urbanMSP

This may not be the best use of this block, but it sure beats what's there now...
I don't foresee a hotel building here, or housing. So this helps to continue to 'beautify' the 494 strip (and I know that's a point of contention for many on here, but my opinion).

Yes, it would certainly look better than what's there today.

But why don't you foresee housing, when housing surrounds it on three sides? Actually, a few thousand people live in this Richfield E 77-E 78th stretch.

It's hard not to also look at successful mixed use adjacent to freeways at Grandview, 36th, and West End along TH 100 -- and at least one nice project at 77th and 100 -- and wonder what else is viable. Grandview benefits from significant prestige of its surroundings, but West End was basically a wasteland until a decade or two ago.

Minneapolis should start suing companies in the 'burbs that use "Minneapolis" for use of the name and defamation. Either that, or they should rename Nicollet Mall to the Mall of America.

Minneapolis should start suing companies in the 'burbs that use "Minneapolis" for use of the name and defamation.

Hah. Richfield better get royalties for Richfield Lutheran, Richfield Methodist, and Richfield Road (by Calhoun) then . I assume Excelsior should be paid rightly for Excelsior Blvd. Or do we only go after the unattractive uses of a city's name?

Either that, or they should rename Nicollet Mall to the Mall of America.

-1 to that idea.

Yes, it would certainly look better than what's there today.

But why don't you foresee housing, when housing surrounds it on three sides? Actually, a few thousand people live in this Richfield E 77-E 78th stretch.

It's hard not to also look at successful mixed use adjacent to freeways at Grandview, 36th, and West End along TH 100 -- and at least one nice project at 77th and 100 -- and wonder what else is viable. Grandview benefits from significant prestige of its surroundings, but West End was basically a wasteland until a decade or two ago.

The West End and Richfield - especially the southeast side, really don't compare, IMO. I'd be completely fine with a large multi unit apartment being built here - but I don't foresee that happening anytime soon. I see that happening a little more to the northeast of this, along the west side of Cedar before here. The 494 is an auto-focused place (wasteland?). And like it or not, autos aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

I just think that if it was prime for more housing, a developer would've proposed something. There must be a reason they're not. Two of the 3 buildings on this block have been vacant 5+ years!

The West End and Richfield - especially the southeast side, really don't compare, IMO.

This is a bit of a catch-22. There's no particular reason that it should be this way, other than standing poor image. West End is bit closer to downtown Mpls and some natural features, but this site is uniquely centered between the two downtowns and close to Southdale and Bloomington's South Loop (should that ever become anything).

But I'd certainly acknowledge regional image and developer interest is a lot lower here then the TH 100 sites in SLP and Edina. Then again, does a new car dealership really help this, or just exacerbate the problem? I think there *have* been meaningful projects in the corridor that improve its image, both Best Buy at Penn and Kensington Park at Lyndale.

I just think that if it was prime for more housing, a developer would've proposed something. There must be a reason they're not. Two of the 3 buildings on this block have been vacant 5+ years!

Good point.

Planning Commission unanimously approved the rezoning and comp plan changes to allow Audi, with the requirement that they construct at least a two-story ramp (up to four stories) within 5 years of the initial building. (The ramp is on the east half of the site.)

Everything will also have to be approved by the City Council, where they may face more resistance. The mayor, at least, has publicly stated that she thinks the City should hold onto the original vision and wait for something better to come along, given the anticipated underpass.

Not sure if this should go here BUT. Motel 6/77th underpass.
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/297601191.html

It is a top priority, if not the top priority, of the city,

I hope that statement isn't characteristic of his priorities. He claims to be a progressive.

The reason this area has such a large number of vacancies is that the perception is that 77th is not a true thru street. While it faces the freeway it is really blocked by the freeway interchange so that people have a hard time visualizing what is there. If they every get to extending 77th over Cedar to the airport post office frontage road then I think the area would be more prosperous with more thru traffic.

The reason this area has such a large number of vacancies is that the perception is that 77th is not a true thru street. While it faces the freeway it is really blocked by the freeway interchange so that people have a hard time visualizing what is there. If they every get to extending 77th over Cedar to the airport post office frontage road then I think the area would be more prosperous with more thru traffic.

Longfellow Ave, the frontage road on the east side of Cedar/Hwy 77 does not go to the post office - I just wanted to call that out.
I agree on the current condition of that area of Richfield, 77th will actually tunnel under Cedar/Hwy 77 and connect with the stub of 77th that then continues to 28th Ave S. (which then crosses 494 by the Ramada Hotel by MOA).

Longfellow Ave, the frontage road on the east side of Cedar/Hwy 77 does not go to the post office - I just wanted to call that out.

No, it doesn't, although if you really wanted to you, you could use 77th/Airport Ln/34th Ave/Post Rd to get there. But assuming you're driving a car, it would be so much easier to just take Hwy 5 to Post Road.

It will, however, provide much better access to Cargo Road, which houses UPS and FedEx locations (and meets Longfellow at about 70th St). That's not a huge amount of traffic, but those are the places you have to go to pick up after they give up with the door tags at your house.

-1 point for the underpass.

Seriously, though: I hope what you guys are saying about the underpass is true, but I'm skeptical. Even the new American Boulevard overpass of 35W -- which is dramatically more useful in the big transportation picture -- doesn't have much redevelopment that can be directly cited to it. Penn/American growth, maybe. BMW dealership has expanded slightly. But nothing dramatic.

An expensive tunnel connecting this sleepy corner of Richfield to the rear-end of the airport (cargo, bus garage, etc), displacing potentially hundreds of low-income residents in the process, is going to improve things how exactly?

The only property in the way at the moment is the Motel 6, right? I can't speak to how many buildings may have been taken out previously, but that building in particular wouldn't be a huge loss. I don't really see why they need to take out the hotel -- I'm guessing they want to reroute the Cedar Ave frontage road through the site to retain the intersection. Because of the stroadification of 77th Street, 12th Avenue (half a mile west) is the closest intersection that allows traffic to/from the north.

The cost estimates on this page add up to $21.5 million, including $7.5 million for right-of-way acquisition. I've been wondering if this would be cheaper as a bridge, though it's close to runway 4/22. But how often does that get used these days? I only see a dozen or so skid marks along the entire length.

I'm betting they're designing the underpass to have 4 lanes, though it could probably get by just fine with 2.

The only property in the way at the moment is the Motel 6, right? I can't speak to how many buildings may have been taken out previously, but that building in particular wouldn't be a huge loss. I don't really see why they need to take out the hotel -- I'm guessing they want to reroute the Cedar Ave frontage road through the site to retain the intersection. Because of the stroadification of 77th Street, 12th Avenue (half a mile west) is the closest intersection that allows traffic to/from the north.

The cost estimates on this page add up to $21.5 million, including $7.5 million for right-of-way acquisition. I've been wondering if this would be cheaper as a bridge, though it's close to runway 4/22. But how often does that get used these days? I only see a dozen or so skid marks along the entire length.

I'm betting they're designing the underpass to have 4 lanes, though it could probably get by just fine with 2.

1. Earlier articles stated that both the Motel 6 and Washington Park would be affected. There was a desire to replace and displaced parkland. I think in general 77th will be shifted farther north on the Richfield side to better align with the MAC side. If it went straight across at the 77th St plane, it would have to be under the flyunder ramp from NB Cedar to WB 494. Note that although housing will not be directly affected, if it's actually successful at drawing more traffic, it could really impede access from the apartment buildings on the 7700 block to Washington Park. There is no park available to those residents south of 77th.

2. I am quite certain it will be 4 lane divided, as 77th on both sides is 4 lane divided. Existing traffic volumes on this segment are only about 2000 ADT -- but obviously they hope that will go up. And I'm not sure how much money they'd save by making it ~18 feet narrower ((width - 11' + 2 addt'l curb reaction) * 2). If it were significant, I'd certainly support going narrower.

*cough* http://www.ci.richfield.mn.us/modules/s ... entid=3997

*cough* http://www.ci.richfield.mn.us/modules/s ... entid=3997

Yikes, weird that at least two apartment buildings being wiped out weren't mentioned in press coverage (or at least it made no impression on me). Any idea how many units are in these buildings? 20 households displaced? Certainly likely to be equivalent to the households displaced by the 66th Street construction...

"Adopting the official map will have no financial impact to the city."

Except for paying for a few million dollars of property, building a new road, and losing (along with the county) 120k/yr in property taxes.

Well, I think the point is that adopting the map doesn't obligate them to purchase the properties or build the road.

I'm mostly confused that it's 2015 and the city posted a city-created document to its own website, and they couldn't be bothered to just use the original pdf with selectable text and better resolution.