Search
NoMi Business Partners
The I.I. Blog Roll
The Goddess of Glass
Reliable Twin Cleaning
Followers
About Me
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
Sunday, January 30, 2011
To Make Anew
9:06 PM | 
Posted by
The I.I. |
This blog thread posted by the Irving Inquisition uses some explicit language, as well as depicting some aspects of life in North Minneapolis that some readers may find objectionable. Reader discretion is advised.
1st Up: To Make Anew
Demolition is proceeding on Freemont and Broadway where the new Minneapolis Public Schools headquarters is slated to be built. Originally, demolition was scheduled to occur back in October of 2010, but as is typical for many construction projects, scope creep caused a few delays.
Here are some photos of what the future MPS site looks like today.
 |
| This image conjures up images of the Berlin Wall. |
 |
| Watch out for the random mines... just kidding :) |
 |
| Look at the cut-away of what the old building looked like. |
Irving Inquisition will publish more photos of the construction project as noticeable progress is made.
Jerk Du Jour: Urban Homeworks
Check out 1727 Emerson Avenue North in Old Highland. This problem property used to be a criminal haven for years until the mortgage crisis came and the slumlord that owned it, lost it.
 |
| 1727 Emerson Avenue North |
In 2008, Urban Homeworks scooped up this gem and that’s pretty much all she wrote. Since Urban Homeworks is a non-profit sanctioned by the city to fix up properties like this one, they have the advantage of not having to pay the $6,300 vacant and boarded fee. Sure, I guess that’s nice… So why is it 2011 and nothing’s happened? They’ve done diddly squat with the property since.
I suspect the problem is money; as in not enough of it. Urban Homeworks obviously can’t get the job done in this case. Two years of nothing is undeniable proof of that. Perhaps they should put the property up for sale and sell it to an enterprising local that’s financially solvent and current on their property taxes? Perhaps somebody else will have better luck restoring this property?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Share The I.I.
There was an error in this gadget
36 comments:
I take exception to your casting the Jerk du Jour as Urban Homeworks. I know for a fact that they are working on the 1727 Emerson site. They have torn down the garage in the back, taken off the front porch, demo'd all 4 apartments, and have removed lead and resealed the basement. They have also replaced the furnace in the basement.
They are non-profit and they rely on mostly volunteer labor. They have at least a dozen other properties they are working on. They also rely on the city of MPLS and their inspectors to move things along so they can continue the work. often the work UHW is doing is held up because the city and/or the inspectors are not as timely as they maybe should be.
I have photos to prove that there has been work done on this property in the past 2 months. Just because it doesn't move as quickly as we may like doesn't mean work isn't being done.
Hi Amy M,
I'm willing to be reasonable in this matter. Can you e-mail me some of these photos to support your argument? irvinginquisition@gmail.com
If what you are saying is true, I will consider retracting my previous statement.
On a different note; the fact that it takes years to accomplish something a professional organization could accomplish in a few weeks is still unacceptable.
A few weeks??? Boy are you losing credability! How many remodel projects have you done? Obviously NONE! You sound so ignorant!!!
Perhaps they are buying too many properties too fast much like some enterprising landlords have done. The result is the same, properties sitting boarded years after their purchase. Good intentions are not good enough we want to see better management and business skills in anyone buying property here.
@ Anon 8:09,
Two things I want to make clear.
1) I said a "professional organization"; yes they can remodel a place in a few weeks. It happens in the real world all the time... just not around here.
2) You're an idiot. Think before you type.
I saw Armando Montelongo renovate a house in two weeks. It can be done.
I drive by this property everyday and there have been sub-contractor vehicles parked in front of it for months. The front porch has been completely demolished as well as the garage in the rear. Its just inaccurate to say they aren't doing anything with it.
Also, I'd rather see them do a quality renovation in a longer period of time than to put 'lipstick on a pig' and wrap it up in 2 weeks. Would you want to live a place after a two week rehab? Do you have any idea what the status of the building is/was before they purchased it? Have you contacted UHW to learn more about what they are doing? Until you do some actual research you don't have much credibility with me.
P.S. One exterior picture doesn't qualify as research.
Why don't you check out Urban Homeworks website. They are not in the business of flipping houses. The properties they buy are used to provide real life training experiences for low income people to learn the building trades. They partner with several agencies and provide clients the opportunity to learn a trade and become productive citizens. The completed homes are sold or rented to low income families.
Urban Homeworks has an excellent rating. It is too bad you feel the need to malign them.
I give you the "Uninformed Idiot du Jour" award for your ignorance and self-serving attitude.
The Minneapolis City Council will consider testimony from the public regarding proposed changes to the city’s rental license ordinance.
Date/Time 2/14/11 1:30 PM
Location Council Chambers, Room 317 City Hall
Slumlords have had a devastating effect on NoMi.
Here is a perfect forum for public concerns about lenient slumlord practices. I would hope that all community leaders and bloggers work together to rally public support for additional non-homestead oversight.
What changes are being proposed??? Where would I go to check this out???
How's your 'research' on this project coming along?
@ Huntie,
To what are you referring to?
There are a number of people on here who are challenging your assumptions about this property and Urban Homeworks. I'm just wondering if you've done any of the things suggested by people who have commented:
1. Checked Urban Homeworks website or learned more about what they are doing versus what they say they are doing.
2. Verified the presence of sub-contractor vehicles as some kind of evidence that there is progress on the renovation.
3. Acknowledgement that the garage and front porch was demolished.
4. Attempted to get a response from Urban Homeworks about any of the accusations that you are making.
I like neighborhood bloggers when they do actual research as opposed to the 'e-harmony' version of a story- "a picture and a paragraph." Maybe researching the details of every story is too much, but when you have multiple people countering your version of the story...it seems like a good opportunity to try to obtain more facts.
Urban Homeworks office is just up the street from that property- I like to hear your thoughts after you've talked to them and found out a little more of the details that others are suggesting exist.
@ Huntie,
Look, I appreciate your point of view in the matter. But I've gotta say its really hard to make a 180 on my perspective when you're in the demo phase of the project. You're in the demo phase, and that's after the property has been vacant and boarded for years...
While I'm sure UHW is an outstanding organization, the facts that its taking years just to accomp... no wait... years just to still be in the demo phase of the project to renovate is something worth mentioning.
Furthermore, this posting was in reference specifically to this property, not any others. So you can relax, the soul of your organization isn't under attack.
On a different note, why has that building sat vacant and boarded for years??
Just take the hit and move on.
Speaking if taking a hit...cops been by yet?
@ Anon 10:21,
No they haven't. They aren't going to either. :)
Urban Homeworks acquired that property in January of 2009. It needed lead abatement, asbestos abatement and went through full plan review with the city of Minneapolis for a major rehab. I'm not sure where you 'facts' are coming from but it's just inaccurate to say that Urban Homeworks has held this property for "years"
I'm not asking you to do a 180...just to look into the facts before you make assertions that based on partial or inaccurate information.
Wait...January '09 - February '10 is 25 months, which, the last time I checked, does technically qualify as "years."
Sorry, I meant January 2010 as I'm sure you meant February 2011. Yes, it's still a year, but we're talking about a major renovation including lead abatement, asbestos abatement, complete mechanical overhaul, etc. It will be a significantly different property with a significantly different presence on the block.
What was done to abate the lead, and why does that take a year?
I agree with Anon 11:31. Why does it take a year to abate lead? Why wasn't the project started right away?
If you're operating under the pretense of a "2 week renovation" then there is no answer that you would accept. Ask anybody who does major renovation work and they will tell you that you have to spend a significant amount of time in pre-development to finalize your plans and go through the city's process for accepting those plans. This project is complicated by the use of funding sources that all have their own specific hoops to jump through.
So, if you want a slumlord to come in and slap together a cosmetic rehab on a building that has serious problems you can get that done in a short amount of time.
If, however, you want a well done and complete renovation then you have to be okay with the reality that it takes time.
I am inviting any of you (anonymous or otherwise) to see what's happening on this project first hand-walk through it, hear about the plans for affordable units and a handicap accessible unit in that building.
You all want to complain about the plague of slumlords, but when you don't know what a well done project with a respectable developer looks like in your own back yard.
I thought the city only allowed six months for code compliance restorations?
Huntie,
Ah the joys of typos. Yes, I did mean February of 2011, and I stand corrected. I will back you up from my experience in Hawthorne working with developers like PPL, Habitat, and yes, Urban Homeworks. Given the byzantine nature of funding bureaucracies, rehab work can take longer than one might expect.
But I'm also jumping to the defense of I.I. and others. Nobody gets a free pass, and if residents feel that a development project - for profit or non-profit - is taking too long, or if it seems that there are different standards for private individuals vs. non-profits, then I'm glad to see those concerns raised here and elsewhere.
Well said, Hawkman.
Huntie, I just thought I'd let you know that not everyone is complaining about the work that UHW (or other non-profit housing co's)are doing.
Matter of fact, I commend the great rehab projects put together by UHW and from what I have seen, they are also doing a good job of filling the units with families, providing a stabilizing support system and really having an impact on the rental market in north Minneapolis, which to me is probably the #1 thing to impact if anyone wants to make this a more enjoyable, healthy place to live.
But it's good to reach out to your critics as you have done.
@ Huntie,
Send me an e-mail with a date, time, and location for a meeting. I would like to see your work. Now that being said; one of your employees invited me to 1727 Emerson, but when I wrote him back to confirm he never responded back. I'm not just going to show up to a site without getting a confirmation.
Also, I need you to put a lid on the snarky comments. Saying things like about not knowing what a respectable developer looks like, or comparing blog templates to e-harmony and such is only giving off the impression that you have an attitude problem. So if you stop spouting off, I will meet with you.
Deal?
I.I. why are you allowed to use snarky commentary in your writing and in your comments but then you tell a commenter to put a lid on it? It seems by the disclosure on your blog heading that you already know the discussion taking place here will be snarky all around.
@ Anon 8:20,
Excellent question, I'll be happy to answer that.
1. Huntie wants me to change my position on UHW's handling of the 18th & Emerson property.
2. Huntie wants me to come by and meet with them and look at the wonderful work they claim to be doing and acknowledge it as such. Mind you, I don't have a problem with that if this is the case.
3. In lieu of #1 and #2, posting snarky comments every day, several times a day, doesn't reflect well on Huntie's motives, nor does it motivate me to change my position. It's like he's calling me a dick for criticizing UHW on this one property, and then doesn't understand why I'm not eager to change my position. I'd prefer to not be called a dick, so please stop inferring that and I'll be much more receptive to changing my point of view. On the other hand, if UHW people keep slamming me for saying something contrary about them; the Jerk Du Jour designation has been justified.
4. This is my blog... My rules... That's just the way it goes.
I have a vested interest in seeing that the realities of this project and Urban Homeworks' work in the community is accurately represented.
I concede that it's your blog and that there is room to take a few of my comments as 'snarky' but there are not intended to be personal, so I'm sorry if you took them that way.
Yes, my hope is that you'll see things differently when you see first-hand what is happening on that project. I don't expect there to be a full retraction of any previous comments or a pollyannic report of Urban Homeworks wonderful work in the community. I'm just hoping to inform your opinion.
I have sent you (i.i.) an email with a request for some time to meet up and walk through that project.
I am posting anonymously, for obvious reasons. I purchased a NoMi property requiring code compliance AFTER this property was purchased, and it is now owner-occupied by ME. I think we can all agree the best homeowners for NoMi are owner occupants who, have some skin in the game in rehabbing their own property. I was given a 6 month deadline, which does not apply to Urban Homeworks. I had to pay a VBR fee, which was waived for Urban Homeworks. So for this house to sit empty and boarded for over a year before work began creates a blight in the neighborhood. Why don't the rules apply to non-profits? I have TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. 1) I heard a rumor that TC Land Bank bought this property FOR A PREMIUM from a PRIVATE DEVELOPER who had plans to do a good rehab. IS THIS TRUE? 2) Is there any city or county money in this property? If so, how much?
huntie, stop wasting your time trying to tell these northside bloggers anything. They think they are beyond righteous, they are people who know everything, and it really doesn't matter if you are the voice of reason, they tell you to mind your own business.
Try to be reasonable and you'll just end up the Jerk du Jour.
I'm going to take the advice of anonymous (#2) and respectfully bow out of the conversation. I will be getting together with Mr. i.i. himself and look forward to the exchange.
Anonymous #1-your taking the issue in a completely different direction, which I will not be baited into engagement on that level in this venue. I welcome you to come to our office and seek answers to the 'rumors' you are referencing. Regarding your question about city or county money in this project...what's the right answer in your opinion? Based on your comments, I have a hunch what you'll say but I'll not engage on that issue in this venue either. Please feel free to either make an appointment or email me directly and we can get together at a location of your choosing.
I.I.
I know you had a chance to meet with another of our staff, but did you get my message about connecting?
Urban Homeworks is doing some incredible work in this neighborhood. They have built and remodeled dozens of homes and have brought many new homeowners into the neighborhood. I personally know dozens of them. Wonderful people who we need in this neighborhood. They are also doing a fantastic job on managing their rental properties. It may be taking a while on this one building but they are doing it right and it will be well maintained when it is finished. At least it wasn't bought by another slumlord. Let's be thankful!
As a worker for Tree Trust at the Time before it was finished there was a lot of work being done. This house is QUALITY done. Beautiful inside great hardwood floors, and a HUGE basement. We tore down the walls and turned it into a fourplex. Tore down the porch dug the holes in -15 Degree temperature and put it up when it was warmer. I put the paper on the top of that porch roof. If you believe that these jobs should be done faster I have to disagree. A lot of it is volunteer time and done by people YOUNGER than 21. It is setup as learning a Trade Skill. Great program Tree Trust Youthbuild.
The house came out really well and I would honestly live in it.
Post a Comment