Hopkins leaders push for change along Blake Road

Armed with a 123-page, two-year study, Hopkins leaders are poised to make lasting changes to the Blake Road corridor where, until recently, crime had been prevalent and programming non-existent.

Many say those changes should include building a community center.

Redevelopment along Blake Road -- possible in part because it's a tentative site for a Southwest Transitway light-rail station -- could help such a center get built, they say.

Right now, the dense, diverse area -- bounded by busy Excelsior Boulevard, Hwy. 7 and Blake Road itself -- has no school, no library and what community members describe as a poor excuse for a park.

"We need a central point where people in that community know they can get information, know their kids are safe," said Hopkins Police Chief Craig Reid.

Reid's concern about crime and kids in the corridor sparked a "collaborative" effort on the part of about 60 residents, teachers, business owners and others. In 2006, they enlisted St. Paul-based Wilder Research to "clarify community members' concerns" and "identify long-term solutions that promote ... livability, safety, growth and development," according to the report.

Last week, the foundation released the report, based largely on information from focus groups, surveys and interviews conducted in English, Spanish and Somali.

One key finding: Residents' concerns often differed from those of members of the collaborative, only 16 percent of whom live or work in the corridor themselves.

For example, while 81 percent of collaborative members rated the quality of life in the area as "poor" or "very poor," only 16 percent of residents did so. While 73 percent of collaborative members said they felt unsafe at night there, 33 percent of residents did so.

One hundred percent of collaborative members said that drug dealing, fighting in public, domestic violence and gangs were problems. Meanwhile, residents were far from unanimous: 60 percent said teenagers' loitering was a problem, 48 said property crime and 41 percent said gangs were problems.

"Within residents, there was also disagreement," the report reads. "Residents who were white, owned their homes, or lived in the community for a long time tended to rate their community more negatively than did other residents."

Even with such disparities, "there's enough data to say there needs to be a change," said Tom Schirber, a consultant whose recommendations are included in the report.

And, he added, successful community-building efforts across the country include community centers.

On April 8, the Hennepin County Board awarded Hopkins $40,000 to plan for the Blake Road Corridor. The city will add $10,000.

That planning will be hyper-focused on the area, said Tara Beard, the city's community development coordinator, and will use participants' responses to maps, pictures and designs to envision the neighborhood's future.

The possibility of a light-rail stop will prompt discussions about redevelopment and city partnerships, she said. But the county has not finalized the location, so "it's kind of a tricky dance," she said.

Moving forward, in discussions about planning, redevelopment and children's programming, the collaborative must involve more residents, the Wilder report states.

Throughout its existence, the group has struggled -- and sometimes succeeded -- in bringing more residents to neighborhood watch gatherings and more diversity to collaborative meetings.

"We know now that there isn't one common view," said Cheryl Holm-Hansen, one of the report's authors. "So moving forward, you need a group that really reflects the diversity of opinions."

Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168