Reuter Walton (RW), the developers working with owner Peter Kenefick, have filed their application with the City to rezone 695 Grand Avenue (site of Dixie’s, Saji-ya, and Emmett’s Pub) from B2 to T3. The final plans are the result of months of community engagement. They incorporate several changes since the version that was presented on 5/5/21, including a brand new fourth retail space along Grand Ave. and additional setbacks to improve transitions to the existing buildings along St. Albans St.

Public comments via Zoom are invited at the June 8 ZLU meeting. The full SHA Board will vote on this project at a special board meeting on Thursday, June 17. It is expected the application will be reviewed by the City’s Zoning Committee of the Planning Commission on July 1.

Go to the project page, www.SummitHillAssociation.org/695grandave, for:

• Re-zoning and conditional use permit (CUP) application documents

• Architectural and engineering drawings as filed with the City

• RW response to SHA inquiry dated May 20

• Key project dates

Comments on this project can be emailed to ZLU@SummitHillAssociation.org

Drop by Linwood Rec Center on Saturday, May 15, 1:00-6:00pm, to pick up the plants you have ordered.

Proceeds from this sale will go to support the ongoing work of the Summit Hill Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

What do we want to see in place in ten years in Summit Hill?

Join us for in-depth conversations about what the Neighborhood Plan Committee has uncovered around this question since our community engagement began last October. We'll share an overview of findings, unpack main points still to be explored, and provide forums for structured discussion in response. Come ready to listen and participate.

Research materials will be made available for review prior to this meeting at SummitHillAssociation.org/plan.

Register in advance for the meeting here

AGENDA

• Opening

• Presentation & Breakout Rooms
  Choose one:
  1) Wrestling with the East Grand Avenue Zoning Overlay: Change it or Keep It?
  2) Accessing and Experiencing Grand Avenue: Balancing the Needs of Cars and Pedestrians
  Facilitated group discussions in response to presentations, including a more general discussion option

• Main Room: Four new topics
  1) Creative Public Spaces: What Are We Ready & Willing to Do to Enhance Our Civic Commons?
  2) Is the Future Grand? What's Our Role for Supporting Small Businesses?
  3) What are Ways We Can Value Historic Preservation and Climate Solutions in our Plan?
  4) How Do We Weave Racial Equity into Our Neighborhood Plan?
  Breakout Rooms: Facilitated group discussions in response to topical mini-presentations

• Main Room: Large-group harvest

• Closing

NOTE: This gathering is to discuss the future of Summit Hill and weigh our values as a community. For those wanting to discuss specifics around current projects like 695 and 733 Grand, please see the SHA website for project-specific events at SummitHillAssociation.org/zlu. You can also provide public comment on current projects by emailing zlu@SummitHillAssociation.org.

The SHA Spring Plant Sale is here and as in past years, we'll be offering beautiful plants from Gerten's! Annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, herbs, veggies and gift cards are all available. Place your order online now through April 22 and then pick up at Linwood Rec Center on Saturday, May 15, 1:00-6:00pm.

[The ordering period for the plant sale has ended.]

Proceeds from this sale will go to support the ongoing work of the Summit Hill Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Join us at noon on Fridays in March and April as we hear from local thinkers who share their wisdom about the future of our Summit Hill and East Grand Avenue. Topics range from equity, public art, business improvement districts, and the walkability of Grand Ave. The live discussions will be held on Facebook Live on Fridays at noon: Facebook.com/SummitHillAssociation. The recorded conversations will also be available after for viewing on-demand on the Facebook page.

The Summit Hill Association realizes that growth and development is coming to our beloved Grand Ave. business district. Many decisions will be made impacting the entire Summit Hill neighborhood. “In order for our neighbors to be well informed, we thought a speaker series was a great opportunity for neighbors to learn about different aspects of development, so they feel empowered to provide feedback,” said Monica Haas, Executive Director.

We hope you can join us! Here’s the full line-up of speakers:

• March 5: The 2005 Neighborhood Plan & 2006 Overlay District, Merritt Clapp-Smith

• March 12: Grand Avenue Walkability, Bill Lindeke

• March 19: Planning & Equity, Terri Thao

• March 26: Running a Retail Business on Grand, Abigail Adelsheim-Marshall

• April 2: Planning for Resilient Communities, Jon Commers

• April 9: Public Art & Place-making, Jun-Li Wang and Sam Buffington

• April 16: How the Planning Commission Works, Wendy Underwood

• April 23: Business Improvement Districts, Emma Burns and Joe Spencer

• April 30: The Future of Neighborhoods: Climate-Conscious Planning, Russ Stark

• May 28: A Vibrant Option for Main Street Businesses, Christina Nicholson

Join your neighbors as we watch and discuss this important film.

This one-hour documentary uses the history of racial covenants in Minneapolis to explore the complex history of discriminatory housing policies and their contemporary legacies. This Emmy award-winning film explains why mapping racial covenants is so important.

Join us afterward for a discussion moderated by Daniel Williams, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, and affiliate faculty in Critical Studies of Race and Ethnicity and Women's Studies at St. Catherine’s University. Professor Williams' work examines constructions of race, ethnicity and nation from a comparative and intersectional perspective, with a focus on contemporary Germany/Europe and the U.S., as well as the African Diaspora. Specifically, he examines immigration policy, racial categorization, and media representations as key sites of the construction of difference. He teaches courses on immigration and citizenship (in both the US and Europe), race and ethnicity, cities and neighborhoods, as well as the department's research methods course.

Pre-register here: https://www.facebook.com/events/159877752438474

Want to watch but this time doesn’t work for you? You can stream this movie online anytime from free from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWQfDbbQv9E&feature=youtu.be

Note: In March, we’ll be going through the Mapping Prejudice training and then diving in to the database to review deeds. More details will follow.

January 21 @ 7:00 via Zoom

The Summit Hill Association’s Racial Dialogue & Action Committee is proud to present the Renter’s Forum, a chance to learn more about renter’s rights, and to discuss these issues with a legal professional who has been practicing in the field since 1996.

There is no cost to join this forum and all are welcome. Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwud-CprTouGNxu57DOsVXTwMW-wjmuzS2L

This Zoom-only Forum is hosted by Mike Vraa, the Managing Attorney/Hotline Director at HOME Line. A 1995 graduate of Boston University School of Law, he joined HOME Line in 1996 and has practiced in the area of landlord/tenant law exclusively since he started working at HOME Line. He has given over 1,200 speeches on various aspects of landlord/tenant law all around MN and has personally advised over 34,000 Minnesota renters.

• Mike has been quoted extensively in the media, including; USA Today, NPR, MPR, Thomson Reuters, KARE 11, KSTP, WCCO Radio, Star Tribune, and The St. Paul Pioneer Press.

• Mike was also the lead author on HOME Line’s books, How to be the Smartest Renter on Your Block: A Minnesota Tenant’s Rights Guide and the Landlord’s Guide to Minnesota Law.

Have you ever driven around the Historic Hill neighborhoods of Saint Paul and marveled at the wonderful architecture? Or better yet, wondered what these homes look like inside? Well, now the Ramsey Hill and Summit Hill Associations are inviting you inside for a unique, first-ever virtual tour of eight (8) fascinating properties whose halls are decked for Christmas. Come inside and see Christmas reflected in grand foyers and staircases, dining rooms, living rooms, libraries, a kitchen and even a Swedish-inspired front porch. We are all celebrating the holidays differently this year so please join us as we help you create new traditions, inspire your own decorating, and wish you and yours a safe and joyous holiday season and a long awaited Happy New Year.  

The cost for this 30-minute, professionally narrated collection of videos is $20. Click here to purchase. Proceeds benefit community projects and the Summit Hill and Ramsey Hill Associations (both non-profit organizations). Once purchased, videos are available for viewing online from December 12–January 5. Enjoy them from the comfort of your own home. View the homes as many times as you want, all at once or individually. Each segment runs about 3 minutes; total viewing time is 30 minutes.

For the first time, two local organizations, Summit Hill and Ramsey Hill Associations, have joined to tell their stories of homes that have celebrated holidays since the late eighteen-hundreds. For decades, both organizations have been known for home tours that have welcomed guests far-and-wide into their lovingly preserved homes to share history, architecture, and stories. This year, purchase these virtual tours as a treat for yourself or give as a gift. Either way, your purchase helps support our two local organizations when an in-person house tour isn’t possible.