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Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 19th, 2014, 4:35 pm
by nordeast homer
Again, combine the two and build something worth remembering. Make it a quarter block development, but put it smack dab in the middle of the block and put plaza space all around it, maybe a small water feature on one side.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 19th, 2014, 4:52 pm
by mattaudio
Not sure the tower in the park is a great thing. That's the same design approach across 3rd Street where you have Marquette Plaza, the ING building, and those other Gateway-era towers behind empty expanses.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 19th, 2014, 5:16 pm
by RailBaronYarr
Yeah, local precedence says that's not a winning design. If plazas are to be a component of a deign, they should be in the middle of a block face, surrounded by a U-shape that allows a sense of enclosure and windows/doors to usable spaces. Patios for private businesses provide a good transition from the plaza (public-ish) to the building (private). But as much as possible, buildings should front the street and not set themselves back from the sidewalk. Just my opinion, anyway.

Edit: whoops, saw the article already posted. My bad.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 19th, 2014, 5:40 pm
by JackGrayson
Hopefully the parking component wont be too obnoxious. I wonder how the people who will have north facing views at the Nic on 5th are going to feel about this? Presumably, a tower would block any view one might have of Cancer Survivors Park, the Hennepin Ave. Bridge, or the River (that might be a bit of a stretch anyway, though). With the building of the Excel HQ, 4Marq Apartments, and now this, residents of the Nic are quite literally going to be SURROUNDED by construction for at least the next five years. Can you say rent discount?

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 19th, 2014, 6:41 pm
by uptowncarag
I know people are obsessed with super tall but development on this end of downtown is fantastic. Density is a sign of a healthy city.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 2:00 am
by TroyGBiv
The announcement is really to get their project "in line" first… It can work in the developers favor to have their project "perceived" to be the next one to break ground. There are a lot of high profile developers looking to build downtown - I think that the last time we had this was back in the 1980s.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 7:58 am
by mullen
there are? seems to be opus, ryan and mortenson, all local. i'd love some out of town developers here. that brunsfield building on washington ave is the best new building downtown, imo.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 8:41 am
by Azel
Check out this old StarTribune story:

December 14, 1991, Metro Edition
Opus Corp. acquires Ritz block in Minneapolis
Sally Apgar; Staff Writer
Marketplace; Pg. 3D

Opus Corp. Friday confirmed that it has acquired the Ritz block, the site of the old Ritz Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, from an Atlanta developer for $ 4.5 million.
Mark Rauenhorst, president of Opus, would not elaborate on the deal and said the development company has no immediate plans for the site.
Rauenhorst said he does not expect to build on the block for at least five years or until the current oversupply of office space is digested. The site is now a parking lot leased by the city.
In the past, IDS Financial Services expressed interest in the site for a new headquarters. In fact, IDS held an option to buy the block before terminating it last January, according to Hennepin County property records.
A partnership that included Minneapolis developer Norman Kerr and The Landmarks Group of Atlanta, Ga., had hoped to build a 65-story, 920-foot tower anchored by IDS.
Both Kerr and Landmarks have stopped much - if not all - of their development activity in response to the souring real estate market. Bob Gilbert, vice president for real estate at IDS, said the company decided not to go ahead with plans for the site largely because of the glut of office space that has driven the downtown vacancy rate to about 24 percent. As a result of this oversupply, Gilbert said IDS can lease space at a lower cost.
By 1997, IDS may be ready to build a new headquarters. It is discussing its options with several developers, said Gilbert. The Ritz block is located in the heart of downtown and easily connected to the skyway system.
Other industry sources said the only office-space user with money to build right now is the federal government, which is looking for a site for the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank. Opus founder Gerald Rauenhorst is a director of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. However, Mark Rauenhorst said he doubted that the site would be used for a new Federal Reserve building. Opus Corp. is based in Minnetonka. -30-

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 9:00 am
by bubzki2
Posted in another thread, http://www.startribune.com/blogs/246236551.html, mentions this project being a 30-story building:

"Various media outlets are reporting that Opus executive, Dave Menke, said the company plans to build a 30-story mixed-use tower, including housing, on what's now a surface parking lot along Marquette Avenue between Fourth and Third streets. The comments were made at a commercial real estate gathering Wednesday in Golden Valley. That site, which Opus already owns, is just north of its Nic on Fifth luxury apartment tower, which is expected to open this fall. The company is also building an office building nearby for Xcel Energy. On the same block, Mortenson Development has proposed building 4Marq, a 30-story apartment tower."

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 10:03 am
by Unity77
There are a lot of high profile developers looking to build downtown - I think that the last time we had this was back in the 1980s.
Really? We will see just how interested all the high profile developers are when the city issues a request for proposals (RFP)for the Nicollet site, which is one of the most important blocks in the city. Last time I checked the best proposal was a park, which would be a complete waste. Furthermore, how many high profile developers showed up and submitted plans for the stadium's parking ramp air rights proposal? One would think several developers would have been interested.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 10:24 am
by woofner
Last time I checked the best proposal was a park, which would be a complete waste.
I for one am happy to take this useless and speculative thread off topic. Do you really think that Downtown Minneapolis has enough parks? Where do you go to eat your lunch outside?

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 10:31 am
by Silophant
Furthermore, how many high profile developers showed up and submitted plans for the stadium's parking ramp air rights proposal? One would think several developers would have been interested.
The city only gave them a month. I'm not really surprised that only the two developers already working adjacent to the site did anything for it.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 10:45 am
by Avian
Furthermore, how many high profile developers showed up and submitted plans for the stadium's parking ramp air rights proposal? One would think several developers would have been interested.
The city only gave them a month. I'm not really surprised that only the two developers already working adjacent to the site did anything for it.
Anyone else ever wonder if the city is in bed with Ryan, Mortenson and Opus to prevent "outsiders" from having an inside track?

Anyway, if Opus selects ESG again for the Ritz block we'll see a short, boxy, uninspired development. Now if they hire Pickard Chilton, well then...

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 10:46 am
by HiawathaGuy
Really? We will see just how interested all the high profile developers are when the city issues a request for proposals (RFP)for the Nicollet site, which is one of the most important blocks in the city. Last time I checked the best proposal was a park, which would be a complete waste. Furthermore, how many high profile developers showed up and submitted plans for the stadium's parking ramp air rights proposal? One would think several developers would have been interested.
The last RFP for the Nicollet Hotel Block was done in 2007/2008 - right at the burst of the condo/housing bubble. Not only was that just bad timing, the RFP also required a transit station to be incorporated into the deal. That transit station clause has been removed from the new RFP, as the City/Feds found another solution for the $10 million grant they received, which is why there was a clause for that block.

I think it's important to have green space dot the north end of the Mall (Mile) as to better connect the river front with downtown.

I have always thought this block was one that would be ideal for a beautiful/iconic building downtown. Visible from both 35W on the southern approach into downtown (between the Wells Fargo & the 225 S 6th Street towers), as well as from 94 and 35W northern approaches to downtown. I do hope that this 'discussion' with industry folk leads to something very beautiful to anchor the north end of the CBD.

As for the air rights argument, as others have stated, the comparison is apples to oranges. That RFP was so quick, and being sandwiched between two other HUGE projects made it very difficult for anyone to really compete, IMO.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 10:54 am
by TroyGBiv
there are? seems to be opus, ryan and mortenson, all local. i'd love some out of town developers here. that brunsfield building on washington ave is the best new building downtown, IMO (obviously).
I've seen Hines by the Twins stadium, and that company from Singapore/Malaysia that did the lofts on Washington, I thought there was some reference to Trammel Crow (blast from the 80's) - Magellan from Chicago. Seems like this would suggest national interest in the city and the current market. Seems like some decent competition.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 10:58 am
by TroyGBiv
The city only gave them a month. I'm not really surprised that only the two developers already working adjacent to the site did anything for it.[/quote]

Anyone else ever wonder if the city is in bed with Ryan, Mortenson and Opus to prevent "outsiders" from having an inside track?

Anyway, if Opus selects ESG again for the Ritz block we'll see a short, boxy, uninspired development. Now if they hire Pickard Chilton, well then...[/quote]

Great point! That fast time table seems like it was too short a window… I know that they want that ramp moving forward quickly but it did seem to cut out much of the competition. (I wish it would be designed by Pickard Chilton…)

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 11:01 am
by Unity77
Last time I checked the best proposal was a park, which would be a complete waste.
I for one am happy to take this useless and speculative thread off topic. Do you really think that Downtown Minneapolis has enough parks? Where do you go to eat your lunch outside?
How is stating that the development of one of the city's most important blocks into a park a useless comment? Honestly, just because YOU want a place to eat your lunch doesn't make my opinion any less relevant. If you or someone else wants to flex your Internet muscles and silence others who don't agree with you, then go ahead and lock the thread -- most of these threads are full of ridiculous posts anyway.
The city only gave them a month.
Exactly. Perhaps this is why we don't see more from outside developers.
Anyone else ever wonder if the city is in bed with Ryan, Mortenson and Opus to prevent "outsiders" from having an inside track?
Yes.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 11:02 am
by John
Anyone else ever wonder if the city is in bed with Ryan, Mortenson and Opus to prevent "outsiders" from having an inside track?

Anyway, if Opus selects ESG again for the Ritz block we'll see a short, boxy, uninspired development. Now if they hire Pickard Chilton, well then...
^^^This is a big issue for this city. We should have something inspiring for this block. This is the time for Opus to be less conservative. I know there are many people on this blog who favor density over aesthetics, height etc. I agree with this argument sometimes. However, the danger is we are going to have a very corporate, almost suburban looking downtown with no soul. Many of the recent developments or proposals are barely stepping up to the plate. We are at risk for losing the very qualities that make our downtown so appealing. We need to take great care in what is built on our remaining vacant parcels.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 11:08 am
by TroyGBiv
Maybe the biggest opportunity is to make sure that the development works well with the Nicollet Mall redesign, the access to the Riverfront redesign and to create an architecturally beautiful structure (s) that make the most of this highly visible site.

Re: Opus Ritz Block Development

Posted: February 20th, 2014, 11:55 am
by Minneboy
I would think any major developer nationwide would have multiple possible projects in various sizes, looks and prices to put forth for just about any location.