Uptown residents concerned about Minneapolis neighborhood amid closures and construction
Neighbors and business owners in the Minneapolis neighborhood of Uptown are concerned as businesses in the area continue to falter.
Last month, The Lowry closed, citing changing consumer behavior, city-specific mandates and "disruptive Hennepin Avenue construction."
The Red Cow is also closing its doors, with the owner telling the Star Tribune the effects of the construction project lingered, bringing down sales. A stretch of Hennepin Avenue was closed for over a year and reopened last fall.
"It's getting pretty sad and difficult here," said Will Schnabel, who has lived in the neighborhood for over a decade. "Businesses just seem like they keep hitting a wall and it's hard to maintain when you keep [getting] knocked back, you take one step forward, knocked back."
Johnathan Campbell has managed H&B Gallery for years. He said clients have complained about the new median and the lack of left turns since the road reopened. He feels the city didn't do enough to support business owners in the area.
"Look at Hennepin Avenue, it is so sad," said Campbell.
Now, he's worried Lyndale Avenue could face similar challenges.
"It's a very frustrating thing and I don't want to see it happen to the neighborhood here [on Lyndale]," he said.
Hennepin County has drawn up plans to reconstruct Lyndale Avenue between Franklin Avenue and 31st Street. The county began the redesign process in 2023 and construction is slated to start in 2028.
On Monday night, a few dozen community members, residents and business owners met inside the VFW on Lyndale Avenue to discuss the project. Saed Wadi, owner of World Street Kitchen on Lyndale Avenue, spoke to the group, pointing out his concerns with the proposed design.
Philip Schwartz also attended the meeting. He volunteers with Move Minnesota, a transit advocacy group, and said that while he has compassion for the business owners, the reconstruction is necessary.
"It's going to be a fantastic improvement," said Schwartz of the project. "The end result is going to be a beautiful new street with a bikeway that's going to connect all the businesses. You're going to be able to bike on it, you're going to be able to park on it."
Safety also a focus
Aside from construction, Uptown residents met in March to discuss safety and livability concerns in the neighborhood. Many cited open drug use and trespassing as some of the top issues.
Minneapolis police have conducted directed patrols in the area over the last few months, and Mayor Jacob Frey is expanding the city's community safety ambassador program in November. One dispatcher and up to eight ambassadors will be available to perform safety escorts, wellness checks, first aid and more.
"Uptown is experiencing a comeback, but we need to be doing the work to make sure that it happens faster. We've all got these beautiful, nostalgic memories about what Uptown was six, seven, eight years ago, twenty years ago," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in April. "What's certain is the Uptown of the future is going to be dramatically different than the Uptown of the past."