The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association’s (MHNA) Leave a Light On program funds outdoor lighting to promote safety and brighten the neighborhood.
Under the program, properties can be reimbursed up to $250 for exterior lighting improvements, including purchasing lights and timers and installing lighting strings on posts, according to the website.
The Marcy-Holmes neighborhood stretches from Central Avenue SE to 15th Avenue SE, including Dinkytown and St. Anthony Main.
The neighborhood association said Minneapolis street lighting is problematic for the Marcy-Holmes area due to the population density and the busyness of the sidewalks at night.
In the 2020 census, the Dinkytown portion of Marcy-Holmes had a population of 7,783 and the highest population density in Minnesota, according to an MHNA demonstration project. It is anticipated the area will grow by 25% to over 10,000 by the end of 2024.
MHNA Board Member Vic Thorstenson said the program started in 2019 after a series of crimes happened in the area, specifically under a street light.
Thorstenson said the lights built by the Minneapolis Department of Public Works light up the street well but do not provide enough light to the sidewalk.
“The lights are aimed at the street, not the sidewalk,” Thorstenson said. “The little light that splashes out is blocked by cars, it’s blocked by tree branches and so we hit on the idea of shooting for more pedestrian-level lighting.”
Fourth-year University of Minnesota student Luke Wittner said he had a bad first experience in the neighborhood and moved away due to crime.
“You literally could not pay me to live there,” Wittner said.
Wittner, the vice president of the Interfraternity Council, said his position often deals with student safety. He said adding more lights will make the neighborhood less intimidating.
While the program has had some success, there is still a lack of proper lighting in the Dinkytown neighborhood between 15th Street and I-35W, Thornstenson said.
“That’s kind of a target area for us,” Thorstenson said. “It’s also been the area of biggest concern just in terms of street safety as well.”
He added that the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood is constantly changing and the word needs to keep getting around about this program.
“If you live in a building that doesn’t have adequate lighting, either for its parking lot or for the area outside the building where people congregate, let your landlord know that we’ll help them get the light up, help them pay for lighting,” Thorstenson said. “There’s little excuse not to do it anymore.”
The form to fill out for reimbursement is found on the Marcy-Holmes website.
Having lights in the neighborhood is important, especially for women, said MHNA Board President Kim Hansen.
Hansen said seeing Thorstenson displaying lights on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 6th Street makes her feel safer walking around the neighborhood.
“If more people would take advantage of this program that we’re offering them, I think it would really go a long way to making the area feel more welcoming,” Hansen said.
