urbanMSP

Why are we talking about Apple? Their stores are nice, but an Apple store would do much better if it was located on the first floor of the City Center. Back to the main topic. I like the idea of having two buildings with a streetcar or pedestrian walk way between them. It would allow for a unique sp...

It'll be nice to see this hotel go up. Hopefully some of the other smaller surface lots in the area will see development in the coming years. This part of town is a dead zone when there's nothing happening at the target center. At least with this hotel we will have people in the area, but Id imagine...

The grant Park condo building is another decent example. The parking ramp is completely invisible besides the entrance since it is fronted by townhomes on all sides. The parking ramp in question will probably a different since the developer will only have street fronting on one side to work with for...

The design isn't incredible, but it's a lot better than what I was expecting. Add in a 5 story, glass enclosed rock climbing wall somewhere in there and I'm all for this project. The facility isn't really unique, but it is something that has the ability to draw people in from the suburbs on the week...

I think they would be able to blow out the walls entirely and clad the building with floor to ceiling glass walls. In it's current form, it's not very appealing as an office building, but the internal open structure would allow them to easily strip the place and give tenants the opportunity to have ...

I'm sure the fact that the foundation has been exposed to the elements all these years played into the decision to not use it.

I think the parking issue has a lot to do with the culture of the city. While Minneapolis and Saint Paul have a decent transit and biking infrastructure, the majority of the people who work in downtown are commuting from the suburbs. As long as that's the norm. we will always need dedicated space to...

We can't expect every project to be 4-6 stories along university. The size isn't impressive at all, but it's very pedestrian friendly.

I don't think there are any real numbers around how long a building like this will last, but there are plenty of three story houses in Minneapolis and Saint Paul that are 80-100 years old. Yes, construction materials have changed significantly since then, but I don't think this building will be torn...

I know we all want good looking buildings, but some companies are simply not interested in spending the extra money for a building. The important aspect of an office building is how people are organized on the inside and how that facilitates the day to day operations of the business. Adding 900 empl...

Noticed the lights this morning and was wondering the same thing. Since it's such a thin strip, the color changes looked a bit odd, but it's nice to see that the new lighting is a lot more flexible.

I'm actually a fan of the contradicting lines. It makes the windows actually look bigger than the original ones even though they are the same size.

This is going to be a great addition to this part of town. I live in the area (about a mile away) and it's been nice to see quite a few smaller projects go in to give this neighborhood a more cohesive feel.

the one big factor that plays a huge roll in taller buildings is the need for additional elevators. Adding another 8 floors to a building may sound easy, but it may require an additional elevator bank. This changes the design of the building since at least one unit on every floor needs to be smaller...

this may be a bit off topic, but is there any reason why the system can not be powered using wireless charging like Korea's new bus line? The system only requires 5 to 15 percent of the route to be electrified for the buses to maintain enough charge for the 15 mile route. http://www.engadget.com/201...

Hve not been following this threat that closely, so I'm not sure if we've really touched on what a modern street car actually looks like these days. A few years ago I visited my parents in Padova Italy and got to ride their new streetcar line. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranvia_di_Padova The syste...

I think residential development and at least one restaurant is needed to make this park a success. Yes, the office tower will bring people into the park during the week, but there needs to be a human presence at night and on the weekends as well. I think it will help this area turn into a nice neigh...

This is the second most densely populated area in Minneapolis. And don't worry, a 4-5 story building fronting Second Street will easily do the trick of hiding Riverwest from view when you're on Second.

Walgreens and CVS are hugely competitive. They would rather overbuild than not have a presence. This is extremely evident in Saint Paul at the corner of Maryland and Arcade where Walgreens and CVS are location across the street from each other. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=55106&hl=en&ll=4...

Prices are not outrageous, but it's still more than most of the new rental developments along Washington.

That being said, I'd rather live in this building which has a lot more class, better location a great amenities. It's certainnly the "it" place to rent in or near downtown Minneapolis.