Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily midday digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Pew Is All-In on the 2040 Plan
You’ve already heard of the Minneapolis 2040 plan, a multi-year program overhauling zoning laws and housing regulations. Landlords, investors, and density bros love it for allowing multi-residential projects in once forbidden areas; homeowners hate it because it harshes the vibes of their ‘hoods. But according to this recent study from the Pew Charitable Trust, 2040 is a win-win program and could be used as a “blueprint for housing affordability” nationwide.
The biggest takeaway from the article, which studied data between 2017-2022, is that building more multi-tenant housing limited rent growth, with Minneapolis renters “paying an estimated $1,700 less per year than if rents had increased at the same rate as in Minnesota overall.” Pew reports that, during those years, homelessness in Hennepin Country dropped 12% while it rose 14% across the state. Bad news for car lovers though: The piece also touts the elimination of parking mandates, which saves developers an estimated $50K per unit. (Yay, I guess?)
The article also doesn't mention that the 2040 plan is currently on hold; three groups won a lawsuit in September of 2023, arguing that stormwater and other environmental impacts hadn't been taken into account when making changes to laws, and it's going to cost developers millions.
Starting Tomorrow, St. Paul’s City Council Is a Woman-Run Shop
St. Paul’s new City Council will be sworn in on Tuesday and, for the first time in its 170-year history, every member identifies as female. To celebrate, Katie Galioto, Anna Boone, and Jake Steinberg over at the Star Tribune have put together this nifty timeline taking a closer look at the careers and legacies of the 20 reps who preceded them. That includes the first, Elizabeth DeCourcy, elected in 1956 under the promise to tighten city finances—just like she did her her home bills. There's Rosalie Butler, a thrice-divorced mom of four who was elected in 1970 and would go on to receive the most votes ever for the position when she re-ran in 1972. And Mitra Jalali, who in 2018 was not only the first Asian American elected to the position but was the first woman to openly run as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Regardless of how people felt about their policies (lowlights include sexual harassment suits and homophobia), they were all trailblazers and their stories are well worth revisiting.
Purple Rain: The Musical Is Gonna Be a Thing
Yep, the iconic movie starring Prince is getting the Broadway treatment, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. (Hey, at least it doesn't sound like it's going to be a jukebox musical.) According to this article in Variety, Albert Magnoli and William Blinn have penned an original screenplay, with two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins on book. The 1984 film, which won an Academy Award that year for Best Original Sound Score, follows an aspiring rockstar named “The Kid” as he makes his way through the Minneapolis club scene. As for the play, details are still sparse, but it could be cool to see the First Avenue stage recreated at the State Theatre should the production tour.
Suck It, Downtown! Target Is Selling Its Office Crap
Last December, bosses at Target HQ told corporate workers that they would only need to head into an office one week per quarter. That’s still mostly a work-from-home model, which means the downtown offices have a lot of cube farm stuff to get rid of. “This auction presents a bonanza of office furniture and equipment, from workstations and cubicles to conference tables, appliances, and more,” teases sale event page, which explains that this installment (apparently there have already been five?!) will focus on upper office floors 17, 28, 30, and 34 as “Target winds down operations at their downtown Minneapolis City Center corporate office location.” Right now, the spendiest item is a $400 two-sided white board wall with tempered glass—oooh! Regular folks might prefer to peruse the kitchen and electronic items, which include a $20 mini-fridge, a variety of reasonably priced HDTVs, and a few large projection screens. Or maybe this $25 collection of miscellaneous hole punchers, staplers, and desk organizers floats your boat? We don’t know your individual needs! Regardless of where this plywood shelving unit, the top of the "hottest items" list, ends up, it’s the end of an era, folks.
