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minnyapple
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49th & Vernon Townhouses - Edina

Postby minnyapple » April 19th, 2013, 8:08 pm

Minneapolis-based developer Hunt Associates has received preliminary approvals to tear down a pair of small, 1950s apartment buildings and an adjacent single-family house near Hwy. 100, replacing them with 16 attached townhouse units.

The Edina City Council on Tuesday OK’d a preliminary planned unit development rezoning and an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan to accommodate the Vernon Avenue Townhouses after asking for and receiving a series of changes.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/2 ... ml?refer=y

RailBaronYarr
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby RailBaronYarr » April 20th, 2013, 8:11 am

I like the look of them, and I'm personally a huge fan of row houses. I think they are quite flexible (can be broken up top/bottom to be more suitable to rentals), can have separate basement access to the street on a unit-by-unit basis, allow for back yards satiating the more suburban crowd, naturally address the street well and by design want to hug the property line as closely as possible, provide 2-4 stories of windows facing the street, and provide a an easy way to mix incomes on a single block (end-units more desirable, can have the exterior look the same with lower finish quality on the interior ones for lower price points). They also can add a pretty good amount of density to a neighborhood without being seen as apartments or the downfall of society (to the locals).

That said, this is an odd location for them.. right up against 100 like that. I guess there are a few amenities within walking distance (a Davanni's, a gas station, a Jiffy Lube, a funeral home, and a hardware store), but this seems like the type of housing that would be a more natural fit for an area like 50th and France.

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby FISHMANPET » April 20th, 2013, 9:06 am

How many units are they tearing down in the apartments? Is this a net loss or gain of housing units?

E: Ugh, the article doesn't mention it, but it does mention that these will be 3000+ sqft units for single people (young empty nesters). Who in the hell needs that?

seanrichardryan
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby seanrichardryan » April 20th, 2013, 9:13 am

They looks like small buildings, but who cares.

Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

RailBaronYarr
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby RailBaronYarr » April 20th, 2013, 9:31 am

How many units are they tearing down in the apartments? Is this a net loss or gain of housing units?

E: Ugh, the article doesn't mention it, but it does mention that these will be 3000+ sqft units for single people (young empty nesters). Who in the hell needs that?
I noticed that as well. While I'm not one to try to meddle in the free market, it is a little surprising that empty nesters would want that much space, but who knows. My guess is 16 row houses is probably a net loss of housing units, but obviously an increase in developed space - there COULD be families of 4-6 living in each one. But, as the article suggests, probably won't be.

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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby woofner » April 20th, 2013, 12:04 pm

The staff report posted in the City Council agenda mentions that there are currently 10 units on the site, so it'll net seven. While the rowhouses themselves look nice, and the walkway between 49th & Vernon will be handy, I'd say a higher density would be appropriate for this site across Vernon from the planned (actually) high density Grandview district. It's really hard for me not to rant about this, but it really is completely insane that 12 units per acre is the top end of what Edina considers medium density, just as it would be insane for Minneapolis to adopt a code that has a Green Sky district. Do suburbanites have any idea how out of touch they are with the rest of humanity?
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RailBaronYarr
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby RailBaronYarr » April 20th, 2013, 12:27 pm

While I agree with you completely, this is better than what's there now from a density perspective (as you noted) and from a design perspective (they look worlds better and add the walkway). I suppose in a city like Edina this might be a 'take what we can get' thing and maybe when the stuff across Vernon goes in maybe this area can continue some densification on its own?

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby FISHMANPET » April 20th, 2013, 12:32 pm

It's actually the exact opposite of that, this what Edina wants:
The medium-density townhouse proposal came after the city’s Planning Commission last year rejected 98- and 60-unit senior housing pitches from the developer for the site.
The developer wanted to add higher density and the city turned it down.

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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby John » April 21st, 2013, 7:51 pm

How many units are they tearing down in the apartments? Is this a net loss or gain of housing units?

E: Ugh, the article doesn't mention it, but it does mention that these will be 3000+ sqft units for single people (young empty nesters). Who in the hell needs that?
This development is surrounded by some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. I guess a 3000 square feet townhome is living very simple. ;)

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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby Suburban Outcast » April 22nd, 2013, 5:24 am

This development is surrounded by some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. I guess a 3000 square feet townhome is living very simple. ;)
I had to do a field study last year just west of this location, and I am not surprised that a higher-density project didn't pull through. Given Interlachen is down the road and Edina CC is across the freeway, like many other upper-middle to upper class enclaves in MN they seem to dislike density and love their personal space given the large lots near Interlachen. Golf courses, especially private ones love being surrounded by single-family housing.

On a unrelated note though, I felt kind of poor driving a 2003 Camry down Interlachen Blvd. while driving past a Bentley and a Rolls-Royce. I don't see Bentley's too often in the east metro, and have never seen a Rolls-Royce in MN before that.

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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby RailBaronYarr » April 22nd, 2013, 7:35 am

Never understand why row houses aren't called single family homes by people. They are individual units with separate entrances, oftentimes have private garages, and many times even fenced-off backyards private from their neighbors. The fact that they share a wall or 2 with adjacent homes doesn't make them any less "single-family" than a detached house.

mattaudio
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby mattaudio » April 22nd, 2013, 8:09 am

It's the real estate terminology. One dwelling per structure sort of thing.

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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby mulad » April 22nd, 2013, 8:19 am

Well, sound/noise can transmit between the walls much more easily than two walls plus an air gap. Still, there's little practical difference between rowhouses and duplexes/triplexes/quadplexes/etc., other than the fact that n-plexes tend to have designs based off of contemporary SFH layouts, often with a garage on the side or in front. The snout-house quadplex is a sight to behold... (blech).

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Re: General Suburb News

Postby twincitizen » April 24th, 2013, 7:31 pm


Wedgeguy
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Re: Townhouses 49th and Vernon in Edina (Hunt Associates)

Postby Wedgeguy » April 26th, 2013, 8:50 am

Well, sound/noise can transmit between the walls much more easily than two walls plus an air gap. Still, there's little practical difference between rowhouses and duplexes/triplexes/quadplexes/etc., other than the fact that n-plexes tend to have designs based off of contemporary SFH layouts, often with a garage on the side or in front. The snout-house quadplex is a sight to behold... (blech).
I think that there will be plenty of sound insulation if you are spending that kinda money.

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Re: General Suburb News

Postby Mdcastle » April 28th, 2013, 3:58 pm

Out in Burnsville, there getting a start razing the buildings for the new County 5 interchange. The former Vietnamese place is gone and theirs a dumpster and heavy equipment in front of the former Famous Dave's. The former Menards has a Napa Auto Parts store sign, and on the other end part of the parking lot has been torn out and concrete pads installed to show off construction equipment.

beykite
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Re: General Suburb News

Postby beykite » April 28th, 2013, 6:46 pm

I'd probably cross post that to the Street, Road and Highway Projects Page

Its kinda confusing but I think its best to keep this for housing/retail/commercial developments and keep most the roadwork/transit work in the transportation sub.

Chanhassen just approved a new apartment complex. Originally somewhere in the range of 220 units it was scaled back to 155 due to resident concerns about traffic. Despite it being your typical run of the mill outer suburban apartment building my only gripe is that it's off Highway 5 as opposed to somewhere like 212 & 101 where there is considerably more infrastructure and is right next to a SW transit station (which someday just maybe the Green Line could extend to)

Here's a link to an article in the Villager
Apartments approved at Hwy. 5/ Galpin Blvd.
By Richard Crawford
The Chanhassen City Council April 22 unanimously approved plans for a 155-unit apartment building at the intersection of Highway 5 and Galpin Boulevard.

Despite steady opposition from residents in the area, councilors determined the developer had crafted a proposal that warranted a land-use amendment needed for the project to proceed.

The proposal, submitted by Oppidan Inc. of Minnetonka, was scaled back from one that was reviewed by the city late last year. The original plan sought 224 apartments. During a conceptual review of that plan, neighbors submitted a petition with more than 600 signatures in opposition. City officials indicated the plan would need to be scaled back before being considered.

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Re: General Suburb News

Postby Suburban Outcast » April 29th, 2013, 3:07 am

The lot is surrounded by a bunch of townhomes and a farm that will probably be redeveloped into McMansions anyway, I don't know why local citizens really care there is going to be an apartment complex there. A place with $1,100-1,500/month rents is not going to bring in crime, if anything it will fuel more development in that area (which is probably a bad thing).

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Re: General Suburb News

Postby twincitizen » May 23rd, 2013, 7:48 am

Bloomingtown's blooming and St. Louis park is "off the charts": http://www.startribune.com/local/208597201.html

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Re: General Suburb News

Postby TWA » May 24th, 2013, 6:41 am

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... tml?page=2

United health just sold two minnetonka office buildings they occupy (700,000 SF total) for $146 m. Sounds like it will be a sale-lease-back. Good way to infuse $140 m+ in cash into your balance sheet especially as they continue to expand


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