Stadium plan setting off alarm bells at Station 19
The owners of the Station 19 historic fire station building at University Avenue and Oak Street SE decided in December to stay rather than to sell to the University of Minnesota in conjunction with its plans for a Gophers football stadium. But, after turning down purchase offers from the university in January and on Feb. 27, the owners are concerned the university will use its power of eminent domain to purchase the building.

If the university takes action, “[we] may have to go to court,” Co-owner Darrel LeBarron told those attending a Prospect Park East River Road Improvement Association meeting Feb 27. “We’re still a bit in shock tonight,” LeBarron said. They have cooperated with the university over the years, he said, acting as caretakers of the historic structure. Their business is Station Nineteen Architects, Inc.

The building is designated as a city landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. LeBarron said the owners were told in the late 70s that the national designation would protect the building. “Now, I’m not so sure,” he said. (A bill to limit government eminent domain powers is being considered this session by the state legislature.)

LeBarron asked the PPERRIA members, “We would like your support.” Members voted to authorize the president, Joe Ring, to take action that would be helpful to the owners. LeBarron said he thought a decision by the university would be made within a few days.

Students victimized; crime reduction plan emerging
In response to complaints and in an effort to reduce increased neighborhood street crime and burglaries, PPERRIA voted to authorize the president to set up a meeting of agencies involved to determine action to take. “These (crime) statistics cannot stand, either for us as residents or for students. The community cannot stand,” Ring, president, told the approximately 90 people attending. The vote authorized Ring to use $200 toward expenses, including meeting minutes.

Ring will invite all stakeholders, including student rental property owners and managers, Minneapolis 2nd Precinct police representatives, university police representatives, university relations representatives, all university student groups interested, City Councilmember Cam Gordon (Ward 2), and the mayor or a representative. The area represented may expand to include Como and Marcy-Holmes, he said. The meeting will be open, but not for public discussion, he said.

Ring said police crime statistics in the Prospect Park East River Road and Motley neighborhoods show an increase. In 2003, 218 crimes were reported. In 2004, 315 were reported. And in 2005, 514 were reported. Burglary in 2005 increased 22 percent from the year before, car theft was up 110 percent, theft was up 90 percent, robbery was up 70 percent, but assault was down 50 percent (9 from 18). Citywide, crime increased 20 to 22 percent, he said.

Ring displayed a map on which he informally plotted locations of most crimes reported over three years in Prospect Park/Motley. “We’ve identified the crime areas,” he said. The pattern focused on three large student-oriented housing complexes: University Village, Melrose Place, and Jefferson Commons. There were also a few small nodes of reported crimes. He said 80 percent of the crime reported in 2005 was within a three-block radius of Melrose Place. The three block radius has 25 percent of the population of the area, he said.

Sixty-five percent of the crime was auto oriented, Ring said. “Automobiles are the big magnets,” so crime prevention action should center on autos, he said. Prospect Park area crimes have been mostly property crimes, involving theft from motor vehicles or theft of motor vehicles, it was noted later.

In contrast, he found fewer crimes reported around the Dinnaken House student-oriented housing at 900 Washington Ave. SE. Most of the parking there is underground, removing cars from the street, he pointed out.

Valerie Wurster, 2nd Police Precinct Commander, said the victims of the street crime are almost always student residents. She said it’s hard to reach students to educate them about personal safety. Carol Oosterhuis, 2nd Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist, said students need to know, for instance, they shouldn’t leave a lap top computer on the front seat of the car. “It’s not going to be there when they get back,” she said.

In response to a question, Wurster said almost none of the crimes in the area were committed by residents of the neighborhood. “This is a nutrient rich environment for crimes,” Wurster said. “We often see this pattern.” Wurster added, “We know the offenders,” and said arrests have been made. Police have ID’d 100 individuals from outside the area who are engaged in the robberies and who know each other, she said. “A purse is stolen, and a credit card is used 10 minutes later in Richfield for gas,” she noted.

Wurster said police have picked up some of the 100 individuals more than once. She suggested Prospect Park consider what the Downtown Council is doing—working with judges about individuals who are not spending time in jail. Although she is not an advocate for jail, she said, it could provide a place for the individuals to think it over.

The good news, Wurster said, is that police officer staffing at the precinct has been restored in the past six or seven months. By July, there will be 35 more officers assigned and a total of 70 more by the end of the year, she said.

In addition, Wurster said new training will offer a different approach to policing by the end of the year, away from responding to crime, and toward preventing crime, she said.

Since starting her work in the area three weeks earlier, she has noticed “a big problem in the neighborhood,” Oosterhuis said. “Please turn on your lights. I can’t see the street numbers. It’s all dark.”
Lights also allow neighbors to see what’s going on in the area, she said, leading one resident to observe, “Obviously, the ornamental street lights didn’t solve the problem.”

At the end, Wurster and Oosterhuis received a solid round of applause.

Oosterhuis is crime prevention specialist for several neighborhoods: Como, Marcy Holmes, Nicollet Island and East Bank, Prospect Park & East River Rd., St. Anthony East, St. Anthony West, and University of Minnesota. Her phone is 612 673-2874 and her email address is carol.oosterhuis@ci.minneapolis.mn.us. Contact Oosterhuis for information such as on crime prevention workshops and block club leader training.

St. Paul development a future crime magnet?; Central Corridor to be discussed
PPERRIA president Ring said he sees the approximately 500-unit student housing project proposed by Texas developer JPI on the St. Paul side of the Hubbard Broadcasting property off University Avenue as another potential crime area where students will be victimized. Rezoning for the project is pending in St. Paul. JPI developed the large Jefferson Commons student housing project at 609 Huron Ave. SE.

At the meeting, Councilmember Gordon agreed with Ring and others that the Minneapolis and St. Paul mayors should be contacted to protest the rezoning and development, as well as St. Paul City Councilmember Jay Benanav.

There were moans heard from the crowd when Ring said St. Paul’s rationale for the rezoning includes a way to build ridership along the Central Corridor, where a University Avenue light rail line is proposed. Ring said PPERRIA supported transit planning for the corridor five years ago, but by a close vote. But, “We were fearful St. Paul would do this, say ‘It’s our plan,’ and run right over us,” he commented. “This is a warning shot across the bow,” he observed. Ring said St. Paul city staff and business owners see the JPI development simply as “residential,” without the crime concerns that face Prospect Park.

Gordon pointed out that the Hubbard site is near the proposed bioscience corridor, a project high on agendas of both cities. Gordon asked Jan Morlock, University of Minnesota representative, about the university’s position on the Hubbard proposal. Morlock said the university said ‘no’ when the developer asked to connect to the University Bus Transit Way. Morlock also said the university has supported current zoning in the SEMI industrial development area. Resident Florence Littman said she has heard the developer has the support of the university’s president, but she said she didn’t know if that was true.

By hand vote, those attending approved a motion to discuss PPERRIA’s position on the Central Corridor planning at the March meeting, but not necessarily implying PPERRIA would change its position. “It is a very pertinent issue at this time,” said Dean Lund, who made the motion. Lund explained that he wants to review the current status of Central Corridor transit planning in light of changes in the area, notably the JPI development.

Former City Councilmember Paul Zerby said he thinks it is okay to talk about the corridor, but that discussion of the JPI site should be as a prime site for industrial development. “We won’t get anywhere by opposing the Central Corridor,” he said.

It was noted that a public meeting is scheduled for March 9 to present and discuss guidelines for development along the Central Corridor in Prospect Park. The guidelines concern business, commercial, residential, street, and walkway development. The meeting will be held St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, 7–8:30 p.m., 1500 Franklin Ave. SE. For more information, contact John DeWitt at 612-338-1871.

Riverside Market plans confirmed
Joel Ahlstrom, owner of the Riverside Market, which closed on Franklin Avenue Nov. 1, said he was excited to confirm plans for a larger store to open on University Avenue in early 2007. And he said he was excited to report he will be moving back to the city, asking Prospect Park residents to watch for houses for sale that he might move into. His store plans and his move were greeted with applause. He lives in North Branch, Minn. and owns a store in Isanti.

Ahlstrom said the new store would be on the first floor of a condominium building in St. Paul at the site of the colonial-style building at University Avenue and Emerald Street, across the street from Minneapolis and Prospect Park. The building, developed by Wellington Management, St. Paul, will have four floors of residential condominiums and the store, it was reported. Wellington had considered locating a California-based Trader Joe’s specialty grocery store in the development. Riverside Market is independent.

The store will be 13,500 square feet in size, about 50 percent larger than the former store. It will feature an “old fashioned motif,” Ahlstrom said. About one-third will be organic food. There will be 78 parking spots and another business in the building, possibly a wine shop, he said.

PPERRIA contact information
612-331-2970
66 SE Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
email: pperria@tcfreenet.org
Web Site: http://www.pperr.org/pperria/pperria.html.*

The above are notes from the Feb. 27, 2006, PPERRIA board and membership meeting:

last revised: May 3, 2006

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