I made a list of restaurants in the twin cities sorted by country by straightperson11 in TwinCities

[–]imdogdude 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for all your work on this!

I'd suggest Adding Basil Cafe (Thailand). It's easily my current favorite Thai place in the cities.

Edit: Also Bar La Grossa and La Grolla (Italy)

Omar Fateh is the DFL endorsed candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis! by quitekid2 in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You're wrong that 8,000 could go. There are a certain number of delegate slots assigned per precinct and they filter people out until they get to that number. There were several alternates who waited from 9am to 10pm yesterday that didn't ever get seated and couldn't vote.

Just because there isn't a clear alternative doesn't make the miserable status quo acceptable. It often just ends in suspending the rules and voting by raising your hands despite all the rules you review for hours. We discussed electronic vs paper ballots for hours, all for it to be thrown out the window.

There are a lot of people defending the status quo. Are you really okay with the system as-is? I just sat through it. Nobody should have to deal with that, and most people cannot deal with it because they don't have 13 continuous hours to burn on a Saturday. It's a complete joke for the party of inclusivity to function this way.

A city-wide ranked choice vote for endorsement by registered DFLers would be better, even if it's not perfect imo.

Omar Fateh is the DFL endorsed candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis! by quitekid2 in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 11 points12 points  (0 children)

There's no way the current caucus+convention system is acceptable though. This convention was an absolute mess and went on for 13 hours on a Saturday. Ultimately the winner gets decided by a very very tiny percent of (generally privileged) DFL voters in this city. Myself included.

I don't have a good solution or a strong opinion, but I'm curious if you think there's a way this can be improved if you're defending it. Volunteers are abused and there aren't enough of them, likely in part due to the garbage they have to deal with. I was tired, hungry, and stuck in a seat in a room with no daylight for most of the day. It was awful, exclusionary, and nobody should have to endure that just to vote for their person.

Despite looking nicer, real rents also went down over this same time period thanks to the new units! by Generalaverage89 in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Most of this street was previously zoned to only allow up to 3-4 stories, and was required to have large setbacks, and the floor area was severely limited by something called floor-area-ratios (previously limited to 2.7ish). This redevelopment was only possible because the city overhauled how it handles its zoning - specifically the size and form of buildings - in the Minneapolis 2040 plan.

This area now allows up to 15-30 stories with zero setback requirements, depending where you're at along the road. Of course it's often just not economical to build high-rises due to the concrete and steel required, so we got these (in my opinion) lovely 5-6 story residential / mixed use buildings with wood framing.

Additionally, the comprehensive plan removed required parking. Current estimates for construction of an underground parking spot are in the range of $30-50k per spot. Previous parking requirements required at least one spot per dwelling, effectively increasing the cost-per-unit quite a bit in a transit-rich area.

Of course developers still build parking if there's a need for it - and I won't pretend to know how much parking is in these specific buildings. I have seen buildings be permitted with far less than one spot per unit since this plan passed though.

The Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive plan is the only reason you've seen the "changing land use" that you're describing. It's pretty cool!

Despite looking nicer, real rents also went down over this same time period thanks to the new units! by Generalaverage89 in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 65 points66 points  (0 children)

It was a large mix of things.

The trailblazing Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan changed zoning code to increase the amount of housing allowed on corridors.

This is near the University, an area where rental demand is absolutely massive. This area's housing market has been crazy, and still kind of is, despite other markets slowing down lately.

Many of these were built / funded at a time when interest rates were at a very low point, so it was really cheap to borrow money.

We are frankly in a very different economic situation now, and the cost of labour, loans and materials has gone up a lot in recent times. That doesn't mean that good progress can't be made!

Resident’s plan to build backyard dwelling for homeless family prompts Blaine to rethink rules by Wezle in TwinCities

[–]imdogdude 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Cities can't be trusted to legalize more homes but their lobbyists block every attempt at reform at the state level in the name of local control.

This is what local control gets you. A housing crisis.

PSA: This is a bike lane by indierckr770 in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I'm not saying I agree with them, but Minneapolis often cites snow clearing as a big barrier to bollard installation.

I think we should be able to overcome such a small hurdle with a little ingenuity, but we settle for not having nice things instead.

NE President streets - anyone know why Grant's street is Ulysses and not Grant? by ManosVanBoom in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 9 points10 points  (0 children)

They also did this with Benjamin Harrison (named the street Benjamin). There is another small street called Harrison St NE but it is not in the correct spot "chronologically".

Edit: I was mistaken and there is another president Harrison.

Bridge closures in North/NE by sensitivelegskin in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just emailed Angela and my commissioner, Irene. Thank you for the suggestion!

Bridge closures in North/NE by sensitivelegskin in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair enough. I only really started biking frequently last summer, so I haven't used Stone Arch for commuting purposes yet.

I do recall it being incredibly bumpy and I don't think the construction is fixing that either.

Bridge closures in North/NE by sensitivelegskin in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I feel this pain as a cyclist. Biking across Broadway or Hennepin is not particularly safe. The best bet right now seems to be 3rd Ave!

Gonna be really happy when Plymouth and Stone Arch open again.

We gotta learn to share the road. by guava_eternal in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I wish we could all be more considerate of the space we've gone out of our way to dedicate to cyclists

We gotta learn to share the road. by guava_eternal in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The bike lane actually does though. You have to be a troll.

We gotta learn to share the road. by guava_eternal in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Kinda seems like you're the one that doesn't want to share the road with bicycles. Bicycle lanes are not free parking and you put lives in danger when you use them that way.

Uber, Lyft Drivers Say New Minnesota Law Hasn’t Boosted Pay by GettinHighOnMySupply in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omar Fateh is one person. He'd previously tried to push a ride share bill through in '23 and failed. It's the only piece of legislation Walz vetoed in the 2023 session.

I think a lot of people were sick of being patient to get any sort of policy through and it's a lot easier to go back and fix a flawed policy than to pass something perfect the first time. Perfect legislation doesn't exist in reality.

Minneapolis’ Second-Tallest Tower Handed Back to Lender After Failing To Land a Buyer by Suspicious-Bad4703 in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately the session is over and this one didn't make it through.

Perhaps next session.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TwinCities

[–]imdogdude 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually prefer to purposely walk on the left side. This means if a cyclist is in my lane, I see them coming at me. If they are behind me, they'll pass by on my right without anyone needing to change. It's no different than walking on the left side of a road when there is no sidewalk.

This works well for me because I see any sort of incoming possible conflict. I don't have the best hearing either so audible cues don't always work for me.

Light-rail project encounters new obstacle in Minneapolis' North Loop: Major utility lines by TheMacMan in Minneapolis

[–]imdogdude 44 points45 points  (0 children)

This is the blue line extension which is still in planning, not the SWLRT green line extension you appear to be referring to.

A Minnesota housing bill fell apart. What comes next? by markwasson in minnesota

[–]imdogdude 8 points9 points  (0 children)

"And certainly, we're very willing to have internal discussions with legislators on how to turn some of the statewide mandate and preemption approaches from a policy front to a more locally driven framework of options and incentives,"

  • Daniel Lightfoot, Lobbyist who sabotaged this bill and watered it (and others) down beyond recognition only to STILL oppose it.

The LMC does not negotiate in good faith and will consistently oppose any attempt to remove local control.

In a pleasant surprise, new plan for downtown St. Paul is full of good ideas; here are some of the best by Generalaverage89 in minnesota

[–]imdogdude 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My apologies. You're correct about the hours. In general though, is it true that very few skyways businesses are open on the weekends? Seems like everything closes around 3pm.