Coze Flats - (628 University Ave SE)

[lordmoke]

Yet another apartment building. A small house currently sits on this site. From the CoW:
http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 104915.pdf

EDIT: 39 units, 4 stories. Nice to finally see some smaller-scale projects taking shape.

[MNdible]

Wrong link, I think.

[lordmoke]

Whoops! Fixed it!

[MNdible]

Looks like a fun project. To bad it doesn't have a front door...

[John]

A nice, smaller scale infill project with some spunk. Good proportions in relationship to the buildings around it.

[min-chi-cbus]

I REALLY love stuff like this, I'm really excited! I also loved the pics they used to illustrate how it'll fit into the surrounding area -- there were shots that I've never seen before that really shows the scale of how urbanized this area is getting!!

[Nick]

I'm a little sad that they're tearing down relatively well-maintained old school building for this project when there are two ugly buildings directly across each street from it. But, worse things have happened.

[RailBaronYarr]

I REALLY love stuff like this, I'm really excited! I also loved the pics they used to illustrate how it'll fit into the surrounding area -- there were shots that I've never seen before that really shows the scale of how urbanized this area is getting!!

Definitely agree. While Nick points out the slight shame, this is a great little project. Hopefully the whole St Anthony area will soon be this urbanized with no wasteful surface parking lots.

I know I sound like a broken record but it would be nice to see some owner-occupied units go in to mix in with all these apartments. Too many 600 sqft apartments makes an area single demographic: 20-27 year old single people. This isn't the worse thing but it makes an area far less likely to keep people living there long-term. Some row houses or flats with 3 BR and 1,200-1,400 sqft would be great for families looking to live in a great, hip neighborhood close to the river, downtown, and campus.

Love it!

[John]

IMO, It's close to the U so it makes sense for rental. There's actually a large amount of home ownership in this area to the north and west towards St Anthony Main and Hennepin Ave. And that new Stonebridge Lofts development by the Guthrie is marketing to families with children. If it succeeds (which I think it will), I'm positive we'll see some more high density family oriented projects occur in or around downtown and near the riverfront.

[mplsjaromir]

After looking at this and the Colfax Ave. submittal, I am really digging the isometric 3D renderings developers are using now. It is especially great when they show its orientation and proximity to downtown.

[twincitizen]

They're also really easy & basically free (aside from labor) to make using Sketchup. I did one for a class project last year and it was shockingly easy to create a simple building (or download one that someone else made) and place it in Google Earth with all of the existing 3D buildings that people have made. My project was around Nicollet Ave & I-94. I'll have to upload some photos of the project to the existing thread we have on that topic.

[woofner]

I'm a little sad that they're tearing down relatively well-maintained old school building for this project when there are two ugly buildings directly across each street from it. But, worse things have happened.

Was this a school? I think they called it a "civil war era house" in the project narrative, which would put it among the oldest structures in the city. (I'd be surprised if it had been built before 1866, but you never know).

Regarding sketchup and google earth, I'd add that you can even replace existing buildings, in case there are any, say, fast food restaurants you'd like to replace with a Parisian grand hotel.

[Nick]

I meant old school like the expression "old school".

[woofner]

The kids and their crazy expressions....

[contrast]

I like it- the 4 story height, the color, how the facade is broken up. I think the 7th street pedestrian experience is very cold- to much blank wall from the underground parking, but otherwise it's good. I also think ESG tends to do a good job of detailing so that gives me additional confidence that it will turn out well.

Just an odd side bar- interesting how materiality is represented in the computer software sometimes. It appears they are planning a basic ballast rock roof, but the image looks more like a fancy berber carpet tile to me- which would be more comfy on the toes.

[Nick]

Note: I thought this was the building with the Dunn Brothers and Alma, which it isn't.

[Nick]

Here's what's here today. Looks very old.


IMG_2955 by UrbanMSP, on Flickr

[seanrichardryan]

When did they slather it in vinyl? It used to have a nice corbeled roofline.

[exiled_antipodean]

4 story, 40 unit building planned for corner of 7th and University to open in fall 2014.

Arvonne Fraser (Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association) given extensive space in the Daily to ramble on about how she doesn't like undergraduates: http://www.mndaily.com/news/campus/2013 ... apartments

[Snelbian]

Everyone knows that Dinkytown/Marcy Holmes would be better off without all those undergraduates moving in and out every 4 years! I mean, just imagine how idyllic the retail core there would be without that pesky university and its tens of thousands of people buying things. To say nothing of how much nicer the traffic and parking situation will be when we revert to the good old days of forcing all those undergraduates to drive to campus every day from the 'burbs.