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Riverview Road Final Decision
(Friday, January 18, 2008)

Done Deal:
Today, with another recommendation from 12th Ward Council Member Colvin Roy, the City Council voted unanimously to accept the proposal from a collabrative of the Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation (PCNF), CommondBond Communities and Habitat for Humanity to redevelop the MnDOT-owned properties at Riverview Road and 54th Street in Minneapolis.

PREVIOUSLY

January 8: Proposal Decision:
On January 8, with a strong recommendation from 12th Ward Council Member Colvin Roy, the City Council's Community Development Committee (CDC) voted unanimously to accept CPED staff recommendations from Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) that chose the Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation's (PCNF) plans for redeveloping the MnDOT-owned properties at Riverview Road and 54th Street in Minneapolis. Specifically, the action read:

"Authority to negotiate redevelopment agreement for MnDOT owned real property at the 54th & Riverview Road development site with the Community Development Collaborative, LLC, a joint partnership of Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation, CommonBond Communities, and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity."

Their project will include one large building with 42 small, one-bedroom apartments targeted to low-income seniors and separately, two buildings with four town homes in each. Four of the town home units will be built by Habitat for Humanity for low-income families, the other four units will be sold at income-restricted market rate.  In total, 92% of the units are subsidized, low-income housing.

The decision means that within one year from today, the City will purchase the properties from MnDOT via a "pass-thru" where the developers front the purchase dollars.

Additional CPED recommendations added after the review process allow the developer to purchase the adjoining private properties (expanding the project area by 1/3 and adding up to 50 more units), and also build onto the historic Yardville Right-of-Way (green space) at their sole discretion.

The NENA Board had previously gone on record supporting another developer's proposal (Letter of Recommendation link at right)  At the CDC meeting, NENA staff unsuccessfully petitioned to delay the proposal part of the action until all parties could address several site plan issues that violated the spirit and intent of the Nokomis East Station Area section of the Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan, the Neighborhood Design Principles, and ignored input from resident's living nearby. Chair Goodman stated that a decision would not be delayed any further and that the project would go forward as presented.  Lee Blons, PCNF Executive Director, offered that PCNF has been, and would continue, to work with the faith-based community on project issues.

The Community Development Committee is comprised of Council Members Goodman (Chair), Benson, Gordon, Remington, Lilligren and Samuels. The action will go before the full City Council at their January 18 regular meeting where it is expected to pass.

If you have further questions or comments about the Riverview Road/MnDOT purchase process, please direct them to CM Colvin Roy at Sandra.Colvin.Roy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us (612-673-2212).

If you have questions regarding the project plans, please contact Matt Crellin (PCNF Project Manager) at mcrellin@plymouthfoundation.org (612-871-0843)

November: Neighborhood Process Update:
In late October, NENA's Planning & Development Committee (NPD) reviewed and discussed the proposals and the neighborhood comments received during and after an October 11 Town Meeting to present the proposals to the public. From that information, the committee created a list of Pros and Cons that, along with their findings, were forwarded to NENA's Board of Directors on October 25.

Following a discussion and vote, the Board sent a Letter of Recommendation to the Review Team on November 1. The letter included the list of Proposal Pros and Cons (Attachment A), and copies of all public comments received through October 31 (Attachment B).

The Board's Letter of Recommendation ( 50 KB PDF)
NPD's List of Pros and Cons ( 31 KB PDF)

Copies of the Neighborhood Comments are available for viewing in the NENA Office.

Town Meeting held October 11
Nokomis East residents and property owners gathered to listen to a presentation of the three plans. For the most part, the development teams discussed the architectural features, urban design elements, and how their project fits the neighborhood's established vision and guidelines. Residents had a chance after each presentation to ask questions and give your feedback. Council Member Colvin Roy and the several of the RFP Review Team members were in attendance.

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Riverview Road Developer Proposals:
Sample Images and Fact sheets
Updated 10/01/07

Nokomis East Neighborhood is hosting a public informational meeting on Thursday, Oct 11, 2007 to let the three developers who submitted proposals for the Riverview Road area MnDOT properties to present their proposals. NENA and the City's planners want your input. More information, sample images and fact sheets can be found on the Riverview Road Proposal page.

Riverview Road Request for Proposal (RFP) Released
(June 22, 2007)

The City’s Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Department is moving ahead with plans to develop land along Riverview Road and 54th Street currently owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). On Tuesday, June 19, CPED’s multifamily housing division released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to potential developers. The final RFP text is linked at right. The entire RFP package will be available at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/54th_riverview_rfp_home.asp.

As many Nokomis East residents are aware, the City of Minneapolis approved the Nokomis East Station Area Plan (NESAP) which is intended to guide future development in the 50th Street and VA Medical Center LRT station areas. The final plan is available on the City’s website. You can also request a copy of the plan by calling the City’s Planning Division at (612) 673-2597.

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Design Principles for the development of Riverview Road/54th Street
(Updated June 1)

Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA) hosted a public design charrette on May 15, 2007 to identify principles important to the neighborhood for the development of the Riverview Road/54th Street site. The exercise generated creative ideas and common themes for maximizing the potential of the site and benefits to the neighborhood. These themes reflect the neighborhood’s priorities.

Participants were divided into four groups and assigned facilitators from Hay/Dobbs. Each group presented their results to the entire group at the end of the exercise. That final output reflected several topics: building types, amenities, traffic & circulation and context. A criteria was that the suggestions fit within the parameters of the final Nokomis East Station Area Plan. The following text is the distillation of the presented and written principles. At right are links to sketches that each group prepared by creating overlays on a a survey map base. Group 2's sketch is visually closest to portraying the overall participant base's sense of potential for the area. Note: An explanation of the design sketches should be posted by Monday, June 18.

Architectural Interest
Project architecture should complement the character of the existing neighborhood. Use creative footprints, interesting angles, and multiple building entries. Quality materials should be used in construction. Underground parking is strongly encouraged. Where used, surface parking should not dominate the landscape, nor should town home garages dominate their façade.

Re-routing Riverview Road should be considered to make more creative use of the space possible. Preferably, the intersection of 54th Street-Riverview Road should be moved away from Highway 55. (See examples). Special attention needs to be given to traffic flow through any development and the development’s impact on local traffic.

Scale, Massing and Spatial Relationships
The scale of the project should respect the existing single family homes in the area. The site can accommodate a thoughtfully designed medium-density development. The neighborhood's preference is for 30-40 units. The bulk of mass and higher density should be on 54th Street toward Highway 55, and away from existing single family homes. Lower density uses such as townhouses may be located closer to the existing single family homes.

Development should be oriented toward public spaces (streets and Yardville), and care should be taken to make buildings attractive on all sides. Setbacks should match existing setbacks on Riverview Road and 54th Street.

Gateway and Sense of Place
Any development should enhance the neighborhood, and increase the value of neighboring properties. The location of the site makes it a gateway to Minneapolis; it should be attractive and have a presence worthy of Minneapolis. This would be best accomplished by development that includes the corner properties at Riverview Road and 54th Street (parcels 1P, 2P, 11M and 12M) if the private property owners are willing to sell. If site control cannot be secured, development plans that allow for incorporating those parcels at a later date, in a way that enhances the gateway, are preferred.

Yardville and Open Space
The Yardville ROW should be preserved and enhanced as a public space. It should have a walking/biking path connecting 53rd Street to 54th Street and Minnehaha Park. Long term plans for the area should look at connecting the Yardville path to the planned promenade from 52nd Street to Minnehaha Creek. Some of the space in Yardville should be dedicated to community uses such as community garden, rain garden and play areas for children. It should be enhanced with landscaping serve as a buffer to existing single family homes.

Development should maximize green space and utilize green building principles. Particular attention should be given to energy efficiency and the management of stormwater run off. Mature trees should be preserved when possible.

May 24, 2007

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Riverview Road Request for Proposal (RFP)
(Updated May 15, 2007)

As many Nokomis East residents are aware, the City of Minneapolis recently approved the Nokomis East Station Area Plan (NESAP) which is intended to guide future development in the 50th Street and VA Medical Center LRT station areas. The final plan is now available on the City’s website (easily accessed from NENA’s home page at www.nokomiseast.org). You can also request a copy of the plan by calling the City’s Planning Division at (612) 673-2597.

RFP Process
The City’s Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Department is moving ahead with plans to develop land on Riverview Road currently owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). CPED’s multifamily housing division has drafted a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop the property and is accepting public comment on the draft RFP until May 14.

Riverview Road is part of the Yardville Precinct in the NESAP plan. It includes the area from just north of 53rd Street to 54th Street, between Highway 55 on the east and the ally parallel to Hiawatha Lane on the west. The MNDOT property in question consists of 9 parcels of land, five on Riverview Road, and 4 on 54th Street which are contiguous with the lots on Riverview. It covers roughly 78,000 square feet of land.

According to the RFP, “the City’s development objectives for the property are medium-density residential development of approximately fifty (50) units, consistent with R4 zoning standards, with a preference for senior/elderly rental or ownership housing.” The City’s Unified Housing Policy also requires that, since city funds will be used to acquire the site, proposals must be “mixed-income, wherein 51% of housing units are affordable to and occupied by households at or below 80% Area Median Income ($59,600 for a household of four or $47,700 for a household of two). In addition, 20% of the units must be affordable to and occupied by households at or below 50% AMI ($39,250 for a household of four or $31,400 for a household of two).”

The NESAP Context
The NESAP plan calls for a mix of single, two-family, and 2-3 story multi-family residential in the Yardville Precinct. With respect to the MnDOT property, it says the City should “develop more explicit guidelines for the potential transfer of the MnDOT property and Yardville ROW which preserve the spirit of the historic Yardville name and shared nature of the open space.” The RFP will be the guidelines for the transfer of the property.

The NESAP plan goes on to say that “land use recommendations [for Yardville] should support a range of possibilities that include existing and new single-family, new duplexes and new two- to three-storey multi-family residences. Because of the largely single-family context, increased residential density is encouraged, but the scale should be respectful of the existing context.” Elsewhere it identifies the MnDOT property as an opportunity for public – private partnerships for market rate and affordable housing types. It also suggests the area can support a mix of owner-occupied and rental units.

Citizen Participation in the RFP Process
NENA has two representatives on the RFP Steering Committee, Doug Walter, staff, and Mary de Laittre, Board member. NENA has committed to bringing the process to neighborhood residents through advertising, promotion and public meetings. NENA was asked to develop a guidelines document for the Citizen Participation portion of the RFP. The CP Process document is here (110kPDF).

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Nokomis East Station Area Plan Finalized
(Jan 13, 2007)

On January 12, 2007, the full City Council unanimously approved the Nokomis East Station Area Plan (NESAP), putting closure on over two years of planning and public discussion.

The plan's history and links to the final plan are on the NESAP Update page

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