Thread by @WedgeLIVE

Always skip the line at a crowded neighborhood meeting. You're just waiting to sign up for an email list that you probably don't want to be on. #TipsTuesday

I'm deep into Ward 13. This meeting is about turning a City owned parking lot into affordable housing.

Look what I saw on my way here. Die hard @MoreNeighbors fan doesn't care what the neighbors think.

Meeting about to begin.

Fulton neighborhood bigwig Steve Young just told us we're under threat of a tornado. #WedgeWeather

Palmisano wants to do this collaboratively so that there are no problems for nearby residents and businesses. That's the purpose of the meeting. Development referred to as "potential."

Palmisano wants "The least amount of disruption to the neighborhood as possible." She's heard concerns about parking. Guy next to me: "big time."

There will likely be "some amount of parking" included in any development says Palmisano.

Palmisano has heard concerns about the city becoming a landlord. That's not what's happening. This would be affordable housing, but would be built and managed by private developer/property manager.

Note: Linea Palmisano is the ward 13 council member. She's running the meeting.

Palmisano reciting feedback she heard at a recent meeting about a proposed condo project. People feel their neighborhood is amenity rich, family focused, cares about sustainability goals. She heard developer was falling short of neighborhood goals especially on affordability.

Oliver from the city explaining zoning and the 2040 plan guidance. Preempting concerns about 10 story buildings. No 10 story buildings. Breathe easy.

Interior 2 allows multifamily greater than 3 units on larger lots.

Guy: "The Fulton neighborhood used to affordable into all the teardowns... Now we're gonna build affordable apartments..." He says neighborhood is too crowded.

"You're putting this in a place where there's absolutely no parking.... Where the protection for us?"

"I don't need a triplex next to me, I don't need a duplex next to me."

Residents don't want "people looking down on them"

"Why should the Southwest people suffer?"

"The people built the area themselves."

Another guy chimes in: "and government stayed out of it."

Zoning restrictions against more affordable housing types are "government" by the way.

Palmisano: "I voted against this plan"

Linea Palmisano making sure the guy (who called her Lena) knows the 2040 plan is for sure happening. "It's not gonna change."

Meeting may be in danger of being all about re-litigating 2040 plan.

100 unit building in Edina causing some angst now.

Guy wants to "wait a few years" on this idea to build affordable housing to see how other ongoing development affects the community.

Property owner tells Palmisano "That parking facility is the lifeblood" of the business district.

This is "trampling all over" the residential and business community.

"you shoved it right down our throats." Says landlord guy. I'm not even sure what got shoved.

"Forgive me for saying this, I don't trust you at all." He's very worked up.

Palmisano: "I vehemently object to the idea that I don't care."

Dentist: "I have lost patients because they can't find parking."

Palmisano: "I have a dentist at 50th and France." She commends Edina on how they managed the construction project.

Dentist: "they have a ramp there."

Palmisano: "I thought I opened up by saying we will preserve some of the public parking."

"We are not going to be building a parking ramp." The city is not in the business of building ramps.

Next guy says we need all the parking. "We cannot afford one less space. It can't happen."

Has the Fulton neighborhood already been Uptowned? Sounds like a parking and overcrowding nightmare already. Seemed pretty low key on my ride in.

Concern about lack of crosswalks. "We don't have the infrastructure" to support more people on the Minneapolis side of 50th and France.

Palmisano says she's an advocate on pedestrian issues. 50th is problematic because it's a county road.

Palmisano: "we know cars don't shop, people do."

Guy telling the story of how they acquired the lot, demolished the houses to provide parking. He says that needs to be respected.

Respect the bulldozing, is what I'm hearing here in Ward 13 believe it or not.

Lady is glad to hear this isn't a done deal. Her business would be hurt without the parking lot. She won't renew her lease. "I would leave Minneapolis. I would have to." She draws dance students from across the metro.

"Where did you park when you went to the dentist? In Edina. In a parking garage provided by the city of Edina."

Palmisano readily admits that her dentist is an Edinan.

We're just now getting to the second page of the handout. Frankly I'd rather talk about parking concerns than this flowchart.

Palmisano asks city guy Oliver where parking fits into the flow chart. It's the fifth step down, "project design."

Palmisano explains this process is different from a traditional development because it's city owned land. Much more public engagement and shaping of the project.

Palmisano says the concerns she's heard are about traffic and parking.

Lady: "We're arguing with that initial premise that something should be done with that lot." Reiterates it should be parking (not this plan for affordable housing)

Palmisano: "We are not 100% certain" that anything will happen

Lady explains "It's not a walkable neighborhood" because people can't afford to shop here. People have to drive or bus to what they need. "You've got to match people to their budgets."

I guess this is an argument against affordable housing that says exclusion is compassion.

Guy: "I hope that future meetings will have a chance to hear the good things too." Some people clap. Where have these little been hiding?

Next guy: "I am pro affordable housing." Disagrees with the notion that upscale shopping is a reason not to build affordable housing. Says "I'm not the quietest voice in the room" but there are others here who support it as well.

Lady: "this is deeply important."

"This is incredibly beneficial to people of lower incomes who move into higher income neighborhoods."

Lady: People need to be able to afford to shop here.

Guy: maybe the neighborhood will change to accommodate them?

Question becoming whether people will be harmed by living in this neighborhood Fulton. After sitting through tonight's commentary, I'm on the fence.

Palmisano referencing meeting in this neighborhood from a few weeks ago where concerns were about affordable housing. I think we're hitting on some hypocrisy.

Guy says this isn't about affordable housing. It's about parking. "You're making my life harder." People are gonna lose their livelihoods. "I'm all for affordable housing, build it some place else."

Here's a map showing the geographic relationship between me and my dockless bike. Nobody steal it or I'm stuck here in Fulton and I don't think they have any motel rooms.

Lady: acquire some different non city owned property for affordable housing. So they can keep the parking. This is a "much needed parking lot."

Andrea Brennan, city's housing director, says this property was not originally acquired to serve as parking. Guys in the crowd at this neighborhood meeting are very sure that's not true. Who do I trust?

Brennan says land like this is expensive. The city isn't going to go out and buy some new land.

Brennan: City negotiating to buy land for development is a great way to raise the price it the land. Particularly in high value neighborhoods.

Brennan: 2040 plan engagement process showed affordable housing is very important. There is no affordable housing happening in Ward 13.

(I recall that Ward 13 never received a postcard, so that may call into question the validity of the 2040 plan.)

Question: Will this raise or lower our property taxes?

Palmisano: surface lot isn't a taxable parcel. It pays no taxes. Business pay to maintain it. Building housing means the property would begin to pay taxes.

Palmisano: "In aggregate, in theory, it defrays the [tax] burden on you."

She clarifies she's a business owner. Palmisano says taxes are passed on to renters too.

Guy says why not just add *retain the parking* to the request for proposals, and then we "can stop talking about parking." He's tired of talking about parking.

Oliver, the city's housing finance, guy reassures the crowd that if nobody makes a proposal they like, city can walk away and do nothing.

Palmisano makes point that the amount of parking is in relationship to the affordable housing. Requiring more parking could mean less affordable housing.

Guy worried about how tall this building is going to be.

More parking concerns: "we can't make an assumption that somebody living in affordable housing doesn't have a car."

Question: how many units can we expect?

Oliver: 50 or less. Not "monolithically huge."

I think Oliver has underestimated what people in the Fulton neighborhood will consider monolithically huge.

Oliver: "I know you guys are a family neighborhood..." Says they can put in the RFP that they want more bedrooms.

"Will there be a CAC for this?"

I just made a "CAC" sound in my mouth a little bit.

(Community advisory committee)

🤮🤮🤮

"I literally just found out about this days ago." She wonders how she will know her concerns will affect the process.

Trouble: a guy just said "I used to do this professionally." Still talking about future plans for engagement.

This meeting was only supposed to last for one hour.

Palmisano says she's offered some parking management cooperation with Edina. Even metering street parking at 25 cents an hour would help parking turn over. Edina isn't really on board.

Meeting adjourned. Wish me luck on my journey back to the Wedge! Support these tweets.

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Too crowded, not enough parking. “Why should the Southwest people suffer?”

A report from the Fulton neighborhood.
wedgelive.com/2019/09/southw…