Central Avenue Revitalization Plan
Summary
The Central Avenue plan should inform and unite present and future businesses, residents, and other stakeholders as each individual decides how to invest, and grow their investment, in the Northeast Minneapolis Central Avenue Corridor, 7th Avenue to 37th Avenue.
Mission Statement
The Central Avenue Corridor has evolved from a turn of the century business street to a mixed use urban core which provides access to and from the city. The Corridor Plan recommendations will identify inherent values of the Avenue and propose sustainable design and planning alternatives to enhance the current and future value of Central Avenue for the citizens of Northeast Minneapolis. Our goal will be to make Central Avenue Great.
Executive Summary
Surrounded by retail competition from Downtown Minneapolis, Old St. Anthony, St Anthony Village Shopping Center, Apache Plaza, Columbia Heights, and the new Quarry Shopping Center at 18th and New Brighton Boulevard, Central Avenue finds and develops its market niche by offering convenience to its immediate residents and workers. Central Avenue also offers retail and service destinations and walkable neighborhood charm not found at the close-by, more modern centers.
Central Avenue's success will depend on making the avenue even more comfortable for pedestrians-residents and workers of the area and those who come to walk from place to place on miscellaneous errands or in search of food or entertainment. And yet it must also accommodate and invite motor vehicles, as no shopping area can thrive without the further-away population's business.
"New Urbanism" principles explain how new housing and business can fit and function together. Central Avenue has many of the raw materials for successful New Urbanism. This Northeast Minneapolis Central Avenue plan and its implementation will help people rediscover how to use the materials wisely to inspire neighborhood feelings and behaviors not inspired by modern-designed centers, to make a "great street" that is safe and enjoyable for all, as well as profitable for its merchants and livable for its residents.
The plan's "Retail Considerations" section tells what stores should prosper, given the demographic characteristics of the shoppers available to the merchants and the realities of the competition the area faces. It identifies areas, blocks or buildings that are now underutilized and should be rehabbed or replaced in order to bring in such workable stores in the area between 20th and 26th Avenues. (An alphabetical list of businesses sought is included.)
The plan's "Housing Considerations" section recommends single family housing on the northern end, multifamily and alternative housing complexes on the southern end, and recommends ways to make the middle area, where housing and commercial interface with each other, more livable and stable.
The plan's "Design Guidelines and Development Framework" section demonstrates how the physical areas, from the street's center median, to the storefronts, and green spaces, can create identity for the area as well as comfort for its users.
(Appendices carry the raw material from volunteer, consultant-assisted task forces, lists of persons who contributed to this report and plan, block by block aerial photos, and lists of design materials.)
In the early 1980's Central Avenue's retail core received attention incorporating many of the physical streetscape-type elements recommended here. "Paint and Fix" incentives in the intervening years have staved off much of the physical/cosmetic storefront decline associated with many urban streets.
As this plan gets implemented, as has been tradition with plans, some key retail, office or housing projects will emerge, but we encourage people not to wait for the "big spark". This plan and its implementation, will emphasize the human capital investment needed to accelerate the dozens of jobs that remain to be done inside and in back of the stores and in the adjacent housing. This plan also broadens the area of scrutiny (compared to the 1980's plan), recognizing that areas far north and south of the retail core serve as extended gateways to Northeast and its heart-of-town street.
Want to know what's in it for you? The section titled "How to Make Central Avenue Great" identifies the goals and activities that will improve the likelihoods of individual projects flourishing. The section also recognizes that the biggest accomplishments start with each person doing what he or she can control, believing that others will at least not stand in the way, and in fact may add to the momentum. Money will help speed plans along, but it will not pay anyone to wait for big money (public or otherwise). Visualize a positive future, dream, talk to your neighbors, do what you can, and eventually as more connections get made, money will follow.
Background
Demographic information was broken down by both primary and secondary study areas for the Central Avenue Corridor that includes all of the neighborhoods in the Northeast section of the City of Minneapolis. The Primary Market Area (PMA) includes: Audubon Park, Windom Park, Waite Park, Northeast Park, Mid-City Industrial Area, Logan Park, Holland, Columbia, Beltrami, St. Anthony East. The Secondary Market Area (SMA) includes: Marshall Terrace, Sheridan, St. Anthony West, Bottineau, Nicollet Island Park and Marcy Holmes.
The PMA lost about 1,000 persons during the 1980's and is projected to lose another 2,000 people during the 1990's. This population loss is typical of older, central city areas which are experiencing decreasing household sizes due to aging of the population, households having fewer children on average, and other social trends such as more divorces and couples delaying having children.
The SMA gained population during the 1990's, primarily as a result of substantial redevelopment along the riverfront opposite downtown (Riverplace, etc.). A substantial number of new housing units were created in this area; they were sold/leased quickly.
Census information reveals that nearly all of the neighborhoods in Northeast Minneapolis lost households during the 1980's. These areas are expected to continue to lose households during the 1990's and into the 2000's, but at a more moderate pace. A decline in households for this area most likely reflects an increase in vacant housing units, demolition of older housing stock, and a lack of new construction.
The information gathered shows that the Northeast area is projected to experience continued employment decreases over the next ten to fifteen years, primarily as a result of businesses relocating out of the central cities to suburban areas, often because of expansion.
Northeast Minneapolis, specifically the PMA, has a very high proportion of seniors (persons age 65 and over), 17.0 percent in the PMA and 14.3 percent in the SMA, compared to 13.0 percent for Minneapolis and only 9.8 percent for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.
The substantial increase in the middle age group indicates a good share of the housing stock has already turned over in Northeast Minneapolis, bringing new families to the community. Although another shift is still likely to occur as more seniors sell their homes, the figures currently indicate that there are a much greater number of younger persons living in the community in the 1990's than there were in the 1980's. Projections show that the number and proportion of persons will shift upward into the older adult categories.
It should be noted, however, that because of its location in the central city, this area is ripe for transition. Its housing stock is older and more homogeneous.
The figures reflect a population aging in place.
Higher proportions of households own their housing in the PMA than is true of households in Minneapolis as a whole. In the SMA, however, the situation is substantially different with a much higher proportion of households at every age level renting rather than owning their housing. Viewing the study area as a whole, the proportions of owner and renter households equate closely to those of the City of Minneapolis.
In the PMA, a relatively high proportion of young seniors still own their housing, nearly 74 percent. This may indicate a need for more housing alternatives for seniors in this area although previous attempts have not always been successful.
Median incomes are slightly higher in Northeast Minneapolis than in Minneapolis as a whole, but are lower than the Twin Cities as a whole. This reflects the age of residents including a substantial proportion of seniors who typically have lower household incomes even though they may have greater accumulated wealth.
The greatest number of households in the PMA have incomes between $25,000 and $49,999 and of that group, nearly 54 percent were between the ages of 25 and 44. The same is true of the SMA. The SMA is estimated to have more diverse income levels, with higher proportions of households with incomes below $10,000 and above $100,000. The income distribution of households in the PMA is slightly more homogeneous.
Median household incomes in the PMA and SMA are projected to increase by approximately 3.3 percent and 3.7 percent per year, respectively over the next five years to 2001. This annual increase is just above the annual inflation rate of 3.0 percent indicating households overall will experience a modest increase in real income.
Households in the PMA spend an average of $18,539 annually on retail goods and services. The average per capita expenditures were $8,394. The greatest proportion of expenditures were for food, both at home and away from home. The next highest household expenditures, excluding vehicle expenditures, were for women's apparel, lodging expenses, TV, radio and sound equipment. Expenditures for personal care products/services and miscellaneous entertainment equipment also ranked high.
Total household expenditures for the SMA were somewhat less ($16,957), however, per capita expenditures were greater ($8,783). The higher per capita expenditures reflect a small average household size in the SMA versus the PMA.
Households in both the PMA and the SMA spend less than the average U.S. household in nearly every category except miscellaneous personal items and alcoholic beverages. They spend nearly the same on furniture, but much less on other vehicles, domestic services and boy's apparel.
Census information reveals that the majority of the housing in the primary market area was built before 1940 (54 percent). Nearly 80 percent of the housing in the PMA was built before 1960. Less than 4.0 percent was built in 1980 or later.
The SMA has a similar situation, however a greater proportion of its housing stock was built more recently, as a result of the new residential units constructed in the Riverplace area between 1984 and 1990. The SMA also has a greater proportion of its rental housing stock built between 1960 and 1979. These buildings likely represent both income-restricted and market rate rental housing.
The number of sales has remained relatively stable over the past five years (between 350 and 400 sales per year) and the average time on market has also remained stable (between 57 and 67 days). The average time on market for Minneapolis as a whole has ranged from 56 to 69 days during this same time period.
The median selling price of homes in Northeast Minneapolis fluctuated slightly between 1993 and 1995 but has experienced an average annual increase of 1.3 percent. The average selling price fluctuated during this same period but increased an average of 1.9 percent per year over the six-year period.
Comparatively, the median and average selling prices for Minneapolis have fluctuated more during the past six years, but have increased an average of 1.1 percent and 1.6 percent per year, respectively.
The Central Avenue Corridor from 7th Avenue Northeast to 37th Avenue Northeast embodies a diversity of land uses and building character. It offers physical evidence of the historic evolution of an urban corridor in transition. This diversity of use is important for the success of the corridor.
As a mixed-use corridor, Central Avenue affords places for home, work and play. Each of these activities contributes to the quality of living near the corridor. The appropriate quality and mix of activities affect the feeling of the corridor and its success.
Changing demographics, shifting land uses and soft real estate values along certain segments of the corridor suggest that planning recommendations and an urban design plan should respect these differences. Certain energy centers or "sub-villages" within the corridor may be the focus of development priority.
Planning strategies and principals will:
- Develop a spatially coherent and cohesive sense of place that builds on what is locally unique
- Develop denser, finer grained mix of land use which includes housing, office and retail
- Increase "walkability" and public transportation
- Preserve and enhance open space
- Give priority to conversation, revitalization and infill
- Establish sustainable environmental and cultural practices
Traffic volumes along Central Avenue are comparable to, but not as high as, those of major commercial corridors in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area including Lake & Hennepin, and 50th & France. There are between 13,000 and 16,500 vehicles traveling along different stretches of Central Avenue each day.
Public transportation ridership is high in Northeast Minneapolis. Privately funded bus shelters are located at 16 of 22 inbound bus stops indicating high ridership.
In deriving square footage amounts for retail space, consideration was given to other competitive retail concentrations nearby (primarily the Apache Plaza area).
The general retail categories were identified with a total square footage supportable in the area over the next three to five years and projections for five to ten years. The square footage estimates assume a stable regional and national economy and modest increases in consumer expenditures. They do not include the impacts of physical enhancements to the corridor or conversely, impacts of a negative nature.
The demand for office space during the 1990's does not include office space along the Central Avenue Corridor which is currently vacant (approximately 35,000 square feet), but does include demand for replacement space (existing office space users who desire to upgrade/expand their space).
Total demand for office space in Northeast Minneapolis, new and replacement demand during the 1990's, is estimated to range between 28,000 and 40,000 square feet. This amount does not include office space which is currently vacant. The amount of office space currently vacant along Central Avenue could, in theory, satisfy demand during the 1990's. However, there are additional issues regarding the size of vacant spaces, visual appearance, etc. which may render the existing vacant spaces functionally obsolete for many of today's users.