It looks like the proposed Currie Park Lofts project by Fine Associates may be moving forward. We just received a notice from the City’s Community Planning and Economic Development Department today indicating that they have applied for Tax Increment Financing. You can see the application here. We received it without the attachments, which likely have much more detail about the actual design of the proposed 260 unit apartment and retail building. Read more »

The WBCC’s October meeting was held last week. Minutes from the meeting can be found here (click on link).

This past weekend was a busy one for the West Bank Community Coalition. Not only did we help organize and participate in the street improvement walkaround near Currie Park and Riverside Plaza, but the WBCC’s Bluff Street Park Taskforce was hard at work on an impressive park cleanup in what we are hoping will become a treasured green space and community asset not far from the Seven Corners area (see map).

St. Kate's students painting over graffiti.

The dedicated members of the Bluff Street Park Taskforce organized to have nearly 35 undergraduate students from Saint Catherine University come to Bluff Street Park on a chilly Saturday morning. Their assignment was to remove buckthorn (a non-native invasive species of shrub or small tree) from the periphery of what will (within the next few years) be a fully restored native bluff prairie at the beginning of the Mississippi River Gorge that cuts through Minneapolis. They also helped to paint over graffiti on the wall of part of a former Canadian Pacific Railway bridge that borders the park.

The assistance of the St. Kate’s students was part of the community service efforts of the Unviersity. While their main campus is in St. Paul, they also maintains a smaller campus in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood near Fairview University Hospital for a number of healthcare-related programs.

It was great to see so many supportive and excited young people involved in our community working towards realizing the full potential of Bluff Street Park. Through the efforts of neighborhood leaders volunteering their time, this piece of land between Riverview Tower and West River Parkway which was formerly used as a coal storage area is quickly becoming a quiet refuge in the midst of the city.

Students from St. Catherine University helping with buckthorn removal.

City Council staff noting resident ideas about street improvements

This past Saturday (October 15) the Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development Department and Council Member Cam Gordon’s office organized a community meeting and walking tour of 15th Avenue, 6th Street, and 4th Street in order to get community feedback regarding possible improvements to the pedestrian experience in the area.

The event was well attended with between 20 and 30 people, including members of both the West Bank Community Coalition and Cedar Riverside NRP boards, residents from around the area, business/property owners, and students from the CHANCE program at the University of Minnesota.

Attendees and city staff discussed possible ways of reconfiguring the streets, sidewalks, and associated street signs to make the street safer for pedestrians and bicyles. There were some great ideas generated from across the board, with many suggestions on how to make crossing 15th Avenue safer for children going to Currie Park.

Both the city and Cam Gordon would love to hear more suggestions. You can email them to the WBCC here or directly to Council Member Gordon’s office here.

ANNOUNCING:

COMMUNITY MEETING/WALK TO IDENTIFY STREET IMPROVEMENTS ON 6TH STREET, 15TH AVENUE, AND 4TH STREET.

What: West Bank Walk

Date: Saturday, October 15th

Time: 10:30am

Where: Meet at Brian Coyle Community Center

Working with Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) staff and the West Bank Community Coalition, Council Member Cam Gordon is organizing a walk on 6th Street, 15th Avenue and 4th Street (see map), to note what works and what doesn’t work for pedestrians and other road users.

Gordon notes that he hopes “that it will produce information that can be used by the CHANCE program to help determine what sorts of improvements the City should make on 6th St with the $30,000 from the Riverside Plaza project, and on 15th and 4th through the reconstruction planned for 2014.”

Please come and let the City know your thoughts on this important issue!