Hiawatha- The perfect mix of urban and surban amenities on Minneapolis’ southern edge

Hiawatha is a stable early-mid 20th century neighborhood on Minneapolis’ southeastern edge bordering Minnehaha Falls. For many Hiawatha is the perfect mix of suburban and urban amenities boasting good public transit and bike amenities, great parks, above average access to schools, high levels of safety, good housing diversity, and some retail and cultural amenities.

Historically, Hiawatha’s population was pretty stable in the post war era hovering around 5,500 and never really experienced disinvestment. Minneapolis’ pro-housing policies seems to have paid off here in Hiawatha as several new apartment and condo projects along the western edge of the neighborhood the district have increased the neighborhood’s by nearly 1K residents. This is a great example of densifying a low-medium density district that is in high demand and combating decades of exclusionary housing practices. Hopefully the district can continue to increase housing helping the neighborhood to diversify and avoid major price increases. I’d also like to see the taming of the Olsen Memorial Highway into a more urban friendly street. Lots of potential to build more dense multi-family housing here as it is runs along a train line. Also opportunities to create more mix-use development along Minnehaha Ave as it already has some retail uses. The neighborhood could use a lot more walkable retail amenities.

Click here to view my Hiawatha album on Flickr

URBAN STREGNTHS:

• Great access to transit and decent bike share infrastructure. Dwtn is pretty convenient but not as good as the inner city neighborhoods.
• Great sidewalk and ADA infrastructure.
• Excellent park amenities thanks to the expansive Minnehaha Regional Park on the southern edge of the district and the extensive River Way Parkway in additional a couple other smaller parks.
• Overall a very safe community.
• Excellent tree canopy.
• Some nice historic architect with attractive homes from the 1930s & 1940 but also plenty of plainer mid-century architecture. So nice modern mixed-infill as well.
• Good diversity metrics, but especially age diversity.
• Solid walkable school access including several well rated elementary schools. Only one middle school and the high school is the adjacent neighborhood but its well rated and relatively walkable.
• Pretty good for sale diversity. Decent # of small 1-bed homes selling btwn 125K-300K, 2-beds btwn 160K-400K but also a couple of new condo bldgs with units selling in the 400K & 500Ks. 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 150K-800K with a handful of million dollars newer units.
• Decent # of apartments concentrated on Hiawatha’s western edge but pretty expensive for Minneapolis.. Studios and 1-beds lease in the low-mid 1Ks, 2-beds in the high 1Ks and 2Ks. Limited 3 & 4 beds

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

• Some cultural amenities including a handful of restaurants, bars, a brewery, and cafes. Also a dance studio and a cinema a couple blocks north of the district.
• Pedestrian activity is pretty limited.
• Pretty low density for an urban area.
• Retail amenities are limited to a supermarket, drug store, a couple salons, a dairy queen, a gym, a couple churches & medical offices.
• The main drag in Hiawatha, Olsen Memorial Highway, is very autocentric with only a few stores. It also has a fair amount of warehouses along it. Better urban form along Minnehaha Ave but only a limited amount of commercial and mixed-use development. A couple good nodes especially at 46th St.”