Brooklyn Park businesses brace for change as Blue Line extension project advances

Two years before the planned start of major construction of the Blue Line light-rail extension, businesses in Brooklyn Park are long accustomed to hearing, “the Blue Line is coming.” But now that the project’s design is being finalized, some residents are amping up concerns about the impact the line might have on surrounding communities.

The $3.2 billion, 12-stop extension would connect Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park, with several stops in both of those cities and others in Robbinsdale and Crystal. Construction will begin in 2027, with an expected opening in 2030. The projected cost, which would be among the highest ever for a Minnesota public works project, has made it controversial, even as proponents say it could be an economic boon to an underserved area.

Kevin Stammer, manager at Cajun Deli, which is near the intersection of W. Broadway and Brooklyn Boulevard, said he’s not sure a new public transit option will lead to more customers at the nine-year-old restaurant.

“I view it as a start to opening up more public transit, but accessibility-wise, I think it’s probably a waste of money,” he said. He said he’s not convinced that people will take light rail just to visit a restaurant.

An estimated 6,400 people will start using transit because of the Blue Line extension by 2045, according to the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Blue Line Extension. A high percentage of households near the planned corridor don’t have cars, according to the Metropolitan Council.

Joseph Yohanis, a worker at A&J Tobacco, in the same shopping center that houses Cajun Deli, said area businesses will benefit from increased street traffic. But he stressed that people will only use the line if it’s free of crime and safe.

He said that once the Blue Line is extended, he’d expect to see more police officers in the area, but there would also need to be effective law enforcement on the trains. Yohanis said Metro Transit would have to make sure the trains were safe for everybody — and that everyone pays.

Cara Donovan, a senior planner for Brooklyn Park, said the city understands some of the concerns. A key talking point has been anti-displacement work — efforts to ensure that the line does not push out residents or businesses before, during and after construction.

Donovan said the city created an anti-displacement survey in multiple languages. Advocates are working to obtain funding for anti-displacement efforts. Hennepin County commissioned the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs to analyze data and collect community input about potential displacement.

According to the report, property values and housing costs significantly increased and demographics shifted in Blue Line station areas, defined as areas within a half-mile walking distance from a train station.

More than a dozen community groups have called on Metropolitan Council leaders to avoid displacing immigrant communities and communities of color as they plan the Blue Line extension.

Since 2013, the Blue Line Coalition, a group of organizations advocating for community members along the train’s route, have argued that the extension raises questions about racial justice and regional equity.

Ricardo Perez, an organizer for the coalition, said communities along the line have mixed feelings about it. The coalition is seeking funds to combat displacement, with a goal of obtaining funding equal to 5% of the total cost of the Blue Line, Perez said.

During the 2024 legislative session, the group celebrated a $10 million initial investment from the Legislature in funding for the new Anti-Displacement Community Prosperity Program. Perez said that while the news was welcome, it was “disheartening” to learn that the money wouldn’t be immediately available.

“We need to find matches to be able to unlock the $10 million that the state gave us,” he said.

A key proposal on how to use the money, Donovan said, is to cover the gap in revenue for businesses affected by construction. The limit would be $25,000 per business.

There’s also another program in the works, the Small Business Financial Support program, that could offer affected businesses grants to combat increases in rent or property taxes.

There are an estimated 275 businesses within a quarter-mile of the route. Seventy-three businesses that will likely experience construction impacts have already been contacted, according to a June report from the city of Brooklyn Park.

This program would provide up to $20,000 per business and prioritizes retail businesses. The money will also be used to assist people displaced from their homes along the route, but Donovan said that program is still being formulated.

In June, Brooklyn Park published the results of a survey of residents, with 166 responses, most from white women. More than half of respondents opposed the Blue Line extension.

Not all residents are worried that the project will have negative impacts. Turquoise Phillips, who was getting her hair braided at Unique Beauty Salon at the Parksquare Shopping Center, said she’s all for it.

“Right now I have to drive downtown [Minneapolis]. I work in an office, you have to pay for parking, traffic is icky,” Phillips said. “If I could just hop on the light rail, I would.”

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This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.