​Born from passion, Kathy, Nadirah and Natalie make up the Minneapolis 3 piece that Gully Boys is today. Gully Boys melodic tunes and raw lyrics make it hard to believe that in 2016, none of them knew how to play their instruments. Drawing inspiration from a multitude of musical backgrounds, Gully Boys transcends genre. Through hard work, diligent practice and fresh enthusiasm Gully Boys recorded their first LP Not So Brave released August 12th of 2018 and won City Pages Picked to Click 2018: Gully Boys are Minnesota's best new band!

After a successful inaugural event, the Eat Street Food, Music, & Arts Festival is back for a 2nd year, taking place on Sunday, September 15th from 1-8pm on Nicollet Avenue, 26th to 28th Streets. With over 6,500 attendees and nearly 40 Whittier-based organizations taking part last year, we are thrilled for what 2019's Festival will bring to our community.
NOW is the time to get your business or organization registered as a vendor, as the deadline is quickly approaching on Wednesday, July 31st!
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• Food and Beverage Providers (must operate out of the Whittier neighborhood)
• Local Twin Cities businesses interested in selling merchandise, art, or services to festival-goers
• Nonprofit organizations seeking to build relationships with Whittier community members and fellow organizations

AND NEW IN 2019! Emerging artists and entrepreneurs living in or connected to this neighborhood are encouraged to apply for a spot in the Whittier Small Business and Artist Showcase, which provides a low-risk, supported avenue for new and/or non-brick and mortar businesses to connect directly with their own community members to build a local patronage. Do you have a side business you're ready to share? Do you know a neighbor in need of an accessible, affordable way to sell their beautiful artwork? This is designed for you and for them! Space is limited; more information and the full application form can be located here.

Not ready to take the plunge? Contact Marcus VanderSanden at business@whittieralliance.org or 612-871-7756 with any questions or concerns. We are committed to providing as much direct assistance as possible to those experiencing barriers to participation in this event. Let us know how we can help!

As a follow-up to the recent Southwest Journal article on the project recently approved by the City of Minneapolis' Planning Commission in Whittier at the corner of 26th and Blaisdell, I want to thank you all for engaging in this conversation and take a moment to provide some additional background. We know that this topic is challenging and one that sparks a lot of passion for many different reasons. Whittier Alliance recently underwent an 18 month-long process to develop a new 5 year strategic plan that was approved in March by community vote. The feedback we received with regard to what areas to focus our time and attention on was overwhelmingly centered most on housing affordability and community building between neighbors and Whittier organizations. 

Whittier is ground zero for the housing crisis in terms of rising rents and displacement of residents. In just the last few years, we have seen numerous 5 and 6 story buildings proposed by developers and subsequently approved by the Planning Commission (several within a couple blocks of this one and virtually equidistant from Nicollet Ave) despite the fact that the building materials are often poor quality, the rent levels are far beyond the reach of the average Whittier resident living here now, and there is no discernible benefit to the existing community--most often quite the opposite.

This parcel will almost certainly be developed, whether it happens through this project proposal or another slightly smaller building. The Goldstein family owns the parcels and wants to develop them. The variance that the City staff on this project did recommend for approval was the request to rezone the collective parcels to an OR2 High Density Office Residence District, which according to the zoning descriptions on the City's website, "The OR2 district provides the opportunity for a mixed use environment of moderate to high density dwellings and large office uses, with additional small scale retail sales and services uses designed to serve the immediate surroundings. Most development occurs at no more than 4 stories." (http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/planning/cped_rezoning_studies_zoning_district_descriptions).

Members of our Housing Issues Committee have been researching new development issues and the process, and what we’ve learned is that often in new construction a smaller building with less units will translate into higher rent levels per unit (to maintain the developer’s ROI), and the higher rents in that new building can translate to increased overall rates for both new development and naturally affordable units nearby. We have also learned that as it is right now, the affordability/rent level is not in itself under the purview of the Planning Commission, however the decisions made there about design, materials, public realm, etc. ultimately impact how much the building will cost, which can play into the rent levels when all is said and done.

With the high bar of the interim inclusionary zoning ordinance, the City of Minneapolis, let alone neighborhood organizations, has few if any levers they can pull right now to require any measure of designated affordability be incorporated, which is what our Housing Issues Committee pushed for first and foremost in a variety of fashions and did not get. The very last thing we want to happen -- knowing that development on this parcel is likely imminent -- is to see another new, multi-story building with high rents and residents completely disconnected from the existing community fabric in Whittier. 

The Housing Issues Committee has been engaging with Yellow Tree and the Goldsteins since they first brought the project to us in May. Volunteers put together a survey and door-knocked the immediate area, and while we acknowledge that we were far from perfect and were not able to engage directly with every person, of the 87 responses 73% said that their #1 concern was rent levels either directly within this building or impact of rent levels on nearby properties. While still not anywhere near affordable (30% or less of a person’s monthly income) for the average Whittier resident, Yellow Tree’s rents are typically positioned at the lower end of “market rate” for a new building in this neighborhood. Few developers operate in that space of the market. We know this project is far from ideal, but in terms of what we can actually do now to influence the affordability problem in a new development and considering the feedback provided to Yellow Tree at the Committee of the Whole (which was generally positive) we felt this is truly the best that we could get. This is something, when the community currently in Whittier usually gets nothing or worse than nothing.

As mentioned in the article, the agreement we have made with Yellow Tree will be to: 

1.) Co-design a volunteer rental rebate program in which residents can volunteer at a participating Whittier nonprofit organization (not just for Whittier Alliance, but for any organization operating here that aligns with the residents’ own interests and has agreed to participate) and in exchange for a certain amount off their monthly rent capped at a certain amount. The amount is to be determined, but we have both agreed it will be a meaningful amount so that residents want to take advantage of it. This will go a long way to integrate new residents into our community already here and to support Whittier’s many nonprofit organizations who are often in need of more volunteers. We are excited about the potential of this program to grow in scale to other buildings and properties in Whittier.

2.) Co-design a flexible use space that would be available part of the week to tenants and part of the week for WA to program, host free community events or meetings, organize small business pop-ups or maker markets, bike repair clinics, etc. or for community members just to reserve for their needs. Whittier Alliance would manage the schedule and programming in this space during the community-use times. It will provide a much-needed gathering space available free of charge or required purchases.

3.) Relocate the Whittier Alliance office to the ground floor of the building adjacent to the flexible use space in order to effectively manage and program the space and also to ensure Yellow Tree follows through on the rental rebate program by closer proximity. This agreement is first and foremost about the first two points and the idea of what benefits or utility we are able to tangibly facilitate for our community members, and I will add that the WA staff and board members have been exploring new office space options for years, long before our Housing Issues Committee was even created and certainly long before our current staff were in place. The new location would be slightly smaller in total square footage than our current office, and would be an increase in rent and utilities overall (though subsidized by about $5 per square foot off the market rate in exchange for programming the joint-use space) in comparison to what we pay now. Our current space is physically limiting in many ways; the building and property are poorly-maintained, as evidenced yet again by the hours our staff and board members spent yesterday dealing with a flooded office for the second time this year.

We understand that not everyone will agree with our position or perhaps see the potential of these negotiated community benefits in the same way, but I take a lot of pride in how our Housing Issues Committee volunteers have organized creatively to try and address big, complex problems that are often out of our immediate control as individual citizens or a neighborhood organization. Minneapolis is growing, and new developments are going to keep coming through whether or not we (you, me, our neighbors) are involved, so we may as well fight like hell to have a say in what they become.

- Kaley Brown, Whittier Alliance Executive Director

2nd Annual Eat Street Food, Music, & Arts Festival
Sunday, September 15, 2019  |  1:00 - 8:00 pm
Nicollet Avenue, 26th to 28th Streets

​The inaugural Eat Street Festival attracted over 6,500 attendees in 2018 and is back for a 2nd year as the best opportunity to connect with neighbors, new patrons, and to celebrate all things Whittier! Are you a Whittier resident with a side business to showcase? Would your company or organization like to show support by contributing an event sponsorship or in-kind donation? Maybe you're excited to volunteer!

Check out eatstreetfest.com and Whittier Alliance's social media pages below all summer long for ongoing event updates! Live music, performances, international fare, activities from the neighborhood's many arts and cultural organizations, and gathering neighbors will collectively reflect and celebrate who and what Whittier is at its heart.

​Details on sponsorship and vendor opportunities are included below. Volunteer shifts will be available in July. We hope you'll join us!

Whittier Farmers Market 2019 Volunteer Call
A great team of volunteers makes the market the best it can be. We are always in search of excited and engaged helpers– and, as a bonus, volunteers get $5 in market vouchers for their hard work. 

We work in shifts to split up the day: 

7:30am - 9am: Set up and welcome vendors

9am - 11am or 11am - 1pm: Work at the market booth, manage EBT & market vouchers, answer guest questions

1pm - 2pm: Tear down & clean up 

Become a Vendor for the 2019 Whittier Farmers MarketThe Whittier Farmers Market is now accepting vendor applications for our fourth season! The Market is located at 26th and Blaisdell in south Minneapolis, one block from the Eat Street business district.

Market Season: June 22-August 24, 2019
Time: Saturdays  9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

We have plans to expand the size and variety of vendors and programming to grow attendance and diversify both what is available and who attends.  
If you went to get involve please click link below.

http://www.whittierfarmersmarket.com/about​

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We invite you to join us for Iftar with our neighbors, The Whittier Alliance in Partnership With Fortune Relief And Youth Empowerment Organization(Frayeo) and Whittier Recreation Center hosting iftar with our neighbors. Iftar is the traditional breaking of the fast that occurs from dawn to dusk everyday during the holy month of Ramadan. And this Year we are inviting all our neighbors to Join us anytime from 7:30 pm on for great food and community at the Whittier Park. Our Activities will Include: -
​- Small Group discussions to learn more about Ramadan
- Pick-Up Soccer & Futsal 
- Youth Arts and Reading Activities and More
Please Feel Free to join us and NO RSVP required. All Are welcome

Questions? Reach out to our Executive Director, Kaley Brown, at kaley@whittieralliance.org or Fartun Ismail. at fartun@whittieralliance.org anytime. Check out the full event page and Facebook event page for additional details.

Please join us for our monthly Housing Issues meeting, where we will be hearing from developer Urban Works on the updated plans for a commercial project with G & L Furniture at the corner of Lake Street and Grand Avenue. Check out their updated plans here, and take advantage of this opportunity to directly voice any questions, comments, and concerns.
 
Elsewhere in Whittier, our Housing Issues team is working to gather community feedback on an early stage proposal for a large-scale project at 26th and Blaisdell in the current Goldstein Law location (pictured below). We invite you take this brief survey to help us build upon the ideas, opportunities, and concerns voiced by your neighbors thus far around this project.

​Are you interested in getting more involved with your neighborhood community this year? Do you care about Whittier's housing climate, environmental sustainability, and/or building relationships with your fellow neighbors? 

Each spring, a minimum of 5 at-large board members are elected by their community to serve a 3 year term on Whittier Alliance's Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting, coming up this year on March 26th, 2019. We encourage any community members who have an interest in serving the neighborhood, sharing their time and talents, and working as a part of our team to consider running.

The application period for all 2019 at-large candidates is now open! Contact
kaley@whittieralliance.org to confirm eligibility and learn more about the goals and initiatives that Whittier Alliance will be taking on in the coming years and how you could play a role. The candidate application form and Board of Directors job description are available below for viewing and download.

All eligible candidates must return a physical application along with proof of 6 month Whittier residency or property ownership in person to the Whittier Alliance office (10 E 25th St.) no later than Friday, February 22nd, 2019 at 5:00 pm. Applications may be submitted during normal business hours (9am--5pm, Monday--Friday) or by appointment until the deadline.

Join us for the November Community Issues Meeting on Monday the 12th from 6:30--8:00pm at Whittier Park (425 W 26th St.). We'll have updates from neighborhood organizations, hear from Rep. Karen Clark as she prepares to hand over the reins to newly elected 62A Rep. Hodan Hassan, and have a community discussion on the work being done right here in Whittier to address veteran homelessness in Minneapolis and Hennepin County led by staff from St. Stephen's Human Services.

A link to Rep. Clark's most recent legislative summary can be found below!

All are welcome and encouraged to attend!