Minneapolis water plant facility moves forward, over protests

A controversial proposal to move a Minneapolis Public Works water maintenance facility to an industrial site in the East Phillips neighborhood cleared its first hurdle Monday, despite protests from residents.

The City Council's Ways and Means committee voted 4-1 to forward the proposal for the site at Longfellow Avenue and E. 28th Street in south Minneapolis to the full council for a vote Friday.

City officials say the current water maintenance facility in the northeast part of the city is outdated and needs to be replaced.

They say the East Phillips site, located next to another Public Works site, would help consolidate operations and make the department run more efficiently.

But a vocal group of neighbors, led by Council Member Alondra Cano, say the area is already suffering from years of industrial pollution, and argue that city trucks would exacerbate the health issues faced by the diverse and low-income neighborhood.

Dozens of neighborhood residents turned out for Monday's meeting, many holding signs showing opposition to the city's proposal.

But because the meeting was not an official public hearing, most of the discussion involved only council members and city staff.

"That's really sad that I walk to school every day where no matter which route I take — down Cedar, down Hiawatha — I have to cover my nose and my mouth so I don't smell or taste that air," she said.

The East Phillips site is near two industrial operations: the Bituminous Roadways blacktop plant and Smith Foundry. Cano, who is not a member of the committee, spoke at length about her efforts to keep more industry out of the neighborhood and replace it with businesses that would not contribute significantly to existing pollution problems. She said she has been talking with a private developer interested in working with the community on a plan that could include uses ranging from a bike shop to an indoor fish-growing operation.

Some committee members, however, said the city's plans would likely have less of an impact on the area than most other operations that could move in.

The site is zoned for light industrial use and is occupied by the Roof Depot, a roofing supply company.

City officials say they have made informal inquiries about purchasing the site, which isn't officially on the market.

Bender said she shares neighbors' concerns and likes the idea of transforming the site into something more focused on transit and biking. But she said other types of development could come with risks of their own.

The new Public Works facility would bring an additional 100 workers to the site each day, traffic the city's environmental health director said would be "light" compared with other industrial uses around the city.