St. Louis Park - General Topics

[Ubermoose]

Does anyone know what is going on in the lot in front of the Health Partners clinic near West End? I've seen work going on for probably over a year now. I would guess some sort of utility work, but it seems pretty extensive.

[mamundsen]

This is the Central Park West. I don't remember if we have a separate thread. Here is the city's page about it: http://www.stlouispark.org/approved-pro ... -west.html

EDIT: Thread: https://forum.streets.mn/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3648&start=0

[Anondson]

We should have a West End Area thread.

[Anondson]

Arlington Row got another write up. More details.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2015/12/24/arli ... cil-grant/

[Anondson]

SLP seeks to fill vacancies on boards and commissions, including Environment and Sustainability, Housing, Planning, Police Advisory.

http://www.stlouispark.org/boards-commi ... sions.html

Apply by Jan. 4th.

[Anondson]

Seth Rowe in the SLP Sun Sailor has a great year-end-review of nearly all the projects that have been happening, have started, and are planned soon in Saint Louis Park.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2015/12/30/deve ... ouis-park/

[Anondson]

Why hasn't the teardown explosion Edina is having spreading to SLP?

http://m.startribune.com/edina-s-teardo ... 364034511/

Edina's schools are only a part. SLP's infamous inspections are another. SLP requires every home sale to bring house up to all codes before sale. Having lived in SLP, the inspectors there are among the pickiest anywhere. So many contractors I've spoken with either hate or love working in the city.

The inspections keep the housing high enough quality that homes are rarely left in tough shape worth tearing down. The city with even go as far as hiring contractors to do work and assess the property for the work when the condition gets really bad.

[twincitizen]

That said, it's kinda hard to believe Edina is allowing old houses to deteriorate all that much...or at all.

Neighbors near a house in disrepair would contact the city with complaints so fast it'd make your ascot spin.

[Anondson]

That's a fair point. But I think there is a difference between decrepit/disrepair and fully meeting code. I commute driving through Edina neighborhoods. There were a fair amount of homes in "rough shape". Many became teardowns. A few still there looking worse than ever. I'm thinking of a couple along Brookside Ave. south of 44th in Edina.

[Anondson]

More than a month ago I posted in rumors that Vescio's was closing and the inn next door had staff whispering about its site being bought.

It happened.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... pment.html

Sold to the owner of Sela Roofing to redevelop as high end rental and ground floor commercial maybe. Really, since it's in walk distance of the West Lake station, will the be counted as development initiated by the LRT, like the Green Line tallied around it?

[min-chi-cbus]

I kinda thought this was that development happening near the intersection of Lake and Minnetonka. Glad to hear this is yet another project! Any idea what kind of scale this will be (50, 100, 200 units)?

[Anondson]

It will be right next to The Shoreham under construction right now.

I hadn't heard anything about scale yet, I wonder if any examination of Sela's portfolio of 1400 apartments give any hint what to expect. It's 1.5 acres of land, I'd expect a block-sized six-story by trends...

[Anondson]

I heard a very preliminary concept for this might be 5-stories, 100+ units. Offices for the commercial space. Market rate.

[Anondson]

City council votes to approve cocktail rooms.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2016/01/19/st-l ... m-measure/

[Anondson]

JCrew factory outlet landing at Knollwood soon.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... -park.html

I'm impressed Knollwood was able to come back from the edge of deadmall status. Not an urban utopia but better than what it had become.

[Ubermoose]

City council votes to approve cocktail rooms.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2016/01/19/st-l ... m-measure/

I really hope that Millers and Saints opens up a cocktail room, but parking can be a challenge at Steel Toe already. If/when they do open, biking might be the best option for getting in.

[Anondson]

Seth Rowe writes an update on the Japs-Olson expansion project that precipitated the Hopkins/SLP mutual annexation.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2016/02/22/st-l ... kins-land/

Thousands of truck loads will be excavated. Vastly exceeded the requirements for high quality materials but needed an exception regarding breaking up long walls for visual interest. Parapet walls will obscure roof mounted equipment and masonry walls will screen a new loading dock. A new sidewalk will be created to surround the entire site along Powell Road.

There is a new sidewalk that was installed last fall with the completion of the Japs-Olson future employee parking at the corner of Excelsior and Meadowbrook Road. This new sidewalk will really benefit employees who work in the industrial businesses to the north who take the bus. What is quite possibly one of the saddest bus stops on Excelsior Blvd's entire length will now, at least, have a sidewalk most of the way.

[Anondson]

Practically related to West End, but the vacated Novartis/Nestlé plant next to the VW car dealership on TH 100 has been repurposed and almost completely occupied by what officials are saying are local businesses. A plant once filled by 250 jobs is now filled by 400 jobs.

http://www.startribune.com/former-ovalt ... 370353371/

Loved this quote, figured quite a few on this forum would get a snicker from it...

"It would be good to connect to the West End,” said Metropolitan Council Member Gail Dorfman, a former St. Louis Park mayor. “If we can build a bridge to the [Vikings] stadium that’s only used eight times a year, we should be able to do something here".

Still, a better link to West End and better access to transit to this should be high on the list.

[Silophant]

I moved the Joffe office proposal talk to Southside General Topics, since it has a South Minneapolis street address. If it becomes more than a proposal, it'll get its own topic anyway, so I figure whatever.

[Anondson]

John Reinan at the Strib wrote about Meadowbrook Manor, an affordable housing apartment campus along Excelsior Blvd across from Meadowbrook Golf Course and Methodist Hospital.

It just changed ownership, the new owner is fixing up buildings and upgrading things. Bringing with it an increase in rent that may end up dislocating hundreds of residents like Concierge did in Richfield.

http://www.startribune.com/hundreds-of- ... 373305651/

The location of Meadowbrook is remarkable with the course on one side and Minnehaha Creek wrapping around on the others. Decent transit access along Excelsior Blvd will get only better as it is also in walking distance to the Louisiana Ave SWLRT station.

I feel bad for the residents, affordable housing is getting thinner and thinner in the western suburbs if Meadowbrook Manor changes took much. City zoning even would allow the new owner to raze buildings and put up "high rises", as the mayor says.

I worry this could be a start of a trend where the affordable apartments of SLP and Hopkins are going to see change in ownership and upscaling the closer we get to having SWLRT happening. Leaving the line with a severe shortage of affordable housing near the stations.