Edina residents ponder creating a neighborhood association

Rob Erickson lives in Edina. Not near 50th and France. Not in Country Club or Morningside.

Erickson's neighborhood between W. 70th Street and Nine Mile Creek has no formal name.

But it may soon get one, at least among residents. He and some of his neighbors are trying to form a neighborhood association. He hopes to spread the word to 450 homes about an organizational meeting in March or April.

"We want an identity, and we want to get to know people better," he said.

Neighborhood associations and councils are thriving in Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Louis Park. Bloomington rejected them long ago. Brooklyn Park has sensed a yearning for such groups. Edina has some associations, but they get no official city support.

Neighborhood associations can seemingly shrink a big city, becoming fonts of activism and a bridge between government and residents.

In Minneapolis and Edina, associations have been a springboard for such initiatives as organized organic recycling. Last year in St. Louis Park, quick communication from an association drew hundreds of residents to a meeting about a development that people didn't want, and the boosters backed away.

Designating neighborhoods

While highly active neighborhood groups can spring up on their own, the most effective ones seem to be in cities that took an active role in designating neighborhoods and getting associations started.

That happened in St. Louis Park, which in the early 1990s divided its 10 square miles into 35 neighborhoods and has 27 active neighborhood associations. The experience with associations has been a good one, said Marney Olson, the city's community liaison.

"Strong neighborhood associations really help," she said. "They are the connection between the city and the people in their neighborhood. If there's issues or redevelopment going on, we use the neighborhood associations to get the word out. It's a great tool that way."

She said the sense of identity and community that develops can increase security with strong block watch groups. This year, St. Louis Park is allocating $31,000 to a program that allows neighborhoods associations to apply for grants of up to $2,000 for projects that build community.

Lois Zander, association co-chair, said more than 100 people came to the group's social last fall. The group has formed an alliance with a church whose pastor sought the group out when he came to St. Louis Park to ask how the two could work together. Church members help when the association has its food drive. When it rained on the day of the social, the pastor allowed the group to move the event to the church.

"I feel really at home here," Zander said. "These are my people; this is my place in the world. I feel safe here."

Mixed results elsewhere

Bloomington decided against establishing neighborhoods in the early 1970s because residents mainly identified with the east or west sides of the city, said Bob Hawbaker, planning and economic development manager.

Brooklyn Park discussed a neighborhood initiative late in 2008. Residents were very interested, said Jason Aarsvold, economic and redevelopment director. The city created a plan to divide Brooklyn Park into about 44 neighborhoods. But it did not get grant money to follow through on the plan.

Edina City Council Member Joni Bennett is one of the founders of the Morningside Neighborhood Association and would like the city to recognize formally defined neighborhoods. No such move is imminent, though there are a variety of neighborhood organizations in the city.

Bennett said she thinks organized associations would make it easier for the city to reach residents and vice versa. "Sometimes someone steps forward and says, 'I speak for the neighborhood,' " Bennett said. "But do they? And who has designated them?"

Minneapolis' experience

Minneapolis has had designated neighborhoods since 1959. Residents strongly identify with such areas as Longfellow, Powderhorn and Linden Hills, said Bob Cooper, a city citizen participation manager. The associations prioritize and distribute Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) money and that gives them added power.

"Part of the success of NRP is that problems are addressed at an ever more local level," Cooper said. "Residents see the problems they've identified resolved. Their sense that the city is handling problems is increased."

Cooper said traffic-calming changes came from neighborhood groups, as did the push for cops on bikes and for lower street lighting, which makes people feel safer.

"A lot of innovation has come from these groups," he said. "The challenge is how we can take good ideas generated in a single neighborhood and carry them to the whole city."