Transforming the Mississippi River waterfront, building a marquee ice skating rink, locking in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and “reinventing” the skyway system are just a handful of ways downtown Minneapolis could take shape over the next decade.
It’s all part of the Minneapolis Downtown Council’s “2035 Plan” and laid out in its 131-page presentation, “Downtown by Design.”
“It’s a big plan. It’s a big vision. There are 52 projects that are laid out in it,” Ben Shardlow, chief of staff for the downtown council, said, adding, “It’s been a labor of love to get a big engagement process, to get a lot of voices to the table.”
The ideas and vision are focused around four “strategic priorities”:
Advertisement
Neighborhood Cultivation
Foundational Safety
Hassle-Free Systems
Irresistible Vibe
Shardlow says downtown Minneapolis is in an interesting position to make unique and bold changes as it adapts to life after the pandemic.
“I think we’re, we’re very heartened by the recovery and the reanimation that we’ve seen from downtown. But it’s clear also that downtowns need to change,” he said.
Turning Nicollet Mall into a pedestrian-only area is also part of the plan. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote in the presentation, sharing, “Nicollet Mall is the heart of our city, and its future reflects our shared vision of a vibrant, welcoming, and accessible downtown – a place where people gather, connect, and enjoy the best Minneapolis has to offer.”
Another goal is transforming millions of square feet of commercial space into residential space. And it’s not just projects on the mind, ensuring public safety will be a big part of the heart of the city’s future — key in that will be the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).
“[In the] last few months, we’ve been involving community-based organizations more than they had been in the past,” Chief Brian O’Hara said about the MPD’s work downtown.
Chief O’Hara said his main focus will be building up his taxed police force so that it can better respond when needed.
“We are on pace to hire a lot of people next year,” Chief O’Hara said. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that we’ll probably hire about 200 people for sworn positions, at least 50 in January alone.”
Advertisement
While O’Hara said it will take some time for most of those people to become sworn officers, he expects dozens to be on the street before the end of next year.
Also, even with the vision laid out for downtown’s future, the council says there’s much more work ahead before these ideas become reality, with more opportunities for people to share their ideas.
“We’re all a big community. We all care about the future of downtown Minneapolis. Let’s bring our best ideas to the table and work together to get them done,” Shardlow said.
An ICE agent facing several assault charges in connection with a January shooting involving two Venezuelan people in Minnesota has been arrested in Texas, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.
Christian Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
CNN is working to determine whether Castro has an attorney and has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Castro faces those charges in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man shot in the leg through the front door of a Minneapolis home. The incident took place during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement blitz in the Twin Cities.
Advertisement
Originally, Sosa-Celis and his cousin Alfredo A. Aljorna were facing federal charges after DHS said they had attacked an agent, prompting him to fire a defensive shot.
But the Justice Department dropped the charges in February, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement said two of its agents, who made false statements about the incident under oath, were placed on administrative leave.
FOX 9’s Erika Mrazik has your Thursday evening and extended forecast. Our temperatures continue to feel more like July than May, and we’ll continue to see plenty of sun.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities starting Friday.
Air quality alert in Twin Cities
Advertisement
What we know:
MPCA says that ground-level ozone will be at unhealthy levels in the Twin Cities on Friday. An air quality will be in place from noon to 9 p.m.
An air quality alert in the Twin Cities. Graphic courtesy of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (Supplied)
Advertisement
Sunny skies, low humidity and warm temperatures make for favorable conditions pollutants to react with sunlight to make ground-level ozone. MPCA says the ozone will subside as the sun sets.
Who is most affected by poor air quality?
Dig deeper:
Advertisement
People with asthma or other breathing conditions like COPD, chronic bronchitis and emphysema will be affected by poor quality. They can experience symptoms like difficulty deep breathing, shortness of breath, throat soreness, wheezing, coughing and unusual fatigue.
Additionally, children, teenagers and people of all ages who are doing heavy physical activity outside.
Advertisement
What you can do:
MPCA recommends taking it easy while outside and limiting physical activity.
To help reduce pollution, use public transit or carpool when possible, fill up your car’s tank at dawn or dusk and avoid backyard fires.
Advertisement
The Source: A press release from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
After the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Police Department lost hundreds of officers and was a “depleted police department,” a statement from former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara’s attorney said.
The chief “made significant progress in rebuilding community trust and pride within the ranks of MPD,” the statement reads.
At the memorial to Alex Pretti, who was killed during Operation Metro Surge, part of the attorney statement hits home. It says the city was constantly on the “precipice of igniting the spark that would set the city on fire again” and it claims O’Hara helped mitigate the violent clashes.
Most people WCCO spoke with around several Minneapolis neighborhoods say O’Hara had their respect.
Advertisement
“I was watching the Twins game on my phone and the announcement came over and I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s that all about?’” said Marta Knick as she was heading to the Guthrie Theatre.
“I was very sad because we’re more than the sum of our mistakes,” said Minneapolis resident Howard Dotson.
Hours after the announcement, community members were eager to learn more about the one challenged with leading the most scrutinized police department in the country.
“What’s heartbreaking the most is he was in a high-level position of leaderhip and he dropped the ball,” said Michael Wilson, who works at Pimento Jamaican Kitchen.
Some are giving grace more than others.
Advertisement
“He may have made a mistake but that doesn’t erase his four years of transformational work in the MPD,” Dotson added.
O’Hara joined the department in November 2022, two-and-a-half years after the murder of Floyd.
“You have to reestablish culture. I feel like he did an amazing job at that and was front-facing, which is good,” said Wilson.
That wasn’t the chief’s only challenge. Just within the past year, he responded to the Annunciation Catholic School shooting and Operation Metro Surge.
“I was pleased with the whole way he handled the Metro Surge thing,” said Ruth Lipker on the Stone Arch Bridge.
Advertisement
In the statement from his attorney, O’Hara says he was “proud to serve Minneapolis and remains grateful to the officers and community partners who did difficult work under extraordinary pressure.”
“Yeah, he was invested in his job and the community. but he had personal investments in that job as well,” said Minneapolis resident Donald Turner.
Now, Minneapolis residents are looking ahead.
“We have change, again, and because we have change, I think we’re in the place to create a positive outlook or negative outlook,” Wilson told WCCO.
“I always have hope for the city. The city’s bigger than any of us and I love living here,” another man added while walking the Stone Arch Bridge.
Advertisement
In the recent statement from his attorney, there was zero comment on the investigation that occurred. Those WCCO spoke to continued to have questions about that.
