I Love Alleys

I love alleys, and always have. I've been trying to analyze why, and think it has something to do with the blend of their private nature and utilitarian function. Wandering through a neighborhood's alleys show a glimpse of another world, one completely different from the facade out front. Garages themselves can be interesting, ranging from the architecturally intriguing to the hideously ugly, from the old and decrepit to the updated and modern, as well as all points in between. Nature, too, can be found back there; squirrels, birds, cats, sometimes rabbits or raccoons, not to mention the ever-present lilac bushes and other greenery bravely hugging the property lines and filling the gaps between garages. You can get a peek at people's backyards, some fabulous retreats still visible to the alley, others blocked off by tall fences, and still others unfortunately paved over into unpleasant surface parking lots.

Not all of Uptown's blocks have alleys, but many of them do. I've spent a lot of time in them over the years; walking dogs, pushing strollers, and visiting garage sales. The photos below are not meant to be the best examples of Uptown's alley system, but rather a handful of images that struck my fancy when I went out on a photo-gathering trip earlier in the summer.



Maybe it's because I grew up on a house with an alley view of the Buzza Building (Lehmann Center), but I think those enjoying the view from the alley between Dupont and Colfax should count themselves lucky. I've always appreciated the fact that you can see the beautiful and fascinating historic Buzza Building from blocks away; those who complain about newer tall buildings "blocking the sky" should stop for a moment and realize that the Buzza's tower is pretty tall, yet I've never once heard anyone complain about how it ruins the character of the neighborhood.

One of these days we're hoping to buy a place of our own, and when we do one of the first things we do will be to plan a vegetable garden. In the meantime I'll have to make do with watching the progress of those lucky enough to have sunny space of their own.

Yet another reason I want to buy a home of my own... I really want some backyard chickens. Uptown's chicken population is growing, and these lucky chickens reside in a beautiful red alley-side coop.

This alley (near Bryant Lake Bowl) isn't itself particularly attractive, but I liked how the building is edged with a strip of greenery.

Yet more garden photos; an example of how vegetable gardening doesn't have to be expensive or fancy to be productive and worthwhile.

This garage could use a little work, but I love the architecture. Let's hope it never suffers the fate of an owner who decides to "upgrade" to a massive new structure. I love Uptown's historic garages, especially those with a lot of character.

The garage itself isn't beautiful, but the modern and attractive address numbers add some visual interest. There's no reason the back entrance can't be given the same care and attention as the front of the house, or that garages can't also benefit from a little creativity.

Ever wonder how to best use that small patch of space between two garages? I loved the canoe storage concept.

Name That Alley: Named Alleys and Alley Gates in CARAG?

I’ve been spending some recent quality time with the CARAG Neighborhood Master Plan, a document filled with both innovative and exciting ideas, as well as some, well, less-enthralling ideas. The CARAG Neighborhood Plan was completed in 2000, and while the authors acknowledge that the details may need updating from time to time, the document itself was intended to guide the neighborhood through several decades of growth and change. In other words, it might be up-to-date, but it’s not yet out-of-date. Over the next month or so I’m going to explore some of the plan’s highlights (or lowlights, depending on the topic) and see how the plan stacks up today. Documents of this sort can be extremely useful, and it’s worth reading for anyone who is a former, current, or future CARAG resident, or who is simply interested in learning more about how one Minneapolis (and Uptown) neighborhood envisions its future. And while I don’t agree with all of the concepts, I give CARAG much credit for being willing to make some truly creative suggestions and for not “playing it safe” by not always simply sticking with the status quo or always sticking with the traditional, safe, but sometimes boring design or planning options.

So, that said, one of the more realistic yet creative portion of the Plan were a series of proposals to increase community “ownership” of alleys. As described in the plan itself (page 4-23):

The master plan suggests that each alley be named – essentially reinforcing the ability of neighbors to take control of the space. Naming the alley, and then creating an appropriate sign, is the responsibility of each block. The sign – an alley ‘gate’ – is located at each end of the alley and marks the mid-block point of each east/west block… creation of the gate and its maintenance would be the responsibility of the gate and its maintenance

would be the responsibility of the neighbors who share the alley.”

Additional suggestions include the use of a CARAG artist-in-residence to work with neighbors to create the gate, as well as the incorporation of plantings and light fixtures into the gate itself. NPR money could be made available for the funding of these gates. As a side note, the plan also spends time discussing the benefits of alley-oriented “granny flats” (which I think is a wonderful idea), tearing down fences to create “visual connections between back door and alleys,” the renovation of garages, and the creation of ornate “garbage gazebos” to hold garbage cans and recycling bins.

I love alleys. I like their utilitarian nature, and the fact that they have a very different feel to them than do the streets. For kids, they often offer a new play space, somewhere where kids from the block can run around, maybe shoot some hoops, and generally enjoy the benefits that come from sharing the quasi private-public nature of the shared alleys. I think that they do contribute a great deal to CARAG’s character (and to the character of all the Minneapolis neighborhoods that have them), and that they do offer a sort of “final frontier” for forging new and improving old neighborhood relationships.

When I lived in CARAG most of our neighborhood activity was centered around the people who lived on our street; when I said “my block” I meant those houses that looked out onto the main street, not the houses that were shared an alley. Anything that can be done to build relationships with neighbors sharing an alley is a good thing; it is these neighbors, after all, who are the most likely to observe potential criminal activity (vandalism, garage theft, etc.). CARAG – and Uptown – residents will benefit from knowing both their neighbors on all sides. The CARAG plan is on target with that goal. I don’t, however, buy into the concept of named alleys or alley gates.

What’s in a name?
I once lived on a block with a named alley (not in Minneapolis). The name had no impact on neighborhood relationships, or on the sense of community; mostly it just served to confuse people who saw it listed on maps and were led to believe that the “Mission Alley” was more substantial than it was, inevitably envisioning a street of some sort and not just a dirt path leading to some garages. I imagine that some neighbors would love the process of naming an alley, but it’s not an easy thing to just let a group of residents (and are we talking homeowners or renters? Both?) get together to decide on a name. Just look back at the relatively recent discussion in CARAG about changing the neighborhood’s name to Wellstone – the naming of an alley could easily spark the same sort of controversy, just on a smaller scale. Maybe the process of getting together to discuss name and gate design would bring about an opportunity to build relationships, but given that many neighbors would lack the patience necessary to sit around in meeting after meeting debating the merits of this name or that name, let alone choice of a design, I don’t think that this is the best use of time or of NRP money.

An ongoing responsibility
If an alley is successfully named, and an attractive gate installed, can we trust that the residents of a certain block are really going to maintain it? True, the neighbors initially involved may be committed to the gate and its ideals, but CARAG has a high residential turnover rate. Renters come and go, as do homeowners. For certain designs this doesn’t matter - time and neglect can even enhance the charm of some materials – but for anything elaborate involving lights or plantings or anything else involving regular maintenance, or infusions of money, this could get tricky.

Current status
I haven’t heard anything about this recently, let alone noticed any elaborate alley gates or alley names, so I’m assuming that this project has been set on the back burner for now. Current funds are available for front yard lighting and for block club activities; block improvements could include efforts to enhance alleys, but that’s not the sole focus.

Although I think named alleys and formal alley gates are a little silly, I think there’s a lot of merit to the idea of reclaiming alley space for community purposes. Enhancing the alley experience – for safety, community-building, environmental, and aesthetic purposes – is certainly a valid and admirable goal. And while I might not live off of “Remington Alley” anytime soon, that doesn’t mean that we should stop looking carefully at Uptown-area alleys and their potential.

Granny Flats: Coming to an Alley Near You?

Adding density to Uptown is vital if the neighborhood wants to support the kind of walkable, urban lifestyle that so many residents desire. That doesn’t mean we need to line the streets with high-rise apartments, or tear down single-family homes to clear space for multifamily residences. A balance can, and should, be struck between the neighborhood’s traditional “character” (and I’m talking OVERALL character, not just height) and the need to provide more housing for more people.

I particularly like the idea of “granny” or “alley” flats (also called “accessory dwelling units,” or ADUs). These are smaller residences found in the backyards of homes. Some parts of Minneapolis, particularly the big mansions with surviving carriage houses, still have these. For the most part, though, the only structure found in most Uptown backyards is a garage.

Alley flats have a lot of benefits:

• These units tend to be smaller, providing housing options for single people (including the “granny” looking to downsize to smaller digs) who don’t want or need to live in a big place.


• The smaller size often also translates to cheaper rent, broadening at least the possibility of affordable (or semi-affordable) housing in the neighborhood.


• The property owners – who often live in the main, front house – get some extra income to help pay their mortgage. This would assist larger families who would prefer to live in a house, but have a hard time paying an Uptown-sized mortgage.


• We’ve all heard about the importance of “eyes on the street” in preventing crime; this would bring more eyes and ears to Uptown’s alleys.


• Alley flats increase a neighborhood’s density without significantly altering its outwards appearance.
  

There are some potential negatives, too:

• Increased density is going to impact parking. More people probably translates into more cars, although ideally it also means the population necessary to support a greater variety of daily essentials in the neighborhood, as well as increased access to both public transportation as well as car share programs – thereby making it easier for individuals and families to live a car-free life, or at least reduce the number of cars needed per household.


• Increased density means more people, which could mean more noise, more traffic, more garbage, and possibly decreased green space. These issues could be alleviated with good planning, and are counteracted by the positives associated with increased appropriate density in Uptown.
  

Although these types of housing have always been popular in some parts of the country, communities sometimes see them as a negative. That’s been changing in recent years, as more and more cities and towns (including some wealthy enclaves filled with even more NIMBYs than Uptown) face the need for increasing density and housing options, and as baby boomers start to age, retire, and consider the benefits of moving to a smaller space.

Minneapolis has embraced the concept of alternative accessory dwellings in some of the neighborhoods along the Hiawatha Light Rail line, as well as in several other overlay districts throughout the city (North Phillips/Ventura Village, for example). While not necessarily allowed in Uptown, they are supported by many area residents. And while the Uptown Small Area Plan does not specifically address granny flats, the CARAG Master Plan does – a positive sign, as CARAG in particular is a hotbed of anti-development activists. I’m hoping that this means that granny flats and ADUs are something that we can all get behind. I called the City to get some more information on the current situation, and was reminded that although a specific residence may not currently meet current zoning requirements for a granny flat it is possible to be granted a variance. I hope that the City code will continue to be tweaked to make it easier for these types of residences to be built; perhaps this will be spurred along if Uptown gets its LRT line. I’m not in the market to construct a granny flat anytime soon, but the possibility is intriguing, and it will certainly be something I at least ask about when I start the process of purchasing an Uptown-area home.