urbanMSP

Anybody know anything about this one? It used to be two towers and now 6 stories??? Stalled by historic saloon building. Just hadn't heard or seen anything before.

http://www.startribune.com/local/171434361.html

I'm disappointed this development won't be at least 15 to 20 stories, especially considering it's location near dense high rises and mass transit. I'm not really surprised though as Minneapolis officials and developers seem to want the city to look more like some sunbelt city than a true, urban city.

Please elaborate.

Please elaborate.

This is the whole point. I've never seen this project anywhere before and all of a sudden there is this Strib article about protecting the historic building from it. We are looking for elaboration/collaboration...

In the article it says that years ago it was supposed to be two towers, but now they have plans for a 6 story building...

Pretty sure this is the Currie Park Lofts, which has been sloshing around in pre-development FOREVER.

Ah, that helps, I was able to find this with a small drawing...

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 084461.pdf

Title of the thread should be changed to Currie Park Lofts Phase I.

Cam Gordon had a bit more detail in his newsletter last weekend:

Rainbow Gallery Building. I learned recently that Fine Associates has offered to donate the building they own at 6th St. and 15th Avenue to the Minneapolis based nonprofit organization, Ka Joog, At their request I convened a meeting with both organizations, City staff and representatives from the West Bank Community Coalition to consider the possibility of moving the building to a location in the neighborhood. The city-owned “Dania lot” at 427 Cedar and the space just north of the Red Sea were both mentioned as possible new sites for the building. If funding for the move and a new site for the building is not found by March 2013, Fine Associates has indicated the building will be demolished. Since that meeting, the Heritage Preservation Commission has postponed their decision on whether to allow the building to be torn down until early November. This building is one of a handful of remaining Gluek’s Brewery “Tied Houses” in Minneapolis.

Aw shucks, they offered to donate their unwanted historic structure with only a few expensive strings attached. I guess it was the least they could do in return for the over $800k in grants the City has secured for the project.

I guess it was the least they could do in return for the over $800k in grants the City has secured for the project.

This project has been sopping up grant funds for years...

Yeah, I think that historic building will be just fine where it is. What was that language about moving the Mixed Blood theater out. Really? So they could tear that down too? No thanks.

@Neptune: You are right, this should be called Currie Park, Phase 1 and my understanding is that the historic building at the corner could really put this project in jeopardy. In order to get the rentable square footage that they would need, they would need that corner and everyone wants a corner, versus a mid-block building.

@seanrichardyan:
Phase Two would be a "mixed use" building with the a new Mixed Blood theater at the ground floor and housing above that.

The are three reasons why "everything" that is being built right now is 6 stories: construction type, building type and zoning - 5 levels of wood framing over precast concrete, apartments with height restrictions. Everyone knows the NIMBY attitudes about multi-family (hopefully that is changing) and shadowing so getting variances is a risk that many developers eschew.

The Heritage Preservation Commission has ruled that the old Gluek saloon currently on the site must be moved rather than demolished. The developer says they've had one estimate come in at $300,000 for the job.

http://www.minnpost.com/two-cities/2012 ... uek-saloon

The article includes an interesting tidbit that there had been 394 brewery-owned saloons in the Twin Cities in 1908 (all companies, not just Gluek), and only 38 independent outfits.

If they've got to move an old saloon, I doubt they'd be able to demolish the mixed blood building. It really is a marvelous building that could easily be worked around.

Hey good lookin'.

Any talk of Mixed Blood Theater is getting way ahead of ourselves. We have no idea if Phase 2 will ever come to pass.

Let's focus on Phase I and hope they figure out a way to move/integrate the saloon (or demolish it, I don't care). This development NEEDS to happen and will be a huge boost for the Cedar-Riverside area and LRT station. The area where this is being proposed is mostly a nasty vacant lot of weeds and broken asphalt. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Hey good lookin'.

Any talk of Mixed Blood Theater is getting way ahead of ourselves. We have no idea if Phase 2 will ever come to pass.

Let's focus on Phase I and hope they figure out a way to move/integrate the saloon (or demolish it, I don't care). This development NEEDS to happen and will be a huge boost for the Cedar-Riverside area and LRT station. The area where this is being proposed is mostly a nasty vacant lot of weeds and broken asphalt. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

I do think this is a pretty good looking project, MUCH better than the tiny original rendering. I don't think it could possibly be that hard to move the saloon, maybe across the street to the park and it could be a cafe or warming house or something.

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

I like that. I feel that way about a lot of developments.

The Strib reports the Mpls City Council approved moving the Gluek tied house to make room for the Currie Park Lofts. Article

However, they show a picture of the old Bedlam Theatre building. I had a freakout moment until I read Twincitizen's comment that the old pub to be moved is actually the small building across the street. It looks like it will be moved to the parking lot at the SE corner of 6th & 16th.

http://finance-commerce.com/2012/12/sal ... e-housing/ (behind paywall)

Bob Kueppers, an associate with Fine Associates, said the move hasn’t been scheduled but that it should occur in time for groundbreaking to occur on the larger project this spring. Moving the saloon building will cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars.” It is unclear how the building will be reused once it has been relocated. Kueppers said plans for the larger development, called Five15 on the Park, have not yet gone before the city, but an application is forthcoming and city staff have been working with developers on the project for some time.
[hr]
Good news on the building relocation not being a deal-breaker for the development. The last line is confusing though, as I'm pretty sure that the first phase of the project was approved by the planning commission, hence why the whole building relocation fiasco came about in the first place. There's also the name: Five15 on the Park.

Am I getting two different projects confused here? Or is Kueppers referring to applications for Phase 2?

I think that all that's come before the city has been the application for demo of the saloon building and about a thousand grant applications. I don't recall any variances or anything that would require that they submit a site plan.

This neighborhood would be even cooler if 15th Ave was extended southward to meet Hiawatha "Blvd" at grade, then continue across to 15th Ave in Ventura Village. What a great opportunity to reconnect the grid in these areas.