A Voice Of Reason
Star Tribune Letter to the Editor 8-17-2007
NICOLLET ISLAND FIELD
No need to hurryToday the Minneapolis City Council may decide to forever close one half of Nicollet Island's remaining two public cross-streets to build DeLaSalle High School's football stadium. The City Planning Commission, ruling the stadium would violate numerous riverfront plans and destroy valuable river connections, asked the City Council to delay vacating Grove Street until outstanding issues are resolved.
Principles of good government dictate that the council should not rush toward irrevocably vacating Grove Street and that this action cannot meet the city's own "no further public use" standard for street vacations. Further governmental actions are still needed to determine whether the project is even possible
Next week the Metropolitan Council considers next week whether to remove a restrictive covenant dedicating the parkland as public open space where stadiums cannot be built. Last week the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission rejected removing the land from Central Riverfront Regional Park..