Quincy Street isn’t just at the center of Art-A-Whirl, it’s at the heart of the Arts District in northeast Minneapolis. The road itself, however, is falling apart. And the only thing bumpier than the exposed brick is the reaction to the city’s plans to fix it.

“It’s known as like the most quirky, cobblestoney, potholey street,” said Kristin Olson, owner of Studio Q. 

She and others working along the street have come to appreciate its crumbling characteristics. It forces cars to drive slowly, which is helpful given the amount of foot traffic in the area.

It’s also the very reason city leaders want to remake it.

Recent project renderings include adding sidewalks and trails to improve accessibility. Putting in a new road will help fix drainage issues. The city even wants to use bricks instead of asphalt to retain the area’s image.

“Totally hear that and understand it and we also want that, but the rest of the street is working as is,” said Olson. 

Her studio has three private parking spots that her clients rely on.

The road project would convert private parking along Quincy Street into public parking, a major sticking point for artists needing direct access to their vehicles outside their studios. 

“We save those for people who have mobility needs or people who are bringing in a lot of equipment,” said Olson. 

Many of her clients have multiple vehicles for photoshoots at her studio. 

“If we as a studio don’t have access to these three spots for our teams, those clients are going somewhere else,” she said.

The fight to keep Quincy Street’s character has been going on for a few years, with the pushback ramping up as the 2027 construction date nears. The latest renderings include loading zones for the businesses along the street, but artists like Charlie Haumersen don’t feel it’s enough.

“Just having access to the building is really important,” Haumerson said. 

He, and many of the tenants on the block, also worry the city’s desire for change will have ramifications beyond just the road.

“We think of it as sort of a form of cultural erasure. Even though we’re just building a street, it might pave the way artists to have to leave,” he said.

Olson is hopeful that the city will slow down its plans and continue to come up with solutions that find a middle ground with the neighbors. It’s unclear if the city plans to make further changes to its latest redesign.

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Minnesota legislators passed a housing bill on May 13 that includes $40 million in emergency rental assistance, a partial answer to pleas that have been coming from Twin Cities metro area officials and others since the early December start of Operation Metro Surge.

The $165 million bill is now headed to the desk of Gov. Tim Walz. It also includes $100 million to build affordable housing, $14 million for housing meant to meet workforce needs in Greater Minnesota, $4 million to support manufactured homes and $4 million for a homelessness prevention strategy threatened by federal cuts.  

State Rep. Liish Kozlowski (DFL-Duluth), who authored the rental assistance portion of the bill, said it has been “the most pressing issue facing Minnesotans” since the session began.

The funds will be distributed through the state’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, which partners with counties, nonprofits and other organizations. To be eligible, participants must be Minnesota residents undergoing a housing crisis who have an income at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. 

Legislature passes housing bill amid feds’ threat to strategy to prevent homelessness

Kozlowski believes the “lion’s share” of the funding will go toward the Twin Cities metro, but that every county in the state will receive some portion. They added that they were hopeful that residents would receive the dollars by the time June rent comes due, but that money would definitely be available by July.

Kozlowski said the bill was “the thing I’m most proud of and also it gives me heartburn,” acknowledging that even a figure as large as $40 million pales in comparison to the estimated cost of meeting emergency assistance needs for the state’s low-income households, which Minnesota Housing pegs at $350 million.

The decision comes as eviction filing rates statewide continue to slightly outpace last year. As of May 1, 2026, nearly 8,500 households had received an eviction notice this year, up about 8% from the same time period in 2025.

In Minneapolis, evictions are outpacing solutions

The money will come from a state fund originally created for counties to pay out settlements connected to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that found the state’s forfeiture law was unconstitutional.

Minneapolis City Council members, who have been calling on the state to add to funds approved by the city, as well as those raised privately through sites like Stand With Minnesota, said they were relieved to see it finally happen.

“My community, my colleagues and I on the Council, and people throughout the city and state have been telling lawmakers that emergency rental assistance is desperately needed in the wake of Operation Metro Surge,” said Council member Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10). “This is a win for working class people.”

Council member Jason Chavez agreed, saying that “this action is exactly what is needed to keep more neighbors housed.” He added, though, that many residents still need more time – a nod to the Council’s efforts to extend the eviction timeline, which have been met with vetos from Mayor Jacob Frey.

Frey’s spokesperson said the mayor was thankful that the state has invested in emergency rental assistance, a measure he has said he prefers to eviction period extensions.

St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker (Ward 2) said the bill’s passage was “really exciting news,” saying the need for rental assistance is bottomless.

“We’ll be fighting for as much of that money as possible in St. Paul,” Noecker said. The announcement made her even more grateful, she said, that the Council passed an ordinance extending St. Paul’s eviction timeline to 60 days – which coincidentally went into effect on May 14 and will last through the end of 2026.

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