urbanMSP

Nice 4 story building proposed for parking lot at 429 W Lake:
http://minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/pub ... 203282.pdf

Ground floor commercial on Lake and a bike workshop.

Rezoning at 3450 Grand Ave S to allow for a triplex

http://minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/pub ... 203754.pdf

Twin Cities Home Rental Holding, LLC is proposing three near-identical single-lot, six unit apartment buildings on single lots in Longfellow. Awesome!

However, each building includes a five-space surface lot and is asking for a variance to ignore the oppressive, unreasonable three bike parking space requirement. Less awesome.

I twittered about these, but I think it's pretty cool that this developer found a way to build the cheaper 2.5-story walkup form we see all around town from the 20s while also meeting ADA requirements by giving a dedicated ramped entrance on the side to the basement units. This could be replicated elsewhere, even on smaller lots (though the layout of the units on floors 1-2 might have to change if you had a narrower lot necessitating a skinnier building - lots of wasted space in those 4 units each having their own staircase to the second floor).

Anyway, each of these lots sold for $60-70k in the past year (and only one has a structure to tear down), but I can imagine you could still make this typology pencil if you bought the land at ~$200k with only slightly higher rents (rough math says recovering that added cost over a financing term of 15 years would add maybe $150 a month). Cool!

Also, yeah. Just build a few sheltered Dero bike racks in the ample back yard plz.

The site plans for this look really bizarre because of the absence of any common interior circulation. For people in the front units to access their assigned parking spot, it's a pretty circuitous route, and vice versa for those in the rear to get to the sidewalk.

And I can only imagine how much shoveling and road salt it will take to keep the ramps to the garden level navigable during winter. Those are going to be positively treacherous.

I think you could cut down on the site clutter and walking paths by combining the porch stairs on the front and back, having only one sidewalk to the parking pad and one to the public sidewalk out front (as a side benefit, I think this would make the building look a little better too). A more direct turn of the rear sidewalk to reach the side sidewalk would cut things down just a bit more. I guess it really doesn't seem like it adds that much to either user compared to a building with a common hallway considering how small the site/building is. It's not like you're walking around a 100' wide building to get to the back. Even as designed, jeez I dunno. I feel like 95% of people out there would find "not having covered parking" to be a bigger hardship than the circuitous path presented here. People make tradeoffs.

As for the side-yard ramp, I imagine the effort/money saved by not lighting, cleaning, and up-keeping a common interior staircase and a hallway on each floor would fund winter maintenance quite well. Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist about things! But my yard slopes to the back at a similar clip, and I have about 4-5' from the north face of my house to the lot line, which fits a sidewalk (also a raised pad to access the side-door into the house), maybe 1' of landscaping, and then a 6' fence between me and my neighbor. It's not that hard to keep the sidewalk and steps clean, nor to find snow storage. The worst part is the ice that builds up in a line when snow melts off my pitched roof (no gutters) - something this building won't have as much of given the flat roof and (presumably) drains that go to the front/rear landscape beds.

Property at 40th and East Lake St, old video rental store, across the street from East Lake Liquor was recently purchased by Julius DeRoma, the owner of Club Jager. The property is currently getting some rehab work. Per uproar on Nextdoor site, probably gonna be some protests or ruckus for whoever opens a business there.

Also from Nextdoor, old Walgreens store at 32nd and East Lake St. is going to open as a home furnishings store.

Anyone know what's going on at 22nd and Blaisdell?

This building: https://goo.gl/maps/HPHCZ69d4nw Is now rubble.

Anyone know what's going on at 22nd and Blaisdell?

This building: https://goo.gl/maps/HPHCZ69d4nw Is now rubble.

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... urban.html

Awwww. Pepitos on the precipice:
http://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-pe ... es-illness

Awwww. Pepitos on the precipice:
http://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-pe ... es-illness

In this Strib article, owner's daughter adds gentrification as another reason for restaurant's demise:

http://www.startribune.com/after-46-yea ... 450454203/

From the article..."But in the years since Pepitos’ heyday, the neighborhood has undergone significant growth and gentrification, which Senkyr said she believes helped contribute to the restaurant’s downturn.

'A lot of the regulars that have been coming in for a long time don’t even live here anymore,' she said. 'The neighborhood has really changed a lot. With all these small restaurants opening, it seems like people don’t do sit-down anymore. It’s all counter-service, and get-a-number. This restaurant is just too big.'"

Which explains why the sit-down place two doors down is expanding (or I thought they were, last time I was over there it didn't seem like anything had been done to the old Adrian's space)....

But she's probably not wrong that the neighborhood has changed and has higher expectations for food quality. We went once and never felt a need to go back.

I've gotta stop procrastinating and actually get there.

I've been to Pepitos many times. I want to like it. I've tried to like it. But I don't much care for their food. I've had a lot better from other locally owned places. But, I'm sad to hear that they may close - as I love local places, even if their menu doesn't do as much for me.

Lucky Oven Bakery going in on the Southeast corner of 54th and Penn. Great addition to that neighborhood.

Other news: looks like there's going to be cold press juice space next to the buildings that used to house Sister Sludge at 46th and Bloomington, in addition to the gluten free bakery going into the SS place. Notices signs as I biked by this morning on 46th.

Pepito’s to Reopen as Sonora Grill concept, (PAUSA)
http://heavytable.com/pepitos-reopen-so ... ept-pausa/

This would be a really awesome improvement for this neighborhood, IMO.

Agreed, but a terrible name. Pausa would be fine, but it being in all caps makes it sound like a plumber's trade association or something, and then the parentheses are just confusing.

Agreed, but a terrible name. Pausa would be fine, but it being in all caps makes it sound like a plumber's trade association or something, and then the parentheses are just confusing.

I just keep thinking it's Pennsylvania, USA... So, I think a better name is in order too. But I LOVE the Senora Grill concept and menu!

Hola is also looking.