urbanMSP

Four story mixed-use project proposed for the Edina Realty site on the west side of Cleveland in Highland Park. Article in the most recent Villager, pick one up!

10,727 sq/ft retail
53 apartments

http://www.highlanddistrictcouncil.org/ ... ED-USE.pdf

Attractive. And good luck...

Opinions-

It's ugly. What's with the stair tower mid-building?
The retail windows look useless. Windows for a retailer are showcase spaces for the pedestrian and other passerby. Why divide them vetically every three feet? Is it intended to make the building look more interesting? Slightly recessed entries would improve the look and improve the street experience too. The sidewalk isn't really wide enough for proper restaurant patio either.

I don't mind the window division - done properly, it can help the illusion of smaller structures with something this big. That said, this design fails at that anyway.

It's bland and won't add much to the neighborhood aesthetically. But at least it will add some life. Too bad area residents will no doubt be screaming about parking and views and height and small independent business and...

Maybe neighbors would not complain quite so loudly about how a proposal fits into their neighborhood if the architect demonstrated that they had thought through how the proposal fits into their neighborhood.

These little packets should always have a neighborhood-scale site plan and the renderings should not place the building perilously close to the edge of the known universe. You see this kind of thing all the time and it drives me nuts \rant.

Anyways, the building is meh, but is probably an improvement over what is there now. Are there any mixed-use buildings in the area at all? I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Too bad area residents will no doubt be screaming about parking and views and height and small independent business and...

Aaaaand called it.

"A proposed four-story, mixed-use building in Highland Village is prompting neighborhood concern over its size and density, as week as the posting and traffic problems it may create." In the new Villager.

I especially love the guy claiming tenants will skip the structured parking and park all over Pinehurst instead.

Highland Park doesn't deserve its neighbors. Is this a minority who is just loudest and gets the press to quote them? It really feels like the residents by here really just want suburbia.

Perhaps they should have gotten involved when the n'hood targeted this parcel for density in its last rezoning study. :/

Too bad area residents will no doubt be screaming about parking and views and height and small independent business and...

Aaaaand called it.

"A proposed four-story, mixed-use building in Highland Village is prompting neighborhood concern over its size and density, as week as the posting and traffic problems it may create." In the new Villager.

I especially love the guy claiming tenants will skip the structured parking and park all over Pinehurst instead.

Also, that should say "as well as the parking". Autocorrect fail.

Partially it's neighbors who would be better off in Apple Valley perhaps, but part of it is also the Villager's anti-density, anti-development bias. Every article seems to contain some element of " Won't somebody PLEASE think of the parking?!"

According to this weeks Villager, there was another neighborhood meeting, where a revised design containing additional setbacks was presented. No rendering was shown in the article.

Let's play fill in the blank:

The crowd of over 60 people greeted the redesign with ________.

A. Scorn
B. Disdain
C. Ridicule
D. Thrown feces.

D?

They....really didn't like it.

Too bad area residents will no doubt be screaming about parking and views and height and small independent business and...

Aaaaand called it.

"A proposed four-story, mixed-use building in Highland Village is prompting neighborhood concern over its size and density, as week as the posting and traffic problems it may create." In the new Villager.

I especially love the guy claiming tenants will skip the structured parking and park all over Pinehurst instead.

Jesus H! Since when is 4 floors (residential floors, mind you) too tall for anything? If there was a 4-story building on my block or even right next to me, it would have almost zero impact on my property, not to mention the 50+ units of people who would BENEFIT from the building.

4 floors is tall if you're in the middle of nowhere, but in the city 4 floors should be EXPECTED!

Too bad area residents will no doubt be screaming about parking and views and height and small independent business and...

Aaaaand called it.

"A proposed four-story, mixed-use building in Highland Village is prompting neighborhood concern over its size and density, as week as the posting and traffic problems it may create." In the new Villager.

I especially love the guy claiming tenants will skip the structured parking and park all over Pinehurst instead.

Also, that should say "as well as the parking". Autocorrect fail.

Partially it's neighbors who would be better off in Apple Valley perhaps, but part of it is also the Villager's anti-density, anti-development bias. Every article seems to contain some element of " Won't somebody PLEASE think of the parking?!"

You know, parts of Apple Valley near Cedar Hwy and County Rd 42 have 4-story buildings....so even in Apple Valley, 4 floors is not a novelty, let alone an abomination.

Highland Park desires to be Edina. People there truly want suburban life.

I don't like painting everyone with a 4ft wide brush, but this is why I really struggle when people say "but if it were 4 stories instead of 6 it would be just fine."

Apple Valley actually has two banks with six story highrises! But of course Highland Park doesn't want 4.

Personally, I'm OK with the design. It's not offensive and will bring three new retail tenants to Cleveland while replacing a surface parking lot. What's not to like? Half the buildings on Cleveland look like ass, but that doesn't mean it's not a nice place to spend an hours or so on the weekend. This building will only improve the appeal on the neighborhood.

My only recommendation would be to carve out an additional five feet from the first floor so that the retailers have a bot more space for outdoor display or seating.

A part of the bad design is because they had to take out good design to placate to the NIMBYs.

The Saint Paul Zoning committee unanimously recommended planning commission approval of the site plan.

The letters written in opposition were as over the top as you would expect.