A battle over on-street parking is underway in the Uptown area of south Minneapolis, where the city plans to give Hennepin Avenue its first major makeover since 1957.
The city is exploring two options for upgrading Hennepin from just south of the Walker Art Center to Lake Street. Both designs would slim the bustling corridor to one travel lane in each direction and bring amenities such as wider sidewalks, dedicated bus lanes and possibly room for bikes. To fit it all in, the city would eliminate about 90% of curbside parking spots.
"It would be tragic for so many of those businesses," said Jill Osiecki Gleich, executive director of the Uptown Association, which produces the annual Uptown Art Fair. "There does need to be improvements for pedestrians and access to the Greenway [for bicyclists], but not sacrifice of all that street parking."
The city is accepting feedback on the $32 million project through April 16.
Jessica Burge, who owns the Cafe Meow coffee shop and lounge at 23rd and Hennepin, doesn't like what she sees in either design.
"Over 90% of customers who come park directly in front or across the street," she said. Not having parking outside her front door "would be 100% devastating. They won't come."
Burge said she and some of her neighbors with storefronts on Hennepin think all the upheaval would be too much, considering they are already struggling with the pandemic and fallout from civil unrest related to the death of George Floyd. Competition from Amazon has not helped business either.
Todd Smith, who owns a building that houses a couple of businesses near 28th and Hennepin, said off-street parking is already tough to find, and eliminating parking on Hennepin would only make things worse. He said having convenient short-term parking is critical for pickups and drop-offs.
