited to attend and comment on the adequacy of the EAW.

Planning Division staff will present the EAW and the comments on the document to the Zoning and Planning Committee of the City Council at a later date. Subsequently, the City Council will act on the Committee’s recommendation.

EAW Contact Person:

Michael Orange, Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development Department-Planning Division, City Hall Room 210, 350 S. 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1385, by telephone at 612-673-2347, or E-mail. Email, emailed attachments in Word, and discs containing Word documents are preferred.

Pulse: Preservation panel turns down DeLaSalle stadium at Nicollet Island

as reported by Shawne Fitzgerald and published in the Pulse of the Twin Cities

The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) recently voted unanimously to deny DeLaSalle High School’s request to build a football and soccer stadium on Nicollet Island. The inappropriate scale of the stadium and the destruction of a portion of Grove Street, one of the city’s oldest streets, could not be reconciled with historic district preservation standards. Nicollet Island is a subdistrict in the federally recognized St. Anthony Falls Historic District.

The Commissions primary recommendation is to protect and preserve Nicollet Islands remaining historic features, including the street grid pattern and views to and from the Island. Commissioners objected to destruction of original historic features, sound and light pollution, and disruption of the historic district as it is used today.

City Planning staff had earlier recommended against approving the stadium on the grounds that closing a portion of Grove Street would adversely affect the historic subdistrict. Grove Street is mapped on the 1865 plat of Nicollet Island and may have been in use before that time. Grove and other Island streets were recently repaved with a stone pattern similar to those used in the 1800s.

The National Park Service, as manager of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), the Minnesota State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO), the National Historic Trust, and the Minnesota Preservation Alliance submitted strong objections to the proposed stadium.

Also opposed were Friends of the Mississippi River, Clean Water Action, the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Friends of the Riverfront, Friends of Camp Coldwater and Minneapolis Park Watch.

DeLaSalle argued that they are the longest continuous resident on the island, that the school has never had a home field on the island, and that they could mitigate the vacation of Grove Street with a four-foot wide walking path.

Judd Rietkirk, representing the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB), and a DeLaSalle alumnus spoke in favor of the DeLaSalle proposal.

In March, the MPRB approved a 30-70 year use agreement that would allow the high school to build a portion of its stadium on Nicollet Island park land in return for public access to the facility for 350 hours a year. That agreement is contingent upon DeLaSalle winning approvals from the City of Minneapolis and the Metropolitan Council.

Perhaps the most damning evidence was found in the testimony of Judith Martin, U of M geography professor and Nicollet Island resident.

[Martin] testified that DeLaSalle has a history of asking the City to vacate streets and alleys for construction of football fields. In 1942, the school requested and received vacation of the alley next to Eastman Flats allowing DLS to demolish half of the Flats to build a football field. Three hundred low-income residents lost their homes as a result. The rest of the Eastman Flats building was later removed for DLS tennis and parking. In 1984, DeLaSalle requested and received a 24-foot by 480-foot encroachment on Grove Street again for construction of a football field. Pointing to aerial photos, Ms. Martin noted that DeLaSalle has expanded its school building onto its athletic field thus driving the need to ask for more public land. DeLaSalle’s most recent building expansion, approved by the HPC, was in 2002.

DeLaSalle is expected to appeal the HPC ruling to the Minneapolis City Council.

Star Tribune: Deer flees city policeman's gunfire

Several residents have raised questions since a park police officer shot at an injured deer hanging around on Nicollet Island.

Story by David Chanen, Star Tribune

» When a Minneapolis park police officer pumped three shots into a densely wooded area on Nicollet Island on Wednesday afternoon, several startled residents assumed he was taking down a dangerous criminal.

They soon learned he was only after an injured buck that had been roaming the island for the past month. But as the officer approached the deer, it leapt up and jumped over a garden as it ran away. «

The river is a major wildlife corridor and all types of animals wander by.

One Nicollet Island resident said: “Most recently we had a wounded deer that had taken refuge. My neighbors had called various wildlife organizations and found the best way to care for it was to make sure that it had a place that it could feel safe, and plenty to eat and drink. My neighbors have been caring for it, until it could recover.”

Read complete story here on the StarTribune website.

Grandiose Plans for The Parade – Stadium and Event Center

Concept images of the “Crystal Palace” Event Center, likely to be privately operated if built, and the Soccer Stadium. So far, about $2 million has been funded for developing these plans and installation of artificial turf.

event center image
“Crystal Palace” Event Center

stadium image
5,000 to 7,000 seat Soccer Stadium

ParadeCrystalPalace.jpg
ParadeSoccerStadium.jpg

Meeting Highlights 8-2-2006

Many have posted about the Dry Run regarding the 201 Building ( the Fort ) and the $945,000 that at a minimum it will cost the MPRB to settle the law suit . The other portion of the “pre” meeting was Supt. Gurban “officially” presenting the plans for the “dream” stadium/ event center at Parade ( they have had the plans since last year at this time) . They are currently planning the field with astroturf and bleachers but the ” dream” stadium with event center etc… has no funding though according to some feelers put out by staff, there are some who would be willing to privately run the event center who would be willing to chip in toward the cost. Chipping in rather than building your own venue… nice deal, no maintenance or those pesky taxes. ParkWatch cofounder Arlene Fried tells more here.

The regular meeting started at 5:00

First up was Chief Johnson and his report on what is being done in the aftermath of the newspaper article about the Rev. Terry Williams park police incident at Lake Calhoun. On July 29th a meeting was held and per the park police interview with the officer involved it was deemed a justified stop and then Commissioner Olson read an apology statement.

Reports from the district directors were next NNO events that were rained on and some saved by being able to move into the rec centers, Aquatennial events participated in, ice cream socials coming up and new staff hired. The Step-up to Health initiative Kick off event was also mentioned http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=52&prid=343 ( This Saturday ).

During Consent business there was a discussion about the Plank Road with President Olson being the lone dissenting vote on paying the last bill due to continuing maintenance issues ( which GM Schmidt says are inherent in this type of construction).

Under discussion items Commissioner Nordstrom brought forward an ordinance change she would like to recommend. See the wording here… http://www.minneapolisparks.org/documents/agendas/2006-08-16/7-1sr.pdf

Next was Petitions and Communications where the commissioners share events they have attended and comments they have received .

Commissioner Kummer: Nokomis Playground equipment ( no public hearing because they are getting a free 90 day test on some trial product), Diamond Lake Trail ( the newest HOT topic more later under planning in part 2)

Commissioner Nordyke: Hidden Beach

Commissioner Vreeland: Arboriculture Convention , Friends of the Mississippi River Challenge ( was the 5th and 6th but check out the link it is an annual event http://www.fmr.org ) St. Anthony Parkway Bike Trail

Commissioner Dziedzic: St. Paul Free Pools during heat VS MPRB pay pools… the wading pools ARE free and there are scholarships ( have searched the website and can not find any information about these) available for the Waterparks and the usual GOLF COURSE PROMO.

Commissioner Nordstrom: Hidden Beach … if behavior is illegal please dial 911… and Lake of the Isles

Commissioner Fine: Peace Garden http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=52&prid=341

Commissioner Young: Commissioner Young has a broken arm and her rounds have been somewhat reduced as she is unable to drive, lots of e-mails

Commissioner Merrill Anderson: Attended ISA ( International Society of Arboriculture) convention and mentioned the Emerald Ash borer which is headed this way and that the largest number of trees are now Ash in the MPRB system. Calls on St. Anthony Parkway, and the MN Environmental Initiatives.

President Olson: Thanks from his family for the park naming celebration or Ole Olson Park. Thanks to all who attended the July 29th meeting
regarding Rev. Williams. Thanks to the volunteers from Anoka who worked at Logan and Jackson Square Parks in NE .

To keep things simple I’ll just say they went to planning and then back to the regular meeting for Open TIme and back. Open Time had one speaker who thought they mowed too close to Minnehaha Creek and were destroying bird habitat.

Presentation to Best Buy ( and check from same based on what staff would have earned while they were volunteering $20,000) for their volunteer hours in helping clean up Loring Park ( pre ISA convention) . 300 very dedicated people working in drizzle and rain.

Regular Meeting Adjourned

Planning:

Lake Hiawatha Schematic Design Public Hearing ( not advertised in newspaper so will continue on 8-16-06)

Staff Presented Plan http://www.minneapolisparks.org/documents/agendas/2006-08-02/4-1sr.pdf

Public Hearing Opened
One Speaker … Scott S.. New plan is losing street front presence

recessed until 8-16

West River Road at Greenway Public Art ( City Sponsored) approved

Bikeway Bridge through corner of Gross Golf Course to connect NE Diagonal Bike Trail Approved

St. Anthony Parkway bike trail passes with inclusion of a 10-ft cement combined bike/walking trail from Ulysses to Stinson in folks front yards on MPRB land.

STUDY ITEMS

Diamond Lake Trail…

The MPRB has after years of letting adjacent property owners maintain shore land along Diamond Lake, decided to put in a nature trail ( wood-chips vs blacktop) so that the public can stroll around all of the lake on Park Board owned property. The neighbors are of course not pleased with this coming out of thin air. Like the St. Anthony Bike Trail they knew the property belonged to the MPRB but since they have been doing all of the upkeep for years are not happy with this new development. Commissioner Nordyke upon asking for more details was told the same could happen at Cedar Lake in his neighborhood. It seems the MPRB has decided to force this issue around the lakes with their land and we can be sure to hear a lot more in upcoming meetings. Since this was a study report item I imagine that a CAC will be appointed as this will be VERY CONTENTIOUS item and I am sure the folks from St. Anthony are wondering if maybe they should have pressed the issue about their lack of appointed CAC. The Planning Chair Commissioner Fine allowed members of the audience who were there regarding the issue a chance to speak which is HIGHLY UNUSUAL.

Lake Calhoun Site Plan Study

Some history was given and some possible plans were shown ( including the sailing village) and some remarks were made including this one… Commissioner Tracy Nordstrom remarked that she agrees with Commissioner Young, that “Lake Calhoun is being loved to death.” Further, Nordstrom wondered how these ideas (trolley museum, new sailing school, etc.) fit in with the overall strategic plan for all the park system. And, she was curious how it fostered use of underused resources.

I imagine that whatever the plan is they will need a CAC and it should be part of this COMPREHENSIVE PLAN they are working on and not just put together piecemeal before it is completed.

Planning Adjourned

Admin and Finance

Agreement with the Minnesota Wild to use Parade Ice Arena… passed. Did not however cover if the NHL goes on strike which is what really hurt Parade’s balance sheet the last time.

TAX LEVY for 2007 $40,592, 789. This is the request, now it goes through the process of approval and then the budget is planned. The most interesting thing about this conversation was the discussion of a CAPITAL LEVY better known as a REFERENDUM to increase your taxes to get more capital for building maintenance. The Library System had one for all their new buildings and repairs ( for the now hardly open libraries) and the schools had one to reduce class sizes ( my son’s k and 1 classes had 24-26 kids in MSP ). Now I like the idea of maintaining the buildings however since they will be voting tonight to pay about $1,000, 000 for a screw up at the FORT SKATEPARK project I am not so sure I would pursue this until they have their COMP PLAN completed.

UPDATES ON PARADE STADIUM AND THE $945,000 SKATEPARK SETTLEMENT

One of the next major issues that will be coming before the Minneapolis Park Board–and bears watching–is the resolution of the $945,000 lien against the Park Board. This was one of two topics that were presented to the Park Board commissioners at a Park Board study session on August 2 prior to the regular board meeting. The other topic was the Parade Stadium. (This study session was not televised or recorded; so there is no official record of what transpired at this meeting. But Park Watch was there and taking notes.)

Don Siggelkow, General Manager for Administration and Board Secretary, presented to the commissioners options for resolving the $945,000 debt owed by the Park Board for the negotiated settlement of a lawsuit over outstanding construction bills due the unpaid contractors for work done on the failed Naegele Skatepark at Fort Snelling. The skatepark, which had been leased in 2002 to a group known as the Fort LLC, was often referred to as the Naegle Skatepark because Robert Naegele III was the head of the company.

The skatepark was intended to be a profit-making enterprise for the Park Board; but, instead, was a costly failure, because the unpaid contractors sued the Park Board after the tenant abandoned the project before it was completed. Because there was no performance bond on the project, as there should have been, the Park Board, owner of the 201 Building, was left with a costly disaster–a vacant building, an expensive lawsuit and four years of accruing interest on $2,000,000 in bonds.

The Park Board’s investment to date for the 201 Building, land and other costs–not counting the lien–is $2,130,000. And that figure does not include various consultant fees, attorney fees, wasted staff time, operating costs and the interest on the bonds that were issued in 2002.

The options for the Park Board are to sell the building and recoup costs or keep the building and continue pouring even more taxpayers’ dollars into it. According to an article in the Star Tribune (January 17, 2006), Commissioner Bob Fine said that he wants to pay the money and keep the building for indoor soccer fields. This would be an extravagant and inappropriate option for a cash-strapped public body.

When GM Siggelkow was through with his briefing on the Fort, Superintendent Gurban stepped forward with a presentation on the Parade. He spoke of his vision for “reinventing” the Parade. Using a series of architectural renderings, he described a sprawling complex (bordered by the Sculpture Garden, the 301 Kenwood Condominiums, Northrop School and Parade Ice Arena) consisting of a field-house, a 5,000 to 7,000 seat stadium and an enormous edifice he referred to as an event center.

The event center is intended to be a profit-making enterprise for the Park Board, just as the 201 Building/Skatepark was. What an irony that even before the Park Board has recovered from one failed profit-making enterprise, Superintendent Gurban is already presenting plans for another so-called profit-making enterprise.

Aerial photo of Nicollet Island in 1945 shows DeLaSalle with large athletic field

This aerial photograph shows a large athletic field, including a visible baseball diamond, between Grove Street and Eastman Avenue. The minimum width of this field is approximately 360 feet, and the minimum length is about 450 feet at the narrowest point. Eastman Flats can be seen along the south side of Eastman Avenue.

1945-A17-122-resize.jpg

Minneapolis Observer: Heritage Preservation Commission rejects De La Salle

» The city’s Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) last week unanimously rejected DeLaSalle High School’s request to close a street in order to make room for the school’s controversial football field on Nicollet Island.

The vote was a victory for preservation supporters, who have been fighting the school and the Park Board on this issue for more than a year. Elizabeth Wielinski, from the group Park Watch, said the decision made sense. “Second only to the Falls, Nicollet Island is a precious site within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District,” she said. “We’ve spent 30 years creating a beautiful park at the riverfront — now we need to stand fast against developers and protect this land.”

De La Salle is expected to appeal the HPC’s decision to the City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee later this month and, ultimately, to the entire council in September.

“We will have to see if the largely DFL City Council will stand up for historic preservation and keeping parkland open and accessible to the public,” Wielinski said. “Unlike the Pillsbury A Mill project, the surrounding neighborhoods have stated their opposition to the De La Salle Stadium.”

Wielinski noted that the proposed facility violates zoning codes and land use plans and would create increased traffic congestion and sound and light pollution. She said she and other opponents would continue to work to derail the proposal. “We will be out in force urging the city council to study the land use issues and vote no on the development,” she said.

De La Salle officials want to build a 750-seat football stadium on Park Board property. They argue that the school has gone too long without a field of its own. The park board in March voted to approve a reciprocal use agreement with the school. But the city council still must ratify the deal.
«

Read the original article at the Minneapolis Observer website.

The Bridge: De LaSalle athletic field dealt setback by city’s preservation board

By Jeremy Stratton, The Bridge

» After a nearly five-hour-long meeting on August 8, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) rejected De LaSalle High School’s plan to build an athletic field on Nicollet Island. The commission ruled that the facility does not fit the historic district of which the island is a part.

On both its own and city-owned land, the school hopes to build a regulation-size football field, soccer fields, a press box, concession area and bleacher seating for as many as 750 people, to be used by both the private institution and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Nicollet Island residents, environmental organizations and preservationists oppose the plan.

Dozens of people from both sides of the contentious issue testified during a lengthy public hearing in City Council Chambers at City Hall, and, in the end, the HPC denied De LaSalle’s request for a “certificate of appropriateness,” as recommended by the city’s planning department.
Mike O’Keefe, vice president of planning for De LaSalle, said the school will appeal the decision. Such an appeal would be heard by the City Council.

Debate focused largely on the closure of the eastern half of Grove Street, which has existed in its current alignment since 1866. The proposed field would be built on top of that alignment.

The commissioners agreed with senior planner Michael Orange, who stated in his staff report that the street closure “will constitute an adverse visual effect on the [St. Anthony Falls Historic] District” by eliminating the historic view and street alignment.

The report also recommended a more extensive plan for assessing potential archeological resources that might be unearthed by the project.

In their final decision, commissioners went even further, stating that “many aspects of the project, including siting, height and materials are incompatible with [historic district] guidelines and would have a lasting adverse effect on the district.” Those aspects involve the height and illumination level of the facility’s lights, stucco siding, imitation stone and the fact that the stadium would be located on historic Grove Street.

The HPC found that measures proposed by De LaSalle to preserve some views and honor the street’s history – including a large opening through the bleachers to allow a view along the line of the vacated street, as well as paving, landscaping and historic plaques to mark Grove Street – “would not… reverse the adverse effects to the district.”

During the public hearing portion of the meeting, representatives from De LaSalle addressed the Grove Street issue and lobbied for the project by highlighting the school’s long history, the success and diversity of its student body and the facilities’ benefits to the both the public and De LaSalle.
“We acknowledge that the Grove Street view is important,” said Eric Galatz, an attorney representing De LaSalle. “We ask that the commission find it not as important as an athletic field for the children of Minneapolis and De LaSalle.”
Judd Reitkerk, director of planning for the Park and Recreation Board, also spoke in favor of the project, which the Park Board has approved in March.

De LaSalle trustee and former City Councilmember John Derus urged the commission to consider not only the physical elements but also the “human resources” involved in the project. Derus presented a bound copy of Minneapolis’ first city plan, adopted in 1917, which he said recommended that Nicollet Island be used as a park, rather than for residences.

Tim Keene, chair of De LaSalle’s board of trustees, called the 108-year-old institution “the longest-running resident of Nicollet Island.”

Speaking later in opposition of the project, Christine Viken, who recently bought a condo on Nicollet Island, claimed that the island’s “residential neighborhood” is the oldest continual use. By the end of the 19th century and the island’s era of historic significance (1866 – 1898), large mansions gave way to the smaller, single-family homes and other residences now in existence.

Others speaking in opposition to the project represented the Minnesota Historical Society, National Park Service, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Mississippi River and a coalition of other organizations called Friends of the Riverfront. Several speakers stated that the city and De LaSalle did not adequately consider alternative sites for the field.

The Sierra Club’s Ben Zimmerman claimed that the project would remove 30 trees planted in 1956 to commemorate the city’s centennial.

D’Nardo Colucci, a Nicollet Island resident and optical engineer, challenged the planning staff’s original finding that nighttime stadium lighting would have no adverse effect on the on the historic district. Colucci likened the proposed field, when lit at night, to “a 65,000-square-foot flashlight, reflecting three times [the amount of light as] the Hennepin Avenue Bridge into the night sky.”

The commission included lighting in its list of potential adverse effects, but agreed with staff findings that traffic, parking, noise and loudspeaker noise do not pose a significant negative impact.

Judith Martin, professor of geography and urban planning at the University of Minnesota, presented aerial photos and a De LaSalle yearbook that she claimed shows De LaSalle actually had a football field in the first half of the last century. “They gave it up by expanding their building onto the football field,” Martin said.

Responding later in an interview, De LaSalle’s O’Keefe said that, based on old school yearbooks and newspapers, one or two games might have been played on a 90-yard field, but that the school didn’t have the space to build a regulation field at the time. Building expansion in the 1960s did not affect the field, O’Keefe said.

Like others who lobbied for the project, O’Keefe tried to put the project – and its preservation roadblock – into a larger perspective.

“When all is said and done, people have different opinions about the project. We believe it is in the best interest of the city and school to provide facilities and programs for the kids of kids and their families.”

In the scope of historic preservation, however, the HPC was unanimous in its decision that many elements of the project do not fit the guidelines under its purview. «

Original article at the Twin Cities Daily Planet website.