Buzza Lofts of Uptown

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mplser
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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown

Postby mplser » December 1st, 2013, 11:32 am

Image

twincitizen
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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown

Postby twincitizen » December 1st, 2013, 11:06 pm

Evidenced by the ramp down to parking, that appears to be the Dupont side of the building. Following the fight over setbacks along the Greenway for Lime, it will be interesting to see what they are proposing for the north side of the building. The sixth floor appears to be set back already, but Lime eventually had to push back some lower floors as well.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby Minneboy » December 2nd, 2013, 6:05 am

Thinking the same thing. Shadows and the Greenway are a no no. Sure wish that Rainbow proposal was brought back.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown

Postby min-chi-cbus » December 2nd, 2013, 8:48 am

I dont think this was the block to build a large structure, and I am glad to see it will be something other than a very underutilized parking lot... but when does the city get tired of the 6-story uniformity? It would sure be nice to see somebody develop ANYTHING with 8+ stories in this area to match or exceed Mozaic height.
To exceed Mosaic somebody would have to build much higher than 8 floors......more like 12-14+, since 10 "typical" office floors are about 150 feet tall. However, much of Mosaic I is parking and you don't need 15 feet of clearance for a parking garage, so perhaps you'd only need 10-12 to top Mosaic, but still I agree with you and am not a fan of the uniformity. I'd even be okay with smaller than 6 floors if it helped to break up the monotony somewhat.

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blakehanson
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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby blakehanson » December 2nd, 2013, 1:54 pm

29th Street: There are funds allocated for re-paving 29th Street (not sure how many blocks but I think everything from Mozaic to Lyndale) but there are discussions of trying to get the money (or at least some) to other projects since it's not used much. It definitely shouldn't be used for the two blocks of Rainbow and Planned Parenthood/Acme. Rainbow uses it as a loading dock, the next block west is horrible (next to a parking lot and the Acme building), and then it ends at the Mozaic parking lot (soon to be Mozaic Phase II).

BUZZA: Here's an article that outlines the funds they received:

"According to LaFave, Buzza Lofts’ location and quality generated the political and monetary support necessary for the $35 million project. Federal and state historic tax credit funds totaled almost $9.6 million. In addition, $10.6 million in low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity was used to finance the project, which is one of a few LIHTC properties in the area. Funding also included more than $9.8 million in tax-exempt bonds and $4.2 million in deferred developer fees. The Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County awarded $755,000 in grants for hazardous materials surveying and abatement and for soil remediation. The building also received an $89,000 rebate from the local utility company for the solar panels." - http://www.huduser.org/portal/pdredge/p ... 10413.html

They are now proposing Phase II that would include underground parking for residents at both buildings and would be located where the surface parking lot is now. Design is still being discussed but the current design would allow the main tower of the BUZZA building to be viewed from the west side (i.e. from Lagoon Theatre) because a swimming pool would below it (on top of the underground parking lot). The current driveway entrance would still be just south of the swimming pool and to the north would be 6 stories. Therefore, the majority of the building would be blocked when viewing from the north.

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Nathan
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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby Nathan » December 2nd, 2013, 2:51 pm

I like that rendering, and the whole idea in general. It reminds me of the Elysian with a more uptownish cladding. SImple lines, recessed balconies, awesome location. Like!

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby uptowncarag » December 2nd, 2013, 9:36 pm

It is nice to see all of this development but how are they going to fill all of these buildings?

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Nathan
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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby Nathan » December 2nd, 2013, 11:16 pm

I think there are a number of answers to that question in the apartment boom thread, but most recently after hundreds of units went on the market our vacancy rate dropped yet again... I believe it was at 2.3% and a healthy market is at 5... so I don't think that many developers are worried as long as the bank is willing to finance it lol. if this " over build" was in a les popular area I'd be more concerned, but I think demand for uptown apartments isn't going anywhere.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby John » December 3rd, 2013, 11:51 am

In a perfect world, it would be nice to see a couple home ownership developments near the Greenway in Uptown to balance out the rental. My only worry is there too much concentration of one housing option which may be unhealthy in the long term.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby Wedgeguy » December 3rd, 2013, 12:16 pm

I see at least one of the Elans turning condo in a few years. I agree that there need to be some more homeownership. But I think those that are renting are not yet ready to commit to a mortgage. But if they fall in love with the area it will help make condos an option for the area.

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buzz
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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby buzz » December 3rd, 2013, 6:25 pm

I really like the Buzza phase 2 concept, although I'm not a big fan of pools that are only used a couple months out of the year. Would rather see a different kind of common area - green space, firepit, outdoor bar/picnic area....

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby Chef » December 3rd, 2013, 10:55 pm

In a perfect world, it would be nice to see a couple home ownership developments near the Greenway in Uptown to balance out the rental. My only worry is there too much concentration of one housing option which may be unhealthy in the long term.
On the other hand Uptown is full of buildings that were apartments for most of their existence but were converted to condos over the last couple decades. Perhaps this is just a restocking of the rental pool.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby smorin » December 4th, 2013, 7:23 pm

Boy, it'd really be nice to see at least a little diversity in architecture with all these new Uptown apartments.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby John » December 4th, 2013, 9:37 pm

Boy, it'd really be nice to see at least a little diversity in architecture with all these new Uptown apartments.
The Lime and Walkway appear to be the winners for the most unique looking apartment projects so far in Uptown. Phase 2 of Buzza takes last place (along with Track 29) :|

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby seanrichardryan » December 4th, 2013, 10:49 pm

Unique is rarely a compliment in my world.
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby John » December 4th, 2013, 11:41 pm

Well, for one thing The Walkway and Lime both have retail frontage at the base which differentiates them from the rest. Now, we all know these apartment projects have been built with similar formats/programs so "unique" is relative.

So far my personal favorite is the Lime for having some "character" with its bright, warm, colorful tiles. Reinforces Lynn-Lake's more quirky personality ( as compared to Uptown). The Walkway does a great job of creating an nice pedestrian friendly stretch along Girard that was virtually desolate for decades. Both make good improvements to their respective areas where other projects may fall a bit short.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby Viktor Vaughn » December 6th, 2013, 10:45 am

F&C did a piece on Buzza as part of their 'Building Blocks' series. Included is a short history of the building and lots of pictures.

http://finance-commerce.com/2013/12/bui ... zza-lofts/

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby twincitizen » December 26th, 2013, 3:58 pm

SW Journal: http://www.southwestjournal.com/news/ne ... 9th-dupont

Predictable concerns from the neighborhood about parking and shadows on the Greenway. Apparently one lady on the LHENA (The Wedge) zoning & planning committee has annointed herself as judge of if the neighborhood has demand for more apartments. I'm curious what her credentials are to make such an assessment.

Luckily, there are a few urbanist folks on the LHENA board, so we occasionally get good comments like this:
In general, people are favorable to the idea of filling in surface parking with a more viable use like higher-density residential," he said. "The surface lot doesn't look so great

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby FISHMANPET » December 26th, 2013, 4:42 pm

That tunnel sounds pretty interesting, might be cool to get a direct greenway connection to the Buzza buildings.

But the neighborhood will use it as a way to torpedo the project, not to make something cool.

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Re: Buzza Lofts of Uptown (and Phase 2 too!)

Postby MNdible » December 26th, 2013, 4:45 pm

Right, because the only things that neighbors are good for is being NIMBY's!

So says too many people on this board every chance they get.


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