East Lake Street Walking Tour

For several years now, East Lake Street has been struggling. Redevelopment in the 1960s and 70s that replaced much of the traditional retail storefronts with auto-oriented designs now coupled with lingering effects from the 2006 reconstruction and the economic downturn have left the street inactive. Today, there are more commercial vacancies on this portion of Lake Street than the rest of the Street from Hiawatha to Lake Calhoun combined.

As part of our service area, Redesign staff have monitored activity on East Lake Street and stayed engaged with businesses and property owners. 

On Saturday, September 10^th, Redesign hosted a walking tour of East Lake Street in order to share information with the community and get insight into the direction and priorities our work should take. Redesign’s Senior Project Manager and Real Estate Broker, Eddie Landenberger led this informal walk, highlighting key sites and answering questions about vacant or underutilized properties. Redesign board members from Longfellow provided additional information along with background from Spencer Agnew, the Longfellow Community Council’s Housing and Environment Coordinator.

Some key properties we discussed on the walk included:

McMahon’s Site (3001 E Lake)

Molly Quinn’s Site (3300 E Lake)

East Lake Printing (3540 E Lake)

GC Peterson Machinery (3815 E Lake)

Former Super America (3900 E Lake)

Former Taco Bell (4020 E Lake)

Redesign is committed to executing long-term, sustainable development on East Lake Street that reflects the vibrant Longfellow community.

What do you think the best opportunities are on East Lake?

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Kris Nelson: Board Member, Mentor, Friend

 

Redesign is saddened by the death of Kris Nelson. Kris was a board member of Redesign for many years and Chair of the Development Committee, as well as a resident of the area we serve.

As the past executive of Whittier Alliance and the Program Director for Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University, Kris brought a wealth of experience, insights and contacts to Redesign’s work. Kris had a deeply ingrained set of values that kept Redesign’s development work grounded in relationships in the community. Kris’ calm and caring demeanor often disguised the passion and strength he brought to advocacy for our shared work in neighborhoods.

A memorial program and reception will be held for Kris on October 11, 2011 from 3-5 p.m. at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Details about the memorial are posted at www.cura.umn.edu.

 Kris was a dear friend. We miss him.

-Brian Miller, Redesign’s Executive Director

 

A Note from Yasmine Robinson, Redesign’s Newest Intern

 

I first came upon Redesign on a field trip with an Urban Planning class at Augsburg College. We were learning about Community Development Corporations and I had always been curious about what went on behind those colored glass windows as I rode the bus past each day. As the staff talked about their projects I was intrigued, so I introduced myself after the presentation, and a few weeks later wound up with an internship planning this year’s Franklin Frolic.

So far, I have had a great time learning about community and economic development as well as getting to know Seward better. The neighborhood has a great history and I look forward to sharing that with my classmates this fall during my senior year as I finish up my Metro-Urban Studies degree.

After taking a few years off after graduating from high school at the Perpich Center for Arts Education and working at the Wedge Co-op, I felt like I had finally found what I was looking for in a major; an interdisciplinary field that is constantly evolving where I could one day be digging in the dirt and the next be going over zoning codes. The variety keeps me interested and I feel fortunate to have found what I am passionate about. Currently, I am applying to graduate programs around the country and I am very excited to see where urban planning takes me.

In the meantime I am so happy to be with Redesign and the Seward Civic and Commerce Association and would love to hear from you and about your ideas for the Franklin Frolic. Drop in or call (612) 435-0277 anytime, I’m always up for a chat.

 

Seward Market Memorial Mural Unveiling

This past weekend marked the successful unveiling of a mural to commemorate the victims of the 2010 shooting at Seward Market.

The mural, composed of 5 photo panels, answers the question “What is community?” and was created by local teens to celebrate Seward’s diverse community.

The project was overseen by our next door neighbor, Articulture, and funded in part bythe City of Minneapolis’ Great Streets Facade Improvement Program. Check out the video and Articulture’s mural photos!

Megan Sheridan receives Economic Development Finance Professional Certification

Megan Sheridan, a Project Manager at Redesign, recently received certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional (EPDF) from the National Development Council. EDPF is a professional credential given to individuals who successfully complete NDC’s intensive economic development finance training series. The training provides individuals working in the field of economic development with instruction in business credit analysis, real estate development, loan packaging, deal structuring, and negotiating the creation and implementation of development programs.

Redesign’s Brian Miller and Eddie Landenberger are also certified EDPFs.

For more information on NDC’s training courses and certifications, visit http://nationaldevelopmentcouncil.org/.

Have you met Kieran, the Franklin Avenue Mail Carrier?

Every day Kieran brightens a few minutes of our day here at Redesign as he drops off our mail. He’s been a Carrier since 1978, has had the Seward route since 2002 and does not plan on retiring anytime soon. A former Seward resident, Kieran now lives in St. Paul’s Merriam Park neighborhood with his wife.

He knows your name and now you know his – say hi to Kieran when you see him, he’s practically your neighbor!

Zipp’s is Blue!

If you have been down East Franklin Avenue lately (maybe on one of those nice new bike lanes), you have probably noticed that one of Seward’s most iconic landmarks is now blue. A crazy move for a business on any other Avenue; but in Seward, Zipp’s is in good company.

With cues from the green color blocks at the new Seward Co-op and the bright scheme at the Seward Market, Zipp’s Liquors opted to add a punch of color to their building when they were awarded a Great Streets Façade Improvement Program matching grant from Redesign this spring.

Zipp’s received matching grant last summer to reface their iconic monument sign. This year, they got a shiny new paint job to match.

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