On June 17, Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed two items in the Hennepin Avenue South redesign plan that effectively eliminates all-day bus lanes from the plan. The City Council had approved the full plan with an 8-5 vote the day before.

All-day, or 24/7, bus lanes have been a focal point of the Hennepin Avenue South redesign during its extended community engagement process. The written plan details “two full-time (24-hour) dedicated transit lanes from Douglas Ave to Uptown Transit Station.” The bus lanes have also been the greatest point of contention within the plan, as Hennepin Avenue South business owners argue the loss of parking would mean a loss in business. 

Ward 10 Councilmember Aisha Chughtai has been a vocal supporter of the Hennepin Avenue redesign plan. Her ward runs right up to the east side of Hennepin Avenue South. The other Southwest councilmembers have not shared in that support.  Ward 7 Councilmember Lisa Goodman, who also has constituents on the west side of Hennepin Avenue South, voted against the redesign plan on June 16. So did council Vice President and Ward 13 Councilmember Linea Palmisano and Ward 11 Councilmember Emily Koski. Non-Southwest no votes were Ward 4 Councilmember LaTrisha Vetaw and Ward 3 Councilmember Micahel Rainville. 

Before the mayor vetoed aspect of the plan on June 17, Goodman sent out her newsletter on June 17 encouraging the mayor to veto aspects of the redesign plan "until changes are made." Here are some snippets from that newsletter: 

"This plan makes some great improvements on Hennepin including a better environment for pedestrians and transit users, however, it comes at the expense of small businesses, people who need to drive for various reasons, and neighbors on surrounding streets who will feel the impact of this for years to come...

As much as we would like to believe that we have a transit system that works for most users we simply do not right now and with the gridlock with regards to infrastructure investment at the state legislature it doesn’t seem that’s going to be a fulfilled vision in the next decade either. Yet the pandemic has taught us the importance of small businesses and those they employ. They have been through much with business closures, civil unrest and crime and two years of construction followed by the elimination of 90% of the parking on Hennepin Avenue itself has become too much for many of them to bear. I have spoken to and heard from dozens of small businesses who are very upset about this plan...

There is a bike lane on Bryant just blocks to the east of Hennepin. I’m not sure why we would use valuable space on Hennepin, a commercial corridor, for a bike lane when the Bryant Ave Bikeway could be easily improved. There is off-street parking in a variety of locations along the corridor but most of these are private lots and businesses are reluctant to share, due to liability and insurance concerns and the view that they need parking for their own customers...

In the end my job is to analyze all of the information and come to a decision which best serves and represents my constituents. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, I’m doing my best to listen to my constituents, immediate neighbors and the small businesses many of whom believe this is an enormous mistake. I agree, and that is why I am encouraging the Mayor to veto this alignment until changes are made."

Linea Palmisano sent Southwest Voices this statement on why she voted against the redesign plan: 

“I did not vote in favor of the layout and parking restrictions (24/7 bus lanes) for the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction proposal. To be clear, I support public transit, the E-Line project and bus lanes. I did not support this layout calling for full-time bus lanes because I would prefer dynamic bus lanes that allow for programming based on transit, business and resident needs. I continue to support what city staff have recommended for the past several months, and this includes important changes to how the street operates today, including transit priority lanes, safety improvements, and an off-street bikeway. I appreciate the hopes and concerns so many people have voiced to me.”

Koski affirmed her intention to uphold the mayor’s veto in an emailed statement: 

"I plan to vote as I did during the City Council Meeting on June 16 and uphold Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto, in support of the Public Works Staff’s unamended recommendations...

Prior to voting on the Hennepin Ave. S. Reconstruction Plan I attended a Listening Session hosted by Move Minnesota, I met with the Uptown Business Association, I sat down with the BIPOC business owners on Hennepin Ave. S., and I had conversations with constituents at my Ward 11 monthly meetings...

I support Public Works staff’s unamended layout plan – which includes transit priority lanes, an off-street bikeway, and significant safety improvements; and I support the Public Works Staff’s operation plan that includes a phased-in approach to the 24/7 dedicated bus lanes...

A phased-in approach to 24/7 bus lanes gives us an opportunity to support the small businesses on Hennepin Ave. S. as we move forward. It gives the small businesses on Hennepin Ave. S. an opportunity to continue rebuilding post the COVID-19 pandemic, and time to transition, so that when the City of Minneapolis implements 24/7 dedicated bus lanes they are positioned to succeed."

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The City Council will likely revisit this redesign plan at its meeting on June 30 at 9:30 a.m.

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