Postby Wedgeguy » June 20th, 2015, 12:49 pm
To get back on track with this thread and the BUILDING itself!! I'll try and debunk some of what the naysayer and doomsayers have purported will be the downfall if this is built.
1: The sidewalks around the buildings will become dark canyons. False!! You will still have plenty of light given that Lake Street itself will allow plenty of sun to make its way to the sidewalks. Canyons are pretty much blank space where here, there are windows on both levels along the 3 street sides of the building. The 2 story street level is approximately the same height as the current building, except that the Cheapo building is 2 stories of blank walls vs 2 stories of glass and doors. Which would you consider more anti pedestrian?? This block will be on of the most pedestrian friendly in Uptown!!
2: Like a column, most older buildings had a base, the column, and the capital. Now days it is more of a inverted T with a base and a column, but not capital. A few buildings try and add a decorative top or some sort of accent, but they are not true capitals. This building has a 2 story base that has contrasting color and material scheme than that of the stucco white panels that make up a majority of the building. The base will have dark brick/stone that break up the banks for windows that front it. There are wood accents that symbolize the entry points for the residential, office, and the retail on Lagoon. This help pedestrians know that there is something different up ahead. There are small setback for the residential lobby and they have not turned their back on the alley, but embraced it with windows looking to the drop off area in the alley.
3: Rectangles!! Those boxes and clutter that some seem to find offensive serve a purpose. On Lake street there is a small rectangle that accents the entry to the residential entrance from afar. It also helps give the pool area a bit more privacy. The dreaded dark boxes will make me feel unsafe!! Come on, they are about 20 feet wide, less than one apartment unit, and 40 to 60 feet in length. They act like capitals on the corner of the building. Like the dome that used to be on the Masonic Temple on 6th and Hennepin. In reality they will be very small in the scale of the building and will help to ground the building to the 2 street corners. The rectangle on Lagoon look to float over the second floor due to the white that is used in-between the ground and 3rd level of the building. I must say it look very classy and give Lagoon a whole different vibe to it's wall. I hear screams about how the building don't meet the street, and here we have a great example of it happening and we hear how bad it is. That "want their cake and eat it too syndrome happening again".
4: Canyonization that this building will cause! Far from it. Levels 3 and up have many setbacks. On Lake Street alone 1/3 of the building is setback at least one unit depth to create a pool and outdoor area. This setback also coincides with the set back of the Walkway along Lake Street. The other 2/3 is where the building meets the street like a good building should and we are up in arms that it over powers the street!! WTF?????? Fremont side is also set back over 2/3rds of it's length with those 6 squares that pop out to give some visual interest. The yellow accents, they bring your attention to the details which are spot on with me. Nothing is worse to me than a monochrome project. Can we say B_L_A_N_D, I know you could! The alleys side has 2 light well that break up the massing on that side and help allow light for both the Walkway and this project. The wild card is the Lagoon side which has the longest of the extra story length. But I look at it playing nicely as a step down to the 10 story Mosaic across the way when it is built. This building stands out, but still plays well with others in the hood!!
5: Finally to go off topic again, but how can a building with 10-12 alcove units per floor, about equal with 1-2 bedroom units, not be considered a great thing. There will be a range of price points for this building. There are not any older lower rent apartments that are being replaced. We are increasing the supply of places to live to help keep up with the demand for those that want to live here and hopefully slow down some of the rent hikes. With the number of smaller units it will allow more people to afford to live in Uptown if they want.
The COW is 1/2 way down on the 3rd page of this thread. Most of what I've talked about will be easily found there and will shed a lot of light on the many misperceptions. Would be interested in knowing what I may have gotten wrong, so please feel free to contradict me and have solid reasons why I'm wrong and I'll be glad to consider them.