Construction disruption for the Green Line down University Avenue hurt the community, especially small and ethnic businesses. Old news, right? But with new Light Rail Transit, Bus Rapid Transit, and other street construction/reconstruction project moving ahead across the metro, what’s old news on University Avenue could be valuable lessons for the future of many other communities impacted by transit construction.Va-Megn Thoj, executive director of the Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA), was in the middle of the Central Corridor action. “Before construction, business mitigation was at the bottom of the list for Met Council,” he told a July 17 forum sponsored by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability at Merriam Park Library. The Met Council said there would be no disproportionate impact on minority businesses and communities, “but we showed this was wrong.” Continue Reading
Next year, the new Central Corridor light rail trains will start running down University Avenue. Planning has been going on for years. But one element of creating a successful transit corridor isn’t as obvious as some of the more common concerns like right-of-way or parking.It’s the question of how do people get to the train from their homes and workplaces in the neighborhoods surrounding the tracks. In many cases, the answer is – they’ll walk.The District Councils Collaborative has been addressing this very issue of walkability, and to continue the conversation the group invited Gil Penalosa to St. Paul. Continue Reading
Next year the Central Corridor Light Rail line will begin operations, connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis along University and Washington Avenues.The Neighborhoods that the train travels through are expecting new development, and managing those improvements while maintaining the existing character of the neighborhood is a challenge.In the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood, the West Bank Community Development Corporation and the Somali Action Alliance have combined to create a group called “Don’t Pass Us By.” They’re sponsoring a forum to talk about light rail develeopment at 2pm on Saturday, June 15th at the Brian Coyle Community Center in Minneapolis.Tim Mungavan is executive director of the West Bank Community Development Corporation. He talked with host Paul Brohaugh on KFAI’s The Morning Blend. [Audio below] Continue Reading
An LRV is a light rail vehicle. I like to call them trains. On Sunday there was a test of the new Greenline in St. Paul. Apparently it is the first of many. They have to make sure that the trains actually run on the tracks without hitting anything or to “verify clearance for LRV’s.” Continue Reading
This is the anniversary of the start of the first passenger-carrying railway, the Swansea-Mumbles Railway in Wales in 1807. The tracks were laid to move limestone and other minerals to the docks at Swansea for shipping. The idea to retrofit a horse-drawn rail car to accommodate people was revolutionary. People apparently enjoyed the trip – the line continued for just over 150 years and in addition to equine locomotion, passengers through the decades enjoyed traveling under power provided by steam, sails, and electricity. Continue Reading
Packed into an old building at the corner of University and Fry, Ax-Man Surplus does not seem particularly noteworthy from the outside. Walking in, a potential customer is bombarded with a number of seemingly unrelated items. Several mannequins are waiting to greet the customer, dressed in whatever clothes the staff found lying around. These and a number of other goods are for sale: a crate of bowling pins, a bike, a box of umbrellas, tiny bells, garbage cans, a very-used nightstand, several rolling chairs, a giant model horse with a saddle, a giant scale, and a can crusher. And this is just walking through the entrance.Ax-Man Surplus has lasted decades on University Avenue, now surviving light rail construction with the help of a unique approach to business and a loyal customer base.It is hard to explain exactly what it is that Ax-Man sells. The website describes it as “A second home for collectors, crafters, artists, and those who love to tinker” and “home to pretty much everything you never knew you couldn’t live without.”“No two days are the same, that’s for sure. Continue Reading
Wearing an oversized winter coat with his hood up and gloveless hands in his pockets Tim Goss stood on the front porch of the newly renovated house he calls home – for now.“I love the house. Hate the neighborhood.”The 37 year old Goss is referring to his rental duplex in Frogtown located at the intersection of University Avenue and Grotto Street. This specific home was one of seven known boarded and vacant homes recently developed by the Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation to be rented out as affordable housing.Goss moved into his house May 14, 2012 and says he is very happy with the formerly vacant home. “The house itself is nice,” said Goss. “It’s roomy, the location is great, and there is a fenced yard for the kids.”Goss and his wife have two kids, ages 9 and 11, and despite his enthusiasm for his house, he is concerned Frogtown is the wrong environment to be raising kids. He worries for their safety and is concerned they will be exposed to crime and violence at a young age.Shaking his head and looking off in the distance Goss said, “This is not a safe area.” He pointed to the southeast corner of University Avenue and Grotto Street and said there had been two men shot in the parking lot the other day. Continue Reading
Anh Trinh has operated a beauty shop at 397 University Avenue for more than 20 years. She lives above the shop. During the Central Corridor construction project, as bulldozing and jackhammering took place in front of her home and business, a drain pipe in Ms. Trinh’s basement sprang a leak. According to Anh, before the construction, her drainpipe was straight. After the construction, her basement wall sunk and bent the pipe. When she complained, she was told that her sewer leak was not caused by the construction.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. The opinions expressed in the Free Speech Zone and Neighborhood Notes, as well as the opinions of bloggers, are their own and not necessarily the opinion of the TC Daily Planet.Before the construction, there was room between her building and the street to pile snow. Now, when there’s a heavy snow, it gets plowed onto the sidewalk in front of her home and business. Due to the construction, Anh has lost a lot of business. The customer parking in front of her shop is gone, and her shop is located in the middle of the block, so parking on nearby side streets, if available, is not a convenient option.Anh’s an optimist, a wishful thinker, a true believer. She’s gone to the Met Council Central Corridor Project hearings in the past, and she showed up once again on January 10, 2013, hoping maybe someone will finally listen. As Jack McCann, president of the University Avenue Business Association accurately states, the Central Corridor Project “can be summed up as dishonest and pathetic. An honest organization (which is not the Met Council) would have openly evaluated the real effects of shoehorning a project this size onto this avenue.” Continue Reading
“The Lightrail” shows different community perspectives about the planning, construction, and ulimate impact of the Central Corridor Light Rail Line on the Twin Cities once it is completed. Interns Max, Joseph, Adrian, and Rashaan worked on this piece with community partner Cycles for Change to construct a dynamic discussion about this multi-faceted issue. Continue Reading
Work on the Central Corridor Light Rail line is on schedule and planners say the 2012 construction season was a success. The track is in place and the 18 stations are largely built.
