Where are the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities on Central Avenue?
The first large meeting to collect public input on the Making Central Avenue Great plan is scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Salvation Army community center.
The Central Avenue plan outlines a look and feel for city leaders to work toward when making decisions about the corridor. It was originally drafted in 1997, and officials are preparing for its first major update.
A steering committee made up of business, community and elected leaders has been meeting since spring to talk about way to improve the avenue.
At Tuesday’s meeting, a team of consultants hired by the city will ask residents to point out the strengths and weaknesses of Central Avenue, as well as identify any opportunities.
Jennifer Jordan, principal city planner, said people who attend will be able to place color-coded stickers on three large maps of Central Avenue, one to mark strengths, another for weaknesses and another for opportunities.
The steering committee has been meeting since March, but no decisions have been made about what the final report will look like, Jordan said. The consultants are in the learning stage and looking for input from any residents of the community.
The meeting will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army community center, 2727 Central Ave. NE. More information is also available on the city’s Central Avenue Plan Update website. Dan Haugen
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Filed under: Audubon Park, Beltrami, Business, Central Avenue, City Hall, Columbia Park, Development, East Bank, Government, Holland, Logan Park, Northeast Park, St. Anthony East, St. Anthony West, Waite Park, Windom Park
Well, since only a meager handful turned out for the meeting, I suggest a weakness is the upper Eastside’s lack of interest in it’s major thoroughfare.
I guess we’re all satisfied with vacant storefronts, litter, crime and malaise as long as nobody proposes a successful restaurant or a project oriented toward 2020 rather than some fantasy version of 1920.
Sure there are just too many meetings, and there wasn’t much public notice. There’s always an excuse. We better start working on one to tell the consultants when they wonder why nobody around here wants Central to improve like Franklin, Broadway or Lake Street.
The City doesn’t care about Central because the thoroughfares you mention were well beyond blighted and crime was much greater than Central in its current state…Central has not risen to a Franklin, W Broadway, or Lake St. The strengths of Central are obvious as are its weaknesses and opportunities. The crappy car lots, shoddy apartments, vacant business lots, etc all ask for redevelopment. A meeting is great but the City will continue to throw money at the biggest problems, and NE is no North. I’m all for a new “plan” but, unfortunately, wholesale redevelopment is not on the City radar. Sadly even your elected officials Ostrow and Stenglein are considered do-nothings in the area they allegedly call home. That’s telling.
Ironic that this meeting was held at what me and wife call “The Bum Hotel”.
Why doesn’t the Salvation Army build in the ‘burbs? Now all the bums that live along Central (check out them little hills beside the railyard) have a destination!
Central’s almost a lost cause; people protest a legit business (Porkys) but what about the “Sauna” across the street that’s been there forever? What about ghetto-ass Burger King? How much is the city gonna spend on $75 an hour consultants when what we really need are cops.
Anon, sorry to shake your prejudices, but the King Community Center is not a *bum hotel*. It includes a gym, a daycare, meeting rooms, and a chapel, but no beds for bums. Stop in sometime; it’s a great facility.
You write that Central is “almost” a lost cause. Why the qualifier? What do you see which prevents you judging it completely lost?
What the central corridor needs is the gay community to take an interest. Look at the models from other major cities. Gays come in, fix it up, new shops and trendy restaurants open and property values go up. Unlike most cities of its size, Minneapolis does not have a gay neighborhood. It needs one.
Another strategy is to play up the multi-cultural aspect of Central. Encourage even more exotic stores, etc…
Also, get some galleries open as store fronts, not in warehouses hidden from the streets. VISABLE changes need to be made so people feel like there is progress. An appreciation for the aesthetic and making things beautiful goes along way.
How about a movie theater? We have the Heights Theater way up in Columbia Heights, but I’m talkin about a 12+ screen theater on Central. The theater brings in people for the movies, and then they stick around the area to spend $ at our culturally diverse restaurants. It wouldn’t hurt to fix up the store fronts, and sidewalks either. Maybe a common theme like well lit signage along Central, or a few more public spaces, like the fountains by 40th.
Anon must be referring to Ryback’s promise to restore the MPD to an acceptable level, but he’s still 50 short, even though the funds are there. Ryback’s a nice talker, but he doesn’t follow through on promises very well. Quite frankly, Ryback doesn’t care about NE and his record supports that. 50morecops.org
Fountains and 12+ theaters are great, but they aren’t northeast style (that’s for the bc or the bp). Everyone knows appropriate streetscape and lighting are needed, but the buck stops with the city and our elected officials. Sadly they continue to neglect this area! I don’t want my neighborhood to become Columbia Heights! Ostrow needs to make Central a priority, and soon!
Central Ave. NE. needs more upscale unique restaurants and stores like the Uptown area. It does not need to be the city to make change happen. It would take people taking a chance to opening these establishments. Central Ave. needs to be promoted to other restaurnt owners and store owners that it would be a good place for them to open there doors. I am hoping Porkys might be a start! Quality businesses bring quality people.
I think Mark Bergadon lays out a great case. Bringing the arts to the forefront and encouraging investment from communities without a “homebase” is a great start. Artists already call NE home, lets get them in front of more people (though the crowds at Art-A-Whirl are always encouraging).
What I do not want to see however is another Uptown. While I am sure there is a segment of Minneapolis that likes a place to get Urban Outfitters clothes and rub elbows with suburbanites at kitzchy eateries, I do not (and I don’t think my neighbor’s do either) want to sacrifice Chiapa’s, Holyland, Crescent Moon, Palm Court, Sabor Latino, or any of our great “ethnic” restaurants for conglomaterias. Lake St has done a good job so far of incorporating new yet famliar fare (Town Talk) with existing joints (Manny’s, Hacienda, Noretena), but still has a way to go to pull in the urban money crowd (the young, single, newlywed, kidless, gay, etc). Uptown has a lock on the suburban money crowd, and in my opinon, they can have it
David, do not get me wrong, I am not saying to get rid of the fine eating establishments we already have in place and have a good following. My friends and family frequent all you have mentioned very often and love them! It is very nice not to have to travel far to get great food.
I do not think we will ever see another Uptown on Central Ave. Bring in more Arts and add in some more lets say, mid scale eateries. I am just saying, more choices will bring more people.
To draw the urban money crowd, you need to have some urban type stores, maybe not Urban Outfitters, but I don’t think a store like that would be a bad thing for Central Ave. NE.! For the record, I am not an urban outfitter.
There’s not much threat of Urban Outfitters coming to our forgotten quarter. Their demographic is not found on the Avenue. The current demographic is super-appealing to Aldi, who is actively seeking a site on Central.
Storefront galleries would likely help. I’ve suggested a theater, too, but development and market realities don’t work. And they need more parking than our current crop of activists could stand. How would you feel about a chain restaurant, maybe a Perkins? They wouldn’t compete with what exists, but probably draw people who don’t feel comfortable with the Avenue as it is.
It seems kind of smug to suggest we could turn away anyone who wanted to invest here. And it seems arrogant to decide who has no place in our neighborhood. The *suburban money crowd* are just as human as anyone else.
Another strength (at least to some) is that Central is a center, maybe the center, of the City’s Islamic community. Can we find a way to embrace that potential?
There have to be people with lots of money who recognize the potential on Central Avenue. I see HUGE potential, but unfortunately have no money.
We have a fantastic mix of really great restaurants including the somewhat new Bombay Deli. The avenue could just use a little help asthetically. Better signage. More interesting architecture. Less litter. Better upkeep.
I’m excited about Red Square. Not-so excited about the cookie-cutter style of the new US Bank/condo complex. We need more risk takers. Hooray for Diamonds Coffee Shop for taking the risk — and the Eastside Food Co-op. (I’m undecided about Porkys. )Let’s keep the momentum going!
I am so glad someone metioned the sketchy “sauna”. This type of business hurts all the good, independent businesses.
I applaud great places like the Eastside Co-op, Patel Groceries, Holy Land, and Diamonds for keeping Central Ave. a diverse, unique shopping area!
Mark, with regard to discriminating whom we can and cannot take money from, I concur…conditionally.
However, depending on the motivation of those looking to invest, and though I am sure existing home and business real-estate owners would like to see an increase in property values, I would lament anything that raises property values to the point that it keeps first-time home buyers from considering NE (have you seen what a 2000sq ft home costs in the Uptown neighborhoods or 50th/France area?). Many of those that purchased homes in NE over the past few years, were previously renting in Uptown but know owning there is not probable.
What I love about NE is that not only a place where new immigrating Minnesotans have looked to in the past to put down roots, but it continues to be a place where immigrants call home. I would be saddened if they too were excluded because someone thought an Anthropology and a wine bar would look good on Lowry and Central. I know I am over-simplilying this case, however I also know that many (my own included) neighborhood organizations surrounding Central do not have the power (yet) to keep someone from building a McMansion that takes up their entire property. In some ways we’re lucky to now have a lake within throwing distance.
That said, overall I agree that it would be foolhardy to block anyone looking to put money into Central. Also, the samosa’s at Bombay 2 Deli are made my angels.
Thanks for being open to land appreciation. We’re a long, long way from being priced out of the 1st-time buyer market.
2000sqft is a big house. We have a stock of 700-to-1000sqft houses that would present attractive 1st-time-buyer opportunities even if property jumped 50% overnight. We also have more duplexes than many realize even up to the high-dollar blocks along Stinson. The diversity of housing choice is a strength of Northeast (well beyond the Central Ave. corridor). We’ll all benefit from making the area more attractive to buyers and renters at every price point.
Samosas sound good right now…wish some tasty places stayed open later…
I am hoping to open a new business in NE in the next 9 months, and I would love to be located on Central, but there are serious drawbacks. 1.) Parking. Seriously. No one likes the aesthetics of a parking ramp, but - unlike uptown- you cannot rely on pedestrian or resident only business traffic becasue of 2.) transit and streetscape. There’s little to be done about it, but it is a serious disadvantage that there is roughly a 10 block span of Central between Broadway and 18th with lots of trash and no storefront businesses. It’s hard to draw people up Central from the trendy area near University, but it seems that would be a key part of any comprehensive re-development strategy.
I live just two blocks off Central and 19th, so I have an investment on many levels in seeing sane, neighborhood friendly development. I musy also admit to a lot of frustration at the compulsory suspicion directed toward anyone who wants to develop on the Avenue. But - I don’t see why we can’t have it both ways and leave the early-century charm of the upper avenue intact while developing the vacant warehouses and weedlots in the middle section.