View
238
Download
11
Embed Size (px)
NICOLLETAVENUE:
The Revitalizationof Minneapolis
Main Street
May 2000
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
2
Cover Photos:
Recent images of Nicollet Avenue
overlaid on a 1972 photo of the
northwest quadrant of the Nicollet
Avenue/Lake Street intersection
(current site of Kmart and New
Market Grocery Store)
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
List of figures 4
Participants 5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
INTRODUCTION 10
Nicollet Avenue 10
Charge to the Nicollet Avenue Task Force 10
A Vision for the Avenue 11
Strategies 13
CORRIDOR-WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS 15
Strategy #1 15
Invest in well-defined
commercial nodes and corridors to encourage
compatibility of adjacent uses
Strategy #2 18
Redevelop underutilized commercial
areas to encourage compatibility of adjacent uses
Strategy #3 23
Encourage quality urban design
and pedestrian-friendly environments
Strategy #4 29
Manage traffic flow and reduce traffic speed
SECTION -SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS 33
Grant to 29th Street 33
29th to 33rd Street 39
33rd to 40th Street 43
40th to 47th Street 47
47th to 56th Street 50
56th to 62nd Street 54
Conclusion 58
References 59
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
4
LIST OF FIGURES
NICOLLET AVENUE SECTION KEY 14
GRANT ST. - 29TH ST. MAP 38
29TH ST. - 33RD ST. MAP 42
33RD ST. - 40TH ST. MAP 46
40TH ST. - 47TH ST. MAP 49
47TH ST. - 56TH ST.MAP 53
56TH ST. - 62ND ST. MAP 57
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
5
PARTICIPANTS
Nicollet Avenue Task Force:
Tom Berthiaume, Whittier Alliance
Judy Bigelow, Kingfield Neighborhood Association
Ray Croaston, At-large
Nina Ebbighausen, At-large
Chuck Holdsworth, At-large
John Hotvet, At-large
Karen Ives, Stevens Square Community Organization
Nicholas Koch, At-large
Cara Letofsky, Midtown Greenway Coalition
David Parker, Windom Community Council
Perry Smaglik, Tangletown Neighborhood Association
Daniel Spencer, At-large
Osla Thomason-Kuster, Lyndale Neighborhood Association
Residents and business owners in the following neighborhoods:
Stevens Square
Whitter
Lyndale
Kingfield
Tangletown
Windom
Minneapolis City Council members and assistants:
Jim Niland, 6th Ward Council Member
Ron Mittan, Assistant to Council Member Niland
Lisa Goodman, 7th Ward Council Member
Douglas Gardner, Assistant to Council Member Goodman
Brian Herron, 8th Ward Council Member
Laura Ayers, Assistant to Council Member Herron
Vicki Brock, Assistant to Council Member Herron
Lisa McDonald, 10th Ward Council Member
Allan Bernard, Assistant to Council Member McDonald
Dor Mead, 11th Ward Council Member
Scott Dibble, Assistant to Council Member Mead
City of Minneapolis Staff:
Bob Chong, Minneapolis Community
Development Agency
Lois Eberhart, Minneapolis Planning Department
Ani Mehra, Minneapolis Public Works Department
Daryl Stokesbary, Minneapolis Planning Department
Amy Tibbs, Minneapolis Planning Department
Sue Zarling, Minneapolis Public Works Department
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
6
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
IntroductionNicollet Avenue is many different things to many differ-
ent people. In downtown Minneapolis, Nicollet Mall is hometo the corporate headquarters of many major companies in theupper Midwest. Nicollet Mall is a place to meet to do businessduring the work day and a place to gather socially after hours.Nicollet Avenue is a transportation corridor and vital bus routethat links the downtown with southwest Minneapolis. NicolletAvenue is a place where people live and it serves as a focalpoint for the neighborhoods that it traverses. It supports localtrips by bus, car, foot, or bike. Businesses along the avenueprovide for the daily needs of southwest Minneapolis residents.In short, by offering something for everyone, Nicollet Avenueserves as Minneapolis main street by connecting business,entertainment, shopping, housing, and services.
Challenges and OpportunitiesMany exciting things are happening along Nicollet
Avenue. Eat Street, the stretch of Nicollet from Grant Street to29th Street, which is dotted with ethnic restaurants, shops andgrocery stores, is reviving interest in the avenue. New andinteresting Latino-serving businesses are emerging at 38th
Street. There are a number of unique, small businesses at the43rd Street intersection. While there are successes, there arealso challenges. The closure of Nicollet at Lake Street with thedevelopment of Kmart in the late 1970s sharply reduced theamount of traffic on Nicollet and reduced commercial capacityon the avenue. Deteriorated houses and businesses alongNicollet in the section from Lake to 37th Street contribute to aperception of decreased safety and declining neighborhoodstability. At 60th Street a lack of identity and cohesion and ableak pedestrian environment create a poor gateway to Minne-apolis from the City of Richfield. In general, there is a lack ofidentity along the avenue.
Establishment of the Nicollet Avenue Task ForceIn order to address the challenges but also take advantage
of the opportunities along Nicollet, the Minneapolis CityCouncil established the Nicollet Avenue Task Force in thesummer of 1998. The Task Force was charged with developingrecommendations regarding redevelopment opportunities, areas
Executive Summary
Bus routes along Nicollet Avenue
connect Minneapolis to the
metropolitan area
People relax along Nicollet Mall
on a sunny afternoon
Eat Street supports a variety
of ethnic restaurants, shops, and
grocery stores
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
8
for improved streetscapes, and, to a lesser extent, transportationand roadway improvements. The study area for the projectencompasses both sides of Nicollet Avenue from Grant Streeton the north end to the city limits at 62nd Street on the southend.
The Work of the Task ForceOver the course of the last year, the Nicollet Avenue Task
Force walked and studied the avenue and has developed thisreport which proposes a series of recommendations. Despitethe diversity along the avenue, there are some themes commonto the avenue as a whole. For this reason, the report is brokeninto two sections: corridor-wide recommendations and section-specific recommendations. Both the corridor-wide recommen-dations and the section-specific recommendations are based onthe same four strategies. The corridor-wide recommendationsserve as the basis for the section-specific recommendations.The four strategies are:
Strategy #1: Invest in well-defined commercial nodesand corridors
Strategy #2: Redevelop under-utilized commercial areas
Strategy #3: Encourage quality urban design andpedestrian-friendly environments
Strategy #4: Manage traffic flow and reducetraffic speed
Basic RecommendationsStrategies #1 and #2 (investment and redevelopment) are
very much interrelated. These strategies are about consolidat-ing and enhancing compatible activities in appropriate loca-tions to create both commercial vitality and residential quality.Investment or redevelopment of several critical areas men-tioned below will greatly influence the future of NicolletAvenue. Areas with the potential to serve as catalysts forcreating an identity for the avenue include Eat Street, 38th
Street, and 43rd Street. Investment in current land use patternsand activities should take place at these locations. Areas thatneed to change in order to support efforts to enhance the av-enue include the Kmart site at Nicollet and Lake, the stretch ofthe avenue between Lake and 37th Street, and the 60th Streetintersection. One major redevelopment recommendationidentifies the critical need to simplify the housing developmentand approval process in order to provide an adequate housingsupply.
Executive Summary
The current orientation of Kmart
is a barrier to the revitalization
of Nicollet Avenue
Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 2000
9
Strategy #3 (urban design and pedestrian-friendly envi-ronments) deals with the importance of creating safe andvibrant places on the avenue by incorporating Crime Preven-tion Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles intobuilding, site, and streetscape design. Several major recom-mendations coming out of this strategy include targeting invest-ments to well-defined commercial nodes and accompanyingrequirements for improved design with assistance such as astreamlined development review process or financial incen-tives. Another idea that has been discussed is the developmentof design guidelines that would help preserve building ele-ments that have architectural or historical integrity but may notwarrant historic preservation.
Strategy #4 (managing traffic flow and reducing trafficspeed) is about preserving the civility and vitality of this grandurban corridor. Toward this end, the Task Force recommendsnarrowing the street where feasible and improving trafficefficiency. Narrowing the street will serve to slow traffic andcreate more green space, but still allow a high volume of trafficto utilize Nicollet Avenue. The Task Force does not support theevolution of Nicollet Avenue as a three to fou