Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/work-economy/business/page/18/)
About two months after Doran Companies’ Dinkytown hotel proposal was put on hold by a city-ordered historical designation study, a new developer has plans to build a hotel on the same block that could keep the original buildings’ facades intact.
If you haven’t heard, the national 2010 legislation requiring schools to include more whole grains, vegetables and fruits at the cost of gradually reducing starch, sodium and calories is under attack by the big-food-corporation-funded School Nutrition Association. Continue Reading
It has been a busy few weeks for those of focused on restoring local authority to communities over the matter of building Internet networks. But for those of you who are just wondering what is happening, we haven’t done the best job of keeping you in the loop. Continue Reading
Dinkytown, the four-block business district on the north edge of the University of Minnesota in Southeast Minneapolis, could continue to be taken over by six-story mixed-use apartment buildings or it could be “frozen in place” by historic preservation. Between these two extremes, there is much room for planning, says Peter Crandall, designer for the Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development department.Crandall and the city’s principal planner Haila Maze joined several stakeholders and experts to discuss “Growth with Preservation” on June 23 at the Loring Café in Dinkytown. The forum came while city planners continue to study whether the small business district should be declared a historic site.“We’re aware that there’s a lot of development already going on,” Crandall said, adding that planning can make a difference.Crandall showed relief drawings that illustrated the look and scale of different planning options, including the current buildings, the same four blocks filled with six-story apartment buildings and other design options that allowed for different mixes of designs and heights.Design guidelines could also ask architects to retain the current street-level experience, even as they increase density behind and above current buildings, he said.About 50 people attended the meeting that began with a review of issues involved in determining how the area will grow and what will be preserved. Participants seemed to agree with Maze that the vibrant culture of Dinkytown is more important than the buildings.Major historic themes associated with Dinkytown, Maze said, were the streetcar era, the university connection, the commercial center, and issue of change and continuity.From the 1880s through the 1920s – the heyday of streetcars – Dinkytown was a hub. “The site of the Loring Café – where we are meeting now – was a car barn for the Minneapolis Street Railway Company,” she said.“None of the current buildings was here then,” Maze said. Continue Reading
Here’s an ideological question – would you forgo personal privacy and security for the common good? If you could open up your home wireless router to others would you? I have certainly heard of people finding a way to share access with their neighbors since I’ve been in involved with ISPs. I remember in 1995, customers of MRNet found ways to connect their network through a dialup connection. (Can you imagine sharing a dialup connection now!) But the decision was always on the customer to share. Comcast has turned that around a little; according to CNN… Continue Reading
Renee Jenson posted at 6:50pm, Jun 19:…Rumors are floating around about what the city intends to do with the Pavillion at Como Park. I think Como Park is a treasure of the city and that process needs to fully open and unbiased so everyone can have their say in it. Many of us in the Como area are appalled that we lost Black Bear Crossing and didn’t even have a chance to storm City Hall with our protest signs chanting “2-4-6-8, Black Bear Crossing is really Great”.Anyway, how does the City plan to keep everyone fully informed about next steps in the process? You got me posting again so you know what they say, things are not well down in Whoville.Renee JensonNOTE: According to a June 15 PiPress article by Frederick Melo, Black Bear Crossing will close “at the end of the year,” even after winning the first round of a lawsuit against the city.Jeanne Weigum posted at 7:10pm, Jun 19:You won’t be hearing me cry over the loss of Black Bear at Como, having had numerous bad experiences there. My understanding is the City plans to do some patron surveying to determine community interest. Continue Reading
The nations of the world have expressed their concern about the Iranian regime’s apparent drive to develop nuclear weapons. Iran, a purveyor of international terrorism and an avowed enemy of Israel, is the target of an international sanctions regime designed to hinder its nuclear program.
I owned a Ford once. It sucked. I had reasons to agree with the jokes about Ford meaning “Fix Or Repair Daily” or “Found On Road Dead.” After that Ford, I didn’t own another car for 12 years. And I became a transportation planner because I never liked having to drive in the first place and wanted to improve options and safety for people who either have to or who choose to walk, ride transit, and bike. Continue Reading
The story of Uber’s rapid rise to prominence is a compelling one. In just four years it has expanded from San Fransisco to 128 cities and 37 countries worldwide. In fact, it just became the most valuable startup ever. Uber has not avoided controversy, however. Many of the company’s expansion efforts have triggered fierce backlash. In the fall of 2012, Uber brought the fight to our state when it established operations in the Twin Cities. As its popularity grows, the public, policymakers, and stakeholders must come together to discuss what sort of role we want Uber to play in our community.
About a week before large crowds gathered to celebrate the opening of the Green Line light rail, one business along the train filed for bankruptcy.