urbanMSP

The Park Board's acquisition strategy along the riverfront isn't so much that they seek massive acreage, rather that they are trying to create the opportunity for continuous trails - something akin to the popular lake street bridge-parkway-franklin avenue bridge-parkway loop. Such a loop between Ply...

I'm not offended by your opinions min-chi-cbus, but I'd agree with Wedgeguy's general sentiment. I feel very comfortable walking around Uptown with kids, and the main crime I've noticed recently is the length of time it takes to get a walk signal to cross Lagoon or Lake Street at Girard. Sometimes e...

So does 'publicly financed in a broad sense' include everyone who claims a mortgage interest tax deduction? That's the federal government's largest housing program by far, and it disproportionally benefits people with big mortgages. Unless we turn a blind eye to this federal housing subsidy, then we...

Since ice cream is by nature perhaps the most fair-weather of retail items, it seems like the ideal type of retail to have lines out the door*. And to have a very high ratio of outdoor to indoor seating. Should Izzy's really be expected to size their retail space the way Wal-Mart sizes their parking...

The phases of Franklin-Portland Gateway that have been built have a total of 120 apartments, of which 29 (or 24%) are market rate. The affordable apartments at Franklin-Portland are mostly restricted to 50% of area median, whereas the affordable apartments at Five15 include many at 60% of area media...

Agree that 2nd and Marquette are designed for the rush hour traffic pattern, but don't accommodate pedestrians optimally, especially not on a nice day at lunch. The extra bus passing lane seems unnecessary during non-rush hour, and the outer lane going the other direction is used for parking cars &a...

With the way public housing rents are calculated (30% of household income), the families at median income for the census tract are paying monthly rents of roughly $340 ($13,511 x 30% / 12). The rents at Five15 will start at about $700 for a studio, and top out at around $1,150 for a 3-bedroom apartm...

I'm referring primarily to this public housing: http://www.mphaonline.org/ http://www.stpaulpha.org/ WHS - you are correct that new construction of public housing has dwindled to near-zero, but the existing stock is still significant - MPHA and the St. Paul PHA are still some of the largest (if not ...

WHS, there is a lot of daylight between the typical rent levels (and average incomes of residents) in Public Housing and the rent levels in apartments funding by Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Most residents of Public Housing would not be able to afford the rents at Five15, not even in the 50% of t...

I'd love to see the Strib apply the same basic troll-bait algorithm to some stories about other kinds of infrastructure. The City spent $45 million on a 1000-space parking ramp across from the Guthrie, and it's now 50% full on a good day, so the City spent $90,000 per occupied parking space, in the ...

I'm not sure the windows facing the interior of the block are a problem. The block with Park Ave Lofts and Mill District City Apartments (at Park & Washington) is rather charming. The courtyard created by the two buildings isn't public, but you can walk through politely (the gates aren't locked)...

Meanwhile, across the river, the A-Mill is being renovated and historically preserved. Compared to 2316-2320 Colfax, the A-Mill complex is (1) much more significant, historically; (2) much more visible to the general public; and (3) about 100x larger. It seems like the poster child for a development...

In an effort to compete with television, Vikings spend $1.2 on more television.

Read the book 'Frindle' with our kids this year, and it is pretty much a guidebook for how the Multipurpose Stadium might acquire a better name. And a good book, no less.

Probably concurrent with the stadium opening, because the park is part of the overall fan logistics with the pre & post-game events. It's a quicker thing to build than the surrounding towers & stadium, thus the head start for those elements.

I agree with the skeptics that this would not be a cheap idea to implement. Still, the vision begs the question: at what point does 'pie in the sky' become 'obvious no-brainer investment.' If it costs $50m to put a lid over 5 blocks of 35W and create 10 development sites, should the public sector do...

Online Survey for the North Minneapolis Greenway is now open through June 15: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NMplsGreenway The Project Website has more background on the current proposal and the status of the planning: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/health/living/northminneapolisgreenway Now is a good...

The vertical portion of the crane was fully installed this afternoon.

Might also have something to do with the costs & liabilities of maintaining a vacant building. It can be a hassle re-closing a building after each break-in, getting the police to search the building to make sure you aren't locking anyone inside, etc...

I believe Wedgeguy is referring to 2017 for both dates. Essentially the Ryan proposal projects completion in mid-2017, the Mortenson proposal by early 2017.