Posted Nov 18, 2005, 4:42 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 210
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I know this was already posted in the Midwest subforum, but I think it belongs here too.
STAR TRIBUNE
Editorial: Fear of heights hurts Minneapolis
Developers, neighbors need clarity on taller buildings.
November 17, 2005
For Minneapolis to continue its generally forward momentum and its progressive political traditions, residents must get over their phobia about tall buildings.
We're not talking about downtown, where neighbors have accepted new residential towers in the 20- to 50-story range. Neither are we talking about quiet, single-family neighborhoods, where zoning prohibits high buildings, and rightly so. We're talking about busy commercial/transit corridors -- along Lake Street, the Midtown Greenway or the Hiawatha line, for example -- where there's growing demand for mixed-use condo buildings of a medium height -- five to 15 stories -- but where neighbors and some city politicians are putting up stiff resistance.
That's self-destructive. If Minneapolis truly values progressive politics, if it really wants a government that looks after parks, lakes, schools, public safety and people in need, then willing taxpayers will be required -- and the more the better. The city's greatest advantage right now is that throngs of young professionals and aging empty-nesters want the urban lifestyle that Minneapolis provides. But too many are getting the cold shoulder from locals who sing the old NIMBY tune: not in my back yard.
Two complaints stand out. One is an aesthetic aversion to height, part of the prairie DNA, perhaps. There's a blind spot to the notion that a taller, slender building can have less visual impact than one that's shorter and more massive, with less room for green space.
Second, there's a presumption that taller buildings generate more traffic. That's not necessarily so along transit corridors. Indeed, the best way to improve Minneapolis is to add people in places where they won't need to drive for every trip. Only by encouraging mixed-use density along corridors will the city lessen its dependence on the auto, save energy, improve public safety by putting more eyes on the street, and finally get the transit it needs so badly.
In short, NIMBYs are choking off the city's future vitality. Yes, height is significant in judging a building. Taller buildings aren't appropriate everywhere, even along corridors. But most often height is less important than how a building touches the ground. How does it engage the neighborhood at sidewalk level? Is it nicely landscaped? Does it encourage walking and transit use? Does it enhance neighborhood business? If developers are allowed a few extra floors (views sell), then they'll be more willing to provide sidewalk-level amenities that benefit an entire neighborhood -- a trade-off sometimes called social bonus zoning.
"That's what we [developers] would love to do, as long as we got a little extra height to help us do it well," said Michael Lander, whose excellent mid-rise project on Lake Street next to the taller Calhoun Beach Club may be turned down by City Council as early as today.
Overall, the city's policies are sound; they encourage density along corridors. But neighbors and developers need clarity and flexibility on height, and the city needs greater assurance that projects will add beauty and vitality where it counts most -- at street level.
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