On May 7, the City of Minneapolis Public Works Department hosted an open house on the new direction for Quincy Street. It was not the first, and it certainly will not be the last, in the long quest to reach consensus between the city and Northeast residents.
The event took place at the Northeast Recreation Center. Three new concepts were unveiled detailing the city’s options to improve the road’s infrastructure. The new designs are a direct response to feedback from a previous open house in November. City planners say they received a “strong negative reaction.”
One development concept for Quincy Street. This proposal features 90-degree parking and car access for businesses. (Minneapolis Public Works)
“These drawings show a significant change in direction from Public Works leadership with a commitment to making Quincy look different and unique and not a cookie-cutter street that you see elsewhere in Minneapolis,” Katie White, Senior Transportation Planner for the City of Minneapolis Public Works, told the Northeaster at the open house event.
“A typical city street is built to last about 60 to 80 years, and Quincy is over 120 years old. So it’s our responsibility as City Public Works to come up with a design for the future — the next 120 years.”
White said that in November, the presented concepts involved a significant parking loss for the street. One of the biggest pieces of feedback they received last fall was that folks felt the city was not accommodating businesses that rely on freight and delivery access — changes she says were implemented into the new drawings.
The three designs differ in a few key ways. Concepts B and C maintain flexible open space and include parallel parking, while Concept A features 90-degree parking — a rare option for the city right-of-way, White explained.
One of the concepts introduces a design between 14th and 15th Avenues that looks to act as a “market street” to allow for easier street closures during community events, which White says is something nearby businesses have expressed strong interest in.
The Northeaster has reported on several developments with regard to the Quincy Street portion of the greater Logan Park Industrial neighborhood street improvement project, including initial reaction and follow-up community engagement sessions.
The project area is centered around Central Avenue and the BNSF rail line, and it aims to replace old streets, sidewalks and other public infrastructure. In February, Public Works announced they would be advancing concept layouts for several other streets in the area, while Quincy Street would remain in the community engagement process.
The May 7 open house saw a strong turnout from residents and business owners, including Ben Janssens, the owner of sign manufacturer SignMinds at 1400 Quincy St. NE since 2007.
“I think it’s been making some good progress,” Janssens said. “It’s a really challenging street so it’s good to see that a lot of thought is put into it.”
SignMinds receives deliveries every week, and Janssens feels there should be at least two lanes for better delivery access.
“We have to ride with it and see how it goes. We have to get deliveries one way or another,” Janssens said.
Woodworker and photographer Charlie Haumersen has lived and worked out of 1310 Quincy St. NE since 2020. He says he’s passionate about the street keeping its character with the aged brick and surrounding warehouses, but he also acknowledged the need for more accessible spaces, including a need for completed sidewalks.
“It seems like a really positive improvement from their last round,” Haumersen said. “My hope is just that it remains an interesting street, and it just doesn’t get sterilized and become a regular kind of street, or infrastructure just for cars.”
Residents and business owners also hope to keep Quincy Street’s historical brick. White said Public Works is committing to laying brick on Quincy in some form, but they’re not certain where it could be yet.
White also explained there is a chance that as soon as crews begin removing the original brick, it could start to deteriorate and become unusable. In preparation for that possibility, Public Works has already determined they would replace it with new clay brick. At a table displaying the new and salvaged brick options, open house attendees voted for the brick they’d most like to see.
Now, the main question is: When could construction begin? White explained that Public Works is not yet sure when construction will start, as a few more steps need to occur. Later this summer, Public Works will host another open house to present a final design based on feedback received.
They’ll then take a final round of comments on that design, produce a two-dimensional drawing and present it to the City Council for a vote. At that point, the main features of the design are set, and smaller elements of the design — like location of fire hydrants, catch basins and more — are determined.
“We recognize that there is a lot of investment pressure and new housing construction in this area, and so it’s important that the folks living here, making this place their home, feel safe,” White said.