What's New

CVS/pharmacy Proposed at Sunnyside & France

Your neighborhood council's role regarding this development is as a facilitator of communication. We do our best to ensure everyone is talking with one another with the goal of positive community impact. Our role is:

  • first, a liaison between all interested parties, to ensure the distribution of accurate information, and as a convener of an engagement process to ensure that the perspectives of residents are part of the decision-making and design process.
  • second, LHiNC will provide information to all parties and work within the City of Minneapolis's planning process, and continue to serve as a community advocate.

Throughout the community process, LHiNC submitted feedback regarding the development plans and worked in collaboration with all stakeholders. These actions were informed by the community.

Timeline

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  • July 3: Developer Files Plans with the City of Minneapolis
    Today, CVS plans for Sunnyside/France were officially filed with the City Planning office. This puts the development in the hands of the City and a likely August 18th Mpls Planning Commission (CPC) agenda. As soon as LHiNC is provided an illustration of what was filed, we will publish those plans here. At this point LHiNC will engage Council Member Hodges' office in further discussion. Feedback can be directed to the City Planning office or to Council Member Hodges directly. Contact information is:
    Hilary Dvorak, City Planning Division
    Hilary.Dvorak@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
    Ph 612-673-2639

    City Council Member Betsy Hodges, Ward 13
    betsy.hodges@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
    Ph 612-673-2213
  • June 19: City Planning Commission Committee of the Whole Session
    The most current plan was reviewed by the CPC in an informational manner today. The Star Tribune recapped the current status, click here.
  • June 12: Update
    The developer has not yet filed plans with the City of Minneapolis. When they do, illustrations will become publicly available and posted on our website. Also, residents within 350ft of the properties will be notified and this project will be scheduled to go before the City Planning Commission.
  • June 10: Community Feedback Document
    LHiNC submits a comprehensive Community Feedback Document to the City of Minneapolis and developer, complete with photos, as most current status of community input and requests after the June 3rd board session.
  • June 5: Environmental Information Shared
    Per neighborhood articulated values, LHiNC shares objective information on solar energy panels from a local financial and business perspective.
  • June 3: LHiNC Board Meeting
    The LHiNC Board discussed the current project plan with developer, landowner, and neighbors. The LHiNC Zoning Committee provided their review of the project proposal. The developer reviewed how community input shaped the new proposal. Refer to the meeting minutes for details.
  • May 20: Community Dialogue #2 hosted by LHiNC
    This second widely-publicized session was an opportunity to hear a response from Velmeir regarding the community's recommendations, concerns, and ideas, as well as design changes to the initial proposal. Reactions were voiced and feedback was collected to inform the project. Here are the results.
  • May 12: Robert Olson's Letter to Community
  • April 15: Report on Community Dialogue #1 issued
    The report was provided along with a Letter to Velmeir and a request for a response. A three-page Summary of the report is also posted.
  • April 8: Community Dialogue #1 hosted by LHiNC
    This widely-publicized dialogue was an opportunity to hear the initial plans for a CVS/pharmacy and provide the developer with input and feedback from interested parties.
  • March 2008: Proposed Development at Sunnyside & France
    The development firm of CVS/pharmacy, The Velmeir Companies, informed LHiNC about ongoing discussions with the landowners of former Almsted's grocery and adjacent gas station. The firm expressed a willingness to receive neighborhood feedback on this commercial development plan design. LHiNC hosted community forums to solicit feedback around the proposal.

Overview of Developer's Changes Made to Date

Once the plan is filed with the City of Minneapolis, we will be able to publicly post illustrations here. These illustrations have been made available at all community LHiNC sessions for viewing per the developer. Velmeir's changes to accommodate neighborhood input to date include:

  • Significant design template upgrade to building that allows for a more neighborhood-friendly orientation and ability to enter building both from parking lot and Sunnyside/France corner.
  • Brick façade and additional windows
  • Verbally proposed a more attractive bus stop with gathering space at front of property.
  • Mindful of residential-facing space, removed signage from the 45th Street-side of building.

These changes are substantially preferable to their initial proposal. Community input has indicated a desire for more changes which we have reflected both to the developer and to the City, with grounding in exisiting guidelines such as the Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, and the Minneapolis Great Streets tool "Facade Design Guide".

Linden Hills Business Development Task Force

On March 4th, the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council (LHiNC) voted unanimously to establish a Linden Hills Development Planning Task Force to engage the community in long-term thinking and create guidance on the types of overall development the neighborhood desires in our two existing business nodes- the Linden Hills Business District and the Morningside Business District. It will consist of LHiNC representatives David Jones, Linea Palmisano, and Keiko Veasey, Mark Dwyer and Rick Anderson of the business associations, city staff for support as needed, and two at-large members who are residents of Linden Hills.

The task force will work with neighborhood residents, city planners, land owners, and business owners to ensure that everyone's voice is heard in the process of establishing development principles. Collaboratively, this Task Force seeks to:

  • Foster neighborhood-focused businesses and a productive development climate that meets the needs of residents;
  • Create guidelines to shape attractive and well-maintained commercial spaces that support in both function and character our already distinct neighborhood;
  • Encourage a neighborhood friendly transportation environment that emphasizes pedestrian activity while accommodating gas-powered vehicles.

The focus of the task force is on long-range principles to guide future commercial development in Linden Hills. The focus is not on the specific proposed project at the Sunnyside/France location, although the community engagement process on that project will influence and feed into the recommendations of the task force, and vice versa. The community engagement process around the CVS proposal and the work of the task force are viewed as two separate, but parallel, conversations which will influence each other. The distinction between the two is one has a specific and immediate focus (Sunnyside/France), while the other has a long-term and more general focus (task force).

A structured first public input session was held on Tuesday, April 22 from 7:00-8:30 pm at the Linden Hills Park building (43rd and Xerxes). The objective was to gather input from residents to shape the task force's recommendations. See results of that session here.

A second public session will be held at a later time to gather additional input as well as feedback on the task force's preliminary development guidelines. To receive an email reminder about the task force's public sessions, please visit www.lindenhills.org and sign up to receive LHiNC's e-news updates.