Porky’s Appeals to Council
A 1950s-style drive-thru restaurant might make Central Avenue less friendly for pedestrians, but the onion rings are worth walking over broken glass for, says Mayor R.T. Rybak. After a unanimous 6-0 rejection by the city’s planning commission, backers of a proposed Porky’s restaurant at 1851 Central Ave. N. are appealing their zoning and permit requests to the City Council. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 27 at 9:30 a.m. in City Hall Room 317.
Besides the predictable claims that the development would bring traffic, litter and crime to the neighborhood, opponents argued at last month’s planning commission meeting that the restaurant is too car-centric for an area many would like to see more walkable. "This flies in the face of what we need to do in order to build solid pedestrian traffic in the area," one nearby resident said,"because there are going to be big curb cuts, lots of cars, wide open expanses of asphalt and it really is not the kind of environment you, as a pedestrian, would want to go through."
Ward 1 Council Member Paul Ostrow, said at the meeting that a Porky’s restaurant, run well, would be a positive fit for the location, which has been vacant for a decade. He also noted that a car wash sits kiddie-corner from the address and a police precinct parking lot is across the street, "about as auto-oriented a use as you can get." "There are some very strong views that you’ve heard tonight about the drive-thru and what that means for long term philosophy of development on Central Avenue," Ostrow said. "The community is split." Can pedestrians and onion rings peacefully co-exist? What do you think? Dan Haugen
(An interesting postscript: In Googling the subject, I discovered the Porky’s issue has been weighed-in on by American Hot Sausage, the racially blunt blog associated with school-board-member-elect Chris Stewart. The blog appears to be password protected now, but some of the Porky’s post is preserved on Norwegianity: "Who in their right mind can be against Porky’s? Not even the St. Paul obstructionists have taken down the institution of that Porky’s has become since 1952. They’ve harassed the car owners that cruise through Porky’s on summer weekend nights, but that’s about it. However, Northeast wants to be too good for the glam lights and hotrods attracted by the fast food drive thru.")
More:
Minneapolis Observer: Zoned Out
Blog: Neighbors Against Porky’s
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Filed under: Central Avenue, City Hall, Development, Windom Park
Is there an alternate plan for the site if Porky’s is not built? I understand the concerns about Porky’s creating an atmosphere that discourages pedestrians, but walking through a vacant lot isn’t exactly my idea of a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood, either. I think it would be great if those who are against Porky’s put forth another pedestrian and community-friendly plan for that lot - I would certainly rally behind them if they did.
The idea of “pedestrian-friendly” has not been well thought.
The lot is on a commercial corridor and State trunk highway. There’s a limit to how ped-friendly this site could ever be.
Given the absence of other pedestrian destinations south of the site, and the probability that this absence will endure for decades (by the zoning and Minneapolis Plan), I challenge the impact purported by Porky’s opponents.
The bulk of pedestrian activity on that part of Central are residents of the high-rise, and they seem strongly in favor of walking to Porky’s. The remainder of the peds are people who walk out of necessity (no car), and Porky’s would be an amenity to them, far more than an increased threat.