urbanMSP

The ceilings in the retail space look to be about 7.5'

The parking podium looks like its squashing the retail space making it appear shorter than it is. None of Stanton's projects are very pedestrian oriented on the first level. Maybe the Portland side will be better.

^^^In a way, it looks better as the tower and podium colors blend in better compared to the previous version. But gray can look pretty dull and cold, and the building might appear pretty severe, especially in the winter. I dont know, but I sometimes wonder if this developer is color blind or somethi...

MNdible, you raise some good points. I was walking by the site and wondering if the column joints could have water leakage issues. Maybe you know, but I was thinking (perhaps) they put some type of sealant in the joints to prevent that from occurring ?

I'm pretty sure there are some city requirements for street level frontage with retail (in connection with the air rights development), especially on the side facing the stadium and park. Can't remember the exact details or amount.

^^^You should have been around when Wells Fargo and Capella were built. That was amazing to watch! :) I biked by 4Marq today to take a look at the top and they are using the same black/ dark bronze to clad the top as they're using on the sides. It doesn't look too bad and fits pretty well with the r...

It looks much better than I expected. The light green tinted glass complements the color of the precast really well. The base looks open to the street. The massing has setbacks and the corner nicely relates to the Library (unlike the Opus 315 Nicollet proposal across the street). The question I have...

^^^Values about what is important in a living space change over time. There is definitely a trend in urban life to eat /socialize more outside of home. The kitchen is less of a focus in peoples' lives. Also, from a developers' standpoint, the kitchen ( and bathroom ) are likely the most expensive co...

The interior perspective of the rooftop party room shows no trellis.

Yep, I looked at their website and you are probably right. Too bad about that, however, I guess it does allow for panoramic views and a more open deck in the summer for residents.

In the renderings, that facade goes all the way to the top, around that rooftop balcony/terrace. I keep wondering if that is going to happen.... That's my question too. It's the most distinctive architectural feature of the project and makes it stand out. Hope they didn't decide to "cheapen ou...

The Sherman project looks better, but Mortenson's proposal allows the Academy Of Neurology to expand at their present site. They are a great asset to downtown and I would hate for them expand somewhere else. Just to be clear, the connected office space is already in the Sherman plan. But I think th...

The Sherman project looks better, but Mortenson's proposal allows the Academy Of Neurology to expand at their present site. They are a great asset to downtown and I would hate for them expand somewhere else. As for Pinstripes, in some ways it feels too "suburban" to be along Washington on ...

The hotel , brewery , and KA headquarters look great and the project as a whole is awesome. My only gripe is the apartment proposal which has that generic "ESG look". The upper levels look like a carbon copy of Encore. It's almost annoying. Hopefully the architects will refine the design t...

Looks much stronger , especially the upper levels. Much better. I'm thinking it will actually improve the presence of 222 Hennepin somewhat with it's similar scale along Hennepin. The townhouses look great.

Looks like a wimpy proposal and designed to be as boring as possible. However, it doesn't block any of the Bookmen condo views so the developer probably will get a thumbs up from its neighbors.

The biggest problem is the squat, boxy proportions of the tower which are very similar to Nic on Fifth. In other words: it needs to be narrower and taller. The base looks very good.

This will be a great addition to the North Loop. Its good to see this project and T3 bringing more diversity to the area than just housing. I'm betting this hotel will liven up the neighborhood significantly.

Those decorative metal panels (between the windows ) are really cool, however, it doesn't look like they are salvaging them. That may not be feasible due to the way they were installed.

Maybe.... Developers don't build condos... because they can make more money with less work by building apartments. Yes, A developer can build the apartment complex , then sell it to a real estate investment company in virtually brand new condition. Much quicker ROI and less risk than attempting to ...

Or maybe they spent an hour walking around town, noticed the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of square feet of vacant commercial space, and made the decision that more vacant commercial space is not the solution to vacant commercial space. I do agree there's a problem with a lot of vacant retail spac...

^^^What I don't understand is why there is so little retail. There is this booming residential population all around it , in addition to hundreds of hotel rooms going up nearby. This site seems like such an attractive place for retail that caters to the demographic niche of both the North Loop and t...