Memo- Executive Summary Of Focus Group Results
. TO: City of Hopkins City Council and Staff
FROM: Tom Allen, The Organization Coach
SUBJECT: Executive Summary of Focus Group Results
DATE: February 11,2000
This summary is based on input from 16 focus groups. 255 people were invited. 94
participated. The specific input of each focus group is attached to this executive
summary. Participants were generally pleased to have been asked. There is genuine
interest among them to hear back about the results.
Generally, people are very positive about the community. They are saying they want
more of the same for the next 20 years. Broader societal changes, increasing diversity,
and the high percentage of multi-family dwellings are perceived as threats by some to
"staying the course". (see attached summary of common ground and differences). The
Phase two proposal will suggest a way of addressing these concerns.
Participants generally expressed appreciation for leadership in Hopkins. They perceive
the downtown redevelopment to have been courageous and forward thinking. The mayor
and council members are seem as having been accessible, open, and responsive. People
. are impressed with the positive impact of service organizations. Some are concerned that
the community may be in danger oflosing this kind ofleadership. In particular, they
think that the next generation of strong leaders is not yet emerging and that an increasing
number of current leaders live outside the community. To some, city hall staff seems
less accessible and approachable than in the past.
Everyone universally praises downtown redevelopment. With that said, some people
perceive that a coherent development strategy is missing. They would say that there is
not yet clarity about priority emphasis between basic shopping needs of local residents
and destination point interests of non-residents. The youth in particular are concerned
that there does not appear to be a consistent look like they see in other communities.
They want to retain the unique look of Hopkins, but they think the community would be
hard pressed to describe what it's trying to do. Some think that there is a danger in
"thinking that we're done" in downtown redevelopment.
Generally, people are pleased with city government services. Seniors in particular
appreciate the responsiveness offire and police services. Some participants thought that
snow removal could be improved (snow ruts and more consistent sidewalk removal).
There are those who think some staff (inspections was mentioned most often and
sometimes police officers) forget the spirit of the law in their zeal to carry out the letter of
the law. It seems to them like there is too much emphasis on telling people what they
can't do, as opposed to helping them figure out how to solve their problems. Others feel
. like there has been a deterioration in the strength of the relationship between police and
individual community members.
. Page 2
There is a certain tension between council and staff. Expectations that each side have of
the other are not always met. This tension seems to be transparent to most of the
community. The phase two proposal will suggest a way of addressing that challenge.
What people would need to see to participate further in this planning process ranges
all over the map. Everyone wants to know that they can make a difference. Some people
want to be involved in the big picture, while others want to be focused on action in
specific areas of interest. AU participants would need to have plenty of advance notice
prior to meetings - at least two to three weeks. For many, it will be important to recruit
them in person or by phone and it will probably take more than one contact. For people
at the margins (apartment residents, disabled, those oflower economic means,
multicultural) it may take some actual community organizing and special incentives. (e.g.
child care during meetings, transportation arrangements, and even financial incentives)
To City Council members:
Proposed results for our meeting on Tuesday, February 22.
1. Evaluation of the executive summary and focus group input.
- Questions of clarification.
- Did I (Tom Allen) get it right?
. - What concerned you?
- What made you proud?
- What made you angry?
- What possibilities for the future excite you?
- Were you surprised by anything?
2. Evaluation of a proposal for Phase Two. The proposal will be presented at the
meeting.
3. Commitment to any next steps.
To City Staff
The City Council will have met prior to our meeting on Wednesday, February 23.
Proposed results for this meeting will be the same, except that we will overview what
action, if any, the Council chose to take on the phase two proposal the night before.
I look forward to your evaluation of this report and the phase two proposal.
.
. DRAFT #1 DRAFT #1
Proposed Vision
For Community Of Hopkins
Where there is common groumL Most people would agree with the following
statements regarding what they would like the community of Hopkins to be 20 years from
now.
* Small town main street feel.
* Where everything is within walking distance.
* Where the school district is excellent.
* Where property values continue to rise.
* Where people feel safe.
* Where there is strong community leadership that is approachable, accessible, and
invitational.
* A community with a heart.
* Where there are adequate green spaces and recreation areas.
* Where there is a community wide sense of pride about the way the community
looks to residents and non-residents alike.
* Where there is a continuing commitment to redevelopment
- That maintains Hopkins' uniqueness.
. - That has a planned coherence to the look of the community.
- That is proactive and creative.
* Where people act with responsibility and participation.
* A small town oasis in the midst of a large metropolitan area. One which other
communities are trying to emulate.
* Where people feel welcome and a sense of hospitality - where everybody knows
your name.
Where there is not yet agreement about what people want to see Hopkins become over
the next 20 years.
* There is not yet agreement about diversity. (Handicapped, multicultural, etc.)
- Does the community want diverse individuals to be an integral part of the
community or not?
- Is the vision described above in danger because of diversity?
- How would diverse individuals become an integral part of the community
if that were desired?
* There is not yet agreement about apartment residents.
- Does the community want apartment residents to be an integral part of the
community or not?
- Do apartment residents want to be an integral part?
- If so, how?
.
. City of Hopkins Focus Group Results
Citv Staff (15 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Downtown development has been a plus.
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Communication between city departments could be enhanced.
2. All businesses should have the same level of influence and receive the same
treatment as downtown merchants.
3. Not sure that the council and others in the community understand the increasing
challenges of a diverse population (multicultural, income, mentally ill, physically
handicapped) and their differing values.
4. Increasing diversity makes community safety a higher concern.
5. Depth of resources and skills (e.g. social worker skills) to deal with increasing
social issues (e.g. alcoholism).
6. An understanding by council that we can't please all of the people all of the time.
7. Equal enforcement for all regardless of status or position.
Differences - whe.'e there was not yet agreement
1. Does Hopkins have more seniors than other communities or not?
. 2. What is it we believe about apartment buildings and section 8 housing and their
impact on the community?
-. Is the relationship between council and staff as good as it could be? The more the
~.
contact between the staff person and council members, the better perceived that
relationship seemed to be.
Seniors / Retirees (8 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Police and fire department very responsive.
2. Excellent senior community center and programs.
-. Appreciate the ability to walk to everything.
~.
4. Like living in Hopkins - small town main street feel.
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Seniors only low income housing.
2. Faster service in bank teller lines.
3. Store in town that sells nice, comfortable, new clothes.
4. Variety store in town for basic needs.
5. Shoe store in town.
6. Additional grocery store close to Main Street, so that there is an additional choice.
7. Transportation to appointments and health care.
. 8. Take senior citizen / retiree input seriously.
9. A more personal connection to staff at city hall.
. Page 2
(Seniors;' retirees - lvhat's missing - continued)
10 A freeze on senior real estate taxes.
11. Enhancing the ability to walk to everything:
- Benches on the street.
- Snow removal could be improved in spots.
What will need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Food.
2. Just ask. We'll be there.
Adl'isorv / Boards / Commissions - Grouf) #1 (6 participanb)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Strong community leadership willing to step up and approachable
- Businesses
- Mayor and council
- Staff
- Community service organizations
2. Center for the Arts I Family Resource Center / Pavilion
3. Main street small town feel
- Sense of belonging
. - Everybody knows your name
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Peace of mind that the community can be maintained as a place free from crime.
2. Proactive management of social service challenges that are growing at a more
rapid rate than we're addressing them.
- Breakdown in family social systems.
- Drinking I drugs / tobacco
- Increasing diversity - foreign nationals
-- Dealing with communication barriers.
- The "mainstream" community understanding and adapting to increasing
diversity.
- Overcrowded living spaces.
3. People showing up and participating in formal city government processes (e.g.
like these focus groups)
4. A renewed sense of vision I mission & focus. Clear direction coming from the
council.
5. Follow through on past focus groups in past city projects.
6. Council's understanding of its own role and leaving management up to staff.
.
. Page 3
(lvha/'s missing - advisOlY ! board') ! commissions - continued)
7. Effective communication from city government to the community.
- Be careful not to assume that everyone knows the history of things.
- Be careful not to assume that apartment dwellers are all transient and
therefore not interested in being involved.
- About what's going on where and when.
- Be open about crimes so that people know.
What will need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Assurance that input will be heard and will shape what takes place.
2. Assurance that action and follow through will take place.
ReliJ!ious communitv (3 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Main Street is a draw - well maintained and clean.
2. High quality staff, council, and police force.
3. Parks are an asset.
4. Business community committed to Hopkins.
5. Feeling of safety.
. 6. Good working relationship between religious community and community of
Hopkins.
7. SelP as a place for religious community to connect and make a contribution.
8. Facelift has been done on West Brooke.
9. The quality and mix of the religious organizations is good.
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Affordable family restaurant.
2. Hopkins I Minnetonka clergy group is an untapped resource.
3. More restaurants for downtown business lunch hour.
4. Infrastructure and processes that connect people that need resources with people
that have resources. Go beyond asking for volunteers to help with planning.
Instead, give the religious community something to do.
What will need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Involve us in action rather than planning.
2. Communicate results oHocus groups and progress on visioning process.
.
. Page -I
Human & Social Sen'ices (3 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Everything within walking distance.
2. Small town ambiance.
3. Close knit social conununity - works together - rootedness.
4. West Brook has been stabilized.
5. Strength ofleadership (trailer parks, West Brook, Arts Center, Theater)
6. Commitment of people dedicated to this community.
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Single family homeowners and apartment dwellers moving beyond coexistence
into community with each other.
2. Hopkins city government understanding that it has a role as provider and funder
of social services.
3. Support to frail elders in both homes and apartments.
4. Assisted living for low-income seniors.
5. Understanding by city government that the religious community includes non-
Christians.
6. Dreaming bigger on redevelopment (e.g. along Excelsior) as has already been
. done with projects like the Arts Center. (a good example of this is the community
of Richfield)
7. Untapped resources - large corporations to help with social challenges the way
that companies like Honeywell work with the city of Minneapolis. Hopkins has a
labor supply to offer them. (High % of apartments in city makes this possible)
8. City leaders not understanding the positive economic impact of nonprofits on the
community. Need to support them like any other business.
9. One central group that plans for and addresses human service needs of the
community.
10. Proactive partnership between non-profits and the police force.
11. A process and structure for the religious community to engage each other.
12. Development of a vision that embraces a diverse immigrant population as part of
the community.
Differences - where there was not yet agreement:
1. Some participants committed to participating further in the planning process if it
entails concrete action that addresses a specific constituent group served by that
non-profit. Some will participate extensively, if a vision tor the community
embraced diversity.
2. Some participants voiced support for a central location for social services and
some were not committed to such a proposal.
.
. Page 5
AdvLmrv / Board... / Commissions - Group #2 (8 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Arts Center / Theater
2. Main Street has made a real comeback
3. Ability to do business locally
4. Small community atmosphere
5. City services excellent
6. Accessibility to city officials
7. New beach / parks / trails / Pavilion
8. History of social/economic diversity and single family housing stock to support
that diversity
9. Excellent school system
10. Clean community
11. Central location - good access to major highways
12. We feel safe
13. West Brook feels a lot safer than 3 years ago
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Adequate parking on Main Street
. 2. Focus and warmth to attract people to gather (more trees, benches, colors,
flowers, internet cafe, etc.)
3. Restaurants on Main Street
4. Redevelopment of Hopkins House area.
5. A caution - assurances that the % of single family housing is maintained or
increased in order to maintain vitality of community and avoid urban blight.
6. Consistent sidewalks on streets as long as it fits the character of the area
7. Interactive city web site (for information and convenient way to interact with city
government)
8. Understanding by some in the community that we've already done our fair share
at developing affordable housing.
Diffe.'ences - where there was not yet agreement:
1. Is there a need for a focus on Main Street (a niche or theme) so that businesses
can better complement each other?
.
. Page 6
Citv Council (5 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. The council cares and is willing to listen
2. Pride in the community
3. Attractive community
4. High level of community participation and involvement
5. Depot / Arts Center
Common ground - what's missing?
1. More openness / accessibility between council and police department
2. Understanding and agreement regarding expectations and roles between staff and
council.
3. Ongoing public acknowledgement and recognition of what the community has
done well.
4. Council success at communicating to citizens the importance of meeting the needs
of the entire community.
5. Council success at communicating to citizens that they are listening, but that they
. may not have much choice on some issues.
6. A priority on English as a second language.
7. Council satisfaction with staff follow through and accountability.
8. Shared vision between staff and council regarding what effective public relations
looks like.
9. All parts of Hopkins equally attractive physically.
10. Enhanced levels of customer service, flexibility, and adaptability (web site,
internet access, etc.)
11. Community police officers.
12. Understanding and agreement on a community vision that encompasses diversity.
Service OrJ!anizations (5 participants - only 1 was a resident)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Art Center proved that you can affect change in Hopkins without changing the
character of Hopkins.
2. Efforts to make Hopkins a destination point have been successful.
3. Subsidized apartment buildings for seniors were saved.
4. People want to live in this school district.
5. Hop - A - Ride subsidized transportation.
6. A Main Street small town feel that other suburbs are trying to copy. We need to
. maintain what we have in the midst of change.
. Page 7
Common gl'ound - what's missing?
1. Bike trail friendliness.
2. Ability to maintain seniors in their homes.
3. Hotels for hosting big events.
4. High quality dining.
5. Attractive places to keep teens and young people downtown.
6. Synergy between service clubs, beyond the Raspberry Festival.
7. Clarity about development of Main Street:
- Destination point for people from outside Hopkins vs.
- Needs of the residents with 70% apartments and 30% single housing mix.
8. Marketing of what's available in Hopkins to people outside Hopkins.
9. Affordable single-family housing other than West Brooke.
10. Space for more development - limited to 4 square miles.
11. People not understanding difference between "affordable" and "subsidized"
housing.
12. A proactive approach to think about and plan for increasing diversity.
13. Hopkins as destination point has worked, but the retail has left and local residents
don't have as much of what they need.
Recommended by this group: additional focus group for West Brooke so we get
. affordable housing perspective.
Current and former public officials (3 participants - only 1 was a resident)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Good housing stock - a better mix than most.
2. Good schools.
3. Sense of community.
4. Very defined community in a blurred metro area.
5. People care:
- Welcoming.
- Caring for people in need.
- Active and supporting what's going on in the community.
- Service clubs give much time and money.
6. City services generally good.
7. Started as small town - family values.
8. Small town relationships - people know the merchants.
9. History of quiet but strong commitment on the part of leaders.
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Better marketing of the city - so that outside interests look at Hopkins.
2. Stronger economic development leadership.
3. Not meeting the needs of transient people.
. 4. Community's understanding that "apartment" doesn't necessarily mean "transient."
. Page 8
(what's missing? - C1lrre11l and former public officials- continued)
5. Understanding how to foster community among a broader, more diverse group of
people.
6. Understanding of how technology might change the nature of business in
Hopkins.
7. Faith community doing more together.
8. Understanding by council that there needs to be a constant focus on addressing
business needs.
9. Development at the east end of downtown.
10. Understanding that the downtown is fragile. There is a need for more retaiL
11. The next generation of leadership in town and in the business community.
12. City staff more focused on listening and asking how they can help rather than
being solely focused on enforcement.
13. The council looking out for what's best for all and avoiding the temptation to
focus onjust the person standing in front of them.
14. A more welcoming environment for businesses and diversity.
15. Understanding of how to weave diversity with small town values.
16. City staff more active outside the city han building - more out in the community.
17. City staff seeing itself as the agent of change to satisfy the needs of businesses
and homeowners, while still upholding ordinances. "What are you trying to
. accomplish?" rather than telling people all that they "can't" do.
18. Stronger zoning and planning. Emphasis on planning, not just reacting to zoning
lssues.
- Non-resident business or landowner on the commission.
- Strong professional planner.
- More linkage in planning from one segment to another, rather than as
separate projects.
What will need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Will participate if invited.
2. Needs to be short term, limited life conunitment.
NeiJdlborllOod Leadersltif} (8 participants)
Common ground - what's p.'esent?
1. Doing a good job of meeting basic human needs.
2. Service clubs support to the city.
3. Apartment manager coalition. (However, Treemont Plaza is an exception and
could be an issue.)
4. Real improvements in quality of businesses over the years (e.g. reduced number
of problem bars).
5. Good schools.
6. Large number and variety of churches.
.
. Page 9
(what's present - neighborhood leadership-continued)
7. Everything within easy walking distance.
8. Excellent place to live.
9. Theater, Arts Center, Depot, Pavilion.
10. Small town with a heart.
11. After school programs in apartment buildings.
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Air quality due to industry in certain parts of town.
2. Cleanliness and maintenance of property throughout the community - public and
private.
.., Police officers and staff that live in town.
-'.
4. Private banquet and meeting facilities.
5. Understanding, communication, and involvement of multi-family housing
residents in the community.
6. Reasonable increases in water and sewer over time.
7. Safety of bikers going across Excelsior.
Differences - where there was not yet agreement:
1. Do we need more ordinances and enforcement of existing ordinances or not?
. 2. Are apartments a problem and how?
- Are residents transient or not?
- Can residents be encouraged to get involved?
- Are apartment buildings in need of more maintenance and upkeep?
- Can they have pride in the community?
J. Is snow plowing an issue or not?
4. Parking
- Is there enough parking or not?
- Is parking over or under enforced?
- Can we ever agree?
What will need to be Pl'esent to insure their participation?
1. Needs to be an issue that would be important to specific individuals.
2. Need to know that action will happen as a result of participation.
.
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. Page 10
Business Communitv (3 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Strong leadership on Super Value project.
2. All parts of the community came together on the Arts Center.
3. Small town feel - visitors from outside the community like that.
4. Large number of service organizations.
5. Reasonable priced housing.
6. Leaders that look out for the needs of all rather than just a few.
7. You know the retail people that you're buying from.
8. Good energy and community on Main Street.
9. Revitalization of downtown.
10. Leadership of council to carefully study multi-family housing / commercial/and
single family housing mix.
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Some businesses being concerned about the whole community, beyond just
themselves.
2. Not always safe to walk across the street (volume and speed of traffic).
3. More suburb-to-suburb transit.
4. Enhanced marketing of The Arts Center outside of Hopkins.
. 5. Enhancements to the look of businesses on Excelsior.
6. Single resource (communication / community gathering place that's warm and
comfortable ).
7. Full service kitchen in the Arts Center.
8. Community wide leadership on the Arts Center carried through to other projects.
9. Gathering place for service club breakfast and lunch meetings.
10. Increased sense of pride in the entire community about the whole community,
beyond pride in selected pockets and projects.
11. Management and cooperation regarding parking.
12. Enforcing spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law. More positive
approach about enforcing ordinances - a constructive approach.
13. A plan to address changing diversity in the community. Integrating diverse
people into the community.
14. Liberalization of building codes that would make use of older building space
economically feasible.
15. More external communication from city hall - more liaisons to the community,
rather than exclusively focusing on internal communication.
16. More leadership to provide networking of groups across the community.
17. Service clubs working together to make up for declines in volunteerism.
.
. Page 11
HAMA / Sonoma (5 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
I. Participation in the community is high.
2. Central location for social and community services for all western suburbs.
3. Antique stores.
4. Fire department and 911 very responsive.
5. Good road repair (w/exception of road between Snyders and Norwest)
6. Cultural and education offerings (festivals, parades, music, etc.)
7. Hop A Ride.
8. Sewerage, waste, and garbage disposal.
9. Activities for the elderly.
10. Family Resource Center.
11. The Depot.
12. Accessibility to public officials.
13. Hometown feel.
14. Strong churches.
15. Housing density creates more consumers for retail businesses.
16. A "real" town - walking distances to all businesses.
. Common ground - what's missing?
1. Apartment building owners that live outside the area may not be committed to the
community.
2. Timeliness, availability, and reliability of metro mobility. Patron understanding
of how to make better use of this resource.
3. Geese control.
4. Clarity in the city's last strategic plan regarding small rental housing problems to
be addressed by HAMA.
5. Enhanced community policing.
6. More opportunities for seniors to volunteer.
7. Publication of fax numbers and e-mail addresses for businesses on Main Street.
8. Prevention of kids loitering around tattoo store.
9. Some stores not handicap accessible.
10. A pet store.
II. Sun Sailor for every apartment resident, so that effective communication about
the community can happen.
12. Lack of understanding and appreciation by single-family homeowners of the
benefits of multi-family housing.
13. More housing like Sonoma and Dow Towers.
14. Noise control
- Super Value warehouse (truck traffic)
- Bars in town
.
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. Page 12
(HAMA-Sul1oma- cOlJtinued)
Differences - where there is not yet agreement:
l. Do buses provide adequate transportation or not?
2. Too may thrift stores? Are they unattractive and do they attract the wrong types
of people?
What will need to be present to insure their participation?
l. Planning process should address ways to connect apartment and single-family
residents.
RamsJ!ate (apartment renters - 5 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Bus service on weekends.
2. Police are visible and establish a sense of authority around apartment buildings.
3. Arts Center and theater.
4. Good working relationship between Ramsgate apartment manager and police
department.
5. Main Street development.
6. The Depot - kids have ownership in it.
7. More friendly, quiet, and clean than other suburbs.
. 8. Roz, manager at Ramsgate, treats all 360 units like they are her own.
Common ground - what's missing?
l. A city council seat set-aside specifically for renters only.
2. Awareness in the community that Hopkins is not as crime free and safe as it used
to be.
3. Effective communication regarding the city's preparation for Y2K.
4. Apartment residents recruited to serve on boards and commissions.
5. Rental housing resident input in city decision making. It needs to be invitational
and welcoming.
6. Affordable housing for first time homebuyers.
7. Skateboarding facilities for kids.
8. Transportation
- Higher frequency ofMTC.
- North and south movement.
9. Weather protection for kids waiting for school buses.
10. Shuttle bus up and down Main Street for seniors that don't want to drive their cars
into town and who would value the convenience once they arrive.
11. Simplified Hop A Ride (able to confirm dates and times and stick with them) -
more flexible and dependable.
12. Input into city decision making from people economically challenged (those using
programs and services).
.
. Page 13
(what's missing? - Ramsgate - continued)
13. City council sensitivity to cultural diversity. Paying attention to foreign nationals
that can't vote.
14. Working relationship between other apartment buildings (other than Ramsgate)
and the police.
15. Adequate plans and resources for apartment buildings (other than Ramsgate).
16. Library open longer (earlier in day; later at night; on Sundays)
- More convenient for adult work schedules and kids.
17. Business owners unaware of the need for affordable housing and its benefits for
the labor supply.
18. Awareness of the Depot and what's available for kids at the Depot.
19. Space downtown (billiards, video games, etc) within walking distance for kids
who are economically challenged.
20. Personal contact and leadership to organize apartments dwellers and get their
input in decision-making.
Differences - where there was not yet agreement.
1. Does communication to apartment residents need to be improved?
2. Do we need more affordable sit down family restaurants or not?
3. Should the city buyout Archie's to eliminate undesirable crowd or not?
. What will need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Willing to help recruit and organize apartment residents to participate in the
planning process.
Make IllJ !!roUfJ - those who cou/dn't attend at another time (4 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Shady Oak Beach.
2. Redevelopment of Main Street.
3. Strong values
- Family.
- Education.
- Religious community.
4. Safe place to live.
5. Walking distance to safe places.
6. Depot coffee house.
7. West Brooke is coming back.
8. Modest, well maintained, owner occupied homes in North Hopkins.
9. Hopkins has downtown area other cities want.
10. Good trail system.
11. Generally, good city services.
.
. Page I-f.
(ll'hat'spresent? - make up group - continued)
12. Excelsior boulevard improvement process.
13. The city supports neighborhoods. Important to continue development of a sense
of neighborhood participation.
14. Partnerships between city, schools, and businesses. (e.g. Family Resource Center
and Arts Center)
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Community room at Shady Oak Beach.
2. Kids who don't feel the need for smoking, drinking, or drugs.
3. Transportation around town for seniors.
4. Noise abatement on 5th avenue & Excelsior from switching trains.
5. Early winter snow pack, which results in large ruts and ice problems later in the
winter.
6. Attractive egress and ingress. Would like to see more of a boulevard look for all
egress and ingress streets, especially for Blake Road. (looks like an industrial
wasteland)
7. A plan to address the increasing economic and cultural diversity.
8. Policing and activity options for teenage groups on downtown Main Street at
night.
9. Sensitive responses to citizen concerns by public works.
. 10. Some areas of single-family homes need to be rehabilitated - aging housing stock.
11. Positive attitude of the planning department.
12. Smoke free environment in Maetzold Park.
13. Next development plan for downtown.
14. Plans for ensuring that housing stock stays owner occupied.
15. Skateboard facility for kids.
16. The ability to feel like this will continue to be a safe community.
What will need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Need to know the time commitment.
2. Would want to know that I was an active part of the process, not just a reviewer.
3. Clear focus tor what I'm being asked to do.
4. Some would want to participate in the development of the larger plan. Some
would want to participate in segmented issues of concern to themselves.
.
. Page J 5
Education (4 participants)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Partnership that created Family Resource Center, etc. (critical to maintain these
partnershi ps.)
2. Civic pride - sense of responsibility.
3. Main Street upgrades.
4. Level of community diversity.
5. Excellent school system.
6. Small town feel.
7. Welcoming community.
8. Biking trails.
9. Tenacity ofleadership in face of opposition.
10. Family Resource Center.
11. Events like Raspberry Festival - community belonging and involvement.
12. Encouragement of the arts.
13. Variety of churches, synagogues, and faith communities.
14. Increasing trend toward owner occupied density.
1 S. The Depot.
16. Community gardening plots on the south end of town.
17. Pavilion, parks, and Music in the Park.
. Common ground - what's missing?
1. Community-wide commitment by all residents to embracing and actually
showcasing diversity.
2. Public transit - to replace the old streetcar.
3. City staff diversity training and awareness (suggest Ruby Payne)
4. Residents embracing and welcoming all residents and newcomers - avoiding
provincialism.
S. Upgrading retail shopping that meets all basic needs.
6. Increase funding for Family Resource Center.
7. Banning drinking at public events. (beer tent at summer events)
8. Expanded relationship building:
- School system to the community.
- Police oflicers to the community and students in particular.
9. Duck and geese control.
10. Forward thinking redevelopment of Excelsior across from Blake.
11. Regular professional behavior by all council members in public forums.
(Behavior that is devoid of sarcasm and condescension.)
12. More partnerships between the city, schools, and apartment owners to provide
recreational programs and facilities for kids.
.
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Education (continued)
Differ"enees - where there was not yet agreement:
l. Are the police responding appropriately and proportionately to residents and
students in schools or not? (e,g, towing a car for lapsed license tabs; overreaction
to student misbehavior)
What will need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Encourage representation in the planning process from all surrounding
communities,
2. Would need to know that this input and planning will make a difference,
3. Be specific regarding what is entailed.
- What's the focus?
- What's the time commitment?
4. Ensure that use of time in the process is efficient.
S. Give at least two-week advance notice for all meetings.
Youth (7 participants - 4 junior high and 3 senior high)
Common ground - what's present?
1. Replaced trailer court with town homes, It reduced some people behavior
. problems,
2. City always seems to be getting better.
3. Maetzold field,
4. Small town feel - everything within walking distance,
5. Quiet.
6. People are friendly.
7. Feels safe.
8. Center for the Arts, library, and theater.
9. The Depot,
10, Bike trails,
Common ground - what's missing?
1. Continued prevalence of independent community owned stores.
2. Cleaning up the city (tattoos parlor, bars, gun shops)
3, Nice restaurants - more like the Big 10,
.
. Page J 7
Youth - H'hat's missing (continued)
4. Upgrade the old
- Restore real old buildings.
- Get rid of 70's strip mall look (e.g. Excelsior and Blake)
- Best examples of the way redevelopment could look:
-- The Big 10.
-- Monkabeans
-- Like 50th and France in Edina.
-- Like Uptown.
-- Like Dunn Brothers coffee on Minnetonka Boulevard.
5. A place for teens - a recreation center (sports, etc.)
6. A combination of variety, creativity, coherence, and complementarity among
buildings.
7. A more aesthetically pleasing Hopkins. We don't want it to look like Minnetonka,
but you can tell immediately when you cross the line from Hopkins to
Minnetonka.
8. More shopping places.
9. More green - gardens, trees, flowers, nook areas (e.g. the barber shop near Taits)
and green grass - like the grounds of Blake School.
10. Wipe out and totally redevelop:
. - Hopkins House
- Blake and Excelsior.
- Knollwood. (we know that this is in St. Louis Park)
- Center Drugs strip mall area.
What would need to be present to insure their participation?
1. Just ask us. We'd be glad to participate.
.
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