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Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: August 23rd, 2018, 1:17 pm
by lorwest
Did we miss this proposed 185 room, 10 story SpringHill Suites near Wacouta Commons?
http://www.startribune.com/new-hotel-to ... 491048341/
https://goo.gl/maps/7td31f67RAS2
So will the buildings (e.g. Pomeroy's) facing E 7th will be demolished?
All current buildings are staying put. Hotel tower will front alongside Jackson, and the 3-story attached ramp will sit between the animal hospital on the south and the converted warehouse on the northeast of the site.
And jersey barriers went up on this parking lot between last night and this morning.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: August 23rd, 2018, 4:38 pm
by gcm
Glad they're not tearing the corner building down, but wouldn't mind seeing Pomeroy's and the garage replaced.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: August 23rd, 2018, 9:47 pm
by rhettcarlson
Glad to hear the Urban Academy project has been started. It must have been in the works for some time before F&C picked it up. DT St. Paul has so many under utilized office buildings that should just go residential while the market is tight - make way for some new office product.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: August 26th, 2018, 4:19 pm
by gcm
My opinion on the Pedro Park/Safety Annex Building controversy. Give the Union Gospel Mission a couple of floors in the Safety Annex Building and tear down the current Gospel Union Mission (GUM). GUM is the real eyesore on that block.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: August 30th, 2018, 7:40 pm
by lorwest
While I haven't seen any plans go through city commissions, nor a specific building permit, the Degree of Honor Building at 325 Cedar Street seems to have started a rumored conversion to residential. As far as I can tell, the remaining office tenants are gone, the skyway level offices have been gutted, and the skyway into the building from the Capitol City Plaza Ramp was closed yesterday (albeit without signage).

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 12th, 2018, 5:24 pm
by ProspectPete
https://www.twincities.com/2018/09/12/s ... partments/

This is a nice opportunity that could help to bridge the gap between Lowertown and the Rice Park/7th street area.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 13th, 2018, 7:55 am
by alexschief
I know there's perpetual concern about the diminished state of office in downtown St. Paul, but the even bigger problem is the lack of people who live there. Converting some of the older office to residential makes a lot of sense, especially as new, smaller and more unique offices, like the old Woolworth Building, the Osborn370 project, and the potential ex-Pedro Park building, come into the market.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 13th, 2018, 8:40 am
by jtoemke
I'd love if the consequence was getting a new office tower. Convert four old buildings, create demand, build a new tower.

Very Sim City. Love it.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 13th, 2018, 9:13 am
by mamundsen
How many conversions have happened in the last 5 years? Has the downtown St Paul population doubled yet?

What would it take to get the downtown population to a point were it actually feels like there is added demand for additional things like restaurants, coffee shops, groceries, etc that people downtown would want?

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 13th, 2018, 9:26 am
by MNdible
I'd be very surprised if St. Paul gets another spec office building as a result of these conversions. The market's just not there.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 13th, 2018, 10:14 am
by MN Fats
"You may not see Seestedt Carpets much longer... Rumor has it there’s apartments on the way."

Per Fred Melo on Twitter

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 13th, 2018, 10:56 am
by gcm
Minneapolis-based Ackerberg and Northland Real Estate Group LLC have released this design for the new look they plan to give the 133-year-old Commission House building at 282 E. Sixth St. in St. Paul. The plan includes one floor of retail and 26 apartments on the upper two floors

https://finance-commerce.com/2018/09/ju ... -project/

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 13th, 2018, 12:34 pm
by rhettcarlson
How many conversions have happened in the last 5 years? Has the downtown St Paul population doubled yet?
There's been some conversation on Twitter about this. Looks like we were at 8,100 residents downtown in 2014, I'd like to think we are over 10,000 by now.

As for conversions, the Strib article names 333 on the Park, but I feel like there has to be more. I can think of the Pioneer Press building, and I've heard some talk of the Degree of Honor building going residential. Apparently the new buyer of the Ecolab University building was considering residential but was talked down by office brokers.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 14th, 2018, 4:31 pm
by karen nelson
To me the modern economy of cities is trending toward more mixing. Districts that are all office towers, all residential, all industrial seem a thing of the past. Most people who want to live in denser areas seem most interested in this mixing - retail at street level, offices mixed in with residential. People don't think of it much but my neighborhood of St. Anthony Park is second most dense job area outside of downtown with lots of creative businesses, office spaces tucked around residential (Court International, Health Partners, etc ), many intact industrial businesses and places like Can Can Wonderland, other businesses in their building produce a ton of jobs - while also having single family housing, affordable housing, public housing lots of market rate apartment along University Ave all mixed together.


So I think dowtown St. Paul could use a ton more residents, as long as it is not at same time losing jobs....but I think these thing will reinforce themselves.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 14th, 2018, 4:50 pm
by karen nelson
For another comparison to downtown and Ford Site, the Creative Enterprise Zone, roughly the south half of St. Anthony Park has 43, 000 jobs, this from a recent CEZ email:


"Pop quiz: How many jobs, of all types, are based here in the Creative Enterprise Zone?
a) under 23,000
b) about 33,000
c) over 43,000
If you saw Jim Walsh’s Star Tribune feature "Keeping It in the Zone" last month, you know the answer is C: over 43,000 jobs. Not only is the CEZ a creative hothouse, it’s a serious economic engine for the city: in fact, our commercial-industrial tax base is greater than downtown St. Paul’s. But as the Strib headline put it, the Zone’s businesses “seek ways to preserve artistic identity,” keeping the area affordable for creators and entrepreneurs-- even as the vibe they create also attracts more mainstream development, which can displace businesses and renters."


This is area from Mpls border to Prior Ave, from Energy Park Drive to 94 - its not a huge area.

All of St. Anthony Park has about 7600 residents - at least half must be in southern CEZ area with those jobs.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 14th, 2018, 6:37 pm
by lorwest
Regarding downtown St. Paul new construction/conversion, here's what I've tracked since 2010:
1578 units completed
543 units under construction
311ish planned

2012:
Lofts at Farmers Market - 260 E. 5th - new construction - 58 units

2013:
The Penfield - 101 E. 10th - new - 254 units

2014:
Pioneer Endicott - 141 E. 4th - reno - 234 units
Rayette Lofts - 261 E. 5th - reno - 88 units
Lowry Building - 345 Wabasha - reno - 155 units (not sure if the unit count changed - people lived here before)

2016:
Custom House - 180 E. Kellogg - reno - 202 units
Higher Ground - 411 Main - new - 193 permanent units

2017:
333 on the Park - 333 Sibley - reno - 134 units
OXBO - 202 W. 7th - new - 190 units

2018:
Oaks Union Depot - 244 E. 4th - 70 units

Under Construction:
Dorothy Day Place - Old Sixth & Main - new - 177 units
Irvine Exchange - 200 Exchange - new - 175 units
The Press Apartments (mcm Pioneer Press building) - 345 Cedar - reno - 143 units
Lofts at R7 - 133 E. 7th - reno (w/ 2-story addition) - 48 units

Planned:
Degree of Honor Building - 325 Cedar - reno - 100ish units (skyway level offices have been demoed in this building)
Jax Building - 253 E. 4th - reno - 35 units
Merchants Bank (First National East Tower) - 4th & Robert - reno - 150ish units
Commission House - 282 E. 6th - reno - 26 units

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 16th, 2018, 10:12 pm
by Qhaberl
Regarding downtown St. Paul new construction/conversion, here's what I've tracked since 2010:
1578 units completed
543 units under construction
311ish planned

2012:
Lofts at Farmers Market - 260 E. 5th - new construction - 58 units

2013:
The Penfield - 101 E. 10th - new - 254 units

2014:
Pioneer Endicott - 141 E. 4th - reno - 234 units
Rayette Lofts - 261 E. 5th - reno - 88 units
Lowry Building - 345 Wabasha - reno - 155 units (not sure if the unit count changed - people lived here before)

2016:
Custom House - 180 E. Kellogg - reno - 202 units
Higher Ground - 411 Main - new - 193 permanent units

2017:
333 on the Park - 333 Sibley - reno - 134 units
OXBO - 202 W. 7th - new - 190 units

2018:
Oaks Union Depot - 244 E. 4th - 70 units

Under Construction:
Dorothy Day Place - Old Sixth & Main - new - 177 units
Irvine Exchange - 200 Exchange - new - 175 units
The Press Apartments (mcm Pioneer Press building) - 345 Cedar - reno - 143 units
Lofts at R7 - 133 E. 7th - reno (w/ 2-story addition) - 48 units

Planned:
Degree of Honor Building - 325 Cedar - reno - 100ish units (skyway level offices have been demoed in this building)
Jax Building - 253 E. 4th - reno - 35 units
Merchants Bank (First National East Tower) - 4th & Robert - reno - 150ish units
Commission House - 282 E. 6th - reno - 26 units
Thanks for the list. A friend and i were talking the other day about how there is so much going on in minneapolis, but once you cross the border there seems to be very little.

When you say Renovation, do you mean upgrading exsisting units in a building or new units in an old building. I am
Guessing the second, but wanted to check.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 17th, 2018, 8:08 pm
by lorwest
I meant conversion when I typed reno. Most of those were previously office buildings.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 18th, 2018, 1:55 pm
by jtoemke
Saw a rendering of a losing bid for the air rights above Central Station on the Green Line today. Can't share much but I'm hoping whoever beat out the kick ass design I saw has an even better design. Fingers crossed for an announcement.

Re: Saint Paul - General Topics

Posted: September 18th, 2018, 3:22 pm
by sanchopanza
Saw a rendering of a losing bid for the air rights above Central Station on the Green Line today. Can't share much but I'm hoping whoever beat out the kick ass design I saw has an even better design. Fingers crossed for an announcement.
unexpected. hope to hear more soon.