Current Minutes

DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
Minutes from the Board Meeting on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Hennepin County Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall
Room N-202, Minneapolis, MN

I. Call to Order and Introductions

Board Chair Gerry Ewald called the board meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Other board members in attendance were:

Andy Hauer, Paula Klimek, Erik Laska, Wallace Swan, Carletta Sweet, Jesse Winkler

Board member Andrea Christenson was absent.

Staff member Christie Rock was also present.

Guests in attendance included:

Brian Anderson, Shea, Inc.; Will Bornstein, Lowry Hill Zoning and Planning Committee; Laura Boyd, Alcohol Compliance Services; Becky Carlson St. Clair, Artspace Projects, Inc.; Steven Clift, E-Democracy; Jay Ettinger, The PourHouse; Brent Frederick, The PourHouse; Lisa Goodman, 7th Ward Council Member; Colin Hamilton, Artspace Projects, Inc.; Greg Houck, Shea, Inc.; Paul Johnson, Nelson, Tietz & Hoye; Nick Magrino, University of Minnesota; John Montgomery, Ryan Companies; Deepak Nath, Empire Entertainment, LLC; Joe Pederson, Target Corporation; Jacob Toledo, The PourHouse; Doug Verdier, RiverWest resident; Jeremy Zoss, The Journal (formerly the Downtown Journal)

II. Consideration of the Agenda

Hauer moved and Sweet seconded a motion to approve the April agenda. Ewald asked for discussion. The motion passed.

III. 7th Ward Update

Council Member Lisa Goodman reported on the following:

 April 25th Lunch with Lisa at Opus Hall Room 202 will have the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator [Shaun Murphy] as well as the 7th Ward representatives on the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committees to talk about the City’s evolving master plans for each.

 May 23rd Lunch with Lisa will be a presentation by new MPRB Assistant Superintendent for Planning Bruce Chamberlain along with Commissioner Anita Tabb to talk about current planning projects.

 No Lunch with Lisa scheduled in June or July.

 August 22nd Lunch with Lisa may be a Plan-It Hennepin update.

 Orchestra Hall renovation received site plan approval at the Planning Commission on April 9th and the Heritage Preservation Commission will be reviewing it next week.

 Izzy’s Ice Cream site plan and preliminary final plat also received approval from the City.

 MnDOT and Hennepin County have appealed the Dock Street Apartments project in order to work out long-term easement agreements for the Cedar-Lake trail and the train construction in the area.

 Liquor license applications recently approved by the City include Alley’s, Aria’s for Jeune Lune and the City will consider Cowboy Jack’s during the next cycle.

 Redistricting allows Wards to have plus or minus 5 percent of 30,000 people, and since Ward 7 was at over 15 percent, a loss in population was expected. However, Ward 7 also got caught up in the “majority minority” Ward controversy resulting in most of Elliot Park now in Ward 6 and the DMNA split into Wards 3 and 7.

 Street sweeping has started; be careful where you park.

 Compostable “pastel” lawn bags available for lawn waste.

 Urban Agriculture Policy approved by the City’s Zoning and Planning Commission. For more information, please visit: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/news/news_20110415urbanagplanadopted.

 Lisa’s wedding will take place on September 22nd at The Chambers Minneapolis Hotel.

IV. Land Use Report

Land Use Chair Hauer introduced the following projects:

 The PourHouse (10 South 5th Street, formerly Spin nightclub). Laura Boyd from Alcohol Compliance Services distributed and explained a packet that contained ESG’s architectural renderings, photos and menu for the proposed 1920s prohibition-themed bar. Boyd advised they are seeking a Class B, 2 a.m. on-sale liquor license with Sunday sales permit, and an outdoor alley/patio area that has triggered a public hearing.

In response to questions, co-owner Deepak Nath advised there would be a cover charge on evenings when there is entertainment (of which will cover a large spectrum), they will be open for lunch and happy hour, and that they are redoing the kitchen to be able to offer a full menu.

Regarding liquor experience of the owners, Boyd advised that Deepak and his wife Sarah own Bootleggers and his family owns Axel’s Bonfire and Charhouse restaurants. Brent Frederick and his partner Jacob Toledo (who has bartended and managed at Lord Fletcher’s, Sophia, the Chambers, Seven and Bellanotte) are owners of the Maple Tavern in Maple Grove and each have approximately 12 years of experience in the industry.

Boyd advised that the in-house security personnel will be shirted with a logo and that they have a 7-page security plan they will be submitting to the City.

They will not be targeting any specific group but expect a wide demographic between the ages of 21 to 60, they’ll have a lot of sports-related events due to the 24 feet wide screen TVs, and it will be unlike Spin in every respect. June 1st is the anticipated opening date.

Swan moved and Klimek seconded a motion to approve the Class B liquor license application for The PourHouse. Hauer called for discussion. The motion passed.

 731 Hennepin Avenue (former Shinders site). Greg Houck and Brian Anderson from Shea, Inc. presented the site plan for Shea’s new headquarters at 731 Hennepin Avenue. Shea will occupy the second floor, and a restaurant (to be named at a later date) will occupy the former Shinders newsstand space on the first floor and the rooftop. They are trying to restore it, as much as possible, to its original state when it was the Synder building. Shea is seeking a letter of support from the DMNA for a General Land Use application for the restaurant’s retractable rooftop garden that will create over 1,000 square feet of enclosed space. This exceeds the allowable enclosed square footage, which triggered the need to submit the General Land Use application to the City.

Swan moved and Sweet seconded a motion to approve the General Land Use application for the rooftop garden located at 731 Hennepin Avenue. Hauer called for discussion. The motion passed with Winkler abstaining.

 1001-1013 Nicollet Mall and 81-87 South 10th Street. John Montgomery from Ryan Companies, who is working in conjunction with Julie Snow Architects on behalf of Target Corporation, presented Target’s plans for the former Let It Be and Church of Scientology properties. He indicated that Ryan is serving as the general contractor for the project and plans for the site include a variety of informal meeting spaces with a fireplace, as well as recreational and physical fitness uses exclusively for its team members. It is intended to be an expansion of the Great Hall space located in Target’s headquarters across Nicollet Mall and to bring activity it down to street level. Target has already submitted an application for a variance due to the fact that the project does not include retail on the first floor, which is required by the City’s Zoning Ordinance. The hearing on the variance is scheduled on May 3rd before the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.

In response to Winkler’s questions, Montgomery advised that no skyway connection from the headquarters to the expansion project was ever on the table because the intent is to bring activity to street level, and that they were requested not to place Target signage on the building.

Swan moved and Sweet seconded a motion to approve the General Land Use application and variance request for Target Corporation’s proposal for 1001-1012 and 81-87 South 10th Street. Hauer called for discussion. The motion passed with Klimek and Winkler abstaining.

 Orchestra Hall renovation and expansion project. Paul Johnson from Nelson, Tietz & Hoye, who are acting as project manager for the Minnesota Orchestra, presented the renovation and expansion plans for Orchestra Hall. The plans include additional restrooms and concession areas, as well as an expanded lobby space that can be used for smaller events such as weddings. No variances are requested but they are seeking DMNA’s support. Mortenson Construction is the general contractor and construction is scheduled to begin the third week in June and end by July 2013. Peavey Plaza is a related, separate City project but they are trying to coordinate the two projects. Johnson indicated that the existing performance space has multiple levels that make navigating the area challenging for disabled people; renovation plans will eliminate these obstacles. Johnson noted that they have already submitted the required materials for a Site Plan Review and variance application because the exterior space exceeds the City’s Plaza Standards in the Zoning Code. He indicated that the site plans received preliminary approval from the City’s Planning Commission on April 9th.

Ewald moved and Sweet seconded a motion to support the Minnesota Orchestra’s proposed renovation and expansion plans for Orchestra Hall. Hauer called for discussion. The motion passed.

V. E-Democracy Presentation

Rock introduced Steven Clift from E-Democracy and advised that she invited him to the meeting so that board members could hear directly from him regarding the process and requirements for establishing an online neighborhood forum. Rock thought this would give board members a better opportunity to ask questions. Clift indicated that E-Democracy has an 18-year history in Minneapolis and essentially functioned as an online town hall meeting where people discuss political issues. About 3 years ago, E-Democracy decided to pursue neighborhood forums or community life exchanges. The neighborhood forums are supported by grants from the Ford and McKnight Foundations. Clift described the process for establishing a neighborhood forum and indicated that a neighborhood needs to identify a forum manager and secure at least 100 initial members. He also highlighted some of the current topics on other neighborhood forums that included the Vikings stadium, eldercare, a Latino book signing event, requests for office space and home repair work. He suggested that the DMNA could potentially work in partnership with another Downtown neighborhood to establish a forum. He indicated that Loring Park and Elliott Park have had preliminary discussions about the idea.

After entertaining questions from the Board, no action was taken to move forward with creating a site for the DMNA.

VI. Neighborhood and Community Engagement Update

Rock stated that the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department has announced the 2012 Community Participation Program allocations. The DMNA has been allocated $124,510 in CPP funds, plus an additional $32,369 to make up for the loss of Phase II NRP funds (intended to bring the DMNA closer to having access to 70% of Phase II funds) for a total of $160,879. The application process starts at the end of April. Rock will provide more details as she hears them from the NCR Department and Downtown’s Neighborhood Specialist Lance Knuckles. For more information on the 2012 CPP guidelines and allocations and application process, please visit: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ncr/index.htm.

VII. NRP Implementation Update

 Consideration of NRP Housing Opportunities Fund language modification. Rock referenced the language modification she emailed prior to the board meeting that was prepared by Lance Knuckles from the City’s Neighborhood and Community Relations Department. The language modification allows the DMNA Board to allocate monies in the Housing Opportunities Fund strategy through an RFP process, and /or on a case-by-case basis. Sweet had a question regarding the numerical reference. Rock explained that the numbers correspond with the DMNA Phase II NRP Plan.

Hauer moved and Sweet seconded a motion to approve the language modification to the NRP Phase II Housing Opportunities Fund strategy. Ewald called for discussion. The motion passed.

 Artspace, Inc. presentation regarding request for Housing Opportunities Fund monies. Colin Hamilton and Becky Carlson St. Clair from Artspace, Inc. introduced themselves to the board and indicated that they are interested in submitting a request for DMNA Phase II NRP Housing Opportunities Fund monies. They distributed a letter seeking $200,000 in the form of a grant from the DMNA that outlines other funding sources for their project. They also provided a brief description of their project that includes 61 units of affordable live/work space for artists. Several board members asked questions about the project, including what other prospective funders they are approaching and their timeline for starting construction.

Christie advised that no action could be taken on Artspace’s request until the City approves the language modification. Board members discussed the possibility of having a separate housing strategy discussion outside of a regular board meeting. Ewald and Rock will identify dates and send a Doodle meeting poll out to the board.

VIII. Consideration of Board Meeting Minutes from March 13, 2012

Swan moved and Hauer seconded a motion to approve the board minutes from March 13, 2012. Ewald called for discussion. The motion passed.

IX. Consideration of April 2012 Financial Report

Sweet moved and Hauer seconded a motion to receive and file the April 2012 financial report. Ewald called for discussion. The motion passed.

X. Staff Report

Sweet moved and Hauer seconded a motion to receive and file Rock’s staff report. Ewald called for discussion. The motion passed.

XI. Old business / new business / other business

 Web site project update. Rock gave an update on the Web site project. She referenced the email correspondence between herself and Vivid Image project manager Kori Sanders. There was continued discussion regarding adding a forum to the Web site, as well as adding a password-protected page where board members could post and discuss information and ideas and do online voting. Rock explained that no applicable plug-in is available for WordPress that would accommodate these objectives. There was some discussion regarding moving forward with a redesign of the Web site to liven it up a bit, but no final decision. Rock will send links to some newer Web sites for the board to consider.

 Update on outreach and collaboration with other downtown organizations. Reference the Outreach and Collaboration chart emailed from Sweet in advance of the meeting for updates.

o Consideration of nominating Carletta Sweet to serve as the DMNA representative to the East Downtown Council.

Hauer moved and Swan seconded a motion to nominate Sweet to serve as the DMNA representative to the East Downtown Council. Ewald called for discussion. The motion passed.

o Court Watch. Hauer volunteered to attend the April 13th meeting.

o Plan-it Hennepin. Rock announced that they are seeking 3-4 volunteers from Downtown West to participate on the indicators portion of the project to determine if the plan will be successful. She will forward the invitation with the details.

XII. Adjournment

Being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.

Signed this ________ day of ________________________, 2012.

_______________________________ _______________________________

Chair                                                                Secretary