(Note: This letter was submitted as a comment on the City of Minneapolis draft Environmental Assessement Worksheet for the DeLaSalle stadium)

November 15, 2005

J. Michael Orange, Principal Planner

Minneapolis Planning Division

Community Planning & Economic Development Department

City Hall Room 210

350 S. 5th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55415-1385

Re:     Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for DeLaSalle Athletic Facility Development Project, Nicollet Island, Minneapolis

Dear Mr. Orange:

This letter relates to the draft EAW for the proposed athletic facility development project on Nicollet Island within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District in Minneapolis.  As background, I served on the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) for  21years and worked extensively on many historic preservation aspects of Nicollet Island during those years.  Also, my professional work on Nicollet Island included design for renovation of 6 houses, one new infill structure, and one addition.

One aspect of the EAW immediately jumps out at me - the EAW either deliberately or inadvertently understates the issue by setting up components of Nicollet Island to be analyzed as discrete parts, not in the totality in which its historic importance lies. For instance, the EAW text implies that closing East Grove Street has no impact on the physicality of the houses or the historic district.  The real issue is how its removal affects the historic integrity of the whole island.  The EAW should consider the historical impacts of the proposed development within an embrace of the larger picture, which the developer avoids doing for its own purpose.

A key attribute of a designated historic property is its uniqueness. This attribute has been used over and over to describe Nicollet Island. Nicollet Island is the only inhabited part of Minneapolis completely surrounded by water.  Sitting astride the Mississippi River at the head of Saint Anthony Falls, as if being a witness to the entire span of the city’s history. The island itself functioned as a sort of fulcrum to leverage city growth from Saint Anthony across the river to land that became an upper Midwest prairie metropolis. Perhaps Nicollet Island’s most unique characteristic is its enduring strength in a seeming self-preservation of its natural features amidst the dramatic alteration of the built environment on the island itself and the riverfront around it.

That strength has been guided by the hand of civic interest and dedication, which the City should apply today.  In this case, the proposed athletic field is incompatible with the landscape and structures on the island, especially the closing of East Grove Street, the large obtrusive retaining wall, the distorted rise of topography, and the highly visible lighting fixtures that will greatly disturb the quiet character of the river environment.  The proposed development is simply too big for this small island location.  To evaluate alternatives that would mitigate these significant environmental impacts, the City should require preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Thank you for your consideration of these comments.

Sincerely,

Robert Roscoe