Well, I guess I might as well shed a little light on the accessory housing
subject for Nathan and Aaron, but perhaps for others as well. Sorry guys
but Ventura Village Neighborhood has waged a war with City of Minneapolis
"Planners" for years trying to force the City to have some sense on the
issue. It was to the point where Hillary Watson would almost spit when she
saw me in the hallways downtown.
Aaron is only partially correct about them being illegal in Minneapolis.
They, (carriage houses) are legal in the Ventura Village Neighborhood of
Minneapolis and no where else, unless granted special dispensation by the CM
gods. I believe the urban planner who waged that war and caused them to be
included in the Ventura Village Comprehensive Land Use Master Plan was
myself. I had once been denied a permit to build an office carriage house
because, according to Minneapolis Plan review, "some day some someone might
need housing, and you might rent your carriage house with plumbing to them".
When doing the Master Planning when a resident (I believe Mary Watson)
stated that, "we needed to find new answers for housing because people need
housing", the idea popped out. I in fact talked an architect into building
a carriage house at a custom house I built for him in a more affluent
neighborhood years before.
Ventura Village fought for several years to gain the ability to build
carriage houses. Finally, after Jim Graham (me), Linda Berglin, and Karen
Clark almost got a state law passed to require Minnesota cities with a
housing shortage to allow accessory units, Minneapolis passed a zoning
overlay district for Ventura Village alone. The Minnesota Senate passed the
bill overwhelmingly, with even the Republicans voting for it. Unfortunately
time ran out because of Jesse fighting with the House. Minneapolis Planners
said it was a club held over their heads so they gave us an overlay
district. Of course the sneaky Planning Department snuck in such onerous
layers of bureaucracy that almost no average citizen is willing to put up
with the six months of crap to build a single carriage house.
Ventura Village even has grant money waiting for those who build, but no one
does because of how stupid the law was written. Another one of those great
ideas from the residents that the present administration has managed to
screw up. The Metropolitan Council even gave a grant to Minneapolis and
Ventura Village to construct "model" ICF carriage houses to demonstrate how
sustainable affordability could be built into housing. Even though
Minneapolis promised to change zoning law to allow such houses to be built,
not one of the Met Council grants have been claimed due to the incredible
red tape one must swim through to build such a unit in Minneapolis.
AARP, the national organization of retired people, has made "Accessory
Housing" units its highest priority for senior housing. Saying that it
increases the quality of life for seniors more than any other factor. The
senior gets someone living near them so they can stay in their own home and
even more importantly they get extra income that not only allows them to
afford the taxes and stormwater fees in Minneapolis, but also to augment
fixed incomes so as to afford the little things that improve ones life. I
believe six states have already passed such laws.
As for urban planning it makes all the sense in the world. Communities are
able to create "Low-Profile Higher-Density and keep the character of their
community. Vancouver Canada has almost ten different zoning codes alone, so
each community could design the character to fit its own needs. The City
Hall in Vancouver is surrounded with houses with "Carriage Houses" behind.
Vancouver's alleys with such housing are named "Lanes" not alley.
Minneapolis should be ashamed for its treatment of those neighborhoods that
have been far sighted enough to want such housing. It was utterly
hypocritical and ridiculous to have a housing shortage and at the same time
kill the possibility of such housing.
More than "Fonz" lived in one. One of my all time favorite apartments was a
carriage house between El Camino Real and the Bay Shore freeway just south
of San Francisco. Perhaps that was the inspiration, but at any rate I have
developed wonderful plans for such units with hanging lofts energy bills of
$30.00 a month for a twelve hundred square foot apartment. Even had the
plans engineered, so if some neighborhood wants to attempt to shake up this
silly city I will gladly provide them. You can go to Ventura Village's web
site to view some of those plans. www.venturavillage.org The site is just
being redesigned and changed, so bear with some delays as it goes back up.
Also check out the decking of the freeway plans. Martin Sabo said that all
he needed was a request from the Mayor or City Council to pursue the funding
for such a plan. I remember a group of ladies including Barbara Flanagan
cornering RT Rybak at his victory New-Years party and getting him to promise
to make such a formal request. I'll bet that, like many promises, RT never
remembered that he had made that promise, because he certainly has never
acted upon it. To bad promises do not mean the same thing to politicians as
they do to regular people. But then for many politicians promises are things
used to gain contributions and support, not real intentions.
Minneapolis residents continue to throw pearls of wisdom at the feet of this
dull group that we have running the City, unfortunately the "leaders" idea
of leading is empty rhetoric and half baking the bread and play acting as
"Leaders" not any real leadership. Too bad, isn't it? We have planners
from around the country who come to study what we do and rave about how
great our "community based" planning is, and our own leaders can't
appreciate the same thing. After leading a group of planners from around the
country and Canada last week through our planning, it was great to have them
raving about Franklin Avenue. This week we had forty or so Native leaders
from across the country come to our community to show them what was possible
when working together. Those professional planners and university
professors wanted advice on how to bring such empowerment and revitalization
to their communities. I guess I am amazed to know that our own political
leaders are so near-sighted that they can't even see what is right under
their noses and all around them. That is what happens when you do not trust
your own people. Too bad, isn't it.
Well you folks keep pushing for an accessory overlay for any neighborhood
that wants it. It could create 5000 new affordable, quality, housing units
overnight with a resolution by the Council and a signature by the Mayor.
When San Francisco passed a similar law their housing stock numbers rose
several thousand overnight, just from illegal units now being declared and
licensed. But then, Minneapolis does not even want people sleeping under
bridges, so what chance is there for more than empty promises and hypocrisy
when it comes to affordable housing.
Well it is late and this is way too long, so good night.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village
"It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the
audience is deaf."
- Walter Lippman
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