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In response to concerns of displacement around the planned Blue Line Extension, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council launched a first-of-its-kind community oriented anti-displacement initiative.
To lead the initial phases of this work, Hennepin County contracted with the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to convene an Anti-Displacement Work Group that centered community voices and brought together diverse stakeholders to study and recommend anti-displacement strategies to help ensure the value of light rail will benefit current corridor residents, and minimize physical, cultural, and economic displacement.
After meeting for more than a year, the work group published their recommendations in May 2023 for public review.
We will continue to lead this work with community to further develop, refine, and advance these recommendations, bring together partners for funding and implementation, and begin exploring more ways to maximize community benefits of light rail for current corridor residents.
This work will be ongoing throughout the life of the project, and beyond with a focus on both short- and long-term solutions.
Please reference specific pages or passages in the report, whenever possible.
In response to concerns of displacement around the planned Blue Line Extension, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council launched a first-of-its-kind community oriented anti-displacement initiative.
To lead the initial phases of this work, Hennepin County contracted with the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to convene an Anti-Displacement Work Group that centered community voices and brought together diverse stakeholders to study and recommend anti-displacement strategies to help ensure the value of light rail will benefit current corridor residents, and minimize physical, cultural, and economic displacement.
After meeting for more than a year, the work group published their recommendations in May 2023 for public review.
We will continue to lead this work with community to further develop, refine, and advance these recommendations, bring together partners for funding and implementation, and begin exploring more ways to maximize community benefits of light rail for current corridor residents.
This work will be ongoing throughout the life of the project, and beyond with a focus on both short- and long-term solutions.
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Proposed legislation at the Minnesota Capitol would establish and fund a Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Community Prosperity program.
A hearing on the bill (SF 4719) is scheduled to take place at the Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee:
If approved as written, the program would provide at least $10 million per year starting in 2024 through 2030 to support a wide variety of anti-displacement and community prosperity strategies including:
Preserving and enhancing affordable housing
Small business support
Job training and placement
Economic vitality
Community ownership and development
The proposed legislation would also create a governing board to direct funding that would include local policymakers, residents, businesses, and community leaders.
Language in the bills is strongly rooted in recommendations put forth by the community-led Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Workgroup in a comprehensive report last year.
Bill sponsors
The Senate Bill (SF 4719) is sponsored by Sen. Scott Dibble, Sen. Ann Rest, Sen. Susan Pha, and Sen. John Hoffman. A companion bill in the House (HF 4683) is authored by Rep. Esther Agbaje, Rep. Cedrick Frazier, Rep. Frank Hornstein, Rep. Mike Freiberg, Rep. Michael Nelson, Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura, and Rep. Fue Lee.
“Now is the time to be bold with our investment and policy actions to support proven strategies that build prosperity and prevent displacement. The Blue Line Extension will bring light rail service to communities of color that rely on transit every day, and who have been historically underinvested in.
By pairing this transit investment with intentional strategies and investments to prevent displacement and grow shared prosperity, we can create a more inclusive and prosperous future for some of our state’s most diverse communities whose enormous potential has been hindered by historic systemic barriers.”
- Irene Fernando Chair, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners
“Anti-displacement is a priority for the communities along this line. We want and need this critical transit investment, but without strong anti-displacement strategies and investment, we fear it will be those who displace us that experience the many benefits of this project. This proposed legislation is an important first step that shows what is possible to make sure our communities share in the abundance these projects can create.”
- Ricardo Perez Coalition organizer, Blue Line Coalition Anti-Displacement Workgroup member
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The Blue Line Extension Corridor Management Committee (CMC) signaled their support for the community centered anti-displacement efforts led by the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) in partnership with Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council.
The advisory body of elected officials and nonelected community representatives, passed a resolution on June 8, 2023 to receive CURA's report and committing to work together to advance the Anti-Displacement Working Group's (ADWG) recommendations with ongoing guidance from communities along the project corridor.
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The following article was originally published on the Hennepin County disparity reduction website. The full article is available here.
This is the first transit project recognized by the Federal Transit Administration that embeds anti-displacement work.
The Blue Line Extension project has the potential to connect people and bring significant investments and development opportunities to communities along the line. This line will serve areas of Hennepin County that have experienced historic disinvestment, and continue to live with the impacts of redlining, racist property covenants, and other effects of systemic racism.
The investments that come with a project of this size also brings concerns of displacement for vulnerable populations. The county has a responsibility to ensure these patterns are not exacerbated by this project. In response, project partners are working with community to create a plan for the light rail line that implements strategies and policies that prevent displacement and support people in the corridor today.
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On May 23, Hmong TV by Lao Center of Minnesota hosted an interview with members of the Blue Line Extension project team and the University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) team who facilitated the efforts of the Anti-Displacement Working Group (ADWG) to discuss the groups work and the recently released final report.
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On May 2, Hennepin County staff were joined by the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and community members who served on the Anti-displacement work group to hightlight their work and final report for the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners.
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The fifth and final full Saturday meeting of the Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Work Group in the Twin Cities took place on February 25th. The topic of this meeting was to affirm recommendations from the ADWG.
The meeting began with a review of the common recommendation themes, these included housing outcomes, small business support, workforce outcomes, environmental justice outcomes, reparative justice outcomes and cultural outcomes.
Small Groups in Localities
Suburban cities and Minneapolis representatives split up into two groups to discuss the common themes of the outcomes. The groups reviewed the common themes to consider what is missing from what had already been captured.
Large Group Discussion
The meeting ended with a look toward Phase II of the program, which will follow a final report on the recommendations by CURA. Phase II will then focus on implementation of the policies.
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On February 25th, the Anti-Displacement Working Group (ADWG) will meet for the fifth and final time. The topic of this meeting is to affirm recommendations from the ADWG.
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The February 11th workshop focused on rafting recommendations for policy, investments, and other strategies for preventing displacement along the Blue Line Extension corridor.
The meeting divided into three groups based on geography. A Minneapolis group, a Brooklyn Park group and a Crystal/Robbinsdale group discussed anti-displacement before, during and after construction in categories they defined as "Preparing, Surviving and Thriving."
Implementation Discussion
The groups then joined in a conversation about how some of these policies could be implemented broadly. This discussion touched on the ways the county, state and federal governments could help achieve policy goals.
Next Steps
Next CURA check-in meeting on February 25th and will be used as a way to reaffirm policy recommendations
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On February 11th, the Anti-Displacement Working Group (ADWG) will meet to progress their recommendations on long- and short-term strategies to ensure the value of light rail will benefit current corridor residents, and minimize physical, cultural, and economic displacement.
The recommendations being discussed at the meeting on Saturday, February 25th, will inform a report from CURA to be presented this spring. That report will be the basis for efforts beginning this spring on planning and implementing anti-displacement strategies.
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The December 10th workshop focused on business and cultural displacement.
The group was updated on how the new alignment through West Broadway in Minneapolis will impact anti-displacement efforts within the environmental document.
Cultural Displacement and Placemaking Panel & Conversation
The cultural displacement panel included representatives from the anti-displacement team, African Career Education and Resource Inc (ACER), Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and Parks and Power.
Policies, Programs and Investment Ideas
Examples of place-making and anti-displacement efforts from San Francisco and Georgia were discussed alongside a wide variety of strategies and public policy ideas.
Juxtaposition Arts Presentation
Youth were engaged by their peers with support from Juxtaposition Arts. Youth researched precedent examples like the Green Line in Saint Paul and how it changed the geography of the area and project to the impact of the Blue Line extension.
Small Group Activity
The group discussed how they could best use data presented and ideas discussed to further the conversation around anti-displacement.
Next Steps
Next CURA check-in meeting on February 11th and will be used as a way to re-group before recommendations are finalized.
Anti-displacement recommendations report
Anti-Displacement Working Group Members.pdf (71.6 KB) (pdf)
