Find all you need this summer in the neighborhood and #ShopSeward to support your local businesses.
Pick up your Free Shop Seward Yard Sign at any of these locations:
• Fun City Dogs
• Jack’s Hardware & Farm Supply
• Zipps Liquor
News
Shop Seward Yard Signs!
Seward Safety & Security Survey
The Safety & Security Survey is to gauge interest and support for a private security patrol and/or an Ambassadors Program in Seward, focused on Franklin and Minnehaha avenues.
ALL SEWARD BUSINESSES & PROPERTY OWNERS – please take it asap!
https://forms.gle/5Y3rqj4n8kZf6a4e7
Seward & Longfellow Small Business Bingo
Our small businesses need your support during the COVID-19 pandemic. How many Seward & Longfellow businesses can you support this spring?! Submit 5 receipts of $25 or more to brigid@redesigninc.org for a chance to win a $100 giftcard to one of your favorite local spots! Every BINGO is another chance to win!
Don’t forget to shout out BINGO to your cat / work-from-home-coworkers / neighbors (from a safe distance)!
Seward Business District Needs Survey
Seward Business District Needs Assessment
Please take 5 minutes to fill out this important survey for SCCA!https://forms.gle/YxHEW4mNzgBszPKr8
Are you a property owner or business owner on Franklin or Minnehaha or Cedar Ave? We especially want to hear from you! SCCA received a Great Streets grant to explore the feasibility of creating a Special Service District (SSD) on Franklin Avenue (as well as Cedar Ave just north of Franklin and the northern blocks of Minnehaha Ave). This survey will help us assess interest and decide whether or not to move forward. We encourage all community stakeholders to fill out the survey. All responses will be kept confidential.
Thank You!
Proposed Franklin Special Services District
Are you a property owner or business owner on Franklin Ave? SCCA received a Great Streets grant to explore the feasibility of creating a Special Service District (SSD) on Franklin Avenue. This first public meeting is a chance for all business and property owners on Franklin (as well as Cedar Ave just north of Franklin and the blocks of Minnehaha Ave near Franklin) to come learn more about what a SSD is, discuss whether Franklin should have one, ask questions, and offer input on what services you’d like to see included. You’ll want to be at this meeting!
SCCA July Meeting:
Proposed Franklin Special Service District
Tuesday, July 30th
8:45 – 10 AM
The Playwrights’ Center | 2301 E Franklin
RSVPs requested – coffee & morning treats will be served. See the Meetings page on our website to rsvp. Questions? Contact Hillary at info@sewardbusiness.org.
What is a Special Service District?
A special service district is a defined area within the city where special services are rendered to improve a business district. Once property owners agree on the services they want, a service fee is assessed to all properties annually to fund the services. Special Service Districts may be established anywhere in the city but only business property (i.e., commercial, industrial, utility, or land zoned for commercial or industrial use) will be required to pay the service charge. Exempt properties can opt to pay it to support the SSD.
There are currently 16 Special Service Districts (SSD) in Minneapolis, where they’ve been used to improve and revitalize commercial corridors such as East Lake Street, Lyn-Lake, Eat Street and West Broadway. Services and amenities vary greatly per district but usually focus on creating a clean and safe environment where businesses can thrive. Services offered by a SSD go above and beyond standard City services and can include:
– sidewalk and street cleaning
– graffiti removal
– snow removal
– public safety initiatives
– capital improvements (trash receptacles, street lights, planters, etc.)
– banners & signage
– holiday decorations and lights
– landscaping
– marketing
– other needs as identified by the group
How is it paid for?
A Special Service District allows property owners in a commercial district to collectively assess themselves to fund enhanced services and other improvements. Usually the assessment is charged by linear foot, in this case based on your street frontage on Franklin, and added to your property taxes.
Join the Working Group:
If you own property or a business on Franklin Ave and would like to serve on the Franklin SSD Working Group, we will be meeting monthly through the fall. Our goal is to decide whether or not to move forward with forming a SSD, and if yes, what services it might include, and how it would be managed. Contact Hillary at info@sewardbusiness.org.
Seward + Longfellow Business Facebook Group
Have you joined the Seward Longfellow Business Facebook Group? A place for the business, arts and nonprofit community in the Seward and Longfellow neighborhoods of Minneapolis to connect, share ideas, swap job postings and information, and build each other up. The page is private, with content only available to members. It was started as a joint initiative by SCCA and LBA. Check it out and join today!
Register Now for Franklin Open Streets – Aug 26th, 2018
Register now for Franklin Open Streets!
Sunday, August 26th
11am – 5pm
Open Streets returns to Franklin for a 5th year on Sunday, August 26th from 11 am – 5 pm.
Register your business or organization now!
Franklin Ave will be closed from 27th Ave to Portland Ave. We expect up to 8,000 people walking, biking, rolling and playing in the street! How will your organization or business participate?
Reserve your spot on the street today!
Franklin Open Streets
Get ready for Franklin Open Streets!
Sunday, August 27th
11am – 5pm
Open Streets returns to Franklin on Sunday, August 27th from 11 am – 5 pm. We have a great line of up local businesses, activities, and entertainment all up and down Franklin from 27th Ave to Portland.Thanks to a Great Streets grant from the City of Minneapolis, SCCA is coordinating an East African Street Festival as part of Open Streets this year to celebrate the cultural diversity of Seward.
We’ve invited East African businesses, artists, organizations, and residents to participate.Come support small neighborhood businesses and enjoy music, dancing, food, art, henna, a bouncy house and more!
East African Street Festival
Sunday, August 27th
11am – 5pmDancing & Music by:
Somali Museum of Minnesota
UM Ethiopian Student Association
UM Oromo Student Union
Abdulkadir Said Argos – Classic Somali oud/guitar
Food:
Capitol Cafe
Birraa Restaurant
Selam Coffee
Arts & Culture:
Henna, crafts, Somali weavers
The Somali Museum is building a mudul — a traditional Somali house
Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
ALL Welcome! ALL Cultures!
2400 block of Franklin Ave near Capitol Cafe and Triangle Park
To learn more, contact Hillary at SCCA at info@sewardbusiness.org.
Check out our Facebook event and help spread the word!
Façade Improvement Matching Grants and Business District Support
Interested in working with Redesign to improve your business? Learn more about these programs and contact Program Manager Shaina Brassard.
Façade Improvement Matching Grants
Since the City of Minneapolis launched the Great Streets Façade Improvement Program in 2008, Redesign has overseen more than 75 projects. Using our expertise in design and development, we work with business and property owners to implement improvements that increase business visibility, attract customers and contribute to a more inviting pedestrian environment. Click here to see some of our favorite case studies.
Matching grants of up to $5,000 per storefront are available on a competitive basis. If you are interested, review the city’s Guidelines for Businesses before getting in touch with Program Manager Shaina Brassard at shaina@redesigninc.org or (612)435-0278.
Business District Support
Redesign receives funding through the City of Minneapolis Business District Support grantmaking to provide technical assistance and financial support to existing or new businesses looking to invest in their properties. We customize the type of assistance offered based on the owners’ needs. Examples include financial feasibility analysis, vendor and contractor referrals, construction management, funding towards branding, interior or façade design. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Redesign staff to see if we can assist you.
2016 Honor Roll Awards
At the Annual Meeting & Celebration in December, SCCA gave out the annual Honor Roll Awards, which include a beautiful wooden plaque created by Wood From the Hood. The 2016 Awardees were the Seward Towers Corporation and Kayf Ahmed & Scot Isqoox, the owners of Capitol Café. In addition, Pizza Lucé and Garland’s Inc. received letters of recognition for their community work. We are also pleased to welcome Kayf Ahmed to the SCCA Board of Directors.
Joe Buck Kayf Ahmed & Scot Isqoox of Capitol Café accept their Honor Roll Award from SCCA Board President, Joe Buck.
Kayf Ahmed & Scot Isqoox of Capitol Café
SCCA’s Board of Directors selected Scot & Kayf, owners of Capitol Café, for the impact they have had on Seward in the two years they have owned the Café. They have brought East African food, with an American touch, to our neighborhood that is healthy, beautiful and delicious. Their teas, coffees and smoothies are famous throughout Minneapolis and bring new folks to visit Franklin Avenue each week. They also reached out to Resource, Inc. and hired employees that needed an extra hand, going the extra mile to overcome barriers such as English language skills, that might have prevented employees from retaining a job elsewhere. They fully participate in making Seward a wonderful place to live and work by supporting neighborhood organizations and causes with donations of food and time. In particular their involvement with the Franklin Open Streets event helped SCCA greatly increased the participation of the East African community and as a result greatly enriched the experience for all Open Streets participants.
Diann Anders, Board President of Seward Towers Corporation, accepts the award from Joe Buck and Jim Welna.
Seward Towers Corporation
SCCA’s Board of Directors selected the Seward Towers Corporation as a 2016 Honor Roll Award recipient to recognize the tremendous work that led to retaining the local governance of the Seward Towers in the recent $95 million refinancing of the properties. The refinancing made possible $60,000 of improvements to each of the 640 units, upgrades to all major building systems such as heating, plumbing, electrical and fire protection systems, improved entrances that increase security of the buildings, and enhancements to Triangle Park. The refinancing also extends the affordability of units for an additional 20 years.
Seward Towers continues to be a partnership between Seward Neighborhood Group, Seward Redesign, Seward Towers residents, and CommonBond Communities. Since 1990, representatives from all have served as equal voting members on the Seward Towers Corporation board. The partnership is unique in the country, insuring formal local control and community engagement. With millions of dollars involved, and from a wide range of sources, typical refinancing agreements do not provide for the kind of partnership and local involvement that exists at Seward Towers. It was a major achievement to negotiate a deal that maintained that unique collaboration.
