Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

[min-chi-cbus]

Oh, that's so deflating! I thought the 75+ projects planned or under construction downtown would have put a bigger dent into the red areas on that map. I guess it just goes to show you how far gone downtown truly was not very long ago. It also shows me exactly why "supertalls" aren't proposed on every core street corner -- there's so much land supply!

[martykoessel]

There are a couple things that could be added to make the map look a tad better: T3 and the proposed Greco development on Washington Ave. North, for example. But against this, if we want to feel even a bit sadder, how would this map look if we put in parking ramps, at least those that aren't a podium for something else, stuff like the Gateway, Government Center, Haaf and Lemington and Orchestra Hall ramps? That big, unmarked area in the core would certainly look more chopped up.

[lordmoke]

Thanks, I totally missed T3. Does anyone know what the footprint for that Greco project looks like? That's the only thing holding me back from adding it.

[TommyT]

Target made the Canada cut today. 550 jobs in MN and 170 in India.

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

**Feel free to move this if it's in the wrong place**

[twincitizen]

Thanks, I totally missed T3. Does anyone know what the footprint for that Greco project looks like? That's the only thing holding me back from adding it.

Best I can tell, it's 729 Washington and 728 3rd: http://gis.hennepin.us/property/map/def ... 2924240095

I think it may have to be two separate structures, leaving the "alley" corridor between undeveloped, in accordance with the historic district regulations.

[mog]

http://finance-commerce.com/2015/02/dow ... shoots-up/
Does anyone know what the article says? Why does Marquette advisors think the market is not saturated, and what is the vacancy rate at? This does not seem to bode well for continued construction downtown, or Duval's 80 story residential tower.

[Tyler]

There's only so many people looking to move at any one time. Only in the tightest market will new buildings lease up immediately.

[twincitizen]

See discussion here, in the "Apartment Boom" topic: https://forum.streets.mn/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=958&start=220

[grant1simons2]

http://www.millcityhigh.org/

Mill City High to open in the fall according to the Mill City Times. I think this will be one of the essentials to getting families to move to downtown. There's Blake and DeLaSalle, but both cost a good amount of money. I'm sure some families that can afford downtown can pay, but would rather not send their kid to a private school or a catholic school. FAIR is more of an art school and from the people I know who go there, they tell me they don't really do much. Hopefully this also helps grow the east side of DT.

http://millcitytimes.com/news/downtown- ... is-fa.html

[min-chi-cbus]

Now THIS is great news! I agree that having a public high schools is a game-changer for downtown, and as long as it performs (well like Southwest High) families will feel more comfortable about raising their teen in a downtown urban setting. However, I think it's even more important to include high quality daycare centers for infants/toddlers and K-6/K-9 public schools for older children of younger families. I am not familiar with the current public schooling options in and around downtown though, so perhaps some of this already exists. But anything that can make life easier and more convenient for families with children will help promote downtown as a viable living option (once again).

[twincitizen]

Webster Elementary, though on the NE side of the river in St. Anthony West, is going to be downtown's new elementary school. It opens this fall for PreK-2 and will gradually expand up to grade 5. Previously, North Loop kids were districted to Bethune, one of the worst performing schools on the northside, and some other areas of downtown were districted to Kenwood Elementary, while a great school, was quite far away from downtown. I'm not sure how the district lines were redrawn, but I believe most of greater downtown will now be sent to Webster, which feeds into the NE middle & high schools

First reported here in Late 2013: http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/a- ... -northeast

School website: http://webster.up.mpsedu.org/

[EOst]

While I'm glad this will probably encourage more families to live downtown, I can't help but feel a little queasy about it. Schools like Bethune do so poorly because they're deeply racially segregated and economically disadvantaged. Instead of working to change that with the influx of new, wealthier families, we're just giving them their own segregated school.

[xandrex]

^With school choice, I kind of wonder how easy it is to convince any North Loop parents to choose Bethune. It's kind of the Detroit dilemma - you need people to revitalize it, but the people who could really revitalize it don't want to touch it.

[acs]

Considering that raising and educating a child is the single most important thing most people will ever do, can you really blame them?

[David Greene]

While I'm glad this will probably encourage more families to live downtown, I can't help but feel a little queasy about it. Schools like Bethune do so poorly because they're deeply racially segregated and economically disadvantaged. Instead of working to change that with the influx of new, wealthier families, we're just giving them their own segregated school.

My thoughts exactly.

[xandrex]

I certainly don't blame anybody for personally choosing a school for their child. Without school choice, you'd just have people either not buying into neighborhoods zoned with poor schools or going the private/magnet/charter route.

I am not a specialist in fixing schools, but I kind of wonder (and hopefully someone with better knowledge can chime in) if a better model might be to completely close Bethune and disperse the kids to other local schools, with the potential to relaunch a la North High (this is something that hasn't been on my radar, but I thought it was doing at least somewhat better now?)

[xandrex]

Unrelated to current discussion on schools, but have we talked about this proposed building before? https://twitter.com/smckenzie21/status/ ... 9467916288

Appears to be new to me.

[acs]

Lets not open the can of worms of debating how to improve Minneapolis Public Schools here. I will say though that as a quickly growing neighborhood of over 40,000 with every other life need within walking distance, downtown should have the full range of public (charter?) schools. Preferably in new facilities around the core.

[Silophant]

Unrelated to current discussion on schools, but have we talked about this proposed building before? https://twitter.com/smckenzie21/status/ ... 0946791628

Appears to be new to me.

That is the first I've seen of it. Cool!

[HiawathaGuy]

Locked - but can anyone confirm if this is the Steele Fitness?

IDS Center starts 2015 with new, renewed leases
The IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis will open both a fitness center and a conference center next month, tower representatives announced Thursday.

http://finance-commerce.com/2015/02/ids ... z3SEJLeuJc