Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) Clinic Expansion

[alexschief]

As much as I would like to see something more active than a parking ramp, I don't really see many alternatives for this site.

As much as we want less parking downtown, the hospital needs parking, they need a place to store their ambulances, and a skyway connection to the burn victims housing is very important.

The hospital may need parking, but they certainly do not need it in the configuration of a full-block parking ramp on a prime downtown site. They can store their ambulances anywhere. The site bounded by Chicago, 9th Ave, and 8th Street would be far better suited for this type of proposal, to the extent that it truly is needed.

But the hospital should really be encouraged to think more creatively overall. Can they put some parking underground and let a developer build housing on top? Can they wrap a parking lot with housing? Can they better-incentivize their employees to walk, bike, or take transit to work? Proposals like this are not just bad, they are lazy.

Also the old helicopter pad is still occasionally used so the ramp really cannot be any taller. I would also think fumes from the helicopters would make housing less desirable for this location.

Oh, and the great thing about helicopters is that they are extremely maneuverable. It's absolutely not the case that this site would be height restricted because of helicopter concerns. To think of three examples that I know well, here's a helicopter pad for a Center City, Philadelphia hospital, here's a helicopter pad for a Center City, Philadelphia hospital that closed recently (for financial reasons) and here's another one in University City, Philadelphia, all on all buildings with even taller buildings nearby. The city does not need to be held hostage by a hospital's helicopter access.

[Silophant]

Also, as discussed a few years ago at the top of the previous page, the parking ramp helipad is only the secondary one. The newer, primary helipad is on the Red Building, a block away.

[MinnMonkey]

The hospital may need parking, but they certainly do not need it in the configuration of a full-block parking ramp on a prime downtown site. They can store their ambulances anywhere. The site bounded by Chicago...

I agree 100% with everything you stated, but I think this is one of those site that will be function over form. I hope I am wrong, but I highly doubt the city is going to reject these plans.

[Tyler]

Why should the city accept these plans as-is? there should be significant pushback and the hospital should listen and come back with something better. Its not like its this plan or nothing...

[thespeedmccool]

The best compromise here is probably rejecting this plan as is and pushing HCMC to get a developer to building housing on top or around this or something.

Unfortunately, I don't foresee HCMC ever being able to go without a massive parking structure, so the best way forward is to get housing on top of it rather than forsake a block to exclusively car storage for 40 years.

[VacantLuxuries]

I assume they'll need a giant parking structure, but it's frustrating to think that they'd put a block of parking next to where offices and active uses are so that they can put up offices where their parking is.

Expanding the offices/clinic space/whatever their grander ambitions for the site of their current lot are closer to downtown seems far more harmonious to city goals than putting up a parking fortress next to a rapidly densifying neighborhood. But to get there, HCMC would have to accept being down one ramp while they rebuild it.

I don't know if the city can help them thread that needle, but they need to come out swinging for a better outcome than this.

[Oreos&Milk]

It would be a great location (2nd floor) for a Pharmacy, and maybe even a small cafeteria that could provide meals to the hospital visitors and skyway patrons. Maybe not residential housing, but at least some office space that could be converted to retail down the line. Some day this HCMC skyway connection area to the downtown skyway may be a very high traffic corridor. Lots of residential housing in the area already, plus hotel rooms all would be connected to HCMC.

a simple walk to the hospital in a climate-controlled hallway, vs. an uber ride to the suburbs... not a difficult decision. I think they are making a significant mistake overlooking the revenue potential by including retail space, even if the short-term market needs more time to bounce back. I recall just a few years ago all the shops in this skyway area were jam-packed with hungry downtown workers looking for a good meal during their lunch breaks.

I'm disappointed in the lack of non-car space on the 2nd floor. At least they could find a better usage for the 2nd floor as well. We don't need another skyway corridor with windows to rows of parked cars. We need windows to shops, eateries, offices, and places to frequent and enjoy such as green spaces and fountains to enjoy.

[fehler]

One block away from a skyway connection to the south side of US Bank Stadium.

[alexschief]

HCMC is proposing an expansion of the existing Purple Ramp to cover the other half of the site, creating a full-block parking structure bounded by 6th and 7th Streets and Park and Portland Avenues. The new ramp would add 1,053 parking spaces to the 1,331 already on the block. The new ramp would have a significant amount of commercial space fronting Portland Avenue at ground level. At the second level it would connect HCMC's skyway system with the rest of the city's skyways through the new Thrivent Building. As a part of this project, the existing purple ramp would receive the same perforated metal wrapping as the newly built section. Following the completion of this project, HCMC plans demolish the Hospital Ramp at 8th and Chicago and replace it with a new inpatient facility. Because the Hospital Ramp has a capacity of 1,400 spaces, the net change in parking across the HCMC campus would be -347.

I dunno folks, this project depresses me. I say that even though there's enough small wins to here (net reduction in spaces, more ground-floor commercial space, better curb appeal of the parking structure) to chalk it up as something as a win. But this site in particular is one that really deserves much better. It's one block away from the light rail, across the street from the newly-built Thrivent lot development, and down the block from what has become a nice little cluster of housing with the KA development, the Portland Tower, and The Larking. Of all of the property that HCMC holds, this might be the site where I'd least like to see a parking use.

We're making incremental strides, but this project is a reminder of how far we need to go in order to order to turn downtown Minneapolis away from this anti-urban mindset of parking and skyway creep. It is frustrating to see Minneapolis becoming a busier and more active place as new housing and office developments sprout up, and then to have that effort being undermined by major downtown institutions.

[Tom H.]

I agree - it feels like the opportunity costs here are very large. As you said, there are small incremental wins, but those small wins are coming at the cost of a tremendous amount of resources.

[BoredAgain]

I'm surprised that they want all of their parking in a single place. Right now they have ramps on either end of the complex, which feels more functional. I suppose the northern ramp has much better connections for people driving in on 52, 35W, and 94.

[fehler]

Centralized facility will save on maintenance and security. Also better placed for US Bank Stadium peak parking revenue!

[Tcmetro]

The Hospital Ramp at 8th & Chicago is quite old and probably is going to need a lot of maintenance to keep it up.

Interesting that they are reducing the number of spaces, their ramps seem to be very busy.

[SixOneTwo]

Hennepin County Medical Center plans major hospital overhaul

https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities ... inneapolis

[amiller92]

I was going to express skepticism about campus creep, but if they are going to build a new building and reduce the overall footprint, that's good news.

[Bakken2016]

Yes, this is actually good news! Redevelopment of their old buildings will be great for Downtown East.

[Anondson]

I’m curious which spaces the occupy now that they are considering reducing.

[mattaudio]

So they plan to expand the parking ramp on their block facing Thrivent, then demo their parking ramp near Parkside Professional Bldg/North Central University where they will build a bed tower.

While that may be a fine plan, I'm not sure what it has to do with either (a) shrinking their footprint or (b) reworking/replacing the brutalist midrise complex around 7th/Chicago. Am I missing something?

[MNdible]

If I had to guess, I'd say that the facilities located on the superblock bounded by 7th and 8th Streets and Chicago and 10th Avenue are the oldest and least efficient portions of their campus.

[VacantLuxuries]

Maybe I read it wrong, but I took the phasing to mean that reshuffling their current inpatient needs into the new building would free up space for consolidating their operations in the existing buildings. Which would possibly lead to older structures getting demolished and redeveloped.