Five15 on the Park - 515 15th Avenue South

[Aville_37]

Apparently this area is slated for full street reconstruction in 2014. Not just a mill & overlay, but actual total reconstruction of roadway, curbs, gutters, boulevards, sidewalks, etc. The pedestrian and bike improvements are a huge plus. Lots of room for on-street car parking too so we can develop more surface lots.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cip/all/WCMS1P-095401

Wow! Look at all of those empty lots waiting to be developed!!! Hopeful that the reconstruction of Cedar takes place as well - new sidewalks, lighting, etc.

[woofner]

The EAW is posted and available for comment through June 12th:

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/pl ... S1P-108004

[twincitizen]

Last week the Z&P Committee adopted findings of the EAW and again denied the appeals. Just needs full approval of the Council (again), which is where it got hung up the first time around.

So this was basically a 2.5 month delay to prevent anyone from getting sued? There's nothing revolutionary in that report. The primary concern seems to be that the neighborhood is already (too) dense and they are losing de facto open space, which was never actually public property to begin with.

[twincitizen]

Apparently the developer has again applied to demolish the old Gluek saloon. Strange...I thought they were required to move it. It sounded like that was all a done deal months ago, but here they are, going back before the HPC to request demolition.

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/meetings/hpc/WCMS1P-113802


EDIT: Ah, here we go:

The applicant submitted a site plan review application on January 23, 2013, for the moving of the tied house building from 1500 6th Street South to 1527 6th Street South. CPED approved the administrative site plan review application on April 12, 2013. On August 12, 2013, however, Currie Park Development LLC informed CPED that they are not able to complete the move due to an inability to come to an agreement with the neighboring property owner, Sherman & Associates. The property at 1527 6th Street South is an interior lot that is 1,870 square feet (27.5 feet wide by 68.1 feet deep), which is slightly larger than the building footprint (1,550 square feet, 25.4 feet wide by 61 feet deep). Sherman & Associates owns all of the adjacent property (1517 6th Street South and 620 16th Avenue South). Given the proposed tight fit of the building on the lot, the applicant would have needed temporary use of the neighboring properties.


CPED is recommending approval of the demolition permit. My guess is that the HPC will go against staff recommendation and deny demolition. Can't the City throw George Sherman a bone, so he stops being a bitch about the Gluek building being relocated next to his property? A wink and a handshake or something, grant concessions on his next project, whatever

[lordmoke]

^I just found that bit as well. Here I was, mad at Fine, and it turns out Sherman is an asshole. Of course, there was also that time he evicted The Bedlam. Really hope the city denies this. The combination of early 20th century low rises with the brutalist towers rising out behind them gives this neighborhood a really unique presence, and it needs all the old structures it can keep to maintain a balance with those behemoths.

Also, "That guy won't let us move across his parking lot" is a pretty pathetic reason to tear down a century old building.

[twincitizen]

Here's the lot that Fine bought and intended to relocate the building: http://gis.co.hennepin.mn.us/property/m ... 2924410014

It really is in the middle of Sherman's properties and would seriously impair any eventual redevelopment there, so his resistance is somewhat justified. However, he's a moron for not acquiring the lot in question as well...

Could they maybe just move the building across the street temporarily and leave it up on the moving equipment until a better permanent location is found? Fine needs to get started on this development...it's been years in the making

[MNdible]

That's a strange location for that building. Why doesn't he just move it next to Mixed Blood on that piece of land that he already owns?

[seanrichardryan]

Why can't she just build around it?

[twincitizen]

We're long past that option. They're not going to re-plan the entire building, reduce the # of units, re-hire architects, etc. at this point. That ship has sailed. Fine Associates and Sherman are going to be neighbors for a long, long time. They need to work this out as neighbors and figure out how to relocate the building in a way that works for everyone. I'm not really a histrionic preservationist, but this is one case where the city absolutely should not cave on allowing the building to be demolished. Both Sherman and Fine are getting filthy rich off subsidies and tax credits in this tiny area of the City alone...they need to figure it out like adults.

[MNdible]

Hear, hear.

Also, the building in question is a corner building, so it's important that it has a lot that accommodates this.

[Orbi]

Maybe they could move it further down 6th to the SE corner on Cedar. It would fill out the block of 1-2 story commercial buildings. Obviously don't know if the owners of the lot would be interested but seems like it might fit there nicely.

[lordmoke]

Demolition of the Gluek tied house DENIED:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/meeting ... S1P-114102

Thanks, HPC!

[twincitizen]

On a 5-4 vote, with one commissioner absent. Interesting! The HPC is not a rubber-stamp for preservation as we pro-development types may sometimes think.

I'll note that the HPC decision can be appealed to the Council, and the developer almost certainly will do so, since the cost of filing an appeal is less than moving the building. I don't think it's unreasonable to make them move the building...that was the agreement, and they should follow through.

[min-chi-cbus]

I still wish they could design the building into the new project somehow. Not only is that one of my favorite architectural concepts but it seems like a win-win. Just put this thing at a "gateway corner" of the building where everyone will see it coming down the street and use it like a 2-3 story pedestal.

[mattaudio]

Exactly. Why isn't that an option? Is there a regulatory reason?

[MNdible]

Exactly. Why isn't that an option? Is there a regulatory reason?

Because it's taken the developer 8 years to get the building designed and to sop up enough grant funding to move ahead. You dare not send them back to the drawing board, or you may not live long enough to see this thing built.

[twincitizen]

As expected, the developer appealed HPC's decision to deny the demo permit.

Watch the Z&P Committee discuss this live @9:30am today: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/tv/79

Agenda: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/meetings/zp/WCMS1P-115226

[twincitizen]

Members of the Somali community are speaking on both sides of the issue. Everyone speaking against demolition is actually just against the development itself though...

EDIT: They haven't even voted yet, but I'm sorry to report that the building will be torn down. The City Council is too committed to seeing this project go through to allow further delay. It's too bad the City didn't get more directly involved with relocating the building earlier, demanding that Fine Associates and Sherman Associates work it out. Goodman and Gordon have already spoke in favor of demolition, so it's bye-bye.

EDIT 2: Appeal granted unanimously. The building will be demolished.

[matt91486]

MN Daily summary article:

http://www.mndaily.com/news/campus/2013 ... apartments

[twincitizen]

The writer's two weeks late with that story...the Council already voted to allow demolition of the building. The development itself was approved ages ago.

I stumbled across Cam Gordon's blog and he gave a very well-reasoned argument for the development and for demolishing the building: http://secondward.blogspot.com/2013/10/ ... -vote.html