Ventura Village- Inner City Neighborhood just South of Central Minneapolis and Home to Many Somolian & African Immigrants

Ventura Village historically was considered part of the larger Phillips neighborhood which stretches down southwards from the highway all the way to Lake St. This changed in the early 2000s when a  group of residents in what was then District 2 of Phillips, decided the best way forward for the northern area around Franklin Avenue, was to separate from the rest of Phillips.  Local residents seem to be embracing this overall and additional sub-neighborhoods of the larger Phillips district have formed (i.e. West Phillip, Midtown Phillips, East Phillips). Ventura Square however feels to me the most distinct and deserving to be evaluated as a separate neighborhood given its proximity to Central Minneapolis and distinct commercial district along Franklin Avenue. For the purposes of this evaluation I consider the southern boundary of Ventura Square to be 24th St, the other boundaries are the highways.

Phillips as a whole is very diverse and is the heart of the immigrant community in Minneapolis. It is not surprising that the Midtown Global Market was built here. In Ventura Village the overwhelming immigrant communities are Somalian and other African nations. The influx of immigration in Ventura Village has helped reverse decades of urban decline and white flight that came here in the post WW II area. Immigrants are also likely the driver to lowered crime which plagued the neighborhood in the 1990s and early 2000s. Likely because of this influx of immigrants Ventura Village is much more intact and stable than many African-American concentrated districts in Northern Minneapolis. From an urban perspective Ventura District does well with high density, great diversity, a good # of walkable schools, good housing diversity, and decent park and retail amenities. For it to become a top tier Minneapolis urban district it needs more households with higher incomes who can help drive necessary in-fill housing (esp. along Franklin), needed retail and cultural amenities, and a better urban form along Ventura Village’s main commercial district, Franklin. This trend of higher incomes moving to the community seems to already be in motion. I just hope that the neighborhood can accommodate this while still holding on to its diversity.

Click here to view my Ventura Village Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid urban density.
* Excellent public transit access and great access to Dwtn being just south of the Central Minneapolis District. Good multi-model access overall. Several bike lanes in Ventura Village along with plenty of dedicated bike stations.
* Pretty diverse neighborhood with large Hispanic and Black populations and modest White households.
* Good # of walkable schools but most are smaller private schools and the few public schools are rated poorly. Coverage of all ages though.
* Decent # of rentals but much less than neighboring Stevens Square. Studios & 1 beds lease btwn $800-1K, 2-beds lease btwn 1K-2K. Good # of 3 beds generally leasing in the mid-high 1Ks. Good amount of affordable rentals in Ventura Village.
* Only a handful of 1-bed condos leasing in the mid-100Ks.  Slightly more 2-beds selling btwn 80K-270K, and lot of 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 100K-450K. Lots of house type diversity among 3-beds.
* Good park amenities including two medium sized parks with lots of amenities, two community centers, and an indoor pool.
* Decent retail amenities including an ALDI’s, several ethnic groceries, a couple drug stores, a Dollar General, a hardware store, a couple banks, a bakery, a couple churches, and two major hospitals (Children’s & Abbots) that sit a couple blocks south of the neighborhood.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

• Not a lot of income diversity as there is a high % of household in poverty or lower-middle class.
• Good sidewalk infrastructure but ADA curbs are not very consistent.
• Crime is much less than the 1990s and 2000s but still present and a good amount of blight & vacancy remains in the community. This seems to be changing quickly though with lots of new investment.
• Pedestrian activity is a bit lacking.
• Very eclectic architecture styles and areas. But a lot of bland historic homes and unattractive mid-century buildings and cheap more modern apartment buildings. Also a good amount of autocentric development along Franklin Ave.
• So so cultural amenities including several restaurants (many ethnic) and a couple cafes. Also a couple art galleries and a performing arts theater,”