Blake Road Corridor

Since 2005 the City of Hopkins has been working in partnership with Hennepin County, Hopkins School District, and other stakeholders to form a collaborative to address community concerns in the Blake Road Corridor. A lot of progress has been made, including youth summer programming, increased police presence, the creation of multiple Neighborhood Watch groups and the adoption of the Blake Road Corridor Small Area Plan.

Future Redevelopment & Revitalization

Redevelopment in the Blake Road Corridor is inevitable. Land costs and other market conditions, as well as future Light Rail Transit (LRT) in the area will attract higher intensity development. The City of Hopkins is preparing for future redevelopment through its Comprehensive Plan to guide certain sites toward Transit-Oriented-Development, and by conducting the Blake Road Corridor Study.

Redevelopment & Revitalization Projects

• Cold Storage Site (325 Blake Road)
• Cottageville Park (439 Blake Road)

Blake Road Corridor Collaborative

The Blake Road Corridor Collaborative (BRCC) is a partnership of governmental and community organizations working to address community concerns in the Blake Road area of Hopkins. In response to some of the social service recommendations from the 2005 Wilder Study, local agencies ResourceWest and InterCongregation Communities Association (ICA) have overseen additional community outreach and engagement in the Corridor. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has provided funding for these efforts, including a staff position coordinating the collaborative and the development of a Community Action Plan unveiled in February 2010.

Other Organizations

Other organizations involved in the BRCC include the City of Hopkins and the Hopkins Police Department. Since 2005, the Blake Road neighborhood and the BRCC have experienced a number of important successes, including the establishment of the Cottageville Park neighborhood garden, increased participation of Blake Road youth in after-school programming coordinated by the Hopkins Public School District Community Education Department, and many neighborhood improvements including the addition of sidewalks along the east side of Blake Road North.

Wilder Community Assessment

The Stakeholder Collaborative raised enough money to fund increased police patrols, youth summer programming, and an extensive community assessment carried out by the Wilder Foundation. The goals of the assessment were to clarify community concerns, identify long-term solutions for those concerns, and inform a plan to engage and empower stakeholders. Completed in April 2008, the assessment utilized interviews with residents, an online survey, focus groups and other research tools.

All of these efforts were important steps toward stabilizing the community in the short-run, and the Wilder Foundation Community Assessment has now provided the City with guidance on how to support and bolster those efforts so that community improvements continue and are maintained.