It was more than five years ago that the nationally-heralded 2040 plan, with a vision of a dense pedestrianized city, was passed by a 12-1 vote of the City Council. But before that vote even happened, the city was taken to court by Smart Growth Minneapolis. This is an organization formed for the sole purpose of suing the city to stop modest upzoning (legalizing triplexes) in residential areas that had been restricted to single-family housing only.
SGM was founded by John Goetz of the personal injury law firm Schwebel Goetz & Sieben and borrows its name from a prominent national organization called Smart Growth America. But these two organizations hold views that are diametrically opposed – Smart Growth America disavows any connection to its Minneapolis namesake, says the lawsuit is “sad” and that the 2040 Plan is actually the definition of “Smart Growth.” Despite SGM having no environmental agenda apart from the one lawsuit, they have had success getting themselves labeled as an “environmental” group in news stories.
Continue reading “2040 Plan, Five Years Later: Pretend environmentalists say they’re not against density, this is about ethics in city planning.”