urbanMSP

While most of the development has yet to begin, a glimmer of what's to come quietly moved into a long-vacant small space in the former Witt Mitchell building at 7th Street and Hennepin two weeks ago. A prototype of a concept dubbed "Made Here" features art made by Minnesota artists, and B...

Just got a robodial from Mark Andrew announcing his candidacy.

Yep, me too. He must be using a previous delegate list.

I really doubt the buildings will be skyway connected. The city seems very interested in containing the skyway system to the downtown core, as called for in the Downtown East / Elliot Park master plan. Then again, the stadium bill mandates the parking ramp be skyway/tunnel connected to the stadium, ...

Ok, my previous post was pretty cynical, but I bet I could even get the Duluth Mayor to admit (after plying him with a pint of local brew) that moving transit customers off Superior Street was a big factor in the political push for a new transit center. An MPR article from a decade ago describes the...

Yes, the Holiday Center transit station on Superior Street works great, but the Holiday Inn and other downtown interests want it moved somewhere else. Think of it as a 7th & Nicollet situation except the scourge is poor white kids from West Duluth. The transit center should be moved into an out-...

There was some discussion about whether food trucks are paying their fair share or have unfair advantages in an unrelated thread. The number of food trucks has risen rapidly in the three years since they’ve been allowed in Minneapolis. To my knowledge five businesses started as food trucks and have ...

In conjunction with a $34 million to $40 million road improvement project, MnDOT will widen the shoulders in both directions next year between Hwy. 55 and East Fish Lake Road. The shoulders will serve as additional lanes during peak traffic periods and can be opened to ease congestion caused by a c...

Turkey To-go started as a food truck and now leases a skyway space in the Baker block. I've apparently unwittingly walked into an ambush, though, taking on both the v-----t city and the parking subsidy crowds. Really?! You're going to complain about subsidies to food trucks and completely dismiss th...

If food trucks have such an advantage over restaurants by not paying their fair share why are food trucks going bricks & mortar? Wouldn't they just take advantage of the market distortion with more food trucks? Or does it simply mean that the city is not charging enough "rent" for non-...

Great to hear about Gastrotruck going brick-and-mortar on University. By my possibly incomplete count they would be the fifth business to start as a foodtruck and move into a retail location after Foxy Falafel, Turkey To-go, World Street Kitchen, and Smack Shack. In this Streets.MN post , Bill Linde...

I think we are plenty dense enough to build a subway from the West Lake green line station to Lake & Hennepin, along Hennepin to downtown, across the Mississippi with a stop at University, and east on University with a stop in Dinkytown and terminus at Stadium Village green line stop. This subwa...

Yes, Minnesota, and nearly every other state, constitutionally requires a balanced budget. However, this requirement has been repeatedly flouted through magical accounting and budget tricks such as the school 'shift', tobacco bonds, and structural deficits pushed off into the next bienium.

I generally prefer rail. I tend to get motion-sickness on the bus so I really appreciate the smooth ride quality of rail. However, if there is not the political will to give rail its own right-of-way, I don't think we should spend the insane money necessary for streetcars. If we don't have the funds...

Twincitizen, I agree "select" is a decent choice. It's a good differentiator without being to campy.

Wow. The new list is universally terrible. If you agree, I'd like to hear some fresh suggestions from the Urbanmsp think tank. Maybe we can come to a consensus and lobby metro transit before they name our most important bus routes zip, dash or wave...

I agree Bryant is a good bike route for through-traffic, but there are many destinations on Lyndale that should be safely accessible via bike.

You guys realize we're talking about a bank, with a huge ego, right?

Wait, what? Wells Fargo is a bank? I thought they were a stagecoach company...

Yeah, I suppose they do. There goes my theory...

Guess I shouldn't sit near the back- Totally my fault :roll: There is sort of a subtle front/back of the bus difference. Not across the board, but elderly people and those who are nervous about their personal safety gravitate to the front of the bus for mobility reasons and probably because they fe...

Aren't open air drug markets a sign of a city's vibrancy? Kind of like farmer's markets or sidewalk cafe's?

Seriously though, I don't really see why people freakout when someone offers to sell them drugs. It's easy enough to politely say "no thank you."