City Council Vote 'Thwarts Neighborhood Goals,' Says Developer

It looks like Linden Hills might soon be able to chalk up another victory against big buildings.

Friday morning, the Minneapolis City Council voted to deny a development company an exemption from a year-long ban on on large-scale developments in the neighborhood. 

One of the men behind , Kurt Manley, said in an email that he was less than thrilled with the move, championed by City Councilmember Betsy Hodges (Ward 13).

"Our development improved the housing stock, greatly increased the tax base, and would be welcomed in any other part of the city," Manley wrote. "It is unfortunate that a small group of opponents can thwart greater neighborhood and citywide goals, especially in the production of needed apartment projects on community transit corridors like France Avenue."

Leaders of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council (LHiNC), who had lobbied against the waiver, stressed that they weren't against the proposed building at 46th and France per se. They said they wanted the moratorium to continue in place until it expires in six months, saying controversy over the building would distract Linden Hills residents from a planning effort just getting underway to create guidelines for future developers.

"We’re not for or against this project, we’re for the process" that would "protect" the , LHiNC's co-chair Constance Pepin .

With the moratorium slated to go on for six more months, but with the small area plan likely to take much longer than that to complete according to city officials assisting the neighborhood, Manley said his building's future was uncertain.

"The costs of delay are very likely to render the project to be uneconomic when the neighborhood plan is finally finished later next year," he said. "This action should be very troubling to all business interests in Minneapolis."

"We will be reviewing all of our rights and options next week," he added. "This outcome really should not be allowed to stand."