On Saturday evening, November 17th, Minneapolis Public Works presented at the Logan Park Industrial Project. The public engagement process occurred in the Northrup King Building (NKB). The meeting aimed to include NKB tenants more directly, as many had not been notified of previous meetings. The city wanted to make sure they addressed the artist tenants of the building that would be affected by the potential 2026 start date of reconstruction of the roads all around the NKB.
Around 40 artists attended the meeting. Most of the questions were focused on nuts and bolts of access for their patrons during the significant events Art-A-Whirl and Art Attack. The city official, Katie White, could not commit to keeping the roads open during any of the events, though artists stated those events are their biggest moneymakers of the year. She said they would work on it. Artists brought up issues and challenges about parking and biking. White talked about how the City Council had mandated that 14th Ave be built as a bike hub and were there to implement what the City Council voted for. Parking is a very contentious issue; no final solutions have been found.
Concerns about Central Avenue were also raised, and White stated that it is a state highway and not under their purview. She encouraged the artists to attend the upcoming meeting early next year to discuss the needs they would like to see addressed.
After White described all of the new sidewalks, traffic calming measures, and lighting concepts, artist Loretta Bebeau stated, “We artists are not looking for flowery amenities. We like simple and plain solutions”. White jokingly responded there were no flowers in the plans. Many artists expressed similar sentiments as the building access’s functionality and the streets’ character were an important part of the reconstruction. When asked about keeping the bricks, White said it is too expensive to rebuild with the bricks. When pressed to provide evidence, She could produce comparisons and specific numbers. This is the second time she has been asked about the cost, and the city will not show the transparency of the costs.
I, Josh Blanc, Arts District board member, brought up 1000 miles of roads in Minneapolis, and there are only 10 unique streets left in Minneapolis. 6th Ave S.E. and Main St. S.E. are mentioned twice. Quincy Street, Jackson Street, and 14th Avenue are three of them. The city has plans to harvest most of the bricks that will be used for future use on downtown Minneapolis streets. There are only just over 1 mile of unique streets left in Minneapolis. The question is why no value is being put into keeping these NE Minneapolis streets unique. There are 17 art buildings and 1200 artists paying over a million dollars monthly in rent in the Arts District, plus purchasing materials such as wood, metal, paint, glass, clay, etc. The city of Minneapolis Creative Index has documented that over 5 billion dollars are added to the economy through artists’ endeavors. The taxes paid by these artists don’t seem to be applied to this area to keep its character and functionality. White did not seem to know about artists’ financial impact on the community.
White said that the city can not play favorites with each street project. I quickly dispelled that comment; the city has been giving special deals to multiple groups. For Example, the Timber and Tie building land was zoned as industrial and rezoned for residential in 2020. Chicago-based R2 venture capital firms purchased the Keller building and turned it into an event center and brewery developed on industrial land in the Arts District. It was stated that the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is an industrial overlay, and it seems like the city is moving to change the industrial overlay to change it into an entertainment sector just like it did when it gentrified the artists out of downtown Minneapolis in the 1990s. The addition of sidewalks, parking, and bike paths considered in this project is more paramount than the industry already here. White expressed that the artists wanted gateways and unique features to make the street stand out. Again, the artists, in general, want to keep the character of the brick street and keep to the basics, the nuts and bolts of a functioning road as it has been for 90 years. Therefore, bringing more traffic to the street unrelated to artist functions seems counterproductive.
What do the artists want?
Katie White said Quincy St has not been updated for over 90 years. Most artists comment that they want the street to be put back as it is a curbless street with bricks as a speed deterrent and the necessary plumbing under the roads fixed. The artists are keen on preserving the historic character of the street, which they feel is being compromised by the proposed amenities. Their mantra is to keep it simple and rebuild it as it has been for the past 90 years.
The City of Minneapolis’s presentation is available here. Visit the project website to learn more and sign up for updates.
Actions:
- Take the **NEW** Logan Park Industrial Survey!
Contact your city representative to help save Quincy Street for the artists.
Council President and Ward 1 Council Member Elliott Payne elliott.payne@minneapolismn.gov
Council Member Michael Rainville michael.rainville@minneapolismn.gov
Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey jacob.frey@minneapolismn.gov
Katie White, Senior Transportation Planner Public Works, 612 283 2097 katie.white@minneapolismn.gov
Josh Blanc presentation is available here.