Nord Haus - 315 1st Ave NE (208' - 20 Stories)

Northeast, Near North, Camden, Old St. Anthony, University and surrounding neighborhoods
NE-Mark
Block E
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Joined: March 31st, 2014, 10:57 am
Location: Nordeast x St. Anthony Main

Re: Superior Plating site

Postby NE-Mark » April 14th, 2014, 1:46 pm

Kauffman, of DLC, said his firm is working with the Nicollet Island-East Bank Neighborhood Association to gauge reaction to the firm’s plans for the site.

Victor Grambsch, president of the association, characterized a recent meeting with DLC as “very pleasant, but it was kind the way you’d characterize a first-date kind of meeting. No decisions were made and, as far as I know, there’s nothing binding that DLC is going to build something there. It’s pretty nebulous right now.”

The Association favors taller transit- and pedestrian-oriented buildings and “quality construction” as opposed to a series of low-lying structures, he added.
Well that's pretty encouraging. We still haven't heard definitively if DLC is also purchasing the vacant block to the east. First & First owns that property as well. The Strib story mentioned 5.4 acres, which would be both blocks. Was the eastern block just the parking lot for Superior Plating employees? That might explain why no media outlets have mentioned it specifically, other than as "the Superior Plating property".
The adjacent lot is a vacant parking lot with grass growing through the mixture of dirt, pavement and muddy puddles. In the SE corner of the lot there is a run-down used car lot. It is actually an uglier block than Superior Plating was when it was active. As a neighbor, I'm excited to see something happen with these two blocks.

Architorture
Metrodome
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby Architorture » May 30th, 2014, 12:16 pm

I am anxiously awaiting to see plans on this, hopefully we see something soon. This would really add to the transformation of the area with Red 20; the Archiver/whatever the new name is, and Corner Apartments if the all reach completion. Next up West Photo site and the banks!

NE_love
City Center
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Joined: February 22nd, 2013, 12:48 pm

Re: Superior Plating site

Postby NE_love » June 10th, 2014, 8:31 am

I drive by every morning on the way to work. Just what I need, more construction to look at and buildings to critic! I love all of the activity in this area. That street car needs to get funded ASAP, so this build up can creep up Central!

MplsSteve
Nicollet Mall
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Joined: May 2nd, 2013, 9:11 am

Re: Superior Plating site

Postby MplsSteve » June 10th, 2014, 10:30 am

There's some pretty nasty looking pools of Gatorade colored water on the site right now. As a neighbor, I'm glad that this site is finely getting cleaned up. It's long overdue.

mattaudio
Stone Arch Bridge
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby mattaudio » June 12th, 2014, 1:41 pm

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/262923181.html
-Neighborhood wants more density (700+ rather than 500 units)
-Sounds like developer wants to build stick or nothing

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TommyT
Target Field
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Joined: August 13th, 2013, 9:21 am

Re: Superior Plating site

Postby TommyT » June 12th, 2014, 1:48 pm

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/262923181.html
-Neighborhood wants more density (700+ rather than 500 units)
-Sounds like developer wants to build stick or nothing
Good for them (the neighborhood), about time we demand density!

Silophant
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby Silophant » June 12th, 2014, 1:59 pm

I hope the neighborhood org holds out, as much as possible. As much as I dislike empty lots, especially this close to downtown, this is a crucial site to the continued development of the neighborhood. I'd rather it stay empty for another year or two if that's what it takes to get a decent building. The city can't afford to waste another trophy site on 222 Hennepin 2: Matchstick Boogaloo.
Joey Senkyr
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MplsSteve
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby MplsSteve » June 13th, 2014, 6:26 am

I wouldn't mind seeing something similar in scale to the Falls condominiums or the Nic on Fifth. The site is certainly large enough.

min-chi-cbus
Capella Tower
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby min-chi-cbus » June 13th, 2014, 8:29 am

The Falls condominiums AND apartments, yeah. The Nic on Fifth is only 250-300 units, so this would be at least twice as large, and possibly 3X.

MplsSteve
Nicollet Mall
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Joined: May 2nd, 2013, 9:11 am

Re: Superior Plating site

Postby MplsSteve » June 13th, 2014, 8:40 am

I keep forgetting that the Nic is that small. It seems like it should be bigger than that, but I guess it's fairly skinny. So I suppose 500 units of low rise stick construction like the developers are proposing would end up being something like the Marshall? Yuck, I hope that never happens.

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FISHMANPET
IDS Center
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby FISHMANPET » June 13th, 2014, 9:14 am

So the developer said they'd walk if they couldn't build their stick six building, is anyone worried that concrete construction just isn't financially viable right now? If you ask me, this is the most pressing housing affordability issue we face right now. If we have this fairly artificial density cap that's far below demand in some areas, that's a huge problem. What's making these projects so expensive that they don't work out?

Silophant
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby Silophant » June 13th, 2014, 9:31 am

I keep forgetting that the Nic is that small. It seems like it should be bigger than that, but I guess it's fairly skinny. So I suppose 500 units of low rise stick construction like the developers are proposing would end up being something like the Marshall? Yuck, I hope that never happens.
The Marshall is only 337 units. So this would be another 50% bigger. Eugh.
Joey Senkyr
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MplsSteve
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby MplsSteve » June 13th, 2014, 10:14 am

by FISHMANPET » June 13th, 2014, 9:14 am
So the developer said they'd walk if they couldn't build their stick six building, is anyone worried that concrete construction just isn't financially viable right now? If you ask me, this is the most pressing housing affordability issue we face right now. If we have this fairly artificial density cap that's far below demand in some areas, that's a huge problem. What's making these projects so expensive that they don't work out?
I have wondered about this as well. It seems like lumber wouldn't be cheap either. Add to that the extra costs to sound and fire proof.

In the case of the Superior Plating site, since they have to excavate down to bedrock anyway (to remove the pollution), wouldn't that translate into some extra savings for a taller structure?

mattaudio
Stone Arch Bridge
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby mattaudio » June 13th, 2014, 10:27 am

Maybe it's a good thing... I'd rather see brick and steel than 2x4s, but many folks who talk about our post-oil economy note that buildings over six stories won't be economical.

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby FISHMANPET » June 13th, 2014, 10:35 am

I think Kunstler's a cook when it comes to that. We're not going to revert to an 18th century agrarian economy like he thinks we will, there are still plenty of ways to generate electricity without burning oil. If nothing else we've got 300 years of coal. We'll be able to power our elevators for a loooong time.

mplsjaromir
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby mplsjaromir » June 13th, 2014, 10:43 am

I think Kunstler's a cook when it comes to that. We're not going to revert to an 18th century agrarian economy like he thinks we will, there are still plenty of ways to generate electricity without burning oil. If nothing else we've got 300 years of coal. We'll be able to power our elevators for a loooong time.
Agreed, generating electricity is not going to be the problem.

mattaudio
Stone Arch Bridge
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby mattaudio » June 13th, 2014, 10:53 am

The only reason he's a kook is because he only has coke zero for a mixer at his parties. But he throws a good party.

RailBaronYarr
Capella Tower
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby RailBaronYarr » June 13th, 2014, 10:55 am

Beyond the economics, if given the choice of a 6-story building here and another similar one down the road in a while OR a Nic on Fifth style building here sucking that entire demand up, I guess I'd take the former. It's refreshing to hear neighborhood residents be pro-density/new peopl, even if their motivations come across slightly selfish (but at least they're toting the positive externalities of more people present helping keep the area commercially viable).

Also, the Marshall has a lot of larger units with more than 1-2 BRs being near campus, doesn't it? If so, I would imagine Marshall at 337 would be similar in scale to this at 500, no?

Silophant
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby Silophant » June 13th, 2014, 10:59 am

Given that oil makes up approximately 0%of the US energy mix, the idea that a post-oil society would also be a post-electricity society is indeed a kooky one. Even if you stretch the meaning of post-oil to include post-natural gas and post-coal (centuries out, as FMP notes), and ignore the explosion in renewable power in recent years, nuclear can easily handle the world's current and future electricity needs. All that's holding us back is hysterical anti-nuke sentiment, and that'll quickly evaporate if the alternative is no electricity.
Joey Senkyr
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FISHMANPET
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Re: Superior Plating site

Postby FISHMANPET » June 13th, 2014, 11:00 am

I was first introduced to Kunstler via his TED Talk, and I thought he did a really good job of slapping the viewer across the face about why we should care about place. But like in many disciplines, I think he's far too extreme for us to take everything he says at face value. However he's good at shifting the conversation. Would 20 year old me have become an urbanist if I'd watched a TED talk by a technocrat about the dollars and sense cost of Suburbia? For sure the idea of building places worth caring about is stuck in my head now, and I don't think it would be if he'd be less extreme.

Kunstler is great at looking at a built enviroment and calling it stupid, but I don't trust his predictions for the future, if for no other reason than I'd like to be an optimist than a pessimist.


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