strong reaction by Northeast and Holland Neighborhood residents against the
proposed new household toxics and general waste transfer facility to be located
at 27th and University in the Holland Neighborhood. The recognized
neighborhood associations in Holland and the other two neighborhoods in close
proximity to the proposed siteâMarshall Terrace and Columbia Park--have now all
taken official stands against the whole project. In response, some project
proponents have taken to disparagingly labeling those opposed to the facility
as âNIMBYsâ who are somehow irrational in their opposition, donât really
understand the proposal like the proponents do, just donât have all their facts
straight or should just suck up and tolerate it since they live in a poor area
with an industrial past. This smug and condescending attitude towards those
residents of lower Northeast who have come out against this proposal seems,
however, to be rapidly backfiring as more and more residents become aware of
the project and voice their opposition.
To really understand why people are so strongly opposed to this proposal, it
may be helpful to look at the broader context. At its core, this is really an
environmental justice issueâpeople in a relatively poor area of the city who
have already been subjected to far more than their fair share of the regionâs
toxic pollution, are tired of it and just donât want another facility
associated with toxics and waste in their neighborhood.
Historically, the âvalleyâ section of Northeast Minneapolis (as opposed to the
wealthier âhillâ neighborhoods to the east) has been a âdumping groundâ for all
sorts of industrial processes and facilities that are needed by people all over
the metro area but that nobody seems to want located in their own
neighborhoods. This has resulted in a âtoxic legacyâ of past and ongoing
pollution that impacts residents in this area much more severely than almost
anywhere else in the metro area.
Some of these toxic legacies are well-known, others much less so.
For starters, there is the Shoreham Yards complex, located just east across the
tracks and to the north of 27th and University. The 230 acre site contains the
largest Superfund site in the State of Minnesota and is undergoing ongoing
clean-up efforts. Meanwhile, however, the site has contaminated the groundwater
of a large swath of Northeast Minneapolis, rendering it permanently unsafe to
drink. (See the August 25, 2004 City Pages article by Mike Mosedale âThe
Spreading Stain: The long, slow fight to clean up one of northeast's largest
polluted sitesâ http://www.citypages.com/content/printVersion/15126/ for more
info).
Holland was also heavily impacted (and may still be impacted) by the
W.R.Grace/Western Minerals vermiculate facility. Asbestos-contaminated
vermiculite was brought by rail from a mine in Libby, Montana (now a dying town
with astoundingly high cancer rates) to a facility near 18th and Monroe NE.
After processing, the asbestos-laden byproduct was given away to area residents
as âfree fillâ for their driveways, yards, etc. It was also used to shore up
the riverbank at at Gluek Park along the Mississippi. Years after the company
realized the materials were dangerous, it still refused to acknowledge or take
action to address the problem. Then it declared bankruptcy. Surveys begun in
the late 1990s found the fill in the yards of many Holland and Logan Park
residents. The federal Environmental Protection Agency subsequently carried out
a huge clean-up campaign, one of those scary situations in which all of a
sudden there are people in haz-mat suits digging up the dirt that residents had
been gardening in and kids playing in for a generation. As the clean-up
depended on individual residents being aware of the situation and agreeing to
have their yards tested, it is an open question regarding whether the EPA has
really fully taken care of the problem or not. Itâs the type of traumatic and
unsettling experience that can make one a bit less trusting of assurances given
by corporations or government agencies that their products, processes and
facilities are safe.
For decades Holland and surrounding downwind neighborhoods were at âground
zeroâ for emissions from Xcelâs Riverside Generating Plant, long considered to
be the dirtiest coal-fired electricity generating plant in Minnesota. Two years
ago the plant was converted to natural gas significantly reducing (but not
eliminating) its airborne pollution. Holland has also been significantly
impacted by illegal toxic emissions from the Consolidated Container/ICS barrel
reconditioning facility located just north of 27th and University. The facility
(a cautionary tale about how recycling isnât always a âgreenâ activity) takes
industrial metal drums, burns off the paint and the remaining (often toxic)
liquid waste and then repaints the barrels. Over a period of many years, its
malfunctioning air pollution control equipment caused periodic blooms of acrid
toxic smoke to drift into Holland. (See my 2003 article, âBurning Hazardous
Chemical Wastes in the City: Industrial Container Services in Northeast
Minneapolisâ archived at <email obscured>/msg24209.html for more info).
The list goes on: A plating factory right next to residential homes on Monroe
Street. Leaking underground tanks all over Northeast. The GAF shingle factory
that for years caused a horrible odor that drifted across the river into much
of Northeast (See my April, 2005 article âWhat's that Smell? GAF on the upper
Mississippiâ archived at <email obscured>/msg35580.html for more info). And
many other problem facilities around the wider Northeast area. A few years ago
concerned neighborhood leaders and activists and environmental organizations
even sponsored a âtoxic tourâ of Northeast that highlighted some of the
pollution issues of highest concern.
The neighborhood in the immediate vicinity of 27th and University is also
impacted (noise, diesel exhaust) by its proximity to the busiest railroad
corridor in the entire upper Midwest, used by 80 to 100 trains a day (or more),
including the recently added Northstar Commuter trains which pass through, but
make no stops anywhere near, the neighborhood.
In summary, itâs a lot of pollutionâpast and present. Certainly a lot more than
almost anywhere else in the Twin Cities metro area. And this is all in a
relatively poor neighborhood (both in relation to the City as a whole and even
to most other Northeast neighborhoods). According to information on the City of
Minneapolis website,
(http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/neighborhoods/holland_profile_home.asp)
âHollandâs percentages of families living below the poverty level and families
with children under 18 living below the poverty level were consistently above
the Minneapolis figures between 1979 and 1999. The difference in percentages
tended to increase from 1979 to 1999.â âIn 2000 property values were almost
$31,400 lower than the citywide average.â
In recent years Holland and the Northeast area have seen some very positive
trendsâan ongoing creative revitalization, an increased recognition of the
areaâs many assets, investments in new businesses, a perception of the area
becoming 'trendy' and some positive efforts to address and clean-up its toxic
legacies. These changes have also brought about a new generation of leaders and
activists who care passionately about the neighborhood. This had led to a much
higher degree of civic engagement than the area was known for in the past.
However, Holland and Northeast face many challenges, not the least of which are
those caused by the financial crisis and collapse of the housing market. There
has been a surge of foreclosures and I would guess that the new census figures
for the increasingly ethnically diverse Holland Neighborhood will reveal a
dramatic decline in property values, a sharp increase in rental housing, an
ongoing influx of relatively poor new immigrants and an overall positioning
that will show it continues to have significantly higher poverty and
significantly lower property values than the City as a whole (and certainly the
wider area in suburban Hennepin and Anoka counties meant to be served by the
facility at 27th and University).
The above context may help explain why the City-County proposal for 27th and
University, cooked up in private and practically made a âdone dealâ before
there was any attempt at public consultation, was so jarring. It may well be
that this facility would be (relatively) well-run. However, it is still to be a
place where people from a wide area, including many from much wealthier parts
of the metro area, would drive in to dump off their waste, including
toxic/hazardous household waste. And it is clearly a facility that is not
wanted by other areas. The fact that 27th and University would be much closer
to residential homes than any similar facility in the Twin Cities and that the
city is apparently going to have to manipulate its whole definition of what a
âwaste transfer facilityâ is in order to try to get around what should be a
clear zoning prohibition against such a facility at this site, all add to the
suspicion and outrage that this proposal is generating.
The argument made by some project proponents that, well, those people bought
homes near industrial land so they just have to live with itâ is condescending
and distorts the facts. For one, it ignores the fact that many people bought
homes in Northeast because it was what they could afford, not because theyâd
rather look at the side of a factory than a park or lake. Also, in the case of
27th and University, people bought next to I-2 zoned property, not I-3.
According to the Cityâs published zoning code, waste transfer facilities are
supposed to have I-3 zoning.
Despite whatever âgreenwashing/rebrandingâ that the City and County are going
to try to come up with to make this proposal look better, it is still basically
a waste transfer facility, a place people would come to dump off their toxic
and other waste. Pretending otherwise wonât cut it. This is a clear
environmental justice issue and people in Holland and Northeast believe theyâve
already been dumped on enough. Which is why City officials, staff and the
projectâs relatively few local proponents are finding themselves awash in an
unexpectedly strong and growing groundswell of opposition to this proposal.
Bruce Shoemaker
Holland Neighborhood
PS The last thing I want to do is pit one neighborhood against another. Iâm a
former resident of Phillips, have many, many friends living there and
completely sympathize with their struggles to overcome that neighborhood's own
toxic legacies. We all need to work together and agree that it is just not
acceptable for politicians and bureaucrats to continue to push facilities like
this onto any relatively poor community that has already done more than its
fair share of dealing with the regionâs toxic trash. This should be a matter of
justice, principle and good governance, not political expediency.