Thomas Dale
St. Paul forum to focus on gentrification
In less than a year, construction could begin on the planned Central Corridor light-rail, which the Metropolitan Council claims will bring increased transportation opportunities to Twin Cities. But for many Central Corridor neighbors, it could bring something very different: unsustainable property tax increases, gentrification, and the loss of historic, racially diverse, and close-knit neighborhoods such as St. Paul's Aurora-St. Anthony and Frogtown. MORE »
Saving the Victoria Theatre: St. Paul neighborhood organizes together
One of the first silent movie houses in St. Paul, the Victoria Theatre's glory days were long ago. Today the elegant building stands empty with vacancy signs tacked to the front door. The building is for sale, and the community is organizing to save it, with growing support in the Thomas-Dale (Frogtown) and Summit-University communities to restore it to become the new Victoria Theatre.MORE »
Bike Walk Central Corridor Action Plan nearly complete
St. Paul residents got another look at the Bike Walk Central Corridor Action Plan when the current draft was informally re-released on October 6.MORE »
Remembering Rondo: Central Corridor residents speak in Headwaters St. Paul tour
Carl Griffin grew up in the Rondo Neighborhood in the late 1950s, when "there actually was a Main Street" there.MORE »
And then, in the 1960s, Griffin watched as the construction of I-94 devastated the landscape and culture of this predominately African-American neighborhood in St. Paul.
Saving the Victoria Theater and getting on board LRT in St. Paul
The train is coming, and one group of Frogtown and Summit-University residents and business owners is fired up to prepare for the arrival of light rail transit (LRT) on University Avenue in St. Paul. The group, organized mainly through Facebook and the e-Democracy Forum met October 21 at Rondo Community Outreach Library, with the assistance of the District 7 Thomas-Dale Planning Council and the District 8 Summit-University Planning Council. MORE »
NEWS DAY | Asian businesses challenge Central Corridor
About 30 Asian businesses along University Avenue filed a civil rights complaint with the Federal Transit Administration, similar to one filed by African American residents and businesses in June, reports MPR.MORE »
The good, the bad, and the beautiful on St. Paul's University Avenue
There was good news and bad news at the October 15 meeting of the University Avenue Business Association (UABA). The bad news is that the Met Council has still not come through with mitigation funds to deal with the inevitable loss of business due to light rail construction. UABA members are also not happy with accounts of the current light rail construction happening in downtown St. Paul, where promised signage for construction areas was not adequate or timely, according to speakers at the meeting. The good news is that Wing Young Huie is planning a public art project along University Avenue similar to the one he did along Lake Street, and many businesses will get to be part of an artistic endeavor that will both draw people into University Avenue and will celebrate the people and businesses along the neighborhoods surrounding the avenue. MORE »
Citizens lobby for more Central Corridor stops
An impassioned group of St. Paul citizens, civic leaders and city officials on Tuesday urged state officials to help fund the construction of three additional light rail stops along University Avenue. MORE »
Central Corridor stop concerns raised
Some St. Paul residents, business leaders and city officials do not believe there are enough stops in the Capital City on the proposed Central Corridor light rail line.
Designed to connect downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis, heavy construction on the 11-mile line is scheduled to begin next year, with service to begin in 2014.MORE »
Seeking fair compensation, not “handouts,” University Ave. businesses take Met Council to task
With the construction of the Central Corridor light-rail slated to begin as early as next year, many expect difficult changes for life on University Avenue. To ease the transition, the Metropolitan Council has pledged more than $27 million to the University of Minnesota for a transit and pedestrian mall and disruptions to scientific equipment. Recently, the Met Council came to a major settlement with Minnesota Public Radio to mitigate disruptions to MPR studios. MORE »
