No, sorry Dan. The grant from the Met Council is specific to Ventura
Village Neighborhood. The other Ventura Village grants are from Ventura
Village NRP and specific to that neighborhood. The neighborhood NRP process
stipulates that Ventura Village NRP funds SHALL only be used for
revitalization within that neighborhoods boundaries.
Dan is correct about who seem to oppose the accessory housing principal.
After all, we are talking about private investment, NOT City investment.
Investment that might be used for a son, a daughter, a mother or father, and
yes by someone who just might need an "AFFORDABLE" place to live. Perhaps
the City should not finance carriage houses because there are too many
rental units as Dennis Plante suggested, but as long as those same city
officials are claiming there is a housing shortage, then it is ridiculous to
prevent PRIVATE dollars being spent to create accessory units. Dennis, when
we "approached" mortgage lenders they loved the idea of financing
construction of carriage houses. They thought they were the most secure type
of investment a Bank or Mortgage lender could make. Also, while Dennis is
correct about "Why zoning laws are in existence" , please do not confuse
this with wise zoning law. When it takes $2000 extra "FEE"dollars and
several months to get through what the City has already declared as
permissible, then you certainly do not have "wise" zoning law. What you
have is a zoning system purposefully created to allow CM's the most
arbitrary of decision making possible for political purposes, NOT zoning law
that is sound for our City.
Private individuals in my neighborhood often rent units in their buildings
for far below the rent levels being charged under the supposed "affordable
rent" guidelines. I rent three bedroom units for 550 to 650 a month. Why?
In part because my wife believes it is criminal to squeeze poor people for
more. She thinks the renters become part of our "extended" family, or of our
"village", and you just do not do that to your own people. Unique
perspective for some, but very common in my neighborhood for people who
actually own here, and live, as part of our community.
I was talking to Blake Graham (the former Zoning Code writer and guru for
Minneapolis) about this issue today, and he says the overlay was written so
as to have it apply City wide and to appease some CM's who wanted more
Council control. But that the language was a mistake when applied to
Ventura Village where people had already created the program and the
safeguards. Of course Blake Graham also admits that duplexes should be
allowed on 5000 sq. ft lots in R2B districts. Unfortunately, a couple of
young women planners who did not like the carriage house idea and thinking
they were making points with their bosses sabotaged any chance for an
intelligent treatment of accessory housing in Minneapolis. I wish we had a
Mayor and Council Members smart enough, or caring enough, to do what is good
for Minneapolis rather than playing silly political games. It is time they
fixed their mess-up.
The present Mayor and Council promised to create an overlay district that
would allow individuals to build affordable housing units with their own
money and initiative, instead they allowed a couple of foolish young
planners to create an abortion of one. And they have not cared enough to
fulfill promises to fix the damn thing. Like the Stormwatergate, a great
idea with community support has been allowed to die the death of a thousand
cuts because of bad City management. But then who knows, it is an election
year and perhaps those politicians realize that some people remember
promises.
As for those SE. folks who hate University students, I would like to ask,
"why you bother to live so proudly near that University and think of
yourselves as living in a more intellectual community when it is those very
same students who actually create and are the university, not intellectual
snobs who live around it. Some folks seem to think that the "University"
would be cool if they would only remove those damn pesky students. Sorry
folks, "University" means "the universe of the students", NOT "universe of
pseudo-intellectuals" living around a campus. The amazing thing is that this
miss-placed student hatred is so intense that some folks would rather not
allow anyone to have the accessory housing they want because it might become
so successful and such an evidently good idea that there would be pressure
to do it in their own area. And thereby add even a couple more of those
hated students. Rather silly I think, and sort of like the dog in the manger
who doesn't want or need the hay, but will be damned if he will let anyone
else who needs it to have any hay.
You folks keep pushing until we have a couple of CM's with gumption and
wisdom enough to fix the mess they allowed to be created out of sound
community based planning. It is time Minneapolis Planning came into the
modern age and the real world. If a community does not want carriage houses
then don't build them. If an individual does not want a carriage house then
don't spend your personal investment to get one. But, get the hell out of
other people's hay manger, before you get tossed out of the barn. There are
homeless people sleeping under bridges and under trees tonight. If someone
wants to build them a "manger" in their own back yard then the neighbors
dogs and their "handlers" should just get the hell out of the way!
Jim Graham
"Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good,
you'll have to ram them down politician's throats."
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan McGuire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
gemgram wrote:
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.
Jim,
Could I claim any of that Met Council money for the carriage house we
built last year? We have a 80' lot that was originally plotted as two
lots so the city thinks of our new "carriage house" as a single family.
The zoning folks tried to talk us out of putting it on the back of the
lot - "don't you want it in line with the other houses on the block?"
Dan McGuire
Ericsson
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