To the barricades!

Some neighborhood leaders were upset enough at a Parkside West meeting Monday, August 23, about the removal of the barricades at Lake and Elliot that they talked of lying down in front of traffic to preserve their cul de sac.

Chicago Lake Liquor Store has forced the City of Minneapolis to re-open Elliot Avenue at Lake Street and eliminate the cul de sac that has brought a treasured tranquility to residents on Elliot Avenue for the past six years. The liquor store claimed people were turning onto Elliot Avenue thinking it was a through street and turning around in their driveway to get back onto Lake Street. This, they said, was an illegal taking of their property rights. Rather than discuss the problem with the neighborhood, they threatened a lawsuit that would have cost the City thousands of dollars. The City agreed to surrender the cul de sac.

At a very well attended meeting last month, the neighborhood group told Mayor Rybak and Council Member Robert Lilligren they wanted the cul de sac preserved. Unfortunately, for the neighborhood, at the moment it looks like Chicago Lake Liquor has won. The City has dismantled the cul de sac, but it has "throated" Elliot Avenue just before the entrance to Chicago Lake Liquors, reducing the street width from 32 feet to 12 feet, and it has throated the other end of the street at 31st Street as well. As if to underscore the temporary nature of this solution, the throating is done with a half a dozen orange barrels on either side of the street at both junctures. This reduction of street width should reduce speed and overall traffic. The City has made Elliot a one-way street after the throating at the entrance to Chicago Lake Liquors. Traffic can only move south at that point to 31st Street.

The Mayor said he was impressed with this neighborhood when he door-knocked the area running for election three years ago. He said he judged a neighborhood on how well they maintained their gardens, and Parkside West passed the garden test with flying colors. He understood that once Midway Exchange opened there might be as many as 2,200 cars going to the building. It was understandable that the neighborhood did not want those cars running down their streets. Rybak and Lilligren agreed to work for a permanent solution that would include a cul de sac, but that would mean legally taking a house or part of the Chicago Lake Liquor Store parking lot to provide access to the alley between Chicago and Elliot. This would mean condemnation by Eminent Domain and a capital expense of probably around $350,000. The Mayor said this was a high priority for his budget, but it would have to be approved by the Capital Long Range Improvements Committee to be included in next year's budget.

The Mayor and Councilmember Robert Lilligren were asked by the group, "If funding can be found, will you support closing Elliot and returning the cul de sac?" They both answered, "Yes."

Parkside West will be watching to see how well Rybak and Lilligren deliver on their promises.