The latest
Final Update on Minneapolis Built Form Zoning Regulations
Over the last two months, Neighbors for More Neighbors has been taking action as Minneapolis City Council updated zoning rules to align with the Minneapolis 2040 Plan. We organized around this issue because zoning rules have a major impact on the number of homes that can be built in our city. Here is the update…
ACTION Alert: New Minneapolis regulations need your input again
Neighbors for More Neighbors originally organized in support of Minneapolis 2040 because we believe in building enough homes for everyone in our City. Part of the promise of Minneapolis 2040 is again at risk – and we need you to act, again! A few weeks ago, we asked you to take action on Minneapolis’ updated…
Comment on the Draft Built Form Zoning Regulations
On December 8, the Minneapolis City Council’s Business, Inspections & Zoning Committee will meet to consider new built form regulations to align the zoning code with the Minneapolis 2040 Plan. Neighbors for More Neighbors, along with a coalition of local organizations, signed on to a letter to call for specific changes to the zoning code…
The Minneapolis City Council is about to update the zoning code. Will it allow for more affordable, multi-family housing?
This post was written by N4MN volunteer Amos Budde. When many people imagine housing for a family, the stereotypical image is a single-family home and expansive turf yard. And in many cities and towns around the country, minimum lot sizes and zoning requirements ensure that the only options available to families are single-family homes on…

Minneapolis regulations need your input ASAP
Neighbors for More Neighbors organized in support of Minneapolis 2040 because we believe in building enough homes for everyone in our City. Part of the promise of Minneapolis 2040 is now at risk – and we need you to act! Last month, as part of Minneapolis’ efforts to update zoning rules to match the guidelines…

Take Action: Two Affordable Housing Projects at Risk
Recently, the Minneapolis Planning Commission approved two new affordable housing projects: one at 2025 W River Road N (former Broadway Pizza site), and another at 2301 California St NE. Both projects are entirely affordable, but the approvals for both have been appealed to the Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning (BIHZ) Committee —appeals that could ultimately…

Will Minneapolis 2040 Live Up to its Promise?
[Crossposted from streets.mn] The City of Minneapolis invites comment on the Built Form Rezoning Study through October 19th. Minneapolis spent 2018 discussing the merits of the Minneapolis 2040 plan. As a city, there is wide consensus that we face three critical and interconnected challenges: Racial disparitiesPoor and worsening housing affordabilityClimate change No one policy or action created these…

Action Alert: Minneapolis 2040 Needs Your Help
Take Action: Allow for More Livable Homes on More Lots Neighbors for More Neighbors organized in support of Minneapolis 2040 because we believe in building enough homes for everyone in our City. Part of the promise of Minneapolis 2040 is now at risk – and we need you to act.Earlier this month, as part of Minneapolis’…

September N4MN Scavenger Hunt
It is with much excitement that we invite you and your families to be a part of N4MN’s first SCAVENGER HUNT! If you’re like us, COVID-19 has kept you inside more than you want this summer. So we came up with a plan to help! We want you and your family to enjoy the last warm,…

N4MN is Seeking Volunteers!
Neighbors for More Neighbors is kicking into high gear, and we’re looking for volunteers to carry us forward over the next 12 months. We’re all keenly aware of our city’s racial disparities and the growing number of people living without homes. There are many reasons Minneapolis has not addressed these issues. We are working for change on two of those reasons: we’re not investing…

Take Action: Support Increased ADU Heights
January 20, 2020 Image courtesy of Alyssa Lee Photography for Christopher Strom Architects As part of the Minneapolis 2040 plan, the City has encouraged additional “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs) in Minneapolis. What is an ADU? Essentially, a separate apartment that’s added on the same lot as an existing home. You may have heard them referred…

You hit it out of the park on #mpls2040! Q: Do you have a spare space heater?
Tenants in Frenz’ properties have been without heat all season: you can help. Update (11/20): Inquilinxs Unidxs will soon be overflowing in space heaters thanks to support from the community, Neighbors for More Neighbors volunteers, and a big donation from Amore Uptown of 85 space heaters, scheduled to arrive over the next week.If you’re still looking…

Minneapolis 2040: Help Us Keep Momentum
Dear Neighbors, Last week, a big group of you came out to City Hall to support the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. We were thrilled that the Commissioners voted 8–1 to send the plan to the City Council. Now, the City Council will be reviewing the plan — this is a critical time to make sure they hear…

We Need You at City Hall for Mpls 2040
The Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan is approaching a critical moment and we are asking for your help! The City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the plan at their October 29th meeting: 4:30 p.m., Oct 29th City Hall, Room 317 350 South 5th Street Minneapolis, MN 55415 Facebook :: Calendar Event If you can’t make…

Support the D Line Chicago & 48th Stop
The D Line is a proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) line for the Route 5 bus which travels from Brooklyn Park, through Minneapolis, and ends at the Mall of America. Route 5 is one of Metro Transit’s busiest bus routes carrying about 16,000 riders each weekday. For transit riders, who are disproportionately lower income or…

A Minneapolis 2040 Conversation Guide for National Night Out
By Jonathan Foster & Jackie FosterThis also appears in Streets.mn, posted here with permission from the authors. What is National Night Out? National Night Out is an annual block party on the first Tuesday of August. This year, National Night Out is August 7th. It’s an opportunity to meet your neighbors, share a meal, and discuss…

#mpls2040 comment deadline is tonight. Submit your comments!
The comment deadline for the first draft of the Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan is July 22nd. During this process, the city has held more than a hundred public meetings, in addition to many other events, to collect feedback from Minneapolis residents. Neighbors for More Neighbors has been doing our part by hosting comment parties, writing blog…
Minneapolis Comp Plan Review: Housing Displacement
This post is the 5th in a series that will take a deeper dive into the draft Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The city invites feedback on the plan until July 22nd. It is important that they hear input that supports N4MN’s goal of abundant, secure homes for everyone. Photo of a cute fourplex from Scott ShafferSome…
Minneapolis Comp Plan Review: Expanding Ownership
A fourplex. (Photo from: Scott Shaffer)This post is the fourth in a short series that will take a deeper look at some of the specific policies in the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The city is soliciting feedback on the plan until July 22nd, and it is important that they hear input on the elements of the…
Minneapolis Comp Plan Review: Housing & Development near Transit
This post is the third of a short series that will take a deeper look at some of the specific policies in the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The city is soliciting feedback on the plan until July 22nd, and it is important that they hear input on the elements of the plan that will help…
Support the Art & Architecture project: send a quick email
A small but vocal minority of homeowners is working to persuade Ward 2 Council Member Cam Gordon to delay the City Council approval of the Art & Architecture project being developed by Vermilion in Prospect Park. So far, the project has seen the support of: the Prospect Park Association, the City Planning Commission, and the…
Vacancy rates, rent costs & homelessness
Cities with higher rents also have higher rates of homelessness. Rents drop when there are enough homes to go around. Building enough homes is a piece of this dynamic too. A recent UCLA study found that higher median rent correlated with more people living in shelters and on the streets. Cities that are building enough,…
The 2040 Comprehensive Plan: Completing Minneapolis’ Neighborhoods
Cross-posted with permission by the author from Streets.mn.By Jonathan Foster Minneapolis is a city of neighborhoods, 72 to be exact. They are the places we live, learn, and play. While we all live in a neighborhood, most of us don’t live in a complete neighborhood. Instead, for too many of us, neighborhoods are the places…
Minneapolis 2040: Tenant Protections
This post is the second in a series that will take a deeper dive into the draft Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The city invites feedback on the plan until July 22nd. It is important that they hear input that supports N4MN’s goal of abundant, secure homes for everyone. 52.6% of Minneapolis rents. Nearly half of…
Minneapolis Comp Plan Review: Access to Housing
This post is the first of a series that will take a deeper dive into the draft Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The city is soliciting feedback on the plan until July 22nd, and it is important that they hear input on the elements that will help support N4MN’s goal of homes for everyone. Photo of…
Support Bryant & 36th, deny the appeal
The proposed new buildingUpdate (5/3): The East Harriet Neighborhood Association has filed an appeal of the CPC decision to approve this project. They are saying that this will have negative impacts on traffic, walkability & cyclist safety, as well as “neighborhood character”. See below for how to help. Update (4/23): This project was approved! Thanks to…
What Is The Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan?
(Image from minneapolis2040.com)You may have heard some chatter about the Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan (“Comp Plan”). Here’s a quick primer on what it is, what is happening, and why it matters: What is the Comp Plan Every ten years, the City of Minneapolis develops and releases a Comp Plan. This is a massive document (300+ pages!) that…
🎉 Support the Jackson Lofts
Update (4/9): The City Planning Commission approved most of the applications, and some variances were returned to the applicant, otherwise the project was approved pending appeal (10 days grace period). The applicant will be required to work with the city to improve the sidewalk, and, as a condition of sale of the city lot in…
N4MN kick-off party
Dear friends! Neighbors for More Neighbors (N4MN) is hosting a kick-off party downtown at Gluek’s, we’re inviting friends and housing advocates to get to know people, make introductions, and have some conversations about what we want the future of housing to be in Minneapolis. There will be plenty of time for socializing, as well as…
Our progressive values should include “Housing for All”
Like the cute YIMBY mascot? Buy a poster or mug of here.Standing in the way of upzoning means standing in the way of access to jobs, transit, parks and schools. Over the past few weeks a slow-rolling debate has unfolded in the Star Tribune opinions section and the Southwest Journal letters to the editor. It began with…
Zoning and Planning Appealapalooza
Tickets are $0, or whatever your free time costs youMinneapolis’ hottest festival is Appealapalooza, coming up at the Zoning and Planning Committee on February 15th, featuring two appealing acts: the appeal against Sons of Norway, and the appeal for Rex 26. Want to help? Follow the links below for details! Scroll to bottom for project updates….
Support Rex 26’s appeal for more homes
The slight difference in the proposal that is being appealed, July 2017 (above) and January 2018 (below)Feb. 15: Appeal denied! The developer announced that their economic metrics worked out so that they would be able to make 3 of the new units affordable housing for people at 80% area median income (AMI), but they will be…
Support the Sons of Norway project (Deny the appeal!)
The King and Queen of Norway approve of this project and will be attending the opening.Update (2/15): The appeal of Sons of Norway was denied and the rezoning application succeeded, the project will be proceeding as planned! Thanks to everyone who emailed, and extra thanks to those who took time out of their morning/afternoon to speak!…
T-shirt! Upzoning the St. Paul logo
While we mostly haunt Minneapolis, our immediate next door neighbor St. Paul is as dear as it is near. We know a few cool YIMBYs who live there, and tirelessly show up to represent our generation’s needs in housing and planning battles. The St. Paul city logo presently features a row of single family homes,…
Restore the name Bde Maka Ska
One of the best views in town is from Bde Maka SkaUpdate (11/21): Bde Maka Ska made it past a committee vote, 4/3. For: McLaughlin, Greene, Higgins and Goettel, against: Callison, Johnson and Opat. Next step: Full board vote (same members as above) Tuesday, 11/28. You can help by emailing your county commissioners in support of…
Support the 24th Street Bikeway
Update 3/28: People sending in public comments have heard that Public Works is not recommending the use of bollards: make sure to ask for bollards in your comments! Update 3/21: The next Transportation & Public Works meeting is on the 27th, according to the project website, this project will be up for approval at the…
Email signup & Housing Events Calendar
Enjoy this poster? Buy it here!Our policy goals Mailing list sign-up MSP Housing Events Calendar (or: iCal link) Donate to support us? Reserve a yard sign Some recent successes with organizing support for housing projects have shown the power of a well-networked group of housing supporters. If you would like to keep in touch via email, sign up for the Neighbors…
? Peris needs funding from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (success!)
Preliminary project renderingCongratulations! The meeting today was a success for the Peris, which will receive a small amount of money from the residual funds left in the AHTF after all projects are awarded ($87k), a staff directive was passed by CM Frey to find another $500k by Q1 of 2018, which would likely then be…
Support Eight on 44th appeal in Linden Hills
Not injurious.Update (11/8): the developer of the project is appealing the decision to allow a 3 story building: the developer had asked for a conditonal use permit for 4 stories, as this is what is economically viable. Skip below to the appeal/comment section to find out how to help. Over the past year or so,…
Oppose the Homewood Historic District
The Homewood District (small blue box) with areas of concentrated poverty from Hennepin County datasets (shaded area)Over the past year a proposal for a historic district in the Homewood area of North Minneapolis has been going through the process, and will come up again for review by the Zoning & Planning Committee on Thursday, Sept 28…