Hello, my name is Carmen.  I am a member of Casa del Rey church (21st Ave & 36th St) in the Corcoran Neighborhood.  We have a prayer ministry, and that includes praying to God for the needs of our community.  If you would like prayer, you may call our Prayerline Wednesdays at any time from 8pm to 9pm.  I will be happy to pray with you.  I have seen God do amazing miracles for people in the name of Jesus.  The Bible says, "The kingdom of God is near" (Luke 10:9).

Each Wednesday, dial (641) 715-3580 and enter access code: 497-108-414#.  You may stay on for as long or as short as you like.  I will be on at 8pm and conclude at 9pm.  I look forward to praying with you.

The building rising up on the corner of Lake and Hiawatha (officially known as the “L&H Station Development”) is rapidly taking shape. In addition to being home to a Hennepin county social service center, it will also house multiple retail establishments, and is expected to open in the Spring of 2017.  

So far, more than retail 20 applications have been received, ranging from a hair salon to coffee shops to restaurants. The Corcoran community is taking an active role in guiding the selection process in partnership with the Neighborhood Development Center and Hennepin County. These three bodies helped to develop principles that steer both applicants and decision-makers.

Do you have an entrepreneurial dream? Are you interested in submitting an application for your business? Here are a few demographic details to get you thinking by the numbers:

• Two retail spaces are available, one is 4,300 SF, and the other is 3,100 SF. (Spaces can be divided into 1,000 SF sections)
• 550 daily employees in the building and another 450 daily clients.
• 31,500 daily blue line ridership
• 26,000 daily cars on Lake Street
• 3,670 passengers disembarking daily at Lake and Hiawatha.
• 85 surface stalls and underground parking

To learning more about the development or the Economic Development Committee, reach out to CNO staff member Heidi Johnson McCallister ([email protected]) or Economic Development Committee member Joan Bennett ([email protected]). 

The “unofficial art crawl committee” working hard to start developing the crawl

Living in Corcoran provides us with so many excellent amenities…one of those being surrounded by incredibly talented artists as neighbors!  Did you know that many of the homes on your block undoubtedly have some form of an art studio inside them?  Did you know that many of our neighbors earn a living selling art?  Well, Chris Sutton, a Corcoran neighbor, sure knew the benefit of art in the community and put out an all call this past summer to bring together interested artists to form an art crawl.  After many emails, Nextdoor App messages and conversations, Chris brought it all together and an unofficial art crawl committee was born!  And we are still looking for more interested parties!  Are you an artist that would like to be a part of the crawl?  Maybe you are not an artist but would be willing to volunteer your time?!  What are your strengths that you could bring to a Corcoran/Powderhorn art crawl?  If you are interested in hearing more, please don’t hesitate to contact Chris at [email protected].

How safe is Corcoran and how does it compare to the rest of the City? The City of Minneapolis has 87 neighborhoods as considered by the MPD. Parts of the City have perceptions for being the “bad” or “rough” or “crime ridden”, especially by those who do not live in the City. This month I did some research into how our neighborhood compares to other parts of the City. I took my data from this source: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/statistics/crime-statistics_codefor_statistics.

Each year, generous supporters like you celebrate Give to the Max Day by making an online donation to many organizations. Your generosity on this day makes a difference far beyond the 24-hour giving event. Please consider giving to CNO on November 17, 2016, for Give to the Max Day and help us continue to unite our neighbors to strengthen our community. CNO has a goal of raising $5,000. We need your help! Can you give $10 or more to help us make that goal?  A board member has generously donated a matching gift of $1,000 to help us reach our goal! Consider making your donation a sustaining donation at any amount. By accomplishing our goal, CNO will be able to continue:

• Organize renters to advocate for their housing. Read the letter from renter leader Edaín Altamirano about this important work! 
• Support small businesses with training, façade improvements, and more.
• Sustain and grow the Midtown Farmers Market, including new permanent plaza space.
• Guide the developments of new retail space and housing at 2225 East Lake as well as the Adult Basic Education at 21^st Street and Lake Street.
• Improve the Lake and Hiawatha intersection to make it safer and easier to navigate.
• Put residents like you in direct relationship with local government officials, developers, and others.

Mark your calendar and schedule your gift anytime between November 1^st and November 17 by visiting https://www.givemn.org/organization/cno. Sustaining donations can be made through this website as well. 

The Eagle Scouts of Troup 537 – Medina donated their time, talent, and treasure to give the front yard of Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly (1845 East Lake Street) a much needed facelift. They edged the flower and shrubbery beds, trimmed bushes, planted bulbs, and added fresh mulch. They also built benches for the front yard. All of this effort have made our property so much more welcoming and attractive for our neighbors as well as elder clients, volunteers and visitors.

The gardening season at Milly’s Peace Garden, 38^th Street & 21^st Avenue, is coming to a close. During this lovely October fall weather, gardeners are gradually putting their gardens to bed. Several gardeners have planted garlic that they will harvest next summer. Only the kale is still standing tall, since we will be able to harvest it until well into November, perhaps even into December. 

At Left: Pam Morgan preparing a plot for winter

The 2016 growing season for the Corcoran Community Garden has almost come to an end. A few more things to harvest and we’ll be done until next year!  We had plenty of rain this year and some really nice warm fall days! I love this time of year!

But now, time for our fall clean up and bracing ourselves for winter! (I’ve heard rumors of a winter vortex returning this year!) We better hurry before the snow flies! Until next season! Happy Holidays!

 1825 E Lake St, 

Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 724-4040

Owner: Mohammed Ahmed

After driving by the City Market for years, a friend told me about an amazing array of beans and other offerings from the local store.   I stopped in Saturday to talk to the owner, Mohammed Ahmed, and his 3 granddaughters who often help him run the business.    I found an unassuming warehouse space with a wide variety of African, Middle Eastern, Mexican and American goods.  The granddaughters were energetic, friendly and proud to show me around the store and share their grandfather’s stories.

What does your Minneapolis look like in ten years? In twenty years? As you may have heard, the City of Minneapolis is undergoing a full update of our Comprehensive Plan, a requirement by the Metropolitan Council every ten years. This policy document will guide physical and economic development in our neighborhoods for the next 20 years. With a goal of adding population while maintaining the character of our communities and ensuring that current residents are not displaced, it is very important that all of our residents – especially those who have been traditionally excluded from this type of process – have their voices heard.