Festival Wrap Up

Thanks to everyone who helped make the 39th annual Linden Hills Festival a huge success! We love our incredible volunteers, who showed up early with rain gear and positive attitudes, and made the day run smoothly.

We also appreciate our generous sponsors and donors, and the vendors who showed up despite the overwhelming chance of rain in the forecast. And we couldn't have done it without the help of the AMAZING staff at Linden Hills Park. It was a fabulous day in the neighborhood!

(Face painting fun at the Festival.)

Proposed 46th & France Development

LHiNC Zoning Committee to Vote on Rezoning and Variances

Monday, May 20 at 7:00 pm
Linden Hills Park

On Monday the developer and architect for the proposed 52-unit development at 46th & France will appear at the LHiNC Zoning Committee Meeting. The meeting will be open to the public. Presentations will be given by the developer, and neighboring residents will be given the opportunity to speak. The Zoning Committee will vote to "Oppose" or "Not Oppose" any rezoning and variances requested by the developer for completion of the project.

Streetcars Begin 42nd Year of Service

On May 4th the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line began its 42nd year of operation in Linden Hills. On weekends, cars run from 12:30 to 8:30 pm. Weekday evening service begins Friday, May 24th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. From June through August, trolleys will operate from 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Wednesday afternoons. Find the complete schedule and special event information at trolleyride.org.

Update: Linden Hills Small Area Plan

Thanks to over 75 Linden Hills residents and business owners who attended one of the SAP workshops held on April 24 and 25 to help shape the future of our neighborhood. Attendees engaged in visioning exercises and discussions about our commercial nodes and corridors, guided by the consultant firm hired to develop our Small Area Plan (Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc.). Workshop topics included:

• Respecting and preserving the existing character of Linden Hills with appropriate new development
• Ensuring transitions between new development an adjacent properties
• Identifying parking options for new business development
• Improving infrastructure to support a vibrant future for our neighborhood

Your input is essential! The next opportunity for community input will be an Open House in June to review a draft vision statement and design principles that will be incorporated into the Small Area Plan to guide future development. The in-person Open House will be held on June 5 from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Pershing Park, or you can review and comment on materials online during a "Virtual Open House" from June 3 - 15.

For more information, visit LHSAP.org

Bayer's Hardware Renovation Approved at Public Hearing

At a Public Hearing on April 8th, the Minneapolis Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the preliminary plans submitted by John Gross, of 43 Upton, LLC for a 2,050 square foot one story addition to the property located at 4312 Upton Ave S.

Click here for the staff report and preliminary site plans.

If you have questions about the project, please contact Aly Pennucci, Senior Planner, at (612) 673-5342 or aly.pennucchi@minneapolismn.gov

MSPFairSkies Coalition

A group of residents from neighborhoods affected by proposed flight path changes at MSP Airport has teamed up as MSP FairSkies Coalition. Linden Hills has two representatives on the coalition. This group will help keep neighborhoods engaged and informed on airport related issues. They will also be considering how the MSP Airport 2020 Expansion Plan could affect residents in the near future and will request that a proper environmental impact study is done.

To view the MSP FairSkies Coaltion's website, please click here.

To view a video presentation about the proposed flight path changes, please click here.

Linden Hills Farmers Market Needs Your Feedback

The Linden Hills Farmers Market would appreciate the feedback of its neighbors as they prepare for the 2013 season.

Please complete the survey online using this link. Let them know what you love, what you don't, and what you'd like to see more of.

Have You Driven the Linden Hills HOURCAR Lately?

Since April, when Linden Hills welcomed the HOURCAR car-sharing program to the neighborhood, a shiny-new, plug-in electric Toyota Prius is available to all HOURCAR members! The Linden Hills car uses a supplemental battery that enables utilization of more electric energy than a typical hybrid electric vehicle. Settergren Ace Hardware generously contributes use of its parking lot space for the vehicle hub, and their building's array of rooftop solar panels (installed by the Linden Hills Co-Op in 2007) helps provide electricity to the hub.

HOURCAR provides an alternative to car ownership in the Twin Cities. HOURCAR members make reservations to use any of the cars in the HOURCAR fleet and pay per hour and per mile for their usage.

With HOURCAR, you can reserve a car when you need it, drive it where you want to, let someone else worry about car payments, parking, insurance, and maintenance! To sign up and to learn more about the features and benefits of this car-sharing program, visit HOURCAR.org

Bike Lane Project Moves Forward

The neighborhood bike lane effort is moving ahead, with plans for bike lane striping to occur in spring 2013. The project will be funded by LHiNC and the City of Minneapolis, with contributions from the Linden Hills Business Association, Clancey's, the Linden Hills Co-op, and through individual donations made to Southwest Pedal Power.

Bike lanes will be applied on major bike routes as determined by the City of Minneapolis' Bikeways Master Plan. The designated bike routes through the neighborhood will be Upton/Sheridan Aves. from 47th St. to 39th St, W. 44th St. between France and Upton Aves., and also W. 42nd St. between Sheridan Ave. and Lake Harriet.

The striping of bike lanes on these designated routes is the next step in promoting biking awareness and safety in Linden Hills, with the possibility of adding additional neighborhood bike lanes in the future.

LHiNC's Environment Committee is looking for members!

The mission of the Environment Committee is to assist the Linden Hills neighborhood in creating and maintaining a sustainable, beautiful and healthy environment for Linden Hills residents, including creating and maintaining a healthy urban forest, demonstrating care and concern for the quality of the lakes and the watershed, and protecting the quality of the air and the beauty of our surroundings. We act by educating residents about sustainable ways of interacting with the environment, planting trees, and organizing and empowering residents to work on environmental issues of concern to them.

Committee members attend a monthly meeting on the second Thursday, and work on various projects.

We need your help to be successful with these and other 2012 projects:

• Fulfilling LHiNC's Park Steward agreement with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) for the William Berry Woods
  
• Collaborating with MPRB, East Harriet-Farmstead Neighborhood Association and the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis to write a long-term management plan for the Roberts Bird Sanctuary
  
• Promoting zero waste and implementing waste awareness and reduction initiatives
  
• Removing garlic mustard, buckthorn, and other invasive species throughout the neighborhood
  
• Maintaining the 44th street pathway plantings
  
• Continuing the Linden Hills EcoParents program
  
• Planting trees and shrubs at Roberts Bird Sanctuary
  
• Completing the Raingarden project with Metro Blooms and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
  
• Initiating an environmental education project for Rec+ students and other Linden Hills youth

To volunteer, please contact Constance at 612-922-1253 or cpepin@bitstream.net.

Street Resurfacing Project in Linden Hills

The City of Minneapolis Public Works Department is deep in the midst of a street resurfacing project that will involve a large portion of Linden Hills, mostly north of 44th Street West, and is inconviencing residents.

Resurfacing removes part of the pavement surface and places a new layer of asphalt over the entire street surface. Because the entire street is not torn apart, the work typically only takes 2 days in front of anyone's home, one day for pavement removal and a second day for asphalt placement. This is a much less intrusive process than a total street reconstruction. Assessments to properties will help to pay the resurfacing. LHiNC will share information as it is received.

Linden Hills Neighborhood Demographics

Minnesota Compass, a nonprofit organization has compiled trends and data by neighborhood, including population, housing, and employment for Minneapolis and St. Paul. Click here to see Linden Hills data and click here for data on all Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods.

Sign up for MPD's 5th Precinct E-Newsletter

Please click here to sign up for the new Minneapolis Police Department's 5th Precinct Spotlight; a quarterly newsletter just started in order to provide information to the community about what?s happening in the precinct. Click here to learn more about crime prevention and block club leaders in Linden Hills.

Get $100 to Treat Elms for Dutch Elm Disease

Linden Hills residents are eligible for $100 rebates to treat elms to prevent Dutch Elm Disease. Click here for more info.

Follow Linden Hills on Facebook

Click here to become a member of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council (LHiNC) Facebook page. You'll be able to follow neighborhood activities and events and see pictures of community happenings!