Finding a Green Way to Govern

Today, I gave notice of intent to my colleagues and constituents of an ordinance change I plan to make regarding Maximum Occupancy. My goal is threefold: 1) to make maximum occupancy regulations fairer, by treating all legal adults the same, regardless of their “relatedness;” 2) to address discrepancies between the zoning and housing safety codes; and 3) to tie the number of occupants in a dwelling unit to the size of the unit. My current plan (which is, of course, open to change) will establish a uniform citywide cap of five legal adults per dwelling unit. It will then establish lower occupancy limits based on the square footage of individual units (this will help take away the drive to carve up common space into bedrooms – such actions would not increase the occupancy of a unit), with each legal adult requiring a certain number of square feet. The lowest maximum occupancy of any unit will be 2. In some cases, this change will lead to an increase in occupancy of a given unit. In many ...

The Council voted unanimously today in favor of my resolution supporting the good work of pro-children Legislators, calling for a phase out of Bisphenol-A and phthalates in children's products. This has also been included in our Legislative Agenda. I hope that our strong show of support will help this important bill pass this year. Thanks to Minnesota Public Interest Research Group for their great work on this.

At the very last moment, and without any warning (to me, at least), DeLaSalle stadium their appeal of the Heritage Preservation Commission's denial of a certificate of appropriateness at this morning's Council meeting. In a timely way this was also the topic of a New York Times Article the same day the Council was voted on this. I'm pleasantly surprised. A week ago, I thought the Park Board / DeLaSalle contingent had support lined up to grant the appeal: Council Members Johnson, Goodman, and Ostrow were vocally in favor, and Council Members Schiff and Samuels voted for it in Zoning and Planning committee. Only CMs Remington, Hofstede and I were vocally opposed. In yesterday's Committee of the Whole, the pro- and anti-artificial turf contingents had a long, pointed debate. I prepared for a continuation of that debate this morning. One of the arguments we were prepared to make was that tire crumb, the base of artificial turf, contains phthalates - the very substance we w...

From the City's Communications Department: Empty homes and businesses can pose safety challenges for everyone in the surrounding community. And while the City of Minneapolis is taking comprehensive measures to make neighborhoods affected by vacant properties safer, there are many things residents can do to improve these blocks. City leaders are encouraging neighbors and block clubs to work together and adopt vacant properties in their area. By keeping an eye on these empty places, residents can prevent them from attracting crime. If you spot people trespassing or breaking the law on a vacant property, call 911. Do not confront them on your own. If you see a vacant home or building that’s open to trespass, or if you observe anything on the property that could be a health or safety issue, call 311 to report it. Check on a vacant property from time to time to make sure the doors and windows are closed so it’s not open to trespass. It’s okay to maintain the public space, such as sidewa...

Congrats to Cedar Riverside resident and neighborhood activist Abia Ali has won the City's Theresa S Ruhland award, given every year to a volunteer who does an outstanding job of involving young people in community activities. In addition to her work as a Human Service Representative in the Family Services Division of the Hennepin County Economic Assistance program and her volunteering with the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center, Abia has been a board member of the West Bank Community Coalition for years. Thanks for everything you do for the community, Abia. Mahadsanid !