Again: Mpls council should move on fixing up Third Precinct property

Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Minneapolis City Council is rightly imposing a tougher vacancy policy upon negligent property owners who refuse to clean up vacant lots and buildings. We applaud this effort. The city must increase enforcement actions against the 300-plus properties that have deteriorated into nuisances and neighborhood eyesores.

Under the new ordinance, properties owners will have two years to work with the city to rehab, sell or demolish vacant sites, with a one-year extension possible for those demonstrating progress. Failure to do that could result in a $2,000-per-month fine, up to $24,000 per year. Previously, the vacancy fee was $7,000 per year.

Increasing the monetary penalties is meant to spur owners into cleaning up their properties, a push that falls in line with the “broken windows” concept of neighborhood revitalization. That researched theory says that it’s important to keep buildings and lots clean, repaired or replaced in a timely manner as blight only leads to more blight.

And yet a majority of the Minneapolis council itself has failed to live up to its own rules. When it comes to the burned-out former Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct building in south Minneapolis, the council has been found wanting. It has been over four years since rioters set the building on fire and torched much of the structure’s foyer. Though Mayor Jacob Frey’s administration has put forth several reasonable proposals to re-purpose the building, a majority of the council has rejected them all. That reality is beyond disappointing.

Voters undoubtedly recall that Republican candidates across the nation used images of the burning police station two years ago to support campaigns against Democrats arguing that their opponents were soft on crime and allowed the city to burn. Nothing has changed about that line of attack.

Earlier this week, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson used it as a backdrop as he stumped for GOP candidate Joe Teirab, who is running for the seat currently held by Second District Rep. Angie Craig. Johnson stood near the building and stated that it symbolizes what would happen under a Kamala Harris/Tim Walz administration.

“Right here, the hopes and dreams of countless small business owners and families literally went up in smoke,” Johnson said. “And as you can see from the charred and barricaded building right behind us here, four years later, this community still has not recovered from the aftermath.”

Among the minority of council members who have voted to repurpose the site is Council Member Michael Rainville. He agrees that it is hypocritical of his colleagues to continually block plans to do something with that site.

“Whenever you come into town on the light rail from the airport that’s one of the things you see,” he said. “It’s an eyesore and blight on the neighborhood; we should be ashamed that it’s been like that for so long.”

According to Frey’s office, workers are beginning to clean up the site and do some work on the property in hopes of moving ahead with a plan to turn the building into a 34,000-square-foot Elections and Voter Services facility. About a quarter of that space would be made available for community use. It’s a solid plan that would help the city house an important public service. But when that plan was presented in April, some council members seemed hesitant. The conversation should continue with a sense of urgency.

The administration is holding community feedback sessions about the plan and expects to present results in early October. As this Editorial Board has argued previously, it is well past time to move on re-purposing the former Third Precinct property. The council should get on board with efforts to transform the area from a prompt for political attacks to a positive symbol for the community.