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Also in this issue: Panhandling law strengthened Free bus helps kids get around Neighborhood safety plans Minneapolis CPED gets new director Targeting problem businesses Wireless internet spreads Minneapolis adds more police Airport noise
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Creating a New Vision for Washington Avenue When was the last time you encouraged someone to stroll down Washington Avenue? Well that’s going to change due to the efforts of our Washington Boulevard Great City Design Team and our vision for Washington Avenue, stretching from I-35W through downtown to West Broadway. The idea is to make Washington into a grand pedestrian-friendly boulevard by adding trees and banners, improving signage and lighting, adding on-street parking, and coordinating the tremendous private development going on along the street. Washington Avenue has played an important role throughout the history of Minneapolis, and is central to our future success. Washington was the backbone of the City’s industrial and employment center, lived through periods of skid row and urban renewal, and now is emerging into a spine that connects vibrant new urban neighborhoods and the City’s top cultural, educational, and entertainment destinations. We want Washington to be a destination in itself, as well as a link to the best vibrant destinations that Minneapolis has to offer. This plan gives us the roadmap for a new Washington Boulevard with much better pedestrian and retail amenities. With the assistance of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) of Minneapolis, the Design Team pulled together architects, urban designers, landscape architects and developers to turn existing Washington Avenue into the vision of Washington Boulevard. A central facet of the vision is to bring together the galvanizing force of development already occurring on Washington into a central, coordinated vision. Now we have created an Implementation Committee to begin working on ways to turn the Design Teams vision for Washington Boulevard into reality. We want your input, ideas, and energy. A new website www.thenewwashingtonblvd.com – includes visual depictions of ideas for A New Washington Boulevard and a “feedback” blog page for you to comment on the proposed changes. Together, we can not only create a new vision for Washington, but set a new standard for streets in Minneapolis. |
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Minneapolis Panhandling Ordinance Strengthened Bus Circulator Helps Kids Attend Summer Activities Neighborhoods Create Safety Plans with Police Mike Christenson to lead City Development and Planning Task Force Targets Problem Businesses |
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Last week the City Council and I approved a new city law to reduce aggressive panhandling in Minneapolis. Panhandling erodes our civic pride and is an ineffective, arbitrary way to help a homeless person that does nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness. People in Minneapolis have a right to walk down our streets and not be intimidated or harassed. Please do not give money to panhandlers and call 911 for police if you see or experience aggressive panhandling in Minneapolis. Instead of giving spare change to panhandlers, give real change by donating to organizations working to end homelessness. For more information about where aggressive panhandling is banned, visit the 
Two new bus routes in north and south Minneapolis are up and running to give kids safe, reliable, free transportation to summertime activities. The You^th Are Here buses run Monday through Friday through Aug. 24 for children ages 9 to 18, and children younger than 9 years-old can ride if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Each of the two routes includes stops at parks, libraries, and other community resources that offer kids opportunities to stay busy this summer. Riding the You^th Are Here buses is free, but registration is required. To register, to see route maps and schedules, and to get more information, visit 
Minneapolis Police are working with residents to prevent crime by creating Neighborhood Policing Plans. Eighty-three Minneapolis neighborhoods sat down with their police precinct sector lieutenants and crime prevention specialists to establish Neighborhood Policing Plans that reflect the crime concerns of neighborhoods and create strategies to address those concerns. The plans include contact information for police personnel assigned to the neighborhood, and a review of neighborhood crime statistics and crime prevention concerns. This is the first year that Neighborhood Policing Plans will be used as another way for police and resident to stay better connected and focused on neighborhood concerns. The Neighborhood Policing Plans are an innovative approach to community policing, are available online and will be updated annually. 
Last week I nominated Mike Christenson to be Minneapolis’ new Director for the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED). Mike understands that great cities aren’t built by isolated actions in City Hall, but through strategic partnerships with the community. To be a great city, we need to weave together housing, jobs, transportation, safety and urban design. We are already reaping the rewards of this integrated approach, and I am confident that Mike is the right person to maintain this momentum and take Minneapolis and our neighborhoods to the next level. Mike served as our Director of Economic Development since 2003, where he led successful effort to close the employment gap. For more information about Mike, visit 
Over the past year, Minneapolis’ Grocery Store Task Force has been working to reduce loitering, drug dealing and assaults at troubled convenience stores. As a result of their aggressive efforts, three convenience stores that together generated more than 1,540 police calls in 2005 had their licenses revoked, and five additional stores were closed. Police calls at those locations have now nearly disappeared. The City worked with eleven additional trouble-prone stores and imposed new operating conditions, which also led to a significant drop in police calls. Thanks to these actions, neighborhood livability has improved and police calls have dropped dramatically, freeing police to proactively patrol neighborhoods rather than respond repeatedly to a handful of trouble-prone stores. For more information about the Grocery Store Task Force, visit the 
Published Jun. 25, 2007