Minneapolis City Council
Attn: President Elliot Payne-Ward 1
350 5th St., Room 307
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Dear Council President Elliot Payne,
On behalf of Lower NE Neighborhoods Association (LNENA), we write to extend our support for the proposed development at 1501 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis, MN.
After meeting with Master Properties, the neighborhood unanimously agreed that this development would be a constructive addition to the area, both in improving the current space and adding more affordable food options to the neighborhood. In addition, LNENA feels the combination of the retail space with a Spanish immersion child care center will be an added asset to the community. There is a real need for additional child care and we appreciate the focus on underserved groups in our community.
If the City is able to adopt Master’s plan to add a bus stop to the property, LNENA is in full support as we value public transportation and ways to make it more accessible to neighbors. We also strongly feel a crosswalk would be a necessary addition to Johnson St. to ensure safety and better facilitate pedestrian travel.
We also thank Master Propertieis for meeting with residents who are directly impacted by the development and their willingness to continue to listen and engage with resident concerns and suggestions. Our board is appreciative of the developers’ willingness to attend our annual community meeting as well as our June board meeting and how many neighborhood suggestions were taken into account with the proposed plan. We hope to continue to engage with them to have a positive relationship with the development and future residents.
However, LNENA’s support for this project is contingent on Master Properties and Doran Companies signing on to the Building with Dignity and Respect (BDR) program. It is our understanding that Doran Companies has hired many of the sub-contractors who made the news in recent years for wage theft and poor treatment of their workers. The BDR program will help ensure these issues do not continue and provide needed support for some of our most vulnerable workers. LNENA also asks that the City and City Council please keep the workers in mind as they review this project and approve permitting.
LNENA asks that you please support Master Properties in their requests to the City to move forward with the development and keep us updated on the progress. Thank you for your time and consideration. If you need further information, please contact LNENA Board Co-Chairs, Katie Kottenbrock ([email protected]) and Andrew Dvorak ([email protected]).
Sincerely,
Lower NE Neighborhoods Association (LNENA)