Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association
Minutes from Board of Directors Meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Hennepin Center for the Arts
528 Hennepin Avenue, Suite 310, Minneapolis

I.          Call to Order and Introductions

Board Chair Kim Motes called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 

Other board members in attendance included Andy Hauer; Tom Hoch; Gene Nessly; Cynthia Newsom, Treasurer; Scott Parkin, Secretary; Jodi Pfarr; and Carletta Sweet, Vice Chair.

Staff in attendance included Christie Rock, Neighborhood Coordinator and Bookkeeper.

Guest in attendance included David Abele; Kathleen Anderson; Paul Babcock and Bill Umscheid, McPhail Center for Music; Mary Bujold, Maxfield Research; Ann Calvert, CPED; David Goodman; Lisa Goodman, Ward 7 Council Member; Bernadette Hornig, Sherman Associates; Robert Hunter and Marcy Conrad Nutt, James Dayton Design; Tom Melchior; Sarah Phemister, Downtown Journal; George Rosenquist; Tom Sopoci, RSP Architects; and Brent Webb, Downtown Network.

II.        Consideration of and Additions to Agenda

·        Tom Hoch requested that he have an opportunity to review proposed new signage for Open Book under the Land Use Committee report. 

·        Andy Hauer requested an opportunity to discuss Heritage Development’s proposal for the former Fuji Ya site.

III.       Ward 7 Update

Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman gave an update on Ward 7 activities and issues.  She highlighted the following:

·        City Assessors Office annual neighborhood meeting;

·        Minneapolis residents’ survey indicating residents are fairly contented;

·        311 – This new customer service hotline has been a tremendous success and is resolving problems (such as potholes, streetlight outages, etc.) relatively quickly;

·        Riverfront East Parcel – Encouraged DMNA Board to support McGuire Foundation’s riverfront park proposal;

·        Liquor Depot redevelopment project – Jim Stanton has closed on the property;

·        Former Fuji Ya site redevelopment project – Preliminary opinion is that an 11-story building is too high for C3A District.  Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board requirements causing Heritage Development to make changes to the project made it more difficult for the City Council to support.  She can’t approve as proposed and recommends going back to the original plan;

·        Crime and Safety update – Economic development is the solution to crime, not more cops on the streets and/or more arrests.  Chief McManus is supportive of moving the bus stop on South 6th Street and Hennepin Avenue.  She is happy with Chief McManus’s performance and will support renewing his contract;

·        City Center/Restaurant Row – Suggested that representatives from the City Center should present their restaurant row concept to the DMNA for review and consideration; and

·        Plans to attend DMNA Board meetings on a quarterly basis.

IV.       Industrial Land Use and Employment Policy Plan Analysis Presentation

Mary Bujold gave a brief explanation of the project that she is working on         for the City of Minneapolis.  The Industrial Land Use and Employment Policy Plan

Analysis is an effort to look to the future to consider how certain areas of the city should change and where the city can intensify or increase land use to create employment centers.  Bujold reviewed the study objectives and the timeframe for completion and indicated that the final report should be ready for presentation to the City Council in June 2006.  Bujold then raised a number of study questions to gain input from the DMNA.  For more detailed information, visit the city’s website at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/planning/industrial-landuse.asp.

V.        Downtown Network Presentation

Brent Webb, the residential chair for the Downtown Network (formerly the Downtown Action Network), gave the DMNA Board an update on its activities.  Webb distributed a brochure on the organization, a committee of the Downtown Council, and provided its website (www.d-a-n.org) as well as the phone number where he can be reached (612-986-1196).  The Downtown Network provides excellent networking opportunities, does business promotions, helps support Peavey Plaza events, and hosts speakers on the second Thursday of the month. 

VI.       Land Use Committee Update
(due to precinct caucuses no meeting was held on March 7, 2006) 

LUC Chair Andy Hauer presented the following land use items for review and consideration by the DMNA board:

·        Parcel F – Bernadette Hornig from Sherman Associates gave an update on the redevelopment project bounded by 9th, 10th and Washington Avenues South and South 2nd Street.  The proposal includes a 5-story hotel facing Washington Avenue South, and two 8-story buildings with commercial use on the ground levels and condominiums above separated by a landscaped courtyard. 

·        McPhail Center for Music – Robert Hunter from James Dayton Design gave a presentation on the proposed construction on the southeast corner of the intersection of 5th Avenue South and South 2nd Street.  Paul Babcock mentioned that its planned 2007 opening will mark McPhail’s 100th anniversary.  Carletta Sweet made a motion to support the project.  Tom Hoch seconded the motion.  Board Chair Kim Motes called for discussion.  The motion passed.  Christie Rock will prepare a letter of support.

·        Riverfront East Parcel – Ann Calvert gave a brief presentation on the three RFP responses received and outlined the review process.

·        Ameriprise CSC and 707 Buildings Signage – An Ameriprise representative gave a presentation on a request to add banner signage to the site.  Tom Hoch made a motion to approve the request.  Kim Motes seconded the motion.  Board Chair Kim Motes called for discussion.  The motion passed. 

·        Open Book – Tom Hoch, an Open Book board member, gave a presentation on proposed marquee signage for the building.  Hoch provided design plans for board consideration.  Kaufman Sign Company designed and will install the sign. 

·        Former Fuji Ya Site (a/k/a The Wave) – Andy Hauer gave an update on Heritage Development’s proposed redevelopment project and introduced the following motion for board consideration:

Whereas

Heritage Development has plans for a proposed mixed-use development on the former Fuji Ya site located at 420 South First Street to be called The Wave.

Whereas

The Wave would consist of a structure of 4 levels of underground parking and 10 levels of residential housing (each unit of housing consisting of two levels per ownership) for a total of 38 units.

Move

That any site presentation on The Wave brought before the Land Use Committee of DMNA, Inc., or the Board of Directors of DMNA, Inc., include a detailed picture of RiverWest Condominiums taken (point of vision) at the center of the building (that is, of the length of the building from east to west/facing the Mississippi River) and half of the distance of the width of the Mississippi River with The Wave project imposed onto the picture.

Also, DMNA would ask CPED/Planning Department of the City of Minneapolis to also request this information in any presentation for approval of the site plan for The Wave.

Tom Hoch seconded the motion.  Board Chair Kim Motes asked for discussion.  The motion passed.

            It is not the intent of this motion to restrict or show bias with the height of developments in Downtown West, but as a tool in answering questions (views) posed at the public hearing before the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioners on Wednesday, February 15, 2006, 5:30 p.m., MPRB headquarters at 2117 West River Road.  Fifteen individuals spoke against this development with a large number from RiverWest Condominiums questioning how it would affect views and property values.

VII.     Consideration of November 2005 Annual Meeting and
January 2006 Board Meeting Minutes

Carletta Sweet made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 2005

DMNA annual meeting.  Tom Hoch seconded the motion.  Board Chair Kim Motes asked for discussion.  The motion passed. 

Andy Hauer then made a motion to approve the minutes from the January 2006 DMNA board meeting.  Gene Nessly seconded the motion.  Board Chair Kim Motes asked for discussion.  The motion passed. 

VIII.    Consideration of January, February and March 2006 financial statements

Neighborhood Coordinator/Bookkeeper Christie Rock presented the January, February and March 2006 income and expense report.  There were no unusual items to report. 

Gene Nessly made a motion to receive and file the January, February and March 2006 financial statements.  Andy Hauer seconded the motion.  Board Chair Kim Motes asked for discussion.  The motion passed. 

IX.       Crime and Safety Update

Tom Hoch summarized the meeting that he and Christie had with Dave Delvoy from the Stevens Square Community Organization (SSCO).  Delvoy provided information on SSCO crime and safety strategies and made some good suggestions on how the DMNA can approach crime and safety problems in the Downtown East and West neighborhoods, in particular, Hennepin Avenue and the areas surrounding Block E.  Delvoy was a big advocate of a neighborhood patrol, and suggested this might be the first place to start. Hoch indicated the first meeting of the reorganized Crime and Safety Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m., at the DMNA office.

X.        NRP Implementation Update and Discussion

Neighborhood Coordinator Christie Rock indicated that DMNA NRP Specialist

Barb Lickness would give a presentation at the April 11, 2006 board meeting. 

At this point, Board Chair Kim Motes passed the meeting facilitation over to

Vice Chair Carletta Sweet.

Kim Motes presented a request for the DMNA board to review and approve a letter of support for the Shubert Performing Arts and Education Center for state bonding dollars. 

Tom Hoch made a motion to approve the letter of support for the Shubert Performing Arts and Education Center.  Andy Hauer seconded the motion.

Board Vice Chair Carletta Sweet asked for discussion.  The motion passed.

Kim Motes abstained from voting. 

XI.       Adjournment

Being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Signed this ________ day of ________________________, 2006.

_______________________________             _______________________________
Chair                                                                    Secretary

Respectfully submitted by,

Christie Rock

Neighborhood Coordinator