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Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission approves consent item; staff reports awards, appeals and heritage study updates
Summary
At its March 2025 regular meeting the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission approved a consent-item staff recommendation for 4761 Washington Avenue North and heard staff updates on the Minneapolis Preservation Awards, two recent appeals and an African American historic context study.
The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission on March 2025 approved staff findings on a consent agenda item for 4761 Washington Avenue North and spent the remainder of its brief meeting receiving staff announcements about upcoming preservation awards, recent appeals and ongoing historic studies.
Marie Bjornberg, chair of the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, opened the meeting and confirmed a nine-member quorum. After placing 4761 Washington Avenue North, Ward 3, on the consent agenda with no public opposition, commissioners approved staff recommendations by voice vote.
Andrea Burke, supervisor for the historic preservation team in the City of Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) department, gave the meeting’s substantive staff report. Burke said, “The Minneapolis Preservation Awards are coming up next week. It is Thursday, March 13 at the Capri Theater, which is 2027 West Broadway. They start at about 5 p.m. and run until 7:30 p.m.” She directed commissioners and the public to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) website for recipient information.
Burke also updated the commission on two appeals. She said an appeal of a condition on the Feb. 4 HPC decision for 204 Fifth Avenue Southeast was granted; the applicants appealed one condition and that appeal was allowed. Separately, Burke said an appeal of the commission’s demolition recommendation for the grain elevators at 3501 Hiawatha Avenue was denied by the City’s Business, Housing and Zoning Committee, and “the demolition will continue as planned by the developers,” she said.
Burke told commissioners that CPED completed a systematic rewrite of more than 200 designated landmark and historic-district profiles into plain language and posted them on the city’s website. “We spent almost an entire year doing this,” she said, thanking staff and communications partners for the work. She also reported that a draft of the African American Historic and Cultural Context Study has been submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office and posted in the work group’s agenda for public review; an architectural-history survey of 25 properties is underway in conjunction with that study. Burke said the African American Heritage Work Group met recently and will next meet March 25; the work group is expected to conclude in June.
The meeting closed after a brief round of procedural votes and a reminder about appointment season for other city boards and commissions.
Votes at a glance: The commission adopted the meeting agenda on a motion by Commissioner Melblum, seconded by Vice Chair Masten; the motion passed by voice vote with all present voting aye. The commission approved minutes for the Feb. 4, 2025 meeting on a motion by Commissioner Hair, seconded by Commissioner Alexander; the minutes were approved with Vice Chair Masten recorded as abstaining. The consent agenda item (4761 Washington Avenue North, Ward 3) was approved as recommended by staff on a motion by Commissioner Melblum, seconded by Commissioner Corrado; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded dissents or abstentions. Applicants for approved consent items were advised to contact CPED planning staff about next steps.
The commission adjourned with its next regular meeting scheduled for March 18, 2025.
