Some of you may not have known that Pipsqueaks indoor play area has been operating in Kutzky Park for more than a year. Based out of the United Way gym, parent volunteers committed to providing healthy recreation for the children in our community gathered equipment and have volunteered their time to staff the facility. Open primarily during the winter months, it has given many families a great place to burn off energy in a setting where you don't have to buy a cheese burger to have fun!

Recognizing the need for this to become a permanent facility, the newest Leadership Greater Rochester group, a leadership training sponosored by the Chamber of Commerce, has taken Pipsqueaks on as their community service project. Leading the effort with a committment to raise $100,000, they have also partnered with the Rochester Park and Rec department and the United Way. Park and Rec has made a committment to maintain the facility once built, and the United Way has committed to in-kind leasing of the space.

The current space in the United Way gym will be upgraded with new, outdoor-scale playground equipment, a separate entrance, new bathrooms, and rubberized flooring. There will also be a separate area for nursing mothers and infants, and track for operating tricycles and other tot-sized modes of transporation!

This truely collaborative effort will create a unique gathering space for our community, and will be a tremendous asset to Kutzky Park. Through a series of four neighborhood meetings lead by the Imagine Kutzky effort since June 2004, as well as a survey that went out to the neighborhood last Fall, a recurring theme has been that Kutzky Park neighborhood needs more amenities that could make it a more family friendly neighborhood. Being that the United Way Building is in the center of the neighborhood, Pipsqueaks will contribute to the vitality of the neighborhood, and help create a neighborhood focal point at the United Way location.

As a way for Kutzky Park to show support for this endeavor, we would like to contribute to the fundraising effort. If you are interested, visit the Project Pipsqueaks website to contribute online.

Imagine Kutzky and the KPNA will be gathering contributions to make a collective donation on behalf of the neighborhood. If you would like to contribute in any amount, you may also send a check in the amount of your choice to:

KPNA/Imagine Kutzky
P.O. Box 6101
Rochester, MN 55903

Make check payable to KPNA, specify 'Pipsqueaks' on the memo line. Checks must be received by April 1.

Posted by Stephanie at 9:50 AM | Link

 

Last night, the Kutzky Park Neighborhood achieved stunning success. Although, it didn’t feel like it at first. In fact, the many neighborhood residents and leaders who were there to support their neighborhood felt like they had taken a beating.

At last night’s City Council meeting, two important issues were discussed with our City Council members through public hearings. The first was the issue of a problem rental property, and second was another development project on the edge of a neighborhood. Generally speaking, both of these issues have been significant threats to Kutzky Park and other core city neighborhoods for years; one threatening the decay of crime and blight, the other threatening extinction of our older neighborhoods by continually etching away at the edges. (Continue reading the Kutzky Park Weblog for detailed commentary about these two issues.)

Last night, neighborhood leaders and residents had stacked great hopes for neighborhood improvement on their requests for a stiff penalty for a negligent landlord, and support for an important development process; it was believed both would set a precedent and indicate how our decision makers would fall on these issues when they arise again.

We lost on both issues. It first it felt as though the council sent the message that they simply did not support neighborhoods, and that the countless hours many have spent trying to improve their neighborhood were wasted.

But before everybody plants FOR SALE signs in their front yards, and vacates the neighborhood at an accelerated rate in hopes of destabilizing it to the point that it implodes and the city is left with a mess on their hands, to which you can say, “I told you so,” I’d like to point out a few things that I saw in Kutzky Park residents that I had not seen before:

New faces: Not just one or two, but 10 or 12 new people wanting to be involved and educated on issues. In meeting these people, it was apparent that they all have a genuine desire to be connected to their community, not just show up and complain.

The presence of other neighborhood's leaders: Members of the East Side Pioneers neighborhood were there in support of Kutzky Park efforts with the understanding that these truly are city issues, not the concern of a small, overactive special interest group.

Smart, educated and professional attitude and speaking skills of all those representing the neighborhood: Kutzky Park neighborhood leaders are truly in training to be our future civic leaders.

The use of a brand new ordinance never before used: While the penalty imposed by the City Council to the property owner was a disappointment to neighbors who live with chronic disrepair due to negligent landlords, it must be considered a success that this ordinance and process has only been in place six months, and has already been used. Previous to this ordinance, which took effect in September 2004, there was no way to address repeated Building Safety non-compliance. Unbelievably, there was no end to the amount of corrections orders that could be written to a given property with no penalty. And here’s the best part, the process works! In the first four months after the ordinance was established, 817 1st Street SW had acquired three housing code violations, and the property owner was notified by the city that they would be conducting public hearing for the purpose of reviewing the situation and taking possible disciplinary action.

Last night the council did take disciplinary action. While it wasn’t what many neighborhood residents had their heart set on, we must remember that at least we were there, in a public forum, where we were able to bring our concerns forward before our city leaders. And they worked their way through a process new to everybody.

And last, while the City Council voted to waive an important step in reviewing and ensuring good development for our neighborhoods and city, Imagine Kutzky leaders learned more about what must be done to require good development. We can now be even more specific about implementing guidelines and restrictions for the purpose of combining new development with preservation. This is a tricky balance to strike, and without seeing the failings of the process already available to us, we may never have known how important it was to begin implementation of new development guidelines.

Several important elements came together last night that will continue to build; new leadership, more people who care and are aware of the issues, more people monitoring the bottom-line votes of our decision makers, alliances among neighborhoods with similar issues, a new ordinance that really works and provided disciplinary action for a landlord who, less than a year ago, would never have been made accountable in any way.

Depending on your perspective and what side of the issues you sat on last night, City Council votes are not what determined our success, but something more important. We laid the foundation for future, long-term success. Citizens concerned for their neighborhoods worked hard, came prepared, and made progress. As we grow together in these experiences, I am certain that the Imagine Kutzky mission will prevail, and Kutzky Park will increasingly become Rochester’s most vibrant and successful community model.

Commentary by
Stephanie Kilen
Imagine Kutzky Coordinator

Posted by Stephanie at 7:42 PM | Link

 

The B'nai Israel Synagogue redevelopment project proposed at the location of 2nd Street SW and 1st Street SW along 7th Avenue was approved as a final development at last night's City Council meeting. The project proposed by the Synagogue will be an improvement to the neighborhood. It is the type of use neighborhoods welcome, and the project was received favorably by those in attendance at the neighborhood meeting during which it was presented on February 8th. But there is another issue that the City Council dismissed as unimportant, but which is our only tool of ensuring good development in urban areas: The Incentive Development Process.

An Incentive Development is a way for a developer to implement a building size larger than what would normally be allowed, but that because of incentives they give back to the community, there is a compelling reason to allow the development to occur. In even plainer terms, it’s worth letting the development take up some extra space because it is also better than average, and the development is giving something as a trade-off to the community. Some things considered as incentives are extra landscaping, extra boulevard trees, special paving and streetscape elements such as street lights, benches and other pedestrian amenities, and high quality building materials.

To ensure that the development will indeed be better than what would normally be required, a more detailed review process is required. Our city ordinance says that Incentive Developments shall receive first a preliminary approval, but then come back again for a final review of the plan. Building color scheme, improved landscaping over and above the bare minimum usually required, and review of signage are examples of details to be reviewed during the final review of an incentive development. In an older urban neighborhood such as Kutzky Park, where developers nearly always propose larger buildings than what would normally be allowable on the smaller lots typical of old neighborhoods, Incentives are our only tool for helping make proposed development compatible with the urban setting.

There is also a possibility outlined in our ordinance that allows the City Council to waive the final review of the plan if can meet all the requirements for an incentive development during the first review process. It has become commonplace in Rochester for this final review process to be skipped and for the entire project to be approved during the first, or preliminary review.

While our ordinance clearly allows for this, our ordinance is also less clear about what an incentive exactly is, and there is no standard outlined for how many incentives an individual project must provide. This is leading to a ‘watering down’ of incentive developments, and the effect is that they are not much different than regular developments, except that the developer gets to take some extra liberties.

The recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the official group commissioned by our city to review developments prior to City Council, was that the final review of the B’nai Israel Synagogue NOT be waived. As outlined in the minutes from the public hearing of this review, there were concerns regarding the appearance of the building from Second Street and minimal contribution to the streetscape of the Second Street Corridor, the most important entrance to our city. The commission also expressed that the lack of detail did not make the development worthy of final approval.

Last night, with no discussion of the Commission’s recommendations, the City Council unanimously voted to waive the final review of this project, even though it did not meet the conditions set by staff, and even though the neighborhood representatives pleaded their case that the integrity of the Incentive Development process be upheld.

Indeed the B’nai project is coming along well and will be an asset to the neighborhood, but the council members, among their reasons for waiving the final review was not that the concerns of the Planning and Zoning Commission had been met, or that the development was so compelling in it’s detail and incentives that felt it worthy of immediate approval. Instead, reasons why the final review was waived were because the project was close enough to being complete and nothing is ever 100 percent, and that there were not major complaints from the neighborhood about the use or design of the building, so they didn’t see any reason not to waive the final review.

Representataive Marcia Marcoux did express concern over bypassing the final review due to the fact that no long-term parking lease or solution had been worked out between the Synagogue and other shared parking lots. But by the commentary of other council members, she appeared to be the only member of the council willing to consider what problems might arise out of waiving the final review.

So the point has been missed: Instead of looking to what should be especially important because the project was an Incentive Development, the project was looked at as any other, and the standard for redevelopment in special areas such as Kutzky Park was lowered. It is not the B’nai Israel Synagogue project that will lower the standards; all indications are that project will develop beautifully. But now that the final review has been waived, we do not have assurance. And so it will be with the one after that, and the one after that, and so on.

A major effort is underway by Imagine Kutzky to find solutions to development issues such as this one. We are working to set new standards that will preserve and protect the integrity of the neighborhood, and ensure development that will compliment the special and unique features of Kutzky Park

Commentary by
Stephanie Kilen
Imagine Kutzky Coordinator

Posted by Stephanie at 6:59 PM | Link

 

The public hearing regarding the property at 817 1st Street SW at last night’s City Council meeting was initiated by the fact that the property received three housing code violations from Building Safety in less than a year, as outlined by a new ordinance established in September 2004. In fact, in this case the property was cited these violations within the first four months of the ordinance’s inception. It is the first to go through this new process.

Due to the property’s chronic neglect, neighborhood leaders and representatives from 1st Street SW testified at length and asked for the stiffest penalty available; $1,000 per violation, equaling $3,000, revocation of the rental certificate, and loss of rights to rent the property for up a year. The landlord instead received only a six-month probationary period (during which time Building Safety is to keep a close eye on the property), and a $1,000 fine with the option to reduce it to $750 if the landlord attends a Crime Free Multi-Housing class.

Three City Council members expressed the opinion that they didn’t believe the landlord should be fined anything because then he could take the money and invest it into the property, and that might be the most beneficial outcome to the neighborhood. In discussion afterwards, neighbors didn’t understand this logic. We were all there because of a pattern over two and a half years that proved the landlord did not maintain the property. Why would he do it now if he were let off with no fine? But another Council member expressed the opinion that the fine should be as much as $2,000. Counselors met in the middle, and imposed a penalty of $1,000, plus probation, in support of an ordinance that didn’t even exist 6 months ago.

Considering the history of landlord neglect and lack of repercussions for it, as well as inconsistent enforcement of the housing code in the past, this is an amazing step in the right direction. In this regard, the neighborhood residents recognized the support they did receive by the fine that was agreed upon. The disappointment that remained stemmed from the thought that after a landlord has drawn so much income off the property without investing anything back, they’ve made an awful lot of money at the expense of the neighborhood. How can $750, or even $1,000 be enough incentive to stop bad rental management practices? $1,000 really isn’t that much when compared to the life span of a cash cow.

But here is where the real win comes: This brand new ordinance is designed to stop the milking of the cash cow. Just a few months ago, absolutely nothing would have happened to curb the repeated housing code violations at 817 1st Street SW.

As a previous neighbor who shared a driveway with this property, I can say with certainty, as I testified at the City Council last night, that this property drove my family and me out of our well-loved home in Kutzky Park. The Building Safety record on this property is more than 50 pages long.

For two years we dealt with piles of garbage on the back and front porch weekly, tenant cars blocking our shared driveway, junk and household garbage stored in the garage with the door open constantly to expose the mess, parties during which people were known to urinate in our driveway, noise, and toward the end, piles of dog feces that accumulated to the point where I started cleaning up after the dog myself. The last two groups of tenants to live in the house mowed the lawn five times in two years. One summer, the backyard was never mowed! After repeated attempts to contact the landlord, and repeated attempts to talk with the tenants and ask them to clean up garbage and mow, we got nowhere. And Building Safety got nowhere, sending out correction notice upon correction notice.

This could have continued indefinitely, and the same situation at other properties could have driven even more families out of the neighborhood. But thanks to this ordinance, our city now has a way to enforce it’s own housing code and bring an end to the ridiculous waste of city staff time used to cite neglectful landlords for years at a time.

It is due to the ideas and prompting of Kutzky Park neighborhood leaders, City Council ward representative Marcia Marcoux, and the common-sense approach and legwork of Building Safety staff that this new ordinance was adopted. Now the entire city has a vehicle by which to enforce it’s own housing code that didn’t exist before. This ordinance will undoubtedly make things better for the efficiency of our city’s staff and money, as well as improve the blight and deterioration of rental properties in neighborhoods. While neighbors didn’t receive the exact outcome they would have liked, the city is listening and showing support by their initiative in writing this ordinance, and now their willingness to use and support it.

Commentary by
Stephanie Kilen
Imagine Kutzky Coordinator

Posted by Stephanie at 6:33 PM | Link

 
At the next Rochester City Council Meeting, two important Kutzky Park issues will be before the Council. We are asking you to show your support for your neighborhood by attending. Information on these issues can be found in the postings below on this website, 1. Rental Property public hearing for 817 1st Street SW, 2. And the redevelopment of B'nai Israel Synagogue.

Posted by Stephanie at 1:20 PM | Link

 
On February 8th, architects and representatives of the B'nai Israel Synagogue attended our KPNA meeting. They presented their plans for the redevelopment and expansion of a new Synagogue. Currently located at the corner of 2nd Street SW and 7th Avenue, the new building will border both 2nd Street SW and 7th Avenue, as well as 1st Street SW.

Neighborhood residents and leaders who have reviewed this project feel that it is progressing to be a well-designed building and will be an assset to the neighborhood when completed. Also believing this project to be finishing a 'schematic' phase and just now proceeding into design development, leaders believe that more details need to be developed before the project receives final approval. At the City Council meeting on Feb. 23, the council will be deciding whether to give this project final approval, or preliminary approval with the condition that it be approved as final after more details have developed. The following memorandum outlines the issues and clarifies the KPNA position on this project.

The site plan and building design, Planning Department Staff report on this project, and minutes from the Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on this project are all available on the Rochester/Olmsted Planning and Zoning Commission website.

Posted by Stephanie at 10:26 AM | Link

 
On February 23rd, an important Public Hearing at the City Council meeting will take place: It deals with a problem property in Kutzky Park at 817 1st St SW.

Back in June the Rochester City Council added a new section to the Building Safety Code (38.125). It was discovered that letters for violations to the code had become little more than paper tigers to some of the rental property owners. Inspectors would return to problem properties time and time again citing violations, but nothing was being resolved. Instead rental properties are being allowed to continue to be neglected/run down and in some areas of Kutzky Park it is translating into problems involved criminal activity much like the days before 1996.

The new ordinance is similar to the disorderly use clause. After an inspector has written three letters of correction (3 tickets) the Building Safety Director can cause a hearing before the Rental Housing Complaint Board. At the conclusion of this meeting, they decide if there is need for a public hearing to consider suspension or revocation of the certificate. If the certificate holder has violated the statues, rules or ordinances, the Council may impose sanctions, including a civil fine of $1000 for each violation that occurred.

In the case of 817 1st Street SW, the property was without a rental certificate for 180 days. Each day without the certificate is a separate violation.

This is the first time a property owner is being brought before the City Council under the new ordinance to consider revocation or suspension of the certificate, and/or fines for Building Safety violations. 817 1st St SW has had a repeated history of landlord neglect since the current owner purchased the property in June 2002.

A brief summary of its history includes; 1 overcrowding violation, 3 disorderly use notices within in its 2 ½ year history, 39 line items of Building Safety violations which included 3 Animal control tickets, and 16 police calls to the property-most for noise violations. Two different sets of tenants cancelled their trash pick up for months and stored the bags in the garage and on the porches.

Below you will see the letter that is being presented before the Common Council and a spreadsheet documenting the history of the property. Please consider attending or contacting the Council regarding this important hearing. We are all impacted when property declines and landlords neglect issues as they arise.

After reviewing the following infomation, visit the Rochester City Council webpage to find contact information for City Council members, including Marcia Marcoux (representative of Kutzky Park), Council President Dennis Hanson, as well as the full panel of Council members and Mayor Brede.

The following letter has been submitted to City Council members and signed by members of the Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association Board of Directors:

Regarding: Housing Code Violations at 817 1st St., SW

Subject: Request for Council action on February 23, 2005, public hearing

The Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association strongly urges your taking action on this matter. Co-Block Captains Joan Karrer and Lonnie Heimer, after two years of great difficulty, have asked the Association to present this case for Council action.

We have here extensive documentation of repeated offenses to civil habitation on this residential street, one of the more structurally and socially fragile in the City. These block captains have poured countless hours into the documentation, a task that should not need to be asked of upright citizens in pursuit of Domestic Tranquillity. Herein we petition for redress of grievances.

Attached are a summary of offenses against City Ordinances 32.09, 34.07, 35.04, 35.21, 38.01, 38.11, 38,12, 38,125, 38.150 and 38.152, .153, .154; followed by a consolidated spreadsheet of offenses, followed by copies of all relevant documents from the complaint file at the Building and Safety Department procured at our expense. The record is clear and speaks for itself.

We also call attention to 32.02, wherein “..enforcement of the…provisions of the housing code shall be through and by the director of building and safety…” It is known that for at least six months from June to December of 2004 that a rental certificate for this property was lacking. Under 38.11, each day lacking a certificate is a separate violation, and each violation is subject to a maximum fine of $1000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both. This is a serious ordinance and it has not been enforced. We plead for enforcement of our own ordinances and for the conservation of our venerable neighborhoods. Thank you for your attention.

Signature page follows in original document;

Glenn Faith, KPNA President, pro. tem.
Dave Edmonson, KPNA Treasurer
Andy Masterpole, Member, KPNA Board of Directors
Nicole Pierson, Member, KPNA Board of Directors
Joan Karrer, Member, KPNA Board of Directors and 1st Street SW Block Captain
Lonnie Heimer, 1st Street SW Block Captain

Click on the link below to view the record of activity on this property:

Report on history of activity - 817 1ST STREET SW FROM BUILDING SAFETY RECORDS, ANIMAL CONTROL REPORTS, AND ROCHESTER POLICE INCIDENT REPORTS (excel)

Posted by Stephanie at 3:21 PM | Link

 
Many of you recently attended our last Imagine Kutzky neighborhood gathering on January 25th. We had a successful turnout - more than 50 of you showed up to hear our first presentation to Kutzky Park residents of the Preliminary Vision Plan. We received some great input, and all your questions have given us even more work to do! Your feedback is extremely important if we are to build a plan that is truely good for the people of the Kutzky Park area, as well as the larger Rochester community.

Fifty people is a wonderful turn-out for a neighborhood meeting in February. But we need to hear from many more of you. With proposals such as returning our streets back to two-way traffic and new park space amenities, we really need your input and support.

Imagine Kutzky goals and recommendations are now posted to the website. Please take a few minutes to read through and view the Prelminary Vision Plans. We encourage you to contact us with any concerns, questions, ideas or thoughts that come to you as you think about our proposed changes for the neighborhood.

Very soon we also will be posting the feedback your fellow neighbors have already given us. If you would like to receive automatic updates on this information, please subscribe to Kutzky Park esubscritions in the box at the top of this page. This will keep you up to date on current web postings as well as keep you in touch with what your neighbors are saying about Imagine Kutzky and other important neighborhood issues.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,
Stephanie Kilen,
Coordinator
Andy Masterpole,
Urban Planner & Designer
Imagine Kutzky

Posted by Stephanie at 2:30 PM | Link

 

1. Presentation by B'nai Israel staff and architects of plans for expansion and replacement of synagogue, and developing a parking lot.

note: this is an important meeting because of the seriousness of the architecture, enroachment into R-4 Zone, and of the process established by ordinance for an Incentive Development

2. Report on status of problem property at 817 1st St., SW

3. Other business to be brought forth.

Please attend if you can.

Posted by Stephanie at 2:44 PM | Link

 

Posted by Stephanie at 7:54 AM | Link

 
The Kutzky Park Neighborhood Association will meet on:

Tuesday, February 8th, 7 p.m.
Lourdes High School Auditorium

1. Come see a presentation of the plans for the new B'Nai Israel Synagogue. Architects will be sharing their vision for a new building at the corner of 2nd Street SW and 7th Ave. Please come and learn more about this exciting development in our neighborhood and as always, give us your feedback!

2. Update on public hearings for 817 1st Street SW. Come and find out what neighborhood leaders are doing to advocate for better rental property practices in Kutzky Park. Your help and feedback is important on this issue.
Link to the Post Bulletin article to learn more.

Posted by Stephanie at 5:30 PM | Link

 





stairs and hallway:



Bedroom:





Exterior:

Posted by Stephanie at 11:46 AM | Link