Mark your calendar and don’t miss this exciting presentation by our great partners from the University of Minnesota Urban and Regional Planning program.
We’ve been working through out the semester to bring together community input and historical and development data to create a cohesive tool for the community to use as we advocate for the future of the neighborhood.
This presentation and Q & A will be during the Community Development Committee at 6:30pm on May 11th at the Cleveland Neighborhood office, 3333 Penn Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55412
There are a LOT of opportunities to make a difference in your community this summer and it starts with our Spring Clean-Up this Saturday at 10am. We’re looking for teams to walk every street in Cleveland (Penn to Xerxes) and pick up litter from Lowry to Dowling. Join us and RSVP! We are also in need of Street Team Leaders, extra help in leading each of our teams, please let us know if you are willing to volunteer in that way.
Next Monday, we have an amazing presentation from the U of M students who have been working with us this semester to create a community-driven vision for development in the Cleveland Neighborhood. Join us May 11th at 6:30pm! RSVP
Finally, we are on the look out for more Block Connectors. Have you ever wanted to see your neighbors get together, stay in communication, just build a strong community? We’d love to support you in strengthening your block. Contact us today and learn more about our Connector Academy and our summer block parties. Email us at cna@clevelandneighborhood.org
There is a LOT happening in the next week and we want to make sure you have a chance to get involved in some of the great things that help make Cleveland a wonderful place to live. Here are some of our upcoming events:
Compost Bin Build and Community Garden Planning – May 3rd, 4:30pm at the Cleveland Community Garden at Vincent and Lowry Ave N. RSVP Today!
May Crime and Safety Meeting – May 4th, 6:30pm at the Cleveland Neighborhood Association. Get a crime and safety update from our Crime Prevention Specialist and share any community concerns. Then help us with the final planning for a spring clean-up event. RSVP for Crime and Safety Committee! And we have door prizes!
Cleveland Clean-Up! – May 9th, 10am starting at Lowry Ave. and cleaning our way up to Dowling finishing with a community celebration lunch at 3751 Sheridan Avenue. RSVP for the Clean-up!
Join us for our “Green With Envy” Compost Bin Building and Community Garden visioning session on Sunday May 3rd at 4:30pm at the new Community Garden at Vincent and Lowry Ave N. We’ll work together to build some compost bins that will be used as part of our ‘Green with Envy’ pilot Community composting project (along with 10 other northside gardens overseen by Project Sweetie Pie). You’ll get your hands dirty learning how to build your own compost bins and we’ll talk about the garden, how to make yours thrive, and what we want the community Garden at Vincent and Lowry to look like this summer.
Volunteers of all ages are welcome, just come ready to get your hands dirty!
Be sure to attend the Be Active event on May 16th at 10:30 am in Cleveland Park. Come and support Lucy Craft Laney Middle School students as they plan and host this event focusing on the prevention of diabetes and obesity through fun team challenges. There will be plenty of prizes to win and a healthy snack to enjoy. Thanks, @mnyouth, @deltadentalmn! #serveasmile
[button link=”https://www.facebook.com/events/1477397785883703/” type=”big”] RSVP on Facebook[/button]
Next month we’ll be meeting together as a community to discuss livability in the Cleveland Neighborhood. That’s just a fancy way of saying we want to know what’s important in making Cleveland a great place for you and your family to live. What issues or concerns make the Cleveland Neighborhood a difficult community to live in? What can we do about those concerns? What positive things make the Cleveland Neighborhood a great place to live for you and your neighbors? How can we build on those things?
We’d love to hear your ideas on what we should focus on and discuss when we gather together so that we make the most of our time. We’ll have some city representatives there to hear directly from residents and we’ll work together to ensure we have an action plan for addressing what residents bring up at the meeting. Share your ideas in the comments below or via email at Cna@ClevelandNeighborhood.org
Live on the Drive is right around the corner and we have an amazing summer of community music planned for you. As we continue to develop and expand this great community event, we want to make sure you as a resident, neighbor and attendee have a chance to show your support. Similar to last year, we’ll have t-shirts available for sale at the concerts, but we are also looking for individual sponsors. For even just a $1 sponsorship will recognize you online and via social media as a support of this amazing community event. Consider donating $1 or more to Live on the Drive Today!
In the spirit of friendly competition we thought we’d share a quick update of the sign-ups for our May 9th Spring Clean Up event by street. We’ll be forming teams to walk from Lowry to Dowling cleaning up the neighborhood and are encouraging neighbors to invite one another out, and walk your block together. As you can see from the chart to the right, Sheridan, Thomas and Vincent have a pretty strong showing. What street will win the friendly competition for largest cleaning team? Only time will tell, so get out and invite your neighbors and may the best street win!
[button link=”http://connect.clevelandneighborhood.org/spring_clean_up_2015″ type=”big”] RSVP for the May 9th Spring Clean![/button]
This rendering is based on community input in 2007 on potential Penn-Lowry Development Click to view the complete plan
This rendering is based on community input in 2007 on potential Penn-Lowry Development Click to view the complete plan
On Monday, residents (including you!) will be able to meet with Hennepin County staff to discuss the soon to be released Request for Proposal for the development of the Northwest and Northeast corners of the Penn and Lowry intersection. Through their meetings with residents and business owners, they’ve put together the following Vision Statement to reflect community input and priorities for any development that would happen on those corners. Some of the input used is from a 2007 plan put together through resident input for that intersection (see image to the right). You can view that plan here. Take a look and decide whether this reflects your input and priorities and leave a comment below, email us or call us at the CNA office 612-588-1155, and make sure your input is heard and this Vision Statement truly reflects all voices. Better yet, come out on Monday to the Community Development Committee at 6:30pm at CNA, 3333 Penn Ave N.
Summary Vision Statement from the Document:
The Lowry/Penn vision is a multi-story, mixed-use building(s) that is visually compatible with the neighborhood and supports transit ridership. The community vision includes an opening or clear connection to Cleveland Park in the northwest quadrant of the intersection.
Complete Vision Statement Document:
A Community Vision for the Northwest and Northeast Quadrants of the Lowry and Penn Avenues Intersection
The community vision described here expresses the land use and character that is desired for the county owned property in the northeast and northwest quadrant of this intersection. The vision is compatible with the transformative changes of recent years which include the reconstruction of the Lowry Avenue roadway in 2009 and the construction of the multi-story development in the southeast quadrant of the intersection. The new development is occupied by an Aldi grocery store, the Dollar Store, office space, Subway, and All Washed Up laundry mat and balances well with the existing businesses across the street–Northend Hardware, Ancestry Books, and Lowry café.
To further transform the intersection, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) C-Line is proposed to begin service in 2017. The C Line, is Metro Transit’s arterial bus rapid transit regional system connecting Brooklyn Center, North Minneapolis and downtown Minneapolis via Penn Avenue. The C Line will provide faster transit service with off-board fare payment, raised platforms, and transit signal priority. The permanent BRT stations planned for the northeast and northwest quadrants of the intersection will have a heated shelters, lighting, ticket machines, real time information and enhanced security similar to a light rail station platform.
Community services at this location include Cleveland Park, Lucy Craft Laney School, and the United States Post Office. This area has convenient access to Interstates 94 and 394, plus Highway 55, all major highways in the Minneapolis-St Paul area. It offers a diverse place to live with a rich history and a range of housing options including beautiful older homes, stately homes on boulevards, and newly constructed green homes and apartments. This area is also within close proximity to North Memorial Hospital, the Mississippi River, downtown Minneapolis, and the Grand Round National Scenic Byway.
The Vision
This community vision for the Lowry and Penn intersection seeks to express the land use and character of development that is desired for the northeast and northwest quadrants of the intersection. The vision is a synthesis of prior planning efforts for the intersection to identify community priorities and should be used to provide guidance. It is not intended to be an absolute requirement for developers to meet.
The Lowry/Penn vision is a multi-story, mixed-use building(s) that is visually compatible with the neighborhood and supports transit ridership. The community vision includes an opening or clear connection to Cleveland Park in the northwest quadrant of the intersection.
To carry out the vision for the Lowry/Penn intersection, the following key objectives were developed to embody neighborhood compatibility, support transit ridership and implement the goals of the Lowry Avenue Strategic Plan and The Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth.
Carrying out the Vision: Key Objectives
Implement the goals of the Lowry Avenue Strategic Plan and The Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth (the comprehensive plan)
The Penn-Lowry intersection is designated in the Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth as a Neighborhood Commercial Node that supports medium to high-density residential and mixed-use with neighborhood serving retail uses.
The Lowry Avenue Strategic Plan recommends consolidating commercial activity on Lowry Avenue at the Penn-Lowry and Emerson/Fremont intersections.
The development goals and objectives of this vision statement are intended to complement, enhance, or exceed the development objectives in Chapter 2 of the Lowry Avenue Strategic Plan, the applicable policies of The Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth, and the design standards in the Minneapolis zoning code.
Embody Neighborhood Compatible Site and Building Design
The site and buildings should be designed to be blend in with the surrounding neighborhood. Maintaining architectural compatibility with the surrounding area does not mean replicating what already exists. The project should be designed to contribute to the character of the neighborhoods and to avoid negative impacts to surrounding properties. The result should be a rich variety of architecture and landscaping that share qualities common to the neighborhood.
Study building placement’s ability to connect Cleveland Park with the Lowry/Penn intersection while remaining at the corner of Lowry/Penn intersection.
Improve the linkage to the post office. The post office at Lowry and Queen is a community service and currently disconnected from the Lowry and Penn intersection.
Study relocating the Liquor Store or bringing it closer to the Penn-Lowry corner. Bringing it to the intersection will reduce the distance between anchor businesses at this intersection and provide opportunity for a better buffer between the store and nearby housing.
Building scale adjustments and design elements should be utilized to make the transition from new multi-story development to existing single family homes.
Synchronize landscaping with the adjacent Lowry Avenue streetscape.
Building architecture and materials that blend the historic character of the avenue.
Avoid long, uninterrupted wall planes. Stagger setbacks with respect to adjacent properties to avoid an undesirable tunnel effect. Articulate side wall planes to create variety and reduce perceived scale.
Window placement that encourages “eyes on the street”.
Incorporate appropriate architectural features, such as ornamentation and changes in color or material to add interest for the pedestrian.
Support Transit Ridership
The Lowry and Penn intersection has the seventh highest transit ridership in the metropolitan area demonstrating that transit is a transportation choice for many people who live near and frequent the Lowry and Penn node. This intersection is currently served by high-frequency bus service (the #19 bus) and will soon be served by the C-Line, an arterial bus-rapid transit (BRT) line. This will increase the amount of bus trips through this area per day, and will also make it more convenient for people from outside the area to come here as a destination. BRT station stops are planned for the northeast and northwest quadrants of the intersection. It is important that any new development at this intersection consider the following features to support transit ridership.
Adequate setback of the building from the sidewalk to allow for queueing space.
Building window placement that provides easy viewing of the stop.
Because buildings are climate controlled and bus stops are not, consider incorporating the transit stop into the development.
Plan for Maintenance. All transit riders are also pedestrians. Sidewalks are well maintained, snow and ice is removed regularly.
Have you ever wanted to take a more active role in your community but weren’t sure how? Our community truly thrives when residents lead the way in building a strong and connected community. Join us for our Connector Academy focused on leadership training starting in April with a workshop around neighborhood history, organizing and power. This is the first of what we hope will be a series of workshops made available throughout the year for residents to grow in their knowledge, skills and abilities to serve their community and beyond. The workshop will take place at the Cleveland Neighborhood Association and be led by staff and residents. We have a limited amount of space for this event, so please contact us today if you are interested.
April 25th, 12-4pm at the Cleveland Neighborhood Association, 3333 Penn Ave N.
[button link=”http://connect.clevelandneighborhood.org/connector_academy_apr_2015″ type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] RSVP for the Connector Academy[/button]
Mark your calendar and don’t miss this exciting presentation by our great partners from the University of Minnesota Urban and Regional Planning program.
Join us for our “Green With Envy” Compost Bin Building and Community Garden visioning session on Sunday May 3rd at 4:30pm at the new Community Garden at Vincent and Lowry Ave N. We’ll work together to build some compost bins that will be used as part of our ‘Green with Envy’ pilot Community composting project (along with 10 other northside gardens overseen by Project Sweetie Pie). You’ll get your hands dirty learning how to build your own compost bins and we’ll talk about the garden, how to make yours thrive, and what we want the community Garden at Vincent and Lowry to look like this summer.
Be sure to attend the Be Active event on 
Live on the Drive is right around the corner and we have an amazing summer of community music planned for you. As we continue to develop and expand this great community event, we want to make sure you as a resident, neighbor and attendee have a chance to show your support. Similar to last year, we’ll have t-shirts available for sale at the concerts, but we are also looking for individual sponsors. For even just a $1 sponsorship will recognize you online and via social media as a support of this amazing community event. 
In the spirit of friendly competition we thought we’d share a quick update of the sign-ups for our May 9th Spring Clean Up event by street. We’ll be forming teams to walk from Lowry to Dowling cleaning up the neighborhood and are encouraging neighbors to invite one another out, and walk your block together. As you can see from the chart to the right, Sheridan, Thomas and Vincent have a pretty strong showing. What street will win the friendly competition for largest cleaning team? Only time will tell, so get out and invite your neighbors and may the best street win!
Have you ever wanted to take a more active role in your community but weren’t sure how? Our community truly thrives when residents lead the way in building a strong and connected community. Join us for our Connector Academy focused on leadership training starting in April with a workshop around neighborhood history, organizing and power. This is the first of what we hope will be a series of workshops made available throughout the year for residents to grow in their knowledge, skills and abilities to serve their community and beyond. The workshop will take place at the Cleveland Neighborhood Association and be led by staff and residents. We have a limited amount of space for this event, so please contact us today if you are interested.