West End area - St. Louis Park / Golden Valley

[daveybabymsp]

I’ve wondered if they could make use of the express lane for transit - it currently has completely separate ROW from the general purpose lanes from downtown to highway 100. Maybe include a stop at Penn to connect to SWLRT and a west end station?


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[NickP]

Would the trains use the express lane in addition to the buses that currently use it?

[Tom H.]

https://www.startribune.com/west-end-re ... 600238085/

Not sure if this is directly relevant of any future development in the area, but I suppose it is nice to see it being sold to local investors. More than anything else, this is probably mostly of an indication of how Covid has changed relative valuation of retail and office compared to pre-pandemic.

[Mdcastle]

Here's the article that was linked to back on page 8. The complex has major problems beyond COVID- too much of the wrong kind of retail was spec built and shoppers hate having to park in the ramp as opposed to surface lots.
https://tcbmag.com/shops-at-west-end-ri ... rong-size/

[Multimodal]

The West End would probably do better if the site across the street wasn't an ode to 1970s suburban design and 2020s giant gas-powered SUVs (with not only a Costco, but a Costco gas station). When will Costco put in EV charging stations at the store, and reuse or sell the gas station for something else? It's definitely not a growth opportunity as a gas station.

Have the new owners brought more retail to the West End recently? Are the rents cheaper?

[NickP]

I think there are charging stations at the store.

[rmc]

There are (functional?) vehicle charging stations at Costco. The gas station is constantly busy. If anything, Costco and its gas station are the largest draw in the area. There's likely not a more profitable business use for that gas station property than what it already is.

Just changing the design of the property across the street won't do anything to draw more traffic to the west end shops. People aren't going walk across Park Place Blvd to enjoy the random selection of retail and restaurants. West End Shops may be designed as a walkable shopping area, but it's occupied like a strip mall. People go there to hit one particular restaurant or store, not walk/shop the district.

Not much has changed at West End. It still seems to have a number of vacancies, especially on the south end. This article claims 80% occupancy, but admits the south end is a lost cause. Much of the occupied spaces seem to be only partially open from my recent visits.
https://tcbmag.com/hempel-real-estates-west-end-play/

It's always had an identity crisis, lacking the gravity in any space to really attract consistent visitors. Is it retail? Entertainment? Pop-up shops? Its ownership never seemed motivated to fill spaces, likely using vacancies here to offset profits elsewhere. Maybe the new "local" ownership will improve this.