Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

[Nick]

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... tml?page=2

CPM bought some bunch of buildings, and the portfolio includes that parking lot betwixt Oak Grove, Lasalle, and I-94, so maybe that's good.

[mattaudio]

If ever there was a spot to do some freeway cappin....

[Nathan]

The lot next to 125 Oak Grove could easily be a parking garage/new residential and commercial if done right... I've hated that long for how long...

[ECtransplant]

Those are all, and all of, Warner Properties buildings. Both the Oak Grove and Lagoon Ave properties are promoted as "landmark buildings" on Warner's website -- whatever that means. Not sure how that affects any redevelopment.

[Wedgeguy]

Landmark Properties would mean no tearing down and you would have to get HPC permission on any exterior and possible interior remodeling. Means you get the charm of an old building, wood floors, tiny kitchens, and even smaller bathrooms!! LOL

[contrast]

http://www.beinbusinessdowntownmpls.com/

Someones trying to make it easier to get more downtown. No surprise here, it's Sport Ngin!

thanks for posting- just wasted an hour, but enjoyed every minute.

[Wedgeguy]

Anyone had a chance yet to walk by and see the projects on display in the Crystal Court. I'm hoping to get there about 2 or so. Want to know what I'm looking forward to.

[grant1simons2]

Im headed there at 4. They'd still be up then right?

[Wedgeguy]

Im headed there at 4. They'd still be up then right?

The displays will be up, but I think that the times when there will be spokespersons to answer questionthere is limited to 11 to 3. But I could be wrong about those times.

[bapster2006]

I already went. No big surprises. There is a cool fantasy model of the lid over 94 in St Paul. Ryan has a display but no Opus at all.

[HiawathaGuy]

Twin Cities development project models on display at IDS Center
Sep 24, 2014
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... enter.html

A model of the St. Paul Capitol mall and downtown freeway lid concept is among the development projects on display at IDS Center.

[acs]

I just got back and I tried to take pics of most of the displays. I'll upload them after work, but really no big surprises. The speakers did drop a few new things:

Freeway lid in DT St. Paul
Intention of hosting world's fair on top of freeway lid before being developed
Downtown council has goals of 70k residents by 2015 ( currently at 39K)
Goal of 3m square feet of new office space (currently at 2.5m with DTE) increased to 4m.

[Silophant]

I just got back and I tried to take pics of most of the displays. I'll upload them after work, but really no big surprises. The speakers did drop a few new things:

Freeway lid in DT St. Paul
Intention of hosting world's fair on top of freeway lid before being developed

Awesome.

Downtown council has goals of 70k residents by 2015 ( currently at 39K)

30k more people? By next year? Awesome goal, but Opus's pair of 30+ story towers better be about 90 stories, then.

[IllogicalJake]

I just got back and I tried to take pics of most of the displays. I'll upload them after work, but really no big surprises. The speakers did drop a few new things:

Freeway lid in DT St. Paul
Intention of hosting world's fair on top of freeway lid before being developed

Awesome.

Downtown council has goals of 70k residents by 2015 ( currently at 39K)

30k more people? By next year? Awesome goal, but Opus's pair of 30+ story towers better be about 90 stories, then.

I thought I've seen the 70k number for 2025, not 2015...

[acs]

I just got back and I tried to take pics of most of the displays. I'll upload them after work, but really no big surprises. The speakers did drop a few new things:

Freeway lid in DT St. Paul
Intention of hosting world's fair on top of freeway lid before being developed

Awesome.

Downtown council has goals of 70k residents by 2015 ( currently at 39K)

30k more people? By next year? Awesome goal, but Opus's pair of 30+ story towers better be about 90 stories, then.

I thought I've seen the 70k number for 2025, not 2015...

I could have mis-heard or he could have mis-spoke. Either way he said we are making great progress towards that goal.

[grant1simons2]

Are these lids even proposed or planned or are they just goals and hopes, because so far I know of 3 and they just sound like fantasy so far. I'm stuck at the southwest station or I would've asked someone. Apparently the buses run every hour eastbound after morning..

[Nathan]

Are these lids even proposed or planned or are they just goals and hopes, because so far I know of 3 and they just sound like fantasy so far. I'm stuck at the southwest station or I would've asked someone. Apparently the buses run every hour eastbound after morning..

I see "concept" and "fantasy" in those two posts

[Wedgeguy]

Just got back from the IDS also. The only two real surprise were done by the Metropolitan Design Center, which I believe is part of the University. The biggest one, the lid over 94 and 35E in St. Paul, the other was a Prospect North project that was more dealing with zoning and massing of buildings from that display. Most of the rest were placards with pics of various project. Saw a few project that I knew nothing about and a few that I'm not sure are still actively still in discussion. ESG, HGA, BKV, and Ryan were the architect/builders with the most on display. While it is not earth shattering, you do get to see perspectives of buildings that are not normally put out for the public display. One neat thing I enjoyed was the large Google map of the LRT line from the Target field station to the DTE station. You really can see what there is for open spaces yet to be developed near the line.

The lid, like the lid for 35W last year are concepts for bridging the gaps that the freeways have done to our cities. To me it is fantasy as I doubt that they will be putting lids over the freeways in my lifetime. But I truly think down the road that the freeways will be covered when they really rebuild some of the sections of the Downtown freeways.

[Mpls9]

Twin Cities development project models on display at IDS Center
Sep 24, 2014
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... enter.html

A model of the St. Paul Capitol mall and downtown freeway lid concept is among the development projects on display at IDS Center.

That looks hideous. Looks like a combination of the "crack stacks" apartments in Minneapolis and the ghettos of Sao Paulo or Hong Kong.

[Mpls9]

The lid, like the lid for 35W last year are concepts for bridging the gaps that the freeways have done to our cities. To me it is fantasy as I doubt that they will be putting lids over the freeways in my lifetime. But I truly think down the road that the freeways will be covered when they really rebuild some of the sections of the Downtown freeways.

Are you talking about Minneapolis or freeways anywhere? There's also a proposal for putting a lid over Hwy 100 too. Was in the Star Trib about 2-3 weeks ago.