You may have heard of the Harrison Neighborhood in North Minneapolis. It’s a wonderfully diverse place, where 71% of the residents are people of color. It is surrounded by natural assets, just west of downtown Minneapolis and east of beautiful Wirth Park. Yet 37% of the neighborhood lives in poverty, more than double the rate of the rest of the city.

Harrison Neighborhood residents worked for over a decade to develop a community plan for the redevelopment of one of the few tracts of land that can be developed near downtown. The plan was officially adopted by the City in 2008, and would provide the following:

  • Livable Wage Jobs
  • Affordable Housing
  • Health Clinics
  • Green Spaces (parks, bike trails, etc.)
  • Integrated Transit
  • Better Connections between North and South Minneapolis

 

This plan, the Bassett Creek Valley (BCV) Master Plan, has languished due to a dense thicket of competing interests and public agencies. Hennepin County has proposed siting a diesel commuter train layover/maintenance facility in the area.  This proposal, as currently drafted, would sacrifice all housing units and a significant number of jobs due to the space needed for the layover facility. The county has refused to study alternative sites, effectively holding the community hostage, and deterring development efforts in the area.

Leaders from Harrison would like to invite YOU  to join us from 6:30-8:30 pm on Thursday, June 21 for a bus tour of the Bassett Creek redevelopment site. Come and learn about this issue firsthand. See how the vacuum in leadership among the county, regional, state and federal agencies could seriously damage one of the city’s most ethnically diverse neighborhoods. Find out how YOU can play a part in working together to make the BCV Master Plan create racial equity and prosperity for all.

Please join us at Redeemer Lutheran Church (1800 Glenwood Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55405) for this exciting tour!

For more information on why ISAIAH’s involved with the Harrison Neighborhood on this issue read: ISAIAH Prophetic Witness: Basset Creek Valley Master Plan.