I have lived in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul for nine years now, and the business I own, the queer soccer bar The Black Hart of Saint Paul, just celebrated its seventh anniversary. On my three-block walk to work, on one of the busiest streets in the city, I pass by three empty lots and I stare at a wall of empty storefronts. Just a few more blocks away is the derelict CVS that has become a lightning rod of neighborhood fury, a monument to gross neglect.

Most of us who live and work in Midway can imagine so much better for our neighborhood: vibrant streets filled with more housing and more dynamic, locally owned business. There is no single panacea that will spur more development and investment, but there are a few tools to bring about that vibrant future that are incredibly basic a

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