urbanMSP

Based on the name and the website, am I the only one to assume that the ValuStay is infested with bedbugs?

I believe the Valu-stay is more of a rent weekly type, and someone was murdered there last year.

wasnt this the lakeland motel then motor lodge??

Yes, scummy.

What about the ValuStay Inn in nearby St. Louis Park? It's pretty close to the Lakes.

http://valustayslp.com/

It takes more than an aerial photograph to figure out if a place is good or not.

Stumbled across this thread on City-Data: http://www.city-data.com/forum/minneapo ... ptown.html

Some of the early discussion on this topic reminded me of this project:

http://www.bkvgroup.com/commercial/hosp ... nneapolis/

I wonder if Ace Hotels will consider resurrecting this project. I love the plinth idea with different structures on top of it.

Note that this project was originally conceived for Eat Street on what is now a climbing gym, restaurant, and plaza.

Some of the early discussion on this topic reminded me of this project:

http://www.bkvgroup.com/commercial/hosp ... nneapolis/

I wonder if Ace Hotels will consider resurrecting this project. I love the plinth idea with different structures on top of it.

Note that this project was originally conceived for Eat Street on what is now a climbing gym, restaurant, and plaza.

This was a great proposal and ahead of its time by ten years. There are still quite a few naysayers about Uptown supporting a small hotel, but I'm positive it will happen and it's a great location for one. There are many travelers that like to stay off the beaten path and experience more of a neighborhood feel of a city. My god, Uptown with all its hip urban vibe and gorgeous lakes nearby can easily support one small hotel!

Decided to make this thread because of all the news that has been popping up in the Calhoun square thread

Looks like Graves Hospitality is sniffing around Uptown, primarily focused on the vacant site adjacent to Calhoun Square, though other sites may be in play. I'll speculate that the other sites are Cheapo. I'm not sure the Arby's site is quite attractive enough yet for a nicer hotel without other redevelopment happening around it first.

What's not clear is if Graves would partner with Ackerberg on developing the Calhoun Square site or try to buy it outright from Ackerberg. A hotel/office combo has been mentioned by multiple parties, including Ackerberg and Lisa Bender. With Code42 unexpectedly taking up all of Mozaic2, there is definitely room for more office space in Uptown. They should be able to build quite tall (for Uptown) on the Calhoun Square site.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/m ... hotel.html

If not mistaken, this parcel is currently zoned C3A (height limit of 4 stories/56' and FAR of 2.7). Would it be more prudent to re-zone the parcel to something else or just ask for some heft variances on height and massing?

For anyone wondering about FAR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_area ... _in_zoning

Height can be increased by Conditional Use Permit. There is no height limit as long as it doesn't negatively impact adjacent/nearby properties. Exceeding the FAR, however, would require a Variance. CUP just requires that you have met certain "Conditions", hence the "C". It's actually a lot different from a Variance, which is an actual deviation from the letter of the ordinance. If the city is giving out lots of variances, that probably means there are some issues with the code being outdated or overly restrictive. From my observation, Minneapolis hands out development variances like candy. The City I work for (mostly) follows our ordinance to the letter.

That said, 2.7 max FAR seems pretty low. I'm sure there will be some open space / plaza area added to the Girard Meander, and the massing of the building will be pushed up towards Lake to reduce shadowing on nearby residential, thereby making the footprint smaller. The nice thing about this site is they don't have to worry about building a ton of underground parking with the ramp next door. I'd be surprised if they don't request a FAR variance.

Not sure if it applies to C-3A, but at least downtown, there are a number of bonuses available to increase FAR, many of which are sort of no-brainers.

I dont see why hotel needs to be why taller than about 6-8 stories seems like that would fit well in uptown

I dont see why hotel needs to be why taller than about 6-8 stories seems like that would fit well in uptown

I doubt you would see anything taller than the Mosaic projects, but I think it could easily be taller than 6-8 floors. A new hotel in Uptown will be great asset to this burgeoning neighborhood. It really marks a turning point in its evolution to a mature and dense urban neighborhood that's distinct from downtown.

It's kind of like in Civilization when your city can't grow beyond a certain point without an aqueduct.

It's kind of like in Civilization when your city can't grow beyond a certain point without an aqueduct.

LMAO

Well, since you went there:

https://i.imgur.com/JjH9rFf.jpg

Was the height restriction on the Mozaic because of residents not liking the original proposed height or was it because of the Greenway shadowing? Both? A taller hotel, perhaps mixed with commercial would be ideal. Bonus with an attachment to the parking ramp.

What height restriction?