Nicollet Avenue: The Revitalization of Minneapolis' Main Street

<ul><li>NICOLLETAVENUE:The Revitalizationof MinneapolisMain StreetMay 2000</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20002Cover Photos:Recent images of Nicollet Avenueoverlaid on a 1972 photo of thenorthwest quadrant of the NicolletAvenue/Lake Street intersection(current site of Kmart and NewMarket Grocery Store)</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20003TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS 3List of figures 4Participants 5EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7INTRODUCTION 10Nicollet Avenue 10Charge to the Nicollet Avenue Task Force 10A Vision for the Avenue 11Strategies 13CORRIDOR-WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS 15Strategy #1 15Invest in well-definedcommercial nodes and corridors to encouragecompatibility of adjacent usesStrategy #2 18Redevelop underutilized commercialareas to encourage compatibility of adjacent usesStrategy #3 23Encourage quality urban designand pedestrian-friendly environmentsStrategy #4 29 Manage traffic flow and reduce traffic speedSECTION -SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS 33Grant to 29th Street 3329th to 33rd Street 3933rd to 40th Street 4340th to 47th Street 4747th to 56th Street 5056th to 62nd Street 54Conclusion 58References 59</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20004LIST OF FIGURESNICOLLET AVENUE SECTION KEY 14GRANT ST. - 29TH ST. MAP 3829TH ST. - 33RD ST. MAP 4233RD ST. - 40TH ST. MAP 4640TH ST. - 47TH ST. MAP 4947TH ST. - 56TH ST.MAP 5356TH ST. - 62ND ST. MAP 57</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20005PARTICIPANTSNicollet Avenue Task Force:Tom Berthiaume, Whittier AllianceJudy Bigelow, Kingfield Neighborhood AssociationRay Croaston, At-largeNina Ebbighausen, At-largeChuck Holdsworth, At-largeJohn Hotvet, At-largeKaren Ives, Stevens Square Community OrganizationNicholas Koch, At-largeCara Letofsky, Midtown Greenway CoalitionDavid Parker, Windom Community CouncilPerry Smaglik, Tangletown Neighborhood AssociationDaniel Spencer, At-largeOsla Thomason-Kuster, Lyndale Neighborhood AssociationResidents and business owners in the following neighborhoods:Stevens SquareWhitterLyndaleKingfieldTangletownWindomMinneapolis City Council members and assistants:Jim Niland, 6th Ward Council MemberRon Mittan, Assistant to Council Member NilandLisa Goodman, 7th Ward Council MemberDouglas Gardner, Assistant to Council Member GoodmanBrian Herron, 8th Ward Council MemberLaura Ayers, Assistant to Council Member HerronVicki Brock, Assistant to Council Member HerronLisa McDonald, 10th Ward Council MemberAllan Bernard, Assistant to Council Member McDonaldDor Mead, 11th Ward Council MemberScott Dibble, Assistant to Council Member MeadCity of Minneapolis Staff:Bob Chong, Minneapolis CommunityDevelopment AgencyLois Eberhart, Minneapolis Planning DepartmentAni Mehra, Minneapolis Public Works DepartmentDaryl Stokesbary, Minneapolis Planning DepartmentAmy Tibbs, Minneapolis Planning DepartmentSue Zarling, Minneapolis Public Works Department</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20006</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20007EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIntroductionNicollet 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 NicolletAvenue. 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 38thStreet. 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 advantageof 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, areasExecutive SummaryBus routes along Nicollet Avenueconnect Minneapolis to themetropolitan areaPeople relax along Nicollet Mallon a sunny afternoonEat Street supports a varietyof ethnic restaurants, shops, andgrocery stores</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20008for 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 TaskForce 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 corridorsStrategy #2: Redevelop under-utilized commercial areasStrategy #3: Encourage quality urban design andpedestrian-friendly environmentsStrategy #4: Manage traffic flow and reducetraffic speedBasic RecommendationsStrategies #1 and #2 (investment and redevelopment) arevery 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, 38thStreet, 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 SummaryThe current orientation of Kmartis a barrier to the revitalizationof Nicollet Avenue</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 20009Strategy #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 four-lane thorough-fare. Instead, they promote carefully selected improvements toI35W so that through traffic does not use the city street system.Future DirectionsIt is often said that planning is more a process than aproduct. This document is testimony to this statement. Itprovides a vision for the future direction of Nicollet Avenuethat is intended to be flexible, not a precise developmentblueprint. Confronting the challenges and taking advantage ofthe opportunities will be complicated and will require furtherwork and dedication on the part of the City, neighborhoods, andbusinesses along Nicollet Avenue. With the continued commit-ment of these parties, this plan can represent the commence-ment of that activity.Executive Summary</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 200010INTRODUCTIONThe Nicollet Avenue Task Force was established byMinneapolis City Council resolution 98R-161 during thesummer of 1998. This resolution followed on the heels ofrevitalization efforts along Nicollet north of Lake, in the areathat has been successfully dubbed Eat Street. Streetscapeand roadway improvements have fostered a renaissance alongthis section of Nicollet and have provided a glimpse of thetremendous potential for Nicollet Avenue as a whole.The Council resolution recognizes that Nicollet Avenueis at a turning point. With clear City policy and public andprivate support, the avenue can recognize its potential as agrand urban corridor, connecting and integrating neighbor-hoods and business districts in south Minneapolis. Withoutconsistent policy or support, the threat of decline of this once-vibrant avenue will persist.Nicollet AvenueNicollet Avenue has always been one of the Citys majortransportation corridors along with Lake, Lyndale, Hennepin,Central, and Broadway. It links southwest Minneapolis withdowntown, but it also serves as a focal point for the neighbor-hoods that it traverses. As a result, Nicollet Avenue has both alarge and continuous identity, but also a focused and distinctidentity that is reflective of the neighborhoods surrounding it.A number of challenges face Nicollet Avenue today. Firstand foremost is the closure of Nicollet at Lake Street. Withouta through route, people and dollars which would be spent alongNicollet are instead diverted to other parts of the City. Otherchallenges include conflicting adjacent land uses, underutilizedand often deteriorated commercial and residential structures, anirregular and often threatening pedestrian environment, highspeed traffic (particularly south of Lake Street) and a lack ofidentity (both for the corridor as a whole and for distinct loca-tions along the corridor).Charge to the Nicollet Avenue Task ForceThe Nicollet Avenue Task Force was established toaddress these challenges by developing recommendationsregarding redevelopment opportunities, areas for improvedstreetscapes, and, to a lesser extent, transportation and roadwayimprovements. The Task Force is comprised of people wholive along the avenue, work or own a business along the av-enue, neighborhood representatives, and experts such as archi-tects and landscape architects. Representatives from variouscity departments, such as Planning, Public Works, and theIntroductionNicollet Avenue links southwestMinneapolis with the downtown, bothfunctionally and visually</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 200011Minneapolis Community Development Agency, also participatein Task Force meetings and discussions.The basic concepts in this report have been presented toeach neighborhood along the corridor. In addition, a focusgroup meeting of business owners along Nicollet Avenue washeld to hear and respond to concerns of the business commu-nity regarding investment and redevelopment opportunitiesalong Nicollet Avenue. Throughout the process of developingthis report, the Task Force has endeavored to build upon theavenues assets and draw upon the range of expertise andknowledge of members and other interested individuals todevelop recommendations that recognize both the diversity andcontinuity of the avenue.A Vision for the AvenueThe study area for this report encompasses both sides ofNicollet Avenue from Grant Street on the north end to the citylimits at 62nd Street on the south end (see map on page 14).This is a length of about 50 blocks, or six miles. Six neighbor-hoods lie along Nicollet Avenue in the study area. Each neigh-borhood has its own unique character and is facing its ownunique challenges depending, in part, on differing conditionsrelated to population, income, land use, employment opportuni-ties, housing stock, traffic patterns, and geographical featuresto name just a few variables.Despite the tremendous diversity along the avenue, somegeneralizations can be made. In terms of land use, NicolletAvenue can be differentiated at a very basic level north andsouth of Lake Street. North of Lake Street, Nicollet Avenue isvery commercial. South of Lake Street, the land use pattern ismore a mix of commercial and residential uses. This divisionis reflected in City policy for the area. The Citys comprehen-sive plan (The Minneapolis Plan) designates Nicollet north ofLake as a commercial corridor.Commercial corridors are streets that: Are available for development including more inten-sive commercial and high traffic activities; support all types of commercial uses, with some lightindustry and high-density residential uses as well; balance pedestrian and automobile orientation in theirdesign and development; and carry large traffic volumes and must balance significantvehicular through-traffic capacity with automobile andpedestrian access to commercial property(The Minneapolis Plan, page 1.4.31)Introduction</li><li>Nicollet Avenue Task Force ReportMay 200012The Minneapolis Plan designates Nicollet south of Lakeas a community corridor.Community corridors are streets that: Support medium-density r...</li></ul>