urbanMSP

I volunteer to soak up sun for sure.

That picture raises a question I've always wondered: Why did the early 1990's BRW renovation rip out all the trees? They were fairly mature by that point (25 odd years or so). Seems like a pretty terrible decision in retrospect.

They realigned the street

What's laying in the side walk? Is that a person?

Probably a dk.

Yep, that was a guy just laying in the middle of the sidewalk. And now he's forever immortalized in my photography art.

That picture raises a question I've always wondered: Why did the early 1990's BRW renovation rip out all the trees? They were fairly mature by that point (25 odd years or so). Seems like a pretty terrible decision in retrospect.

True. Now there are some oaks coming in, and right in time to be sawed down for Mall reworking. This town has Sapling Fever.

Was just poking around and found a video that Opus posted about the Nic on Fifth. In the video, they show a rendering of the Ritz Block around 2:31. I'm not sure if this is a new or old rendering, but interesting nonetheless.

http://www.opus-group.com/OurNews/Intro ... c-on-Fifth

Yeah that's the same as what Adam Vogue tweeted earlier:

http://ow.ly/i/5AdfB

http://ow.ly/i/5AdgQ

Looks like they are moving forward with another shitbox luxury apartment on the last vacant lot along Nicollet Mall.

Screengrab.


Ritz Bock screen grab[/url]

All these new developments sure beat that plan to add a park to the side of Nicollet Mall.

Wonder how that works with UP's recent claim (and a boatload of empirical evidence) that the market does not currently support developments larger than 300 units?

Yeah those plans existed before "The Yard" and Gold Medal Park. At the time there was no greenspace in any part of downtown so they planned a park there. But the combination of having a park 5-6 blocks away, another by the river, and a high demand for residential, it makes sense to nix the park.

At least the style takes notes from the highrise on the other side of the Library (not featured).

I feel like just one level of underground parking on that full block could probably house as many cars as that podium on Nicollet :/

As much as that proposal is mediocre, how many combined units (hotel and apartment) are going in right here counting the Nic, 4Marq, the Ritz block, and The Gateway? I mean we're talking like a couple thousand more people living/staying in these three adjacent blocks that were/are just parking lots, right? That's gotta make a huge difference for street activity, retail demand, and everything.

Speak of the devil:

http://m.bizjournals.com/twincities/blo ... tower.html

No skyway to the library, Nicollet Hotel block?

They don't seem to be showing anything they don't own: no 4Marq, for instance.

Speak of the devil:

http://m.bizjournals.com/twincities/blo ... tower.html

When the story includes the quote "[c]onstruction could start between now and 2017[,]" I'm not holding my breath.