ARMATAGE
FESTIVAL: The annual Armatage Summer Festival will take place from 6–8 p.m. on July 17. Attendees will be able to enjoy ice cream, a skateboard competition, a 5k fun run, music by the Lynn Deichert Trio and a silent auction. ANA members will also be on hand to pass out free “Slow Down” yard signs.
CARAG
BLOCK PARTY: The fifth annual Pizza Lucé Block Party is scheduled for Aug. 11 from noon to 10 p.m. at 32nd Street and Lyndale Avenue. The event will feature 9–10 bands that have yet to be announced, food and beer, the Roller Girls, and an area for kids.
EAST ISLES RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
ALLEY RESURFACING: Board members discussed modifying a city public works department proposal to resurface a neighborhood alleyway.
The board may suggest adding speed bumps as a traffic calming measure to the alley running from West 28th Street to James Avenue South between East Lake of the Isles Parkway and South Irving Avenue. Board President Ross D’Emanuele suggested a smoother surface could encourage faster driving on an alley already used by some as a shortcut.
SUMMER VACATION: The East Isles Residents Association board will not hold an August meeting.
FULTON
The Fulton Neighborhood Zoning Committee is encouraging homeowners to stay within the design parameters of the neighborhood by offering the first-ever Buildings and Landscapes Enhancing the Neighborhood through Design (BLEND) awards.
The committee hopes to reward property owners, contractors, builders and architects who keep the neighborhood aesthetic in mind when remodeling or building their properties.
The award is, in part, a response to worries about oversized houses, often labeled “McMansions,” popping up in the area. Phil Rader, an architect and member of the zoning committee, explains that, rather than punishing those who build large, obtrusive homes, the neighborhood would like to recognize people with properties that blend in with their surroundings.
Most of the homes in Fulton are single-family structures, with a smattering of duplexes and retail shopping nodes. They range in style from colonial to Spanish architecture and generally have large yards with clean landscaping.
“Each home has its own unique character, but there’s that common thread that they all do have a sort of design element to them that distinguishes them,” Rader says. “If you look at the whole housing stock in the neighborhood, all of those disparate houses that have details to them start to feel similar in terms of their overall scale and the way they present themselves to the public.”
Though the Fulton committee doesn’t have any formal authority over zoning, they’ve developed a list of
recommended design guidelines, which will be given preference in the contest. Some of the standards for homes include:
• Size or mass that is comparable to next-door neighbors;
• Use of popular building materials such as stucco, brick, stone and cedar shake;
• Decks, porches, gazebos, fences, garages and patios that are complementary to the house;
• Front of the home faces the street to which it is addressed;
• Detached garages that preserve existing sightlines between houses; and
• Rainwater runoff directed back onto the lot, away from streets and alleys;
A panel of three local jurors will judge the awards: Alecia Stevens, a Minneapolis designer; Scott Newland, a Lynnhurst architect; and John Thompson, a Fulton
resident.
To be eligible, remodeling or construction must be located within Fulton’s boundaries and have been completed since July 1, 2002. Submissions are due July 27 at 6 p.m. Entry guidelines, applications and design guidelines are available for download at www.fultonneighborhood.org. There is a $50 fee per property registered.
SOUTHWEST NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP MEETING TIMES
Armatage Neighborhood Association (ANA): Board meets 3rd Tuesday monthly at Armatage Park, 57th & Russell.
Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association (BMNA): Board meets 2nd Wednesday monthly at Bryn Mawr School, 252 Upton Ave. S.
Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG) meeting: Board meets 3rd Tuesday monthly at Bryant Square Park, 3101 Bryant Ave. S.
Cedar-Isles-Dean Neighborhood Association (CIDNA) meeting: Board meets every 1st Tuesday at Jones-Harrison Residence, 3700 Cedar Lake Ave.
East Calhoun Community Organization (ECCO): Board meets 1st Thursday monthly at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, 3450 Irving Ave. S.
East Harriet Farmstead Neighborhood Association (EHFNA): Board meets 1st Wednesday monthly at Lyndale Farmstead Park Building, 3900 Bryant Ave.
East Isles Residents Association (EIRA): Board meets 1st Tuesday monthly at Trinity Community Church, 1430 W. 28th St.
Fulton Neighborhood Association (FNA): Board meets 2nd Wednesday monthly at Pershing Park, 3523 W. 48th St.
Kenny Neighborhood Association (KNA): Board meets 3rd Tuesday monthly at Coldwell Banker Burnet Building, 5516 Lyndale Ave. S.
Kenwood Isles Area Association (KIAA): Board meets 1st Monday monthly at Kenwood Neighborhood Center, 2101 W. Franklin Ave.
Kingfield Neighborhood Association (KFNA): Board meets 2nd Wednesday monthly at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 41st & Nicollet.
Linden Hills Neighborhood Council (LHiNC): Board meets 1st Tuesday monthly at Linden Hills Park, 3100 W. 43rd St.
Lowry Hill Residents Inc. (LHRI): Board meets 1st Tuesday monthly at Kenwood Neighborhood Center, 2101 W. Franklin Ave.
Lowry Hill East (Wedge): Board meets 3rd Wednesday monthly at Jefferson Elementary School, 1200 W. 26th St.
Lyndale Neighborhood Association (LNA): Board meets 4th Monday monthly at Painter Park, 34th & Lyndale.
Lynnhurst Neighborhood Association (LYNAS): Board meets 2nd Thursday monthly at Lynnhurst Community Center, 50th & West Minnehaha Parkway.
Stevens Square Community Organization (SSCO): Board meets 2nd Thursday monthly at 1707 3rd Ave. S. in the community room.
Tangletown Neighborhood Association (TNA): Board meets 3rd Monday monthly at Fuller Park, 4800 Grand Ave.
West Calhoun Neighborhood Council: Board meets 2nd Tuesday monthly at Whole Foods (classroom), 3060 Excelsior Blvd.
Whittier Alliance: Board meets 4th Thursday monthly at the Whittier Community School, 2620 Grand Ave.
Windom Community Council: Board meets 2nd Thursday monthly at Windom Community Center, 5821 Wentworth Ave.
[For more information about Southwest neighborhood organizations, go to the Southwest Journal’s website and click on the “Neighbors” link.]