urbanMSP

I know elections are important, but... is this really the best use of this piece of property?

Places like the Guthrie, the Walker, and the Minnesota Orchestra all received significant state funding, if I recall correctly.

Doesn't it make sense that numbers for any route, anywhere in the country, are going to be lower because of our new WFH world? It's also entirely possible that, since MSP's transit usage has rebounded more slowly than elsewhere, our numbers would be down more.

The question about what's a reasonable ticket price for a one-way or two-way trip is dumb, since I'd probably pay twice as much for a two-way trip...

As near as I can tell, they're not touching 93rd at all, which seems strange. https://www.blainemn.gov/3629/Thrive-on-65 It appears that they're able to execute most of the project with minimal property takings, so maybe the relative density of development at that location makes improvements at 93rd...

If that diagonal path were well programmed, it could be a fantastic experience. If it's not, it will be an unpleasant and dangerous feeling space.

We don't have a great track record on things like this, I'm afraid.

The presentation materials I've seen suggest extending 8th Avenue only to 4th Street, and that is just a dashed line on a single map. If they did extend it to 3rd Street (and by extension to Washington using the existing street), that would help somewhat. But even then, you lose the connection throu...

I'm not opposed to the 10th Avenue routing, but I think it needs to be acknowledged that the street does serve a critical purpose in circulation around the area.

Did the trains actually come through the tunnel? I always assumed that there wasn't enough room in the trench for a wye, so that they just unloaded from a siding and passed it through the tunnel on carts or whatever.

Baltimore often has good flight availability, and is much more interesting than Denver. Just tossing that out there.

Interesting that this parcel still has an Emerson Avenue address -- in its current configuration, it certainly feels like a Hennepin Avenue property. That parking access seems problematic -- I wonder if they could get an easement to share the existing curbcut of the building to the north.

Given the interest rate issues that you've mentioned, and the current wave of apartments downtown hitting the market, it might be that they're just willing to sit on the site for a bit until the market is ready to pay top dollar for the land.

That's a bummer, if not terribly surprising. This project always looked to be very expensive on a per square foot basis, so I'm impressed they made it as far as they did. Hopefully this can get sorted out quickly.

Yeah, the obsession with killing the downtown hub-and-spoke in favor of a cartesian grid is truly baffling to me. You're benefiting hardly anybody, and hurting lots of people who do want to go downtown (or who would like to make a different connection there).

I think I've asked this before, but does the 4 layover at the Gateway Ramp?

That's interesting. If you look at google maps for what has been built so far, you can see that they've left space to widen the LRT bridge next to HERC to the north, so that must be the plan.

That's fine, we'll just deduct the extra costs of the special election this will require from his paychecks over the next year.

Yeah, not sure what the office vacancy levels are like in St. Anthony Main, but I could definitely see some of that space getting converted to a boutique hotel.

Does anyone know if they are building out all of the track junctions/switches needed for BLRT as part of the SWLRT project? Although BLRT will now go up 7th rather than Olson, it was always proposed to leave that track junction and cross 7th/Olson at grade. I have to imagine some of that was includ...

Heaven forbid people are able to sit at a bar or restaurant and enjoy a view of the river.