urbanMSP

So about Venn Brewing (rumored for Oaks Station Place)...how current are those rumors? Their social media pages are awfully quiet (p much silent since Jan. 2016)

I heard it directly from CM Johnson that a brewery was interested, but how sure are we it's these Venn guys? A friend who is close to the local brewing scene thought that Venn (as a company, partnership, idea, whatever) might not even be an active thing anymore. He thought it was quite unlikely they'd be able to afford that space. He also raised some logistical concerns over running a brewery in that space (delivery of ingredients, etc)

My friend who lives directly west of Oaks Station Place said the owners were going door to door this fall asking for neighbors to sign the petition to allow the on-street parking hours to be adjusted. She said they planned to open this year.

Of course, that could be more hope than reality. But it came from their mouths.

I had heard a rumor that a brewery was going to take over the Sunrise Inn building... but maybe that was just a mis-hearing of the Oaks Station Place thing? Anyways I had a meeting last week with CM Johnson, and he didn't seem to know what was up with it. I can tell he's very frustrated with the lack of tenant in that space, though. He's also a big advocate for business growth and new development in his ward.

Venn had a lease fall through in Northeast (same building as Tattersall) and they've generally seemed to have a rough go getting off the ground.

Mod note: I moved the "FISHMANPET is a crotchety old man" discussion to here.

Chef extraordinaire Doug Flicker is taking over the old Sunrise Inn, and bringing a jukebox bar with benefits to South Minnie.
http://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/ ... ll-s-horn/

(Didn't see a 34th Ave / Downtown NENA thread).

Pretty sure I saw Matt's name pop up in the Nextdoor thread on this topic. The Parkway Theater is for sale. Sure would be nice to get movies there again on a regular basis. I'm not holding my breath, though.

The problem is equipment - the Parkway never converted to digital and it's not cheap.

The Pepito's family (Joe Senkyr Minjares) just sold a duplex across the street from the Parkway and Pepitos.
4817 Chicago closed today for $388,000.

Which means they'll have to change the taxpayer address on Pepitos itself. I remember looking it up a year or so back and finding it interesting that the duplex is the address of record for ownership: https://gis.hennepin.us/property/map/de ... 2824230224

Tim Hortons is having a soft opening right now, not sure until what time. Just walk in an order and it's on the house. They said grand opening will be sometime next week.

Tim Hortons is having a soft opening right now, not sure until what time. Just walk in an order and it's on the house. They said grand opening will be sometime next week.

This is the 36th Ave S and East Lake St location.

Tim Hortons was open for business this morning. No big fanfare or balloons or anything, just a few customers ordering and a full house of employees going to work. Maybe they'll have a grand opening ceremony at some point.

Yup, got my coffee and doughnut this morning. They didn't appear to have any staff from their two operational restaurants in hand to help out, but it seemed to be going okay. My coffee did come out black however, despite my "two milk" order...

Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but it's east of 35W so...

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 196998.pdf

49 unit apartment building proposed for 2 lots currently single fam homes. 22 parking spaces. Decent mix of 2-3 bedroom units. I like how they put a patio along 2nd where the enclosed parking would have otherwise made for some dead space. Not too shabby overall.

Zoned R5, still requires 3 setback variances. Uniquely positioned between the 18 and 11 (both high frequency routes) plus good limited stop access with the 133 and 135. That said... It's also adjacent not only to I35W, but also the NB exit ramp that merges with 2nd Ave, and also adjacent to 35th St where this happened (anecdote: speeds are high on both 35th and 2nd Ave). Anyway, I feel like we're starting to see more of these 2-3 lot, 4-5 story 40-60 unit buildings cropping up on lots zoned R5 and up, especially since the parking reform went through. Be nice to see more of that zoning in places that aren't breathing in freeway exhaust.

Nice. Good news for the neighborhood. Though that's on three lots, is it not? At least, there are three houses there.

I agree traffic is a mess there (too many lanes on both streets, with people zigzagging all over), and people drive fast on 35th, but from my anecdata I disagree on high speeds on 2nd right there. People drive fast on 2nd elsewhere, but the light does a decent job of keeping things reasonable there. As for freeway exhaust, agreed its a bummer, and it's probably worse on the higher stories with the soundwalls? I'm not up enough on my particle fluid dynamics to know how that wall affects things, but it seems it might.

At first, I assumed this might be an affordable project due to the less-than-ideal location, but maybe not. Here's a link to the developer (whose logo is on the renderings): http://yellowtreehomes.com/about/ Interesting little first project for a small, local developer.

EDIT: In looking at their available rental listings, this does appear to be their first new construction project. They did the (much appreciated) renovation of 3515 2nd Ave, immediately south of the project site. The likeliest explanation for "why this location?" is that they know the area and feel pretty good about the rents they can attain here (and got a great deal on those 3 lots, I assume)

EDIT: In looking at their available rental listings, this does appear to be their first new construction project. They did the (much appreciated) renovation of 3515 2nd Ave, immediately south of the project site.

I noticed in the submission to the city that the pictures are just captures from streetview and do not show the building after the re-hab. This seems strange if they are the ones that are responsible for the drastic improvement to that building.

I drive by here often and I have made recommendations to the city for improving the intersection. 2nd is far too wide for the lanes as marked and people go forward when in the turn lane all of the time. It could definitely be improved and I keep hoping that it will be since they have work scheduled for this corner, but I'm guessing that the improvements will meet the bare minimum of ADA compliance.

Some details on the 3501 2nd Ave proposal by Yellow Tree: http://finance-commerce.com/2017/04/yel ... t-project/

Yellow Tree is targeting “that budget conscious professional” who wants new finishes and proximity to Uptown, Nicollet Avenue and downtown Minneapolis, said Yellow Tree Vice President Bryan Walters. The market-rate apartments will rent at about 20 percent less than similar units in those more tony locations, he said. Monthly rents will range between $875 for a studio and $1,695 for a three-bedroom apartment.
But, they’ll also be smaller. Studio units start at 346 square feet, while the largest three-bedroom apartment will measure 897 square feet.

I'm interested (not in the MN passive aggressive way) to see the layout for the 900 sqft 3BR units. For reference, this is a somewhat interesting youtube channel (companion to the regular one) that says typical 3LDK (3BR + living room + dining room + kitchen) apartments in Japan are around 750 sqft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bP7thI4yDY

I should also note that the rents as proposed meet "affordability" limits as set by the Met Council:
Efficiency: 60% AMI max rent: $901
3BR: 80% AMI max rent: $1,784

I know it's not perfect, but (assuming they can achieve rents this low) brand new construction at rent levels that typically require some sort of subsidy for folks well below regional median income is very nice to see.

Side note, Yellow Tree looking to get in to the MF construction game in other places too:

Walters said the company has signed a purchase agreement on property near the city’s Eat Street area along Nicollet Avenue. It would break ground on a 70- to 80-unit apartment project at that site. The deal is expected to close within the next month.

Ooh, wonder where that will be. That empty lot just south of 94?

Ooh, wonder where that will be. That empty lot just south of 94?

Which one? Seems like too few units for half a block.

Maybe the parking lot north of Ace Hardware? Or the empty lot at 22nd + Nicollet?