urbanMSP

Don't dismiss the initial assumption, because it's actually grounded in some reality. I'm speaking freely about my opinion that people are under educated on Nicollet Mall and their beliefs that it's some grimy, nasty, odorous mess. That's hardly me sticking my fingers in my ears saying "No, no...

But complaining about diesel exhaust isn't exactly a complaint straight out of left field.

Yes, it actually is on this stretch of Nicollet Mall downtown!

That idealistic, bright sunny picture doesn't show the malodorous latrine-&-diesel grime which has been the most marked characteristic of Nicollet Mall since its early days. ^^^ Favorite comment from the Strib article by the way It amazes me at how clueless most people are at how nice Nicollet ...

Mayor will propose extra $3.5 million for Nicollet Mall
June 12, 2014
http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/262927221.html

The street level along Marquette has a great pedestrian orientation with the tall large windows. You can see the ramp's decorative perforated panels have depth with a corrugated, multicolored pattern. Should look very nice when walking along Marquette. Agreed, I love it! It's amazing to think about...

The internet has made the need to go to the bars to hook up less of an option Why the bars are less full, also the DUI penalties are much harsher and the .8 does not help things either. The LGBT community increasingly becoming accepted and the new generation seeking LGBT-exclusive bars much less of...

Street level (Marquette) rendering: http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/o ... 754396.jpg

I love the pile of brush across 4th Street blocking the empty surface lot!

Interesting nugget from the Business Journal story: Mortenson also worked with Summit on a downtown deal that didn't come together. The companies teamed up to pitch a $63 million, 300-room hotel project dual-branded as AC by Marriott and SpringHill Suites by Marriott on a development site above a p...

They also need to do something about those nasty Gay 90's and Brass Rail buildings. They just trash the area up. The owners don't seem to care about them. One would hope that a new development across the street from the Brass Rail, Auggie's & the 90s may actually motivate the owners to invest o...

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/gro ... 106952.pdf
This does contain some other visuals of the building.

Not a huge deal, but if you have two trains labeled "Target Field," the folks from out of town aren't going to know that old trains = Blue Line.

But if they're going to Target Field, and are downtown, it won't matter which train they get on (Blue or Green), as they'll both end there...

I don't think the Saloon, which was originally called the Hurry Y'all Back Saloon and the Gay 90's started out as gay bars. I could be wrong. It's the "Y'all Come Back Saloon", the credit card statements still show up as that. Owners John & Andy were both bar tenders there and bought ...

Temporary parking lots should be in gravel only. Cheaper for the developer and signals that it's temporary. That sounds perfect in theory, but hardly something realistic for this project. First of all, the master plan for this area was crafted back in the 2007 time frame. Clearly if it's taken 7 ye...

Is it just me, or will this project have a yellow tint to the building? I think that's just the rendering. If you look at the rendering, the base of the Nic parking is also a yellow tint. Perhaps it's a sunrise representation for when the earth's axis tilts and the sun rises in the north? :lol: htt...

Yes, Hotel Amsterdam closed several years ago. If only they'd build an elevator off the back of the Saloon and use the 2nd & 3rd floors for bar space. Perhaps cutting the floor away above the main dance floor and having a balcony. Ahhh, to have unlimited cash to do things...

Looking at the construction cam, I can't help but notice that they've poured a concrete wall surrounding the base of one of the tower cranes. I'm guessing that eventually this will be an elevator shaft? Not really sure what you're talking about here... the parking ramp block hasn't had any demo or ...

The bases of two tower cranes are in place on the eastern block of the wells fargo site.

This is the western block.

Feels odd to have the hotel built and operational before the stadium is in use. Best to time completion right before game day, IMO... According to all the news reports, the hotel & apartment portion will open about a year after the stadium (Stadium will be completed by August 2016, Hotel/Apartm...

Since Ryan is the developer for both the ramp and the tower, wouldnt you think it would make more sense for them to do the whole project at once? Seems it would save a ton of money. Except the ramp has to be completed for the stadium opening (August 2016) and I don't think they can have the residen...

Whatever is proposed here will still need to be approved by the city. Don't expect shovels to hit the ground anytime soon. They probably can't even start building the parking ramp if the configuration has changed significantly since it was approved as part of the Ryan/WF project. That approval last...