To briefly respond to Ken Avidor's points and add a postscript. > Avidor- I wasn't the first one to bring up the "racial angle"on this > matter. David Brauer did in a post on February 3rd : > > David Brauer: "They (Ace Hardware) employ > a rainbow coalition of neighborhood residents..."
My point was that no one else in Kingfield has brought up the "Rondo" race angle Ken has: that somehow the house situation is disproportionately targeted at minorities (a fact he has yet to establish other than the anecdotal thoughts of one man playing football in an alley. Do we even know the race of the one homeowner and renters who had to move out? I don't; I don't think Ken does, either, but he's the one making the charge here.) Ken explains the Rondo analogy: > Avidor: I really doubt that the Interstate planners put on white robes > and said "let's destroy some black neighborhoods." They felt that > Interstates were "progress" and some urban neighborhoods had to be > sacrificed. The urban neighborhoods they chose to destroy were the least > politically powerful and least likely to raise a fuss. It's like water > running downhill... it seeks the path of least resistance. Yes, but unlike highway planners, the neighbors had the veto here and live in the "target" zone. And let's be clear, too - there's no evidence the block in question, or the people on it, are politically impotent or least likely to raise a fuss. This sounds a little patronizing toward the people near Ace, Ken; in any event, they hardly prove the Rondo charge. I'll grant Ken that the SWJ story mentioned Ace within the story. However, since he doesn't respond to the point that there were notifications on the house about the meetings for all the neighbors to see (but only one to act upon, in support). So he must grant me that point that neighbors had notice. Ken references my Feb. 3 email complaining about the KFNA board's surprise at its January meeting. That's true. But my real point was there have been two public meetings (three counting yesterday's Z&P hearing) since then: one board meeting, one Planning Commission meeting. > Avidor: As for notification, I only received an email AFTER the KNA made > their decision. I still don't think adequate discussion has taken place > on this matter and I urge everyone to contact the Mayor and the City > Council (Before March 1st) and tell them that we need more time to work > out a comprehensive plan for parking and traffic at Nicollet and 38th > Street. Here we agree about the result - save those houses! - although there have been, as I said, three public meetings since our initial January board meeting. Ultimately, the neighborhood board merely advises the city council, and yesterday Z&P rebuffed our request to delay (not deny) the upzoning until the outcome of a house deal is known. The irony of this reply/defense of Ace is that I am probably persona non grata there today. I signed the letter asking the council to delay approval of the upzoning. I thought approval should not be granted until the outcome of the house-move negotiations are known. I have grown concerned in recent days that the houses will not be saved because, even though just a week ago our board was choosing between 2 workable plans, Ace has not really embraced this effort. I had hoped the delay by council would send a message to Ace that while we love their hardware store and everything they have done for the community, they need to be our true partners finding a workable house-move plan that protects their financial interest, not be a mild adversary who grudgingly deals with us. The Z&P committee, in their wisdom, chose to support Ace fully. Dan Niziolek, I'm told, was especially clear that Ace's request should go through now. Our neighborhood continues to support the parking lot and the house move. I can only hope that Dan will, as I'm told he said at the Z&P meeting, help "close the deal" between Ace & Lyndale Neighborhood Development Corp., who is trying to work with Ace's tight Feb. 28th deadline. I hope Dan and others are right to give them the upzoning now, before negotiations have concluded and the fate of the houses is known. While I think Ken is wrong about race and the opportunity for public participation, right now I'm afraid I'll stand next to him and watch those houses come down about April 1. I hope I'm wrong. I know I will feel worse than he does because I worked hard for a win-win and ultimately Ace and others ended up concluding it is an either/or. I encourage all people of conscience to lobby their council members about saving those houses - although Ken and I will continue to agree about the worth of the parking lot (which I continue to support.) David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
