Construction underway at 27th Ave and Lake St in Minneapolis

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Rumors have been swirling around what will happen with the building across from the East Lake Library for more than a year.However, it wasn’t until just a few weeks ago that any sign of development with the building could be seen – now it’s glaringly obvious with three multi-story holes punched into the brick facade.The building is owned by Hamoudi Sabri’s company, which also owns a variety of local properties, including the gas station on Lake Street and Portland Ave, and properties on all three of the corners at Cedar Ave and Lake Street. Sabri and his extended family have had a storied past with development and their properties in Minneapolis, including foreclosure, legal battles, and – in the case of Sabri’s brother Basim – jail time for bribing a City Council member.This article is reposted from TCDP media partner My Broadsheet. Check out the links below for other recent My Broadsheet stories:Subscriptions Open for Community Solar GardenUpdate: True ThaiCurrently, Sabri’s company only has permits for demolition and facade improvements, said Minneapolis license inspector Julie Casey. These permits note that the space will be used for a future restaurant. If the company applies for an alcohol or extended hours permit, the city will hold a public hearing where neighbors will be able to voice support or concerns.The building under development is located at 2716 E. Lake Street in Minneapolis.If you like My Broadsheet, help us spread the word and tell your neighbors and friends. Continue Reading

Minneapolis Ward 12 forum recap

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Thank you to everyone who made it out to Saturday’s Ward 12 City Council candidate forum! Four out of the five candidates running for the Ward 12 seat were in attendance, and the conference room we had at the Midtown YWCA was standing room only.

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Ea(s)t Lake Street Challenge: Serving up a dining destination

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East Lake Street restaurants have made eating at local spots an even more delicious proposition with the recently announced Ea(s)t Lake Street Challenge.Fourteen restaurants along East Lake Street are participating in this two-month-long challenge, which simply involves eating at a participating restaurant, collecting the receipts, and winning prizes, including Ea(s)t Lake Street t-shirts, and entry into a raffle for $250 gift certificate packs to restaurants along East Lake Street.Serving up a Dining DestinationWanting to increase awareness of the restaurants along East Lake Street, Shawn Cooke from Zeke’s Unchained Animal brought his idea for the challenge to Renee Spillum at Redesign. Cooke commented, “I thought it would be nice to highlight all of the great restaurants along East Lake Street, and get people thinking about it as one big destination for great cuisine.”Spillum got to work, securing funding for the project from Redesign and the City of Minneapolis, and developing marketing materials.The spectrum of offerings along the roadway is remarkable, explained Spillum. “Where else can you find Japanese food, Ethiopian food, Mexican food, and Indian food just on one block? All corners of the globe are represented here.”East Lake Street has seen several new restaurants open in the last year, creating a higher density of restaurants in a relatively small area. Inspired by the marketing of foodie destinations in other parts of Minneapolis, Cooke hopes that East Lake Street will be thought of as a destination for great dining. Continue Reading

Playing in public: Three Minneapolis playwrights bring public into process

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This October, three playwrights will dive deep into the playmaking process during an intensive weeklong session at the Playwrights’ Center’s Playlabs. Working with a director, designer, and actors, the writers will have the opportunity to bring their play one step closer to production. But, there’s an additional component to the process that gives non-theater folk a chance to see behind the scenes – public readings.

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East Lake Bike N’ Bus In Cinema: Art in the most unlikely of places

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In the last year, East Lake Street has seen a swell of ‘Open’ signs replace ‘For Lease’ signs in the windows of many of the once-abandoned buildings. Despite the growing number of bright spots, there are still some areas that remain dark. It’s in these spaces that writer and artist Andy Sturdevant sees a multitude of possibilities.“Most of the buildings on the strip — built in the ’10s and ’20s — are pretty well-built, attractive, and easy to interact with from the sidewalk,” commented Sturdevant. “You can imagine walking into any of them and finding a small business. There’s such a great mix of old and new businesses in that neighborhood, from union halls to record stores to Chinese restaurants. Continue Reading

True Thai closure temporary

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On Monday (10/7), City Pages reported that True Thai on E. Franklin Avenue had closed its doors. The magazine had received an anonymous tip from a former employee that stated, “Was told at 11:00 last night that True Thai was closing, supplies were being moved out of the premises.”We stopped by the restaurant on Tuesday (10/8) to see if we could find out more information, and were greeted by a sign at the front door that stated, “Thank you very much for your patronage! We will re-open soon. Please visit us at www.truethairestaurant.com for updates. We appreciate your support as we transition.”While the restaurant is indeed closed for the time being, it appears that it will only be temporary. The temporary closure comes on the heels of news of a legal dispute between the owners of True Thai and a former manager Corey Whitchurch. Continue Reading

Midtown Farmers Market: Market report with Kabomelette

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Saturday’s morning rain didn’t seem to slow down the pace of omelets coming out of the Kabomelette stand at the Midtown Farmers Market. While chef/owner Greg Miller dished up breakfast for his customers, we asked him a few questions about what’s on the menu at the market stand. [Audio below]Market Report Notes:Kabomelette serves up both kabobs and omelets, including the stand’s namesake dish, which is an omelet of your choice with a steak kabob.Miller taps into the local bounty of zucchini, onions, and peppers – using them as staple vegetables in his dishes.Formerly the executive chef at St. Catherine University, Miller decided to open Kabomelette – cooking at farmers markets and in his food truck.The Midtown Farmer’s Market is open Tuesdays from 3-7 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Check out its website for more of what’s fresh at the market.If you like My Broadsheet, help us spread the word and tell your neighbors and friends. Don’t forget you can get these stories and more on Facebook. Continue Reading

Minneapolis traffic signals slated for retiming

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Two years ago the Minneapolis Department of Public Works set out to cut commuter delays and reduce fuel consumption by improving the timing of traffic signals throughout the city.The project is now in it’s second phase, and starting on October 21st, crews will begin work on the traffic signals in Longfellow and Seward. “As they are implementing the new signal timing plans drivers will experience noticeable pattern changes,” explained Heidi Ritchie, aide to Gary Schiff, in an email. “One of the most noticeable changes will likely be the operation of left turn arrows. The left turn arrows at many signals will run at different times of the day and the sequence as to when the driver sees a left turn arrow come up in a cycle may also change.”The city-wide project will replace 141 obsolete traffic signals controllers and cabinets, 72 of which are located in South Minneapolis.Issues with the traffic signals can be reported to 311 or to Nick VanGunst at 612-673-2172. Learn more about the traffic signal project.If you like My Broadsheet, help us spread the word and tell your neighbors and friends. Continue Reading

Minnehaha Avenue reconstruction plans for bike lane, not cycle track

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Hennepin County has decided to recommend that a bike lane, and not a cycle track, be installed on Minnehaha Avenue. County staff presented the updated plan to residents at two meetings held on September 30 and October 2 in Longfellow.The decision between a cycle track or a bike lane for Minnehaha Avenue has been a hot-button issue this summer, with cycle track advocates questioning the methodologies used by the County. “In the end, this is engineering judgment by the licensed professionals that will sign this plan,” said Craig Twinem, the project’s lead designer, at the Wednesday evening meeting. “These guys are smart and they stand behind this plan, and I stand behind it…. We are not against cycle tracks, the County feels that cycle tracks are not the best option for Minnehaha.”County staff noted that 81 percent of crashes between vehicles and bicycles occur at intersections. Continue Reading

Artist Q&A: Bringing characters to life through knits

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Brenda Peterson, is the crafty gal behind Mellow Fury, a local business selling knit hats of all varieties – monster hats, sci-fi inspired hats, and slouch beret hats to name a few. She also is the voice behind LoLa’s (League of Longfellow Artists) Twitter feed and Facebook page. We talked to Peterson about how she got started, what inspires her, and how she keeps up with all of the artists in Longfellow.

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