Should Industrial Neighborhoods Be Made 'Livable'?

With the success of livability efforts in Minneapolis, efforts are underway to do the same for the Hiawatha light rail corridor. But active industry and historically significant grain silos create a challenge for new development.

1 minute read

August 24, 2008, 11:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

"The overall activity of the Hiawatha milling area has declined significantly since its heyday in the years following World War II - facilities once run by General Mills, Purina and Cenex/Harvest States have closed. But Cargill and ADM's facilities are still going strong, and because of that, the city has maintained "industrial" zoning for the parcel. That sets up conflicts with the overwhelmingly residential and leafy character of the rest of the corridor."

"On a warm evening last month, Eric Hart, a volunteer with the Longfellow Community Council, conducted a bicycle tour of the study area."

"The bike tour ended at 48th Street and Hiawatha, at the shiny new light-rail-transit station that has jump-started hundreds of new units of apartments and condominiums in the area. Planners, and Hart's Longfellow Community Council, hope that new housing will be the basis of a "livability" revolution in the neighborhood. But can one 'live' next to trains and trucks hauling grain 24 hours a day?"

Thanks to Reconnecting America

FULL STORY: Seeking the grain of truth: Will industry still fit in Minneapolis' redeveloped Hiawatha corridor?

Friday, August 22, 2008 in MinnPost

Land Use Minnesota Transit-Oriented Development Industrial Uses

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