...continued from the previous thread.

Here's a link to the old thread:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=159529

Here's a bit more about the next large office tower for Minneapolis. The quotes are excerpts from the Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/bizspace/columbus/news_of_note/?story_id=1360431):

"Ryan Cos. U.S. Inc. has hired an East Coast architectural firm to design what could be the next big addition to the Minneapolis skyline.

Ryan selected Pickard Chilton Architects Inc. (http://www.pickardchilton.com/proj_symphony_01.html), based in New Haven, Conn., to design some concepts for a new office tower at the corner of Eighth Street South and Marquette Avenue.

Rick Collins, vice president of development for Ryan, wouldn't put any limits on the height of a proposed tower.

By retaining an architect and identifying a specific site for a new tower, Ryan is further along than other prospective downtown developers, including Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest and Hines Interests of Houston.

Opus owns several sites in downtown where it could develop an office tower. Hines is pursuing prospective sites. "

Ryan selected Pickard Chilton Architects Inc. (http://www.pickardchilton.com/proj_symphony_01.html), based in New Haven, Conn., to design some concepts for a new office tower at the corner of Eighth Street South and Marquette Avenue.


Which corner of 8th and Marquette? Are they going to tear down a building for that because that intersection is full already with the IDS, Midwest Plaza, TCF building, and the Baker Center.

It's the corner nearest the IDS tower on the TCF block. They would tear down that lower section of the existing TCF building. The article also states that the current 17-story portion of the TCF building would become part of the project. The area is outlined below. Given that the Foshay Tower on the same block is being renovated into a "W" Hotel, this would create quite a complex for a mixed-use tower. And quite a crowded block! I can't imagine being in a W suite and looking across 30 feet of space to a curtain wall.

Now, if they are audacious enough to enclose the Foshay in the atrium of a supertall, well...:colgate:

http://img350.imageshack.us/img350/4387/ryantowersite01wr7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Now, if they are audacious enough to enclose the Foshay in the atrium of a supertall, well...:colgate:

Haha... now THAT'S a kickass idea. As much as I'd hate to see the Foshay be swallowed up, to see it inside a supertall would be aaaamazing.

It's been proposed in the past.

I've noticed that downtown Minny has very few surface lots...maybe we in Indy could learn a thing or two.

I hope its as tall as the more prominant buildings in Minneapolis. IDS, the one with the funky top (i cant remember its name) etc. Good design too, I love the look of your skyline now really futuristic. Very cool.

I've noticed that downtown Minny has very few surface lots...maybe we in Indy could learn a thing or two.

Downtown still has a fair number concentrated around the Metrodome. The shot below shows this area. Fortunately it is filling in. The bright green areas have all been built up with condos (and the new Guthrie Theatre) since the Google Earth image was made a few years ago. A new park is now located at the far right on the river where Cirque du Soleil used to set up their white tents.

Talk is that a new Vikings stadium will be built downtown. It may be in this area or it may be on the other side of downtown near the new Twins stadium.

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1228/mplssurfacelots01mo3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Has anyone heard any recent news on the twinsville project?

It sounds like a 9-story 5-star hotel will be added to the base of the 54-story Nicollet project. An image of the current design is below. A discussion about the new changes to the project starts here (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=435)on Minnescraper.

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/1683/targetviewqo9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^Yowza

I will enjoy watching this beauty rise.

I really like the Nicolette. It is a great looking building. Do you have an idea as to what brand they are going after for the hotel? I know that MSP doesn't have a 5-star hotel, so this will be a great addition. When Indy was able to get the Conrad there were a number of write-ups in the Indy Star about 5-Star hotels and what it takes to get the rating from AAA/Mobile. Chicago was the only city in the midwest to have a 5-star hotel (three of them) and if I recall there is a 5-star resort outside of Cleveland. Otherwise, none. The Indianapolis Conrad has yet to be rated, but all of the build-up and hoopla surrounding the construction and opening stated that they would seek and be awarded the 5-star rating.

I know that Conrad is in the process of expanding its brand in NA.

I really like the Nicolette. It is a great looking building. Do you have an idea as to what brand they are going after for the hotel? I know that MSP doesn't have a 5-star hotel, so this will be a great addition. When Indy was able to get the Conrad there were a number of write-ups in the Indy Star about 5-Star hotels and what it takes to get the rating from AAA/Mobile. Chicago was the only city in the midwest to have a 5-star hotel (three of them) and if I recall there is a 5-star resort outside of Cleveland. Otherwise, none. The Indianapolis Conrad has yet to be rated, but all of the build-up and hoopla surrounding the construction and opening stated that they would seek and be awarded the 5-star rating.

I know that Conrad is in the process of expanding its brand in NA.


Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons have been mentioned as possibilities.

I know that Conrad is in the process of expanding its brand in NA.

Conrad is owned by Hilton, which owns three other hotels within a two block radius of that site, (and that's not including the Embassy Suites down the road about 4 blocks away). They might be interested, but the other names mentioned seem more likely.

Conrad is owned by Hilton, which owns three other hotels within a two block radius of that site, (and that's not including the Embassy Suites down the road about 4 blocks away). They might be interested, but the other names mentioned seem more likely.

Here in our DT, Hiton "owns" the City. Our Conrad and Hilton are half a block from each other...then the "Garden Inn" is a block away...not to mention an Extended Stay and whatever other brands they have here.

Hello? Anyone here? It's been a few weeks now...

:wave:

Hello? Anyone here? It's been a few weeks now...

:wave:

Well, I'm always waiting around for an update but I don't really have anything of value to contribute to the Minneapolis thread.

^It's good to know someone else peruses this thread on occasion. I guess Minnescraper does tend to take away the Twin Cities crowd.

Anyhow, here are some brief updates:

The new University of Minnesota Gophers Stadium will, according to an announcement yesterday, will be paid off 3 years sooner than expected due to the state getting a better-than-expected rate on the bonds. Site prepwork is underway.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6751/gophertcfstadium01dl1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The 34-story, 375-foot Penfield in St. Paul is continuing to sell units briskly and has cleared all development hurdles in the city. Their website (http://www.thepenfield.com/home.asp) has some very nice renderings.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/484/thepenfield03jo2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/149/thepenfield02lj6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Minnesota Planetarium on the roof on the new Pelli-designed Central Library is scheduled to open in 2009:

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/5760/planetariumlogo01os6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


And rumors of the new skyscraper continue...

The building in St. Paul is awesome and in my opinion, needed. Good to see some attention on the other side of the river. And the planetarium? Let's hope it turns out to be as good as it should. The planetarium in Chicago is absolute junk. I hate that place. We've got a new one coming in Milwaukee as well so we'll see!

Thanks for the updates btw.

It looks increasingly likely that a new retractable-roof stadium for the Minnesota Vikings will be in downtown Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/510/story/860281.html) reports that ROMA (http://www.roma.com/), a planning firm based in San Francisco that has been involved with both SBC Park in SF and Petco Park in San Diego has been engaged by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission to conduct a new study of the "downtown east" area.

I just hope it doesn't become something like "Purina Dog Chow Park," or worse...

"Preparation H Plaza."

^^ lol! Either one of those names would be unbelievably funny. With the Twins stadium going in downtown and a possible Vikings stadium downtown as well, I'd say Minneapolis certainly has it's head in the right place. Once again, the city planners and council of Minneapolis prove to be a step ahead of the rest. Let's just hope that it happens. Nothing's 100% yet...

^ I agree. I love Minneapolis-St. Paul. What great cities.

I've just spent some time looking at Minny-St Paul's transit website. I like some of the plans for expansion of its system, but I haven't seen any plans for heavy rail. Is there an existing heavy rail system of any kind in the Minny area, and are there any plans for one in the future? Thanks

^The first phase of heavy "commuter" rail is a line between Big Lake to the northwest and downtown Minneapolis. It will intersect with the light rail Hiawatha Line at the new Twins Stadium complex. Also proposed is a system of street-car lines that will coordinate with buses, light rail and heavy rail.

Minneapolis is truely becoming a world-class city.

I am asking this in a few major threads, such as the Indy thread.

I am hoping to see a midwestern axis of evil (:lol: ), okay, a strong intercity system of business and travel, develop over the years. It would be good to see something similar to what has evolved in the east coast.

Now I know there are plans for a midwest high-speed rail corridor, but putting that aside (regional coordination and federal funding being the obstacles that they are), how does Minny fit into this?

As of right now, Chicago-St Louis and Chicago-Milwaukee are working to increase rail service between their cities. Are there any plans in the pipeline to do the same with perhaps Minny-Chicago? I would especially love to see this happen because Minny is really blooming into an amazing city and cementing its connection to other urban centers would be a huge step in the right direction.

^I am pretty sure Minneapolis/St Paul is pretty low on the priority and I think the one that is proposed goes from Milwaukee to St Paul although I could be wrong.

Anyways, for some updates on a downtown condo project that has been delaying for what seems forever recently released renderings of their revised proposal.

It is the 1010 Park. http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=150

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/1010_park_rendering_12_2006_171.jpg

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/1010_park_site_plan_12_2006_520.jpg

^ Wow, that project looks very nice.

I am asking this in a few major threads, such as the Indy thread.

I am hoping to see a midwestern axis of evil (:lol: ), okay, a strong intercity system of business and travel, develop over the years. It would be good to see something similar to what has evolved in the east coast.

Now I know there are plans for a midwest high-speed rail corridor, but putting that aside (regional coordination and federal funding being the obstacles that they are), how does Minny fit into this?

As of right now, Chicago-St Louis and Chicago-Milwaukee are working to increase rail service between their cities. Are there any plans in the pipeline to do the same with perhaps Minny-Chicago? I would especially love to see this happen because Minny is really blooming into an amazing city and cementing its connection to other urban centers would be a huge step in the right direction.


I wish! To me, it seems reasonable that there would eventually be a high-speed rail connection between the Twin Cities, Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago. I would also add a line to St. Louis and, possibly, Kansas City.

(BTW, it has been said that the last remaining major interstate connection between major US cities is the Twin City/St. Louis run. These two metro areas are not currently connected by an interstate, even though they are only 450 miles apart.)

I like how the exsisting structures are preserved in that project rather than just knocked down, like they sadly do in Chicago now.

It is nice that they're saving so many buildings, but they want to demolish one nice building, The Enger, for the shorter tower and that may make it difficult for this project to advance.

The newest design for the Gopher TCF Stadium at the University of Minnesota has been released. The U of M has added $40 million more in funding "to do things right," bringing the total cost to $288 million:

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7154/gophertcfstadium02vr7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota

^ Very nice looking stadium.

Here's another view looking back toward downtown Minneapolis:

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/6236/gophertcfstadium03ke2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It looks like MP is building a classical football stadium like here in Indianapolis.

Nice looking stadium! I hope it's named after someone or something that
symbolizes the city..! Don't fall for a corporate name or logo that reflects
nothing! Congratulations MSP!

Nice looking stadium! I hope it's named after someone or something that
symbolizes the city..! Don't fall for a corporate name or logo that reflects
nothing! Congratulations MSP!

Too late. It's named TCF Bank Stadium (http://www1.umn.edu/stadium/TCF.html).

I like how the stadium frames the skyline.

[quote by the urban polititian]
"Is there an existing heavy rail system of any kind in the Minny area, and are there any plans for one in the future? Thanks"
Here's what we currently have,the Hiawatha light rail line. It goes from DT to the airport, ending at the Mall of America. It opened in 2004. Ridership has exceeded expectations. Here's a map.
http://www.metrotransit.org/images/rail/map.gif


The LRV
http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df/df04172006b.jpg

The Northstar commuter rail line should open up in 2009 I believe.
http://www.northstartrain.org/map.html
http://www.northstartrain.org/images/map1.gif

The Central corridor LRT line connecting DT Minneapolis with DT St. Paul is in the pre-design stage right now(it will have a stop at the new TCF stadium, most likely underground).
http://www.centralcorridor.org/
map
http://www.centralcorridor.org/images/LRT.jpg

The newest design for the Gopher TCF Stadium at the University of Minnesota has been released. The U of M has added $40 million more in funding "to do things right," bringing the total cost to $288 million:

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7154/gophertcfstadium02vr7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota

This looks to be a large stadium. What is the seating capacity?

It will open with about 52,000 seats and will be expandable to 72,000.

Anyone have a picture of the pert-near finished Carlyle? How about the Ivy? Any news on the new office building proposal? 1010 park? Sexton II? East bank mills?

Suprised no one is on here reppin' Minneap.

The Carlyle (http://www.thecarlylelife.com/main.html) has tenants moving in. Cheesy website music notwithstanding.:)

The super-luxe Phoenix on the River (http://www.phoenixontheriver.com/) is nearly finished with it's excavation. (Top condo price for the Phoenix: $3.8 million) Construction of the superstructure should commence in a few weeks.

The mega-luxe hotel/condo development The Ivy (http://www.ivympls.com/index_fl.html) is about 8 stories above street level right now. The Ivy joins The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, and six more Starwood Luxury Collection Hotels in Arizona, Kauai and Florida.

(Ahh, the Delano Floor Plan. I'd love to have a 72' long Great Room on the 23rd floor!)

This construction shot of The Ivy is by forumer "MidwestProduct" at Minnescraper.com (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/). You can see the odd little tower in the foreground (the Ivy Tower - from which this project gets its name). This little tower will become part of the business suites for the hotel portion :

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/494/ivyconstruction02vt4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


1010 Park has been redesigned and the images are on the previous page of this very thread.

The East Bank Mills and the Sexton are still moving forward.

Two-Twenty-Two (http://www.livetwotwentytwo.com/) and the new Whole Foods Market will break ground in May.

We should have more information about the big office tower in 3-4 weeks.

This shot of the Carlyle was taken a few weeks ago by forumer Timmyd at Minnescraper.com (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/), before the crane was removed:

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/390/carlyle02wx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^ wow.. all sounds and looks great!

In addition, the much-anticipated luxury Chambers Hotel has opened in downtown Minneapolis. The Chambers Kitchen (http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_3rd/Sep06_ChambersMPLS.html) is under the supervision of Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/v/jeangeorges_vongerichten/index.html?inline=nyt-per)

The Chamber's controversial "Red, White and Fucking Blue Bar" seems to have become a staple for the local power set.

minneapolis is such a beautiful city. I have not yet had the chance to go yet, but would love to. With all the development going on in and around the region, it is sure to be an amazing city in no time, as if it were't already. lol

add the new transit system, and u have more of a world class city

then add the carlyle, 1010 park, the ivy, skyscape and TWINSVILLE and you have yourself a dense-world-class-city

oh, might I add theres a possibility of a new 1000 footer going up?

Is the Niccollet Tower still a possibility?

^Yes, last I heard they were re-working it to make it into a mixed use project...more or less a hotel will cover a large number of the floors so that they can go ahead and secure financing rather than wait for enough buyers. However, we have no clue what the hold up is beyond that currently...and they haven't released new information lately. My bet is construction will start in 2008 and 2007 will simply be a revising year for the project.

Is the Niccollet Tower still a possibility?

I sure hope so. Its a great looking building that will be nice addition to the skyline.

Yeah, that building fits in well with the skyline

Since no one has posted here in over a week, I'll add a tidbit. According to sources close to the project, the proposed new office tower is still undergoing concept design revisions by Pickard Chilton Architects.

People have been very curious about it and we don't know the height. It's said the tower will be in the neighborhood of 1.2 million square feet on a very small site at the corner of 8th and Marquette. Lower floor plates would be in the 20,000 square foot range and, depending on setbacks, would get progressively smaller. Ryan Companies is the developer.

Okay, I think I may be the lone voice for the Twin Cities here...:)

So here's a brief update of a couple local projects.

The Flour Sack Flats (yes, a weird name to be sure) is well underway, just across the river from downtown Minneapolis.

Hop in the Sack everyone!

Photo is by forumer mysteek at minnescraper.com.
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1443/floursackflats01av0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The super-ultra-mega-luxe Phoenix is starting to rise, finally! It's two blocks from the Flour Sack Flats. (Photo also by mysteek.)

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/6306/constructionphoenix01fp7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Directly downtown, the Bridgewater condos are well underway (photo by Ecker at Minnescraper.com):

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7305/constructionbridgewaterwd3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

11th st and 2nd ave s
http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/7750/10xs1.jpg



new photo thread for your city injoy

http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=11561095#post11561095

here are a couple of updated pics from yonder website.....the first is the flour
sac flats....second is the phoenix and third is a furry guy i ran into while taking a couple of these shots......
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q176/mysteek_1976/Recentphotos181.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q176/mysteek_1976/Recentphotos189.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q176/mysteek_1976/Recentphotos180.jpg

According to reports, the new Twins Stadium in downtown Minneapolis will NOT be 'faux-retro," despite its being located next to the historic warehouse district.:banana: The design will be unveiled on February 15th.

The MacPhail Center for Music (http://www.macphail.org/index_flash.html) is well underway in the Mill District near the new Guthrie Theatre. Architect is James Dayton (http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek06/0127/0127youngarchitects.cfm). Another great infill project that is adding to the density of the area.

Webcam:

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/651/macphailwebcam01yv0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Renderings:

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8446/macphailexterior002vt0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/3504/macphailexterior003zd5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Thanks for keeping this updated Avian.

I tend to only post in here when there's some new design or announcement.

BTW the MacPhail building is going to be kick ass when it's done.

I REALLY like how they are building the Ivy Tower around an old historic building. That's neat.

Here is an update on the vikings stadium...I want a new vikings stadium on the metrodome site but have mixed feelings currently about their latest:

http://www.startribune.com/510/story/978488.html

Vikings may seek 7-county sales tax for new stadium
The plan calls for a stadium in the eastern part of downtown that would have a retractable roof and cost around $900 million.

By Paul Levy and Mike Kaszuba, Star Tribune
The Minnesota Vikings are exploring a plan to ask the Legislature to approve a metrowide sales tax as a way to fund a new downtown Minneapolis stadium that would feature a retractable roof and a heftier cost of at least $900 million.

Team officials have approached selected public officials, including Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein, who said the tax was discussed at a meeting with Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley on Wednesday.

Bagley confirmed Friday that he had spoken briefly with Gov. Tim Pawlenty about a new stadium at the governor's inaugural.

A metrowide sales tax would probably involve seven metro counties, including Anoka, the Vikings' former partner in last year's effort to build the team a stadium in Blaine. That relationship ended in a bitter November divorce, when the county reacted angrily to the Vikings' approval of a study that included building on the site of the Metrodome.

"It would be difficult for the people of Anoka County to pay for a Vikings stadium and not reap any of the benefits," County Commissioner Dan Erhart said. "Quite frankly, I don't believe it will happen."

At the Legislature Friday, the proposal was given a lukewarm reception.

"If the Vikings got a proposal together, a financing plan and author, I would, as tax chair, give them a hearing," said Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington. "Do I think there's a big appetite? No.

"You've got, you know, Hennepin County hanging out there now," said Lenczewski, referring to the 0.15 percent sales tax that went into effect last month for a Twins stadium in downtown Minneapolis."

Last year the Senate passed a metrowide sales tax that would have been used not only for transit and transportation but also for a Twins stadium and for a Vikings stadium that had been projected to cost at least $675 million.

That proposal did not pass the House, but the Legislature did approve the Twins' ballpark and a new on-campus football stadium for the University of Minnesota.

Sen. Thomas Bakk, DFL-Cook, the Senate Taxes Committee chairman, was somewhat more receptive Friday. "I would personally kind of like to see some kind of a proposal that can gain public support," said Bakk, who said he is scheduled to meet with the Vikings next week.

How it could work

Should the Legislature approve a metrowide sales tax for the Vikings, it could be put into effect several ways.

The legislation, for example, could simply name the counties where the tax would be imposed.

Under another scenario, legislators could empower a regional agency such as the Metropolitan Council to impose the tax. Or the Legislature could leave it to each metro county to impose the tax, an unlikely plan since many of the counties might be unwilling to do so.

Brian McClung, a spokesman for Pawlenty, said the governor's office would "hold off judgment" on a Vikings stadium until more details are available, including whether the Vikings seek funding from a private-sector partner.

The governor, McClung said, "is interested in learning who the Vikings' local partner will be and what their financing plan is."

Awaiting the plan

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which operates the Metrodome, orchestrated the study of the downtown-east area. The study included a new Vikings stadium.

The commission on Thursday postponed a meeting at which it was to unveil an urban planner's blueprint for the area surrounding the Metrodome. But with the Vikings still without a financial plan or a private partner, the rescheduled Feb. 15 unveiling may have to be pushed back, said Bill Lester, the commission's executive director.

"The Vikings still don't have a partner that can fund this project," Lester said. "We need a sound plan."

Hennepin County's Stenglein said he met Wednesday with Bagley and Don Becker, a developer with Garden Homes, the New Jersey company run by Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and his family.

In the meeting, Stenglein said, the cost of a stadium was estimated at nearly $750 million, plus the cost of a retractable roof that the commission says is essential.

Wilf has said the construction and operation of a retractable roof could add as much as $200 million to a stadium's cost.

Bagley, in Miami for Sunday's Super Bowl, said the team is "engaged" in talks with potential private stadium partners, "but speculation about financial discussions is premature."

Stenglein said that in his meeting with Bagley, the Vikings outlined a plan for the team to gain control of much of the property surrounding the Metrodome, stretching from the Hennepin County Medical Center to Washington Avenue.

County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin said Friday that Vikings officials had, several months ago, approached him to see whether Hennepin County would consider a sales tax for the Vikings, much like the one passed for the Twins.

He said he told them, "No."

Mike Kaszuba • 612-673-4388 Paul Levy • 612-673-4419

©2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

$900 million is too much for something that gets used 8 times a year. It is a lot more than the Twins stadium. We could build a light rail line for that.

Pass.

I think Wilf's idea was to develop a lot of the surrounding land around the metrodome site though. I think that is added to the 900 million total however I don't think that part of it would be included in the tax aspect. I think only the stadium would be included in that. I'm not to sure though because the article didn't really mention much regarding why the vikings want control of the land surrounding the metrodome site. Wilf has said in the past he wants to develop the land around the site with a stadium as the center piece.

Hey guys is there a height restriction in DT Minneapolis or St Paul?

In St Paul there are restrictions due to the st paul airport which is located just across the river pretty much. As far as Minneapolis is concerned, I've heard it is unlimited in the core area and progressively gets shorter as you get away from the core. I have heard that zoning around the metrodome has recently been changed to allow high density projects to revitalize development on that end of town.

Sweet. Any word on that office tower that I think is supposed to be done by Ryan?

Since it seems there hasn't been an "overall" update on the Minneapolis section in quite some time, I have decided to bring it upon myself to make an update.

Below is a compiled list of projects in some state or another along with details for each.


Saint Paul


Proposed and Under Construction Statistics
Housing Units: ~20,000
Hotel Rooms: ~2,000
Office Space: ~9,900,000 square feet
*NOTE: These are rounded and do not necessarily match the below information because it is easier to update a number here than to update an entire listing below.


Project Name: Cedar Transit Hub
Status: As part of the Central Corridor LRT line, the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul have hired groups in urban planning to make the most of it. The master plan envisions a downtown high-rise transit hub, a Capitol-area "urban village" and more stores in the Midway.

Other big changes could be in the works. The plan looks at replacing the Sears store at 425 Rice St., located on a large swath of land near the state Capitol. In its place is a densely populated village that anchors revitalization in the area of Rice Street and University Avenue. The site could accommodate 1,000 to 1,300 housing units and 500,000 square feet of commercial space, while spawning as many as 2,500 new jobs, the report notes.

As part of the effort, a market analyst estimated the Central Corridor project would bring 14,000 housing units, 9 million square feet of office space, 750,000 square feet of retail space and 1,000 hotel rooms to the city.
Height:
Residential Units: 14,000 plus 1,000 hotel rooms
Office Space: 9 million square feet
Stories:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.twincities.com/images/twincities/twincities/16709/279194957504.jpg


Project Name: Bridges of Saint Paul
Status: Cancelled. This project was pretty much destroyed due to lack of public support. The city has suggested it be moved to a different location on the downtown side of the river through a land swap. That is the last we have heard.
Height: ???
Residential Units: 1,150
Office Space: 335,000 sq ft
Stories: 12, 12, 12, 13, 25, 25, 30
Developer: JLT Group, Inc.
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Bridges_rendering_1.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Bridges_site_plan.jpg


Project Name: Penfield
Status: Sales
Height: 375 ft
Stories: 33
Residential Units: 300+
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Alatus Partners, Generation Developers
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Penfield_rendering_8_14_06.jpg

Project Name: West Side Flats
Status: This project will create a lot of housing directly across from downtown St Paul. It will destory a historic "coca-cola" building which was done in an art-deco fashion but really wasn't that appealing overall. Construction has started on this project by demolishing some of the existing buildings on the sites. This is a fairly large project however that will take a while to complete.
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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/west_side_flats_planning2_187.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/west_side_flats_planning1_147.jpg


Project Name: Regions Hospital Expansion Tower
Status: Under Construction. The expansion is under construction and expected to add 250 jobs to the hospital as well. This is located in downtown.
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Office Space: 385,000-square-foot expansion
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Images:
http://healthpartnersmarketing.com/Regions_Expansion_Presskit/images/RegionsHospital-square.jpg


Project Name: St Paul Ford Plant site
Status: Since Ford closed their St Paul plant, there have been a lot of speculation of what will become of the site. More than likely it will be developed into a massive project of some sort due to the huge area it covers. Below is an aerial view of the site. This should be a fun one to watch.
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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/ford_plant_183.jpg


Project Name: Shadow Falls
Status: This is a two building development. From the renderings on the website it appear to be 7 and 3 stories.
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Stories: 7, 3
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Project Name: Hazel Park Heights
Status: Under Construction (this might be completed)
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Stories: 3
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Images:
http://www.guptil.com/images/condo1.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/129/320109332_b23969aae1_b.jpg


Project Name: Bus Transit Center
Status: Under Construction. This is going in on a site that was rumored at one point to have an urban target store as well as a 25 story condo tower. This transit center is going in on a very small portion of the actual site so there will still be room for housing development (such as the rumored condo tower).
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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/20060712_smith_ave_transit_center_4383s_202.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/smith1_912.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Transit121406B.jpg


Project Name: St Paul Jail Site
Status: Delayed/Stalled. Something WILL eventually be built here on a rather grand scale. However, the last developer bailed out on the project. For your viewing pleasure, the rendering is below...obviously it wasn't "see-through" but meant to give a height reference.
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http://www.riverfrontcorporation.com/Images/05_ramseyCounty.gif


Project Name: Amherst H Wilder HQ
Status: Under Construction. The first two renderings look great...then the site layout comes into play and all I can wonder is what were they thinking??? Minneapolis and St Paul are trying to remove all the surface parking off University Avenue to make it denser for when the LRT is built. Why couldn't they have everything fronting University and put the parking behind the buildings???
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Office Space: 99,136 square feet
Stories: 4
Developer: Duke Construction
Images:
http://www.wilder.org/fileadmin/wilder/images/Rendering_for_css.jpg
http://www.wilder.org/uploads/pics/Rendering-1_01.jpg
http://www.universityunited.com/wilderoverallsightplan.gif


Project Name: Union Depot
Status: They were going to put some lofts into the Union Depot and also make it back into a regional transit hub with LRT, commuter rail, and some other intercity rail. It is supposed to be an LRT stop for sure but I'm not entirely sure about the others.
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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/spud_634_b_1925_105.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/union_depot_423.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/spud_25565_1939_560.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/spud_54039_1954_724.jpg



Project Name: St. Joseph Hospital Expansion
Status: Under Construction
The new hospital tower will include:
* Centralized Heart Care and Neuroscience Centers
* Outpatient Surgery and Imaging Center
* Four new operating rooms with specialized technology
* Private rooms for all patients
* New main entrance, lobby and chapel
* Education Center equipped with multi-media technology
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Stories: 5
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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/20060723_st_josephs_s_976.jpg


Project Name: St Paul Condo Barge
Status: ??? I really want to know if anyone has info on this project. The whole idea of the project is you live in your own condo unit which is on a "barge" basically. You then go from city to city. This really isn't a "development" as much as it is simpy cool. Apparantly, there are two boats. The "St Paul" would stay in St Paul for half the year before going south. The other ship, The Marquette would apparantly move from city to city all year long based on the map below. This is one of the most unique ideas I have seen in a while.
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http://www.rivercitiescondos.com/photos/at_berth.jpg
http://www.rivercitiescondos.com/graphics/hpage_map.jpg


Project Name: Upper Landing
Status: This is almost finished (or it might be by now). It involves a lot of buildings. This is just outside of downtown...but from its location, makes it difficult to walk to various locations (if you have seen these you would know why).
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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/upper_landing_3_25_06_746.jpg


Project Name: 2700 Avenue Condos
Status: Under Construction. Last update was the office building was being demolished. Not sure on any more updates.
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Stories: 4
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Project Name: West Seventh Housing Project
Status: Planning. Would include a condo tower and townhouses.
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Stories: 20
Residential Units: 400
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Project Name: Island Station Lofts
Status: The developer cancelled the project because they couldn't afford it any longer.
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Project Name: Carleton Place Lofts
Status: This is a conversion project, along with two new buildings that would be built. This fits in well with the city's goal of building 5,000 new housing units over the next few years.
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Residential Units: 170
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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/university_831.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/prmantia/PICT0520-1.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/prmantia/PICT0524.jpg


Project Name: Victoria Park Neighborhood
Status: Under construction. This is a multi-block development along West 7th. The development will have townhomes, condos, single-family residences, and a large assisted living complex.
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I can't get anything off their site because it is done in Flash, but here are some pictures of the project there http://www.victoriaparkneighborhood.com/


Project Name: Western Row
Status: Completed
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http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/4527/westernrowwesthi2.jpg
http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/730/westernrowsummittt6.jpg


Project Name: Dayton/Dale Condominiums
Status: Under construction/completed (don't know the status on this one)
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Residential Units: 9
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Project Name: 940 Selby Ave
Status: Proposed
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Residential Units: 9
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Project Name: Rondo Lofts
Status: Proposed, no site activity.
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Project Name: Concordia/St. Albans
Status: Row houses development which was underconstruction a while ago. I don't know if they are finished.
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Project Name: Ramsey Hill Condominiums
Status: Was underconstruction a while ago but I think it is probably completed by now.
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Images:
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1921/daytondaleta4.jpg



Project Name: RiverCentre Convention Hotel
Status: St Paul is looking into how and what it would take to build a large hotel near the RiverCentre (convention center) so St Paul could better compete. This is several years out still however a new study by SPRCVA discovered the St Paul market can support a new convention center hotel.
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Project Name: Mixed Use Development
Status: This was where the proposed downtown st paul target store was meant to go. Now a transit facility is being put in place. However, since it is such a large site, a huge portion will be undeveloped. This is where this project comes in. Once the transit facility is built, St Paul will be looking for developers to develop the other half of the site as a mixed use project. With its proximity to the transit, it will probably include a lot of retail and residential in the form of a tower (hopefully).
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Project Name: Printer's Row
Status: Completed. This is a loft project.
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Residential Units: 42
Office Space:
Developer: Lander Sherman
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Project Name: Fitzgerald Condiminiums
Status: Underconstruction, redevelopment of the Fitzgerald Theater to include 40 boutique-style lofts. This is only affecting the upper floors of the building and has no bearing on the theater itself.
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Stories: 6
Residential Units: 40
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Project Name: Chestnut Park
Status: After a preliminary meeting with neighbors in the Irvine Park-West Seventh Street area, restaurateur Dave Cossetta is fine-tuning a plan for town houses and a condominium tower up to 20 stories high near Seven Corners. The 3-acre complex is now occupied by parking lots and Cossetta's catering and kitchen operation.
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Project Name: 415 Wabasha
Status: The parking lot that used to house the Wabasha Court stores could change hands as soon as this fall. Last year, Bloomington-based Frauenshuh Cos. had a $55 million plan to build a 17- to 20-story tower combining a restaurant, hotel and about 70 condominiums on this pivotal downtown corner. But company representatives say a cooling in the market for condos and commercial space in part prompted them to put the 0.7-acre property up for sale — to the tune of $5 million, according to real-estate listings. The parcel is now under contract to be sold to an undisclosed developer.

To be honost, $5 million isn't that much. I am shocked that due to inexpensive land prices in St Paul, they don't have more taller proposals.
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Stories: 20
Residential Units: 70
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Project Name: Bonnie Jean Bungalows
Status: Proposed Redevelopment/Conversion Project. Without a La-Z-Boy in sight, the old B&M Furniture warehouse is getting a condo makeover. Developers Todd Wilson and Thor Construction are renovating the building into 13 lofts that will sell for about $200,000 apiece. The story behind the snappy name? Bonnie Jean was a tobacco-rolling company that used to do business there in the 1920s. But perhaps a bit serendipitously, it's also the name of Wilson's mom. If the city comes through with a requested $450,000, construction could begin in June.
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Project Name: River Park Lofts
Status: It's been almost three years since developer Henry Zaidan unveiled plans to renovate the old Lowertown Business Center and an adjacent fire hall into authentic lofts. By mid-June, it should see its first residents. Workers are finishing construction on the project, now led primarily by Hempel Properties of Plymouth. About 79 of 119 units are sold.
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Project Name: The Lowry
Status: Aside from the finishing touches on the 12th floor, the $34 million transformation of medical offices to urban condos is about complete. About 34 of 135 units are available.
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Project Name: Market Lofts/Indoor Farmers Market
Status: After a few false starts on the $13.5 million project to build an indoor farmers' market topped by 44 condominium units, the first shovel could hit dirt by summer. Over the past two years, tricky land acquisitions and complicated financing stalled this joint effort between the city and developer Lander Sherman. They hope to finish the five-story building by the end of next year. Condos will sell for $169,900 to $359,900.
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Residential Units: 44
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Project Name: Craneordway Building
Status: Once threatened with demolition, this long-vacant, historic Lowertown warehouse will turn into 70 affordable studio apartments by this summer. The $11.5 million project by the Central Community Housing Trust will be available to tenants making 30 to 50 percent of the median area income.
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Residential Units: 70
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Project Name: Diamond Products
Status:
The announcement last fall that the maker of White Rain shampoo would be vacating the site of the former Gillette plant opened up a flurry of community brainstorming on what to do with the 21 acres. A group spearheaded by former Mayor Randy Kelly suggested extending the street grid into the site, building an urban village that blends housing and commercial uses, and better connecting Lowertown to the adjacent Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary.

Although the task force assumed the city would have a hand in either acquiring the site or wielding some control over the redevelopment, Mayor Chris Coleman and his staff say that's probably several years away. Florida-based Diamond Products is trying to sell the site.
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Project Name: Minnesota Building
Status: A group of developers including Troy DeWitt, who owns the Vintage Restaurant and Wine Bar in Cathedral Hill, recently purchased this empty 1928 office building. They are just beginning to consider turning it into a mixed-use development that could include condominiums.
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Project Name: Sherman Rutzick Apartments
Status: Longtime St. Paul developer Sherman Rutzick is hoping to put a 50-unit affordable-apartment complex on a surface parking lot across from the Jax Building. Rutzick is still exploring financing options to see if he can make it work.
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Stories:
Residential Units: 50 apartments
Office Space:
Developer: Sherman Rutzick
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Project Name: Lot 270
Status: Seventeen out of 41 "custom condos" remain in this contemporary corner housing project across from the Farmers' Market. Units range from $184,900 to $464,000.
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Residential Units: 41 custom condos
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Project Name: Lowertown Bluffs
Status:
Here's one project that's actually moving away from condos. Environmentalists, city parks officials and community members are pushing to expand the new Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary to include a nearby 4-acre wedge of land for an ecological and cultural interpretive center. Private developers had originally eyed the site for high-density housing, but the deal fell apart after a land dispute. Efforts to purchase the land could get a financial boost from this year's state bonding bill. In the meantime, supporters say they'd like to see the city formally commit to pursuing the parcel for green space.
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Project Name: Xcel Energy Plant
Status:
A new era for St. Paul's riverfront began last month with the groundbreaking for a new $395 million High Bridge power plant. The natural gas plant will be smaller and cleaner than the existing coal-fired operation that dates to the 1920s. Construction will take more than two years. The lasting results? Demolition of the city's tallest structure, a 560-foot smokestack, and cleaner air. Once the old plant is removed in 2009, it also will leave a swath of green space buffering the new plant from the Upper Landing housing development.
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Project Name: Island Station
Status: This $100 million plan to convert a long-vacant power plant into condos and a marina sunk last year after developer TJ Hammerstrom's investors pulled out. The main lenders have foreclosed on the site, making it possible for a new developer to step in. But a number of factors could complicate future development, including structural limitations, renovation costs and the building's location in a floodplain. Ward 2 City Council Member Dave Thune has insisted that the future owner preserve the 1920s-era brick power plant and signature smokestack.
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Project Name: Upper Landing Village
Status: The last of seven residential blocks is getting under way as part of this massive "urban village" project along the once-polluted banks of the Mississippi River. David Bernard Builders of the Rottlund Co. is gearing up to build 93 more loft-style units and an underground parking ramp on the block closest to downtown. One block away, crews continue work on an 88-unit condo development, scheduled for completion in November. The high-end rental portion of the village, though, has been struggling to fill units, and Dallas-based developer North American Partners has been marketing its Riverview buildings for sale.
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Residential Units: 88
Office Space:
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Project Name: Old Grain Terminal
Status: This vacant 1930s riverfront relic from St. Paul's grain-trading days could get its $8 million makeover as early as spring 2007. Plans call for renovating the 125-foot-tall concrete tower into an interpretive center related to the city's role in the grain industry. And the adjoining brick "sackhouse" — which actually sits right on the river — will become a restaurant. Developer ADRZ is waiting to find out this spring whether it will receive its final piece of financing in the form of new-market tax credits from the federal government.
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I know I'm missing a lot of projects so I will just show a map of the downtown area of St Paul from 2006 I believe...
http://www.riverfrontcorporation.com/Images/2005-May-Redo6.gif


------------------------------



Downtown Minneapolis Area and relatively nearby


Proposed and Under Construction Statistics
Housing Units: ~10,000
Hotel Rooms: ~1,500-2,000
Office Space: ~1,500,000-2,000,000 square feet
*NOTE: These are rounded and do not necessarily match the below information because it is easier to update a number here than to update an entire listing below.

Project Name: East Bank Mills
Status: Project to begin construction soon...maybe sometime this year
Height: 324 ft, 99 m (On the tallest building)
Stories: 10, 12, 15, 20, 26, 27
Residential Units: 960
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Schafer-Richardson
Images:
http://www.readthebridge.info/files/A-Mill3.jpg
http://eastbankmills.com/images/aerial_SW.jpg


Project Name: Phoenix on the River
Status: Under Construction
Height: 189 ft
Stories: 7 and 18
Residential Units: 80
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Shafer Richardson
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Phoenix_on_the_River.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Phoenix_site_3_4_06___resized.JPG


Project Name: The Nicollet
Status: Attempting to add a hotel to the mix to make it feasible. If they can find a hotel, the general feeling is it will be built. The developers from what I have heard feel confident in getting a tenant for the hotel too. A recent statement from the real estate agency running the show basically mentioned sales were strong at about 1 unit per week. It seems like this is becoming a reality once again as actually happening.
Height: 656 ft
Stories: 56
Residential Units: 357 (subject to change if a hotel is added)
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Hunt, Pratt, and Ordway
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Nicollet_at_night.jpg


Project Name: Ivy Hotel and Residences
Status: Under Construction
Height: 302 ft
Stories: 25, 18, 10
Residential Units: 92 Condos, 136 Hotel Rooms
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Ivy Tower Development LLC
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/ivyTowerIllustration.jpg


Project Name: Eitel Hospital Site
Status: First Phase is under construction (mainly just gutting the existing buildings to be converted...the tower aspect is supposed to be the next phase but we don't know if it will actually be built yet).
Height: 432 ft
Stories: 39 (Condo), 7 (Apartments)
Residential Units: 490
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Magellan Development Group
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Eitel_rendering.jpg


Project Name: Eclipse
Status: It technically broke ground...but actual construction could be a while yet. It is supposed to be completed in 2008.
Height: 360 ft
Stories: 32, 24
Residential Units: 503
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Shamrock
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/files/eclipse_720.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/albums/Minnescraper/eclipse_site_4_1_06_120.jpg


Project Name: Cobalt
Status: Completed
Height: 126 ft
Stories: 10, 7
Residential Units: 95
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Exeter Realty
Images:
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q176/mysteek_1976/Recentphotos129.jpg


Project Name: The Carlyle
Status: Completed
Height: 469 ft
Stories: 39
Residential Units: 255
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Opus
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Carlyle_day_rendering.jpg

Project Name: Skyscape
Status: Completed
Height: 291 ft
Stories: 28
Residential Units: 250
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Tandem
Images:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/116/368593735_1e1809de48.jpg


Project Name: Sexton II
Status: It is supposed to break ground in 2007 at some point.
Height: 385 ft
Stories: 34
Residential Units: 252
Office Space: n/a
Developer: JJT Development, Tanek
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/SextonIIcolorrendering.jpg


Project Name: The Bridgewater Lofts
Status: Under Construction
Height: 112 ft
Stories: 7, 10
Residential Units: 283
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Shamrock
Images:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/370280944_8332e670ab.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/370281090_5dee9cc4b2.jpg


Project Name: Two Twenty Two
Status: Supposed to break ground sometime this year. The design is subject to change however.
Height: ??? (based on the stories i would bet around 350 ft)
Stories: 33
Residential Units: 290
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Milliken Development Group
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/albums/rendering.jpg


Project Name: 1010 Park
Status: Approval process still. It under went a huge redesign that got a lot of positive feedback and chances are it will be built when the market comes back up.
Height: ???
Stories: 20, 31
Residential Units: 400
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Heritage Development
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/1010_park_rendering_12_2006_171.jpg


Project Name: The Pacific
Status: Phase I presales will start soon, however, I heard last they are redesigning the whole thing to make it fit in better with the surrounding and preserve some of the surrounding better.
Height: 305 ft
Stories: 28 (Condos), 18 (Condos), 10 (Hotel)
Residential Units: 450
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Deutsch Development, Lupe Development
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/albums/pacific.jpg


Project Name: Rumored 1,000 Footer
Status: Rumor
Height: 1,000+
Stories: ???
Residential Units: n/a
Office Space: 1.2 million square feet
Developer:
Images:

Project Name: 1730 Clifton
Status: Rumored to be a three building development. The original plan was for a 17-story tower however no details have been released on the revised version yet. Odds are the buildings will be much shorter than 17 stories.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
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Project Name: The Portland
Status: Under construction
Height: ???
Stories: 5
Residential Units: 43
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.theportlandcondominiums.com/splashimage.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/the_portland_model_5_22_06_107.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/im000641_896.jpg

Project Name: MacPhail Center for the Arts
Status: Under Construction
Height: ???
Stories: 6
Residential Units: n/a
Office Space: n/a
Developer:
Images:
http://www.jddltd.com/images/projects/cultural/macphail/exterior003.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/370283049_bde30c4ffd.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/370282908_44bee99fab.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/370282776_d7a11b4742.jpg


Project Name: The Reserve
Status: Stalled. Although the developer has made comments on moving forward soon.
Height: ???
Stories: 8
Residential Units: 131
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Magellan Development Group


Project Name: The Revue Flats
Status: Construction to start soon. There is or at least was (not sure right now) some earth moving equipment on site. Despite its overall lack in appeal visually...I am a big fan of this project. It will definately fit in well with the neighborhood as well as block a parking ramp's visual appearence on two sides which isn't a bad thing by any means.
Height: ???
Stories: 5
Residential Units: 107
Office Space: n/a
Developer: David Bernard
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/revue2_835.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/revue1_189.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/revue0930b_131.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/revue0930a_487.jpg
This picture lets you see it is on a fairly small strip(s) of land between the street and parking ramp for the guthrie...overall not a bad use of land:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/revue3_183.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/the_revue_model_5_22_06_131.jpg


Project Name: Herschel Lofts
Status: This is under construction. It is a conversion project of an old building into condos.
Height: ???
Stories: 6
Residential Units: 47
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Swervo Development
Images:
http://web.mac.com/natronic/iWeb/herschel/08-09-06_files/IMG_1226.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/herschel_lofts_1_7_07_102.jpg


Project Name: The Wave
Status: According to Downtown Journal the proposal has been scalled back to 7 stories using the same design. It is currently undergoing environmental studies. If this gets approved for sales to begin, this thing should sell fast based on its location.
Height: ???
Stories: 7
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.startribune.com/stonline/images/news72/1nealst0716.l.gif
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/the_wave_1_195.jpg


Project Name: 720 Lofts
Status: Completed
Height: ???
Stories: 8?
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer: Schafer Richardson
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/720_lofts_3_5_06__resized_307.jpg


Project Name: 730 Lofts
Status: Under construction
Height:
Stories: 10
Residential Units: 111
Office Space:
Developer: Schafer Richardson
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/730_lofts_155.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/730_1_7_07_190.jpg


Project Name: Flour Sack Flats
Status: Under Construction
Height:
Stories: 5
Residential Units: 59
Office Space: n/a
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/flour_sack_flats_rendering_203.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q176/mysteek_1976/Recentphotos125.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q176/mysteek_1976/Recentphotos181.jpg


Project Name: Farmers and Mechanics - Westin Hotel
Status: Under construction. They are just refitting the existing building for a Westin Hotel.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units: 214-hotel rooms
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/farmers_and_mechanics_2_2_24_06_127.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/71/218157095_dc8bb0d183.jpg


Project Name: Gold Medal Park
Status: Completed. Opens in spring. It features a fairly tall hill in the center designed for viewing of the river/skyline/etc...
Height: n/a
Stories: n/a
Residential Units: n/a
Office Space: n/a
Developer:
Images:
http://ct.pbase.com/o6/02/589102/1/70769171.H9v6stZP.MM1_5117resize.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/im000641_149.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/370283594_430f0f6b23.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/im000685_166.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/im000641_223.jpg


Project Name: Foshay Tower - W Hotel
Status: This is a conversion of the Foshay Tower, built in 1929, into a W Hotel. This will be one of the best hotels in the city once it is completed. Starwood Hotels have said they intend to keep the observation deck in operation (which is the only public observation deck in the city and one of the only open air decks in the country).Not sure when this will be started or completed, but my guess is they want to get it finished for the 2008 RNC.
Height:
Stories: 32
Residential Units: 248 hotel rooms
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc.
Images:
http://www.thelensflare.com/large/foshay_1482.jpg


Project Name: Meter Farm Development
Status: Still in planning stages (and by that I mean like planning for a proposal to get approval). They have an idea either for a tower or for town houses...the only problem with the tower is that it is ugly and is on a TINY site so it is hard to imagine a 30 story building. The town houses are the most likely scenario or a small condo building for the site.
Height:
Stories: 30
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/news09_434.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/hornig_1_874.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/hornig_4_207.jpg


Project Name: Whitney Condos
Status: Under Construction. This is a redevelopment of an old building into condos. The building is 123 years old.
Height:
Stories: 7
Residential Units: 34
Office Space:
Developer: Whitney Partners
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/2_121.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/im000641_297.jpg


Project Name: 401 Hotel and Residences
Status: Nobody really cared for this building and I'm not entirely sure on the status. I think the developers want to build SOMETHING on the site I just don't think this will be it. This one is pretty much thrown out the window.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.colinkulow.com/twincityscape/401hotel.jpg

Project Name: 1016 Marquette Office Building
Status: This was originally going to be an 8 story condo building which was unable to secure financing despite the fact that 4 of the condos sold. It will now be a 14 story office building with roughly 5,000 square feet per floor. We don't know anything about the design yet but chances are it will be fairly similar to the image below (but 14 stories instead of 8).
Height:
Stories: 14
Residential Units: n/a
Office Space: Roughly 5,000 square feet per floor (14x5,000 = 70,000 square feet)
Developer:
Images:
http://www.barryberggroup.com/Brokers/Content/BarryBergGroup/1016Marquette.jpg


Project Name: 5th Avenue Lofts
Status: While this thing has been stalled forever, they have sold 88 of 136 total units so this thing might actually get built.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units: 136
Office Space:
Developer: Shamrock Development
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/5thavegateway_159.jpg

Project Name: Downtown Kayaking Park
Status: Proposed. This thing, while cool, I think is a bit overkill. There have been talks of bringing the St Anthony Falls back to their former glory which would produce more than enough rapids for rafting and kayaking.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.whitewaterpark.canoe-kayak.org/MWPDC%20Home%20Page_files/parkdesign.jpg


Project Name: North Loop Village
Status: Pretty much just a dream. While the area will definately be a hot zone for developing once the stadium is built (also will be a hiawatha LRT station and North Star Commuter rail running through there with the ability in the future for more lines to run into that zone). Until then, we can look at the fancy renderings. There would be 9 buildings in this development
Height:
Stories: 6-25
Residential Units: 1,250
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/minneapolis_union_station_949.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/twinsville3_167.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/twinsville2_142.jpg

Project Name: Vikings Stadium
Status: Zygi wants to develop a lot of the land around the metrodome site including a vikings stadium. He has stated that he is interested in developing the land even if the stadium can't get built.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:


Project Name: Eat Street Flats
Status: Under Construction. I know this isn't exactly downtown, but it isn't exactly THAT far away from downtown either so I put it in this section.
Height:
Stories: 4
Residential Units: 63
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://static.flickr.com/86/238791234_92c97b08f1_b.jpg

Project Name: Powers Block
Status: This is an old project I forgot to put on here before. This thing is HIGHLY unlikely to be built or any building on this site for that matter in the near future. It is prime real estate for sure, so I don't think it will sit idle for to long though. Initial renderings from like 3 years ago showed the building at what appeared to be close to 40 stories, however, anything of that magnitude would be a surprise unless it is built in a few years.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units: 250
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:


Project Name: Global One Hotel
Status: Proposed. This is pretty much right next to the convention center and is on the old MnDot site and it has no legal address. Essentially, they are taking a plot of land near the convention center that is next to the exit ramp into downtown from 35w going north. It is supposed to be 10 stories tall and seems like the city likes everything so far. I'm not a huge fan of certain aspects of the design but we will see what is built.
Height:
Stories: 10
Residential Units:
Office Space: n/a
Developer: Schafer-Richardson
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/rendering_159.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/global_one_hotel_aerial_317.jpg

-----------------------------------------------------


Minneapolis Uptown

Proposed and Under Construction Statistics
Housing Units: ~500
Hotel Rooms: ~100
Office Space: 0
*NOTE: These are rounded and do not necessarily match the below information because it is easier to update a number here than to update an entire listing below.

Project Name: 2626 West Lake
Status: Under Construction (last I heard this was the case)
Height:
Stories: 7, 6
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.2626westlake.com/images/2626renderings/design_ext3.jpg
http://www.2626westlake.com/images/2626renderings/design_ext5.jpg


Project Name: Mozaic
Status: Approved, I'm pretty certain this thing will get built with construction hopefully starting this year. The owners of the Graves hotel in downtown have said they want to open a hotel with this project so this is a mixed use project currently. It will also house a theater.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mozaic_model_5_22_06_102.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mozaic_rendering5_153.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mozaic_image1_178.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mozaic_image4_178.jpg


Project Name: Lumen on Lagoon
Status: Under Construction
Height:
Stories: 5
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/2_319.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/3_979.jpg


Project Name: Calhoun Square
Status: I haven't really heard much on this project lately. Anyone have any updates?
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/cs__lake_and_girard_rendering_328.jpg


Project Name: The Portico
Status: This isn't a huge project so I would imagine it to break ground this year.
Height:
Stories: 6
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:


Project Name: The Edgewater
Status: Completed...the first image below is still during construction...but it is completed
Height:
Stories: 6
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/610__the_edgewater_1_514.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/edgewater_interior1_158.jpg


Project Name: Loop Calhoun
Status: Under Construction
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/507__loop_calhoun_2_130.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/loop_elevation_west_203.jpg


Project Name: Track 29
Status:
Height:
Stories: 4
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/condo_building_rendering_209.jpg

-------------------------------------------------


Minneapolis - Other Projects/Developments

Proposed and Under Construction Statistics
Housing Units: ~2,000-3,000???
Hotel Rooms: 0???
Office Space: ~~250,000???
*NOTE: These are rounded and do not necessarily match the below information because it is easier to update a number here than to update an entire listing below. These are limited to knowledge of existing projects however, and don't include projects that may arise in the near future or already proposed/developed without us realizing it.

Project Name: The Jourdain
Status:
Height:
Stories: 4
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/368627474_6e6f006594.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/368593741_f28c7b8296.jpg


Project Name: Le Perisien
Status: Under Construction (I haven't seen the site lately so it could be done)
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.millerhanson.com/images/portfolio%20images/housing/mixed%20use/0553/0553_b_01.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/le_parisien_8_26_06_758.jpg


Project Name: Midtown Greenway
Status: Approved, I think they are just waiting for spring or something to get started on this.
Height: 50 ft (although from the street would appear more like 70 ft)
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/ped_bridge_south_ped_south_1_756.jpg

Project Name: Corridor Flats
Status: Under Construction
Height:
Stories: 4?
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/buildingsm_196.gif
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/corridor_flats_2_161.jpg


Project Name: Long Fellow Station
Status: This would be a phased development which would be developed over a period of time. It is centered around an LRT station for the most part but adds a bit of density along the hiawatha line.
Red = Commercial
Blue = Housing
Tannish Orange = Structured Parking
Yellow = Hotel
Salmon = Office
Purple = I don't know.
However, the developers did mention they are thinking more complex now with the project...so who knows? Some changes were also recently approved.
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/longfellow_station_plan_874.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/purina_site_plan_3_357.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/purina_site_plan_2_790.jpg


Project Name: Greenway Terrace
Status: Completed
Height:
Stories: 3
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/rendering_114.jpg


Project Name: Bunge Tower
Status: This is a unique project that would convert a grain elevator into condos. Last I heard they were gutting the interior...anyone have any updates?
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.mndaily.com/daily/2006/11/06/p1bungeB.jpg
http://www.mndaily.com/daily/2006/11/06/bungeB.jpg


Project Name: Crescent Trace
Status: Under Construction (It might be completed now)
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/crescent_trace_171.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/crescent_trace_2_11_06__resized_199.jpg


Project Name: Mill Trace
Status: Under Construction (It might be completed now)
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mill_trace_rendering_158.gif
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mill_trace_2_11_06__resized_743.jpg


Project Name: West Lake
Status:
Height:
Stories: 7, 6
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/2626_westlake_rendering_275.jpg


Project Name: River Run Apartments
Status: Completed, these are somewhere in the northern part of minneapolis
Height:
Stories: 3
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/river_run_apartments_3_4_06_168.jpg


Project Name: The Archive
Status:
Height:
Stories: 7
Residential Units: 103
Office Space:
Developer: Treehorn Development
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/archive_rendering_2_186.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/archive_rendering_1_206.jpg


Project Name: Central Avenue Lofts
Status: I have no clue on this one...anyone know? Last I heard barriers were up for demolition/construction.
Height:
Stories: 4
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/centralavelofts.jpg


Project Name: 46 and 46
Status: I don't know much about this one
Height:
Stories: 4
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/46_and_46_design_161.jpg


Project Name: Grain Belt Brewery Housing
Status: This is Phase I of the project with phase II being another 3-4 story building adjacent to it. I'm not sure on the status of this one though.
Height:
Stories: 5
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://grainbeltpremiumlofts.com/images/ifhomepagerender.gif
http://grainbeltpremiumlofts.com/images/neighborh_views9.gif



Project Name: Cedar and 28th
Status: Completed
Height:
Stories: 4
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/rendering_183.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/410__cedar_and_28th_1_441.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/610__cedar_and_28th_1_755.jpg


Project Name: TCF Bank Stadium
Status: Under Construction
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/m626989standalone_157.jpg


Suburbs Developments

Project Name: Westin Edina Residences
Status: Under Construction. This includes a Westin Hotel along with condos. The parking ramp component of the project has already been completed. Galleria on the top down view is an existing building not part of the project.
Location: Edina
Height:
Stories: 18
Residential Units: 82
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/westin2_525.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/westin_133.jpg


Project Name: Target Brooklyn Park Campus Expansion
Status: This project is a phased project that has begun construction. It will include residential units, office space, hotels, and retail into Brooklyn Park. Target has pledged that despite this project, it won't be removing employees from their downtown office locations. I trust them on that because they built a sizable tower downtown not to long ago. This project will create 13,000 jobs for target. The project is spanned out over a 10 year period. Some people are annoyed they are building an expansion to their campus in brooklyn park but it won't be holding the "creative" minds and more technical IT stuff form what we have heard.
Location: Brooklyn Park
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units: 3,000
Office Space: 8 million square feet
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/targetbrookynpark_447.gif


Project Name: 8200 Tower (Normandale Lake Office Park)
Status: Approved. The aerial below kinda gives an idea where the tower will go along with the surrounding area. As you can see also from the rendering, it is going to be mammoth compared to the other buildings nearby in terms of foot print.
Location: Bloomington
Height: 164 ft
Stories: 11
Residential Units:
Office Space: 285,000 square feet
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/normandale_office_complex_648.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/8200_norman_center_drive_726.jpg

Project Name: Norman Pointe II
Status: Under Construction
Location: Bloomington
Height:
Stories: 10
Residential Units:
Office Space: 322,000
Developer: Duke
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/normanpointe2_392.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/mmingo/image/73020030/original.jpg

Project Name: Thomson Expansion
Status: Not much updates on the project itself other than the fact it will get a tax break for building it. It also will create around 2,000 jobs for Thomson not including construction jobs.
Location: Eagan
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:

Project Name: Duke Property 394/100
Status: Proposed, below are aerial images of the site outlined in red along with the proposal. I am a little dissapointed with the fact they will take down buildings that are quite literally like 10 feet from 100 (its a bridge right there to connect over so it gives a really cool and surprisingly dense feel driving past it as it is without the development). Other than that it looks fine. The developer also does not know how they want to develop the property.
Location: St Louis Park
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer: Duke
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/duke_property__hy_100_and_i_394_539.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/duke_1_103.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/duke_3_171.jpg


Project Name: 494 & France Hotel
Status: Under Construction, rumor has this that it will be a Hilton.
Location: Bloomington
Height:
Stories: 11
Residential Units: 256-room hotel
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.pbase.com/mmingo/image/73020209/original.jpg


Project Name: Cedar Point Commons
Status: This project will include a Super Target, Home Depot, and smaller retailers in a rather nice looking project at least based on the renderings. Surprisingly, there is another target store rather close to this one but the area can support both without any problem. Usually I wouldn't post anything like this since it really isn't that big of a deal but it is a rather nice development plus I know about it and the majority of this type of projects...you just don't hear about until you accidently find it on your own.
Location: Richfield
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/cedarpoint3_206.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/cedarpoint2_937.jpg


Project Name: United Health HQ Expansion
Status: This should happen soon. A lot of people are dissapointed they don't relocate downtown minneapolis since with their existing building and current two that are planned could have built a sizable tower downtown or been a major tenant to the rumored 1,000 footer.
Location: Minnetonka
Height:
Stories: 10, 10
Residential Units:
Office Space: 341,000 sqf, 309,000 square feet
Developer:
Images:

Project Name: William Shore
Status:
Location: Long Lake
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer: Ryan Burnet
Images:
http://williamsshore.com/main3.gif

Project Name: Excelsior and Grand
Status: This is a huge project...so to get an idea, it includes residential and retail. Just take a look at the pictures below. I have no idea what most of these projects are called. This is sort of a trend as of late with a lot of our suburbs trying to create dense core areas to give residents multiple options of housing, retail, dining, etc. This is all in a whole bunch of different buildings.
Location: St Louis Park
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/309__excelsior_and_grand_1_114.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/309__excelsior_and_grand_2_728.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/309__excelsior_and_grand_3_118.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/309__excelsior_and_grand_4_153.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/309__excelsior_and_grand_5_373.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/309__excelsior_and_grand_6_458.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/trader_joe1_4_13_06_131.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/trader_joe2_4_13_06_887.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/507__excelsior_and_grand_1_102.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/507__excelsior_and_grand_2_929.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/507__excelsior_and_grand_3_658.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/pc230070_904.jpg


Project Name: Excelsior Crossings
Status: Three buildings are to go up on the site pictured below. Overall it is kind of a bad development. The developers are wasting to much land with surface parking rather than building a ramp and leaving land open for future expansion. Cargill is rumored to be a major tenant for the project.
Location:
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space: 685,000 square feet
Developer: Opus
Images:
http://www.cbre.com/NR/rdonlyres/F95C1114-7494-4C73-8F7E-983017E63E1E/415419/ExcelsiorCrossingsSitePlan.jpg
http://www.cbre.com/NR/rdonlyres/72EF29E1-9D87-4FD1-A814-B8096A1C24E3/0/Hopkins06060725CD5169C2copy72406.jpg
http://www.cbre.com/NR/rdonlyres/F95C1114-7494-4C73-8F7E-983017E63E1E/425700/FrontPageIII.jpg


Project Name: Mall of America Phase II
Status: Proposed. This thing is gonna get built...no way around it...whether that is good or bad who knows? Bass Pro will be a major tenant on the expansion to anchor it for the most part claiming 300,000 square feet of it. That is really only a blip on the radar compared to the 5.6 million square feet going to be built with the project. It will include hotels including a waterpark theme hotel as well as office space and a 6000 seat performing arts center (there will also be another movie theater from rumors, giving the mall 2 movie theaters, one on both sides of the mall).
Location: Bloomington
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
This image is a aerial of the site. The Met Center Site is where this thing will be expanding. It will be going a bit farther than that to I believe. You will also notice space to the right of MOA for future expansion as well but the blue line going over it is a flight path and requires low rise buildings only so that could limit what they can do with that section in the future.
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/moavicinity_831.gif
http://www.startribune.com/stonline/images/news39/2phase0217.l.jpg
http://www.startribune.com/stonline/images/news80/3phase0217.l.jpg
http://www.startribune.com/media/2006/04/18/1moa041806.standalone.jpg


Project Name: Medtronic Cardiac Center
Status: Under Construction, some claim it has a similar feel to the Best Buy HQ in Richfield and some claim it looks bettet than Best Buy so far.
Location: Mounds View
Height:
Stories: 8?
Residential Units:
Office Space: 1.5 million square feet
Developer: Opus
Images:
http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/projects/BP_Medtronic_MN_R1_o.jpg
http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/projects/BP_Medtronic_MN_S1_l.jpg


Project Name: Bloomington Central Station
Status: Under Construction. By far the best suburban project in my opinion. This is located at the Bloomington Central Station LRT stop on the Hiawatha line. The Reflections have already been completed (twin condo towers) and there are many more buildings to come. This project contains residential, retail, and office space. There are quite a few buildings in this development. To give you an idea how massive this project is, they label the Reflection condo towers which have been completed and is on the site plan below. The buildings that are renderings are subject to change still as they have not been actually approved into the layout...but the site plane for Bloomington Central Station will happen.
Location: Bloomington
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.northstarpartners.net/brochures/bcs/bcs-eflyer_files/parcel%20c%20rendering%209-15-188.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/150unitcondo_128.gif
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/centralpark_173.gif
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/bcs_siteplanphased_175.jpg
http://www.startribune.com/media/2006/03/08/2194092.standalone.jpg
http://www.pickardchilton.com/imgs/bloomington_main_1.jpg
http://www.pickardchilton.com/imgs/bloomington_hotel_main_1.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/reflections_164.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/bloomingtoncentralstation_499.jpg
This is where that park is going to go (below)
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/bloomingtoncentral_396.jpg


Project Name: Windsor Plaza
Status: This is a proposed project for Eden Prairie to help create another suburban downtown mentioned earlier in the suburbs section. It would include residential, retail, office space, and dining options in a fairly urban environment (relatively speaking).
Location: Eden Prairie
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:

Project Name: Park-and-Ride
Status: Large parking ramp that quite literally hugs 394 and hopkins crossroad. There goal is simply to bring high capacity parking to the park and ride lots to emphasize the use of the bus system and mass transit which is becoming more popular lately.
Location:
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:


Project Name: Fountains at Arbor Lakes
Status: This is proposed. 750,000-square-foot mixed-use center to create a more vibrant neighborhood in this suburb. All of the buidlings are six stories with housing on the upper 5 levels. There are 23 buildings in the development.
Location: Maple Grove
Height: 6
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer: Opus
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/fountains_at_arbor_lakes_198.jpg

Project Name: Inglewood Shoppes
Status: Completed.
Location: St Louis Park
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/330__inglewood_shoppes_1_191.jpg
BEFORE:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/330__inglewood_shoppes_3_999.jpg
AFTER:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/napa_jacks_10_25_06_179.jpg

Project Name: Golden Triangle Project
Status: Despite the funny name, this is an actual place in the southwest metro area and is a proposed LRT stop. This area is already a hot spot for office space (best buy used to have their HQ over there) this project has the opportunity to turn a large piece of land into a massive development centered around a future LRT stop along the Southwest Corridor line.
Location:
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer: Hoyt Properties
Images:


Project Name: Hoigaard Village
Status: Under Construction, primarily just a bunch of residential
Location:
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/hoigaard_village_255.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/hogaard_village_rendering_174.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/urbanworks_174.jpg

Project Name: Allianz Phase II
Status: Completed
Location: Golden Valley/St Louis Park
Height:
Stories:
Residential Units:
Office Space:
Developer:
Images:
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/allianz_phase_two_2_5_06__resized_208.jpg



I updated some of the Minneapolis projects and added a suburban section. I have to add about a dozen more major suburban projects yet. There are a ton of smaller scale projects going on all over the suburbs all the time so I'm just trying to hit up the highlights of them.

Rock on. Thanks for the update. Of all the projects, I have to say that the Nicollet is the runaway favorite. I can't understand why any hotel being considered wouldn't jump on the chance to solidify the deal.

@vgm
Thanks for the re-cap.

^Thanks, I'll be sure to add those things you pointed out in. I did another update on a few other projects that I haven't seen posted on here before. I'm aware 222 is being redesigned but so far what I've heard is it will be very similar if not nearly identical to the existing one so I'll leave the rendering up until we get a new one in.

yeah I kinda skipped past the part where you said "I will update the rest tomorrow". ;)

I updated the rest of the projects. I know I didn't put up every project because a lot of them are minor like there were a lot of conversions of buildings into condos in St Paul over the past few years and a lot of projects I felt I just didn't really want to put up. However, if anyone has any news on anything new or any info to fill some of the holes on my list, let me know.

GREAT post vgmLiquid! Thanks for all the info. Where do you get all the design renderings from?

My God, I didn't realize that there are that many condo/lofts projects. Are there really that many buyers?

Minneapolis is getting dense.

^Realistically I don't think the condo market ever really went into a slump in Minneapolis/St Paul because a lot of the smaller developments just were not affected by it. It was mainly just large towers. I left out several projects too including a lot of conversion projects (and a bunch of little projects in St Paul). Since things have been turning around in the housing market as of late it would seem we could get some new towers going up soon too. Plus our metro is expected to grow by over 1 million over within the next 20 years from population statistics...so housing will always have a demand at least in the immediate future.

I just made a pretty big addition to the St Paul section for those interested.

do you have a list of big projects in the suburbs

^Not currently. The list above doesn't even cover minneapolis/st paul in full (although I'm pretty sure it gets most of them). I know there are a few office buildings going up in the suburbs along with some condo developments. I'll look around and post what I find.

do you have a list of big projects in the suburbs

I added a few things from the suburbs. There is a lot going on in the suburbs in terms of development...I wasn't able to cover nearly all of the suburb developments.

It is amazing how much development is going on in Minneapolis - St. Paul, city and suburbs. Unbelievable.

Was in the cities today. What is the building going up at the intersection of 35E and Kellog? Its right across the street from the exit of 35E. Noticed they built a new building just to the east of United Hospital too, what is that? I took classes there just a few years ago. That went up fast.

Was in the cities today. What is the building going up at the intersection of 35E and Kellog? Its right across the street from the exit of 35E. Noticed they built a new building just to the east of United Hospital too, what is that? I took classes there just a few years ago. That went up fast.

At 35E & Kellogg is the Smith Avenue Transit Center, a parking ramp and Metro Transit Bus Storage facility. The new United Building is the Nassef Heart Center.

I updated the projects post I made (page 4 of the thread) to include information from a press release in the Pioneer Press regarding the central corridor LRT. St Paul has some HUGE plans in line with it...check it out.

I made a few updates. I updated the Nicollet project part. They have stated sales are going strong (at about 1 unit per week) in a very recent press release. I also posted details 10 story hotel proposed for the old MnDot site near the convention center. Its all on the previous page.

I wonder how serious this is? From the look of it that's close to a 50-story tower. And there's another in the background. That would be something for downtown St. Paul.

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2852/cedartransitproposalzz5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^ Yes, anyone know where I can find out more about that? (other than whats already in the thread)

^^ Yes, anyone know where I can find out more about that? (other than whats already in the thread)

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/16709521.htm

All the details I have, well, not all, but most come out of this article from the Pioneer Press. It is essentially a redevelopment of a block in Downtown St Paul that they wish to make the "center piece" of the downtown stops in st paul (for the central corridor LRT). This means that the train won't be going inside the St Paul Union Depot but just stop in front it it as well...which is something a lot of people are not to happy about since it doesn't fully utlize such a fantastic building. Anyways, they plan to cut across the block diagonaly that the above tower would be in (its just speculative development on "what it could look like" so its not actually real...but i'd still expect something big since its literally on top of the station).

From the sounds of the entire development, St Paul is going to look completely different by 2020 for sure with a lot more high rise condos and a fully developed, pedestrian friendly university avenue. This whole line is the missing link to fix a great deal of St Paul's "competitive" problems with Minneapolis.

Ya' know, I have been thinking lately that St. Paul will explode with development in the coming decades. And I think most of it will be residential. When the LRT Central Corridor comes online downtown St. Paul will be primed to become an affordable living alternative to downtown Minneapolis' condo/apartment market. Why pay the Minneapolis premiums when you are only 15-20 minutes away from it via the LRT, or even less time via I-94?

I'm not saying that St. Paul will become a "bedroom suburb" of Minneapolis. That's not what these cities are all about. St. Paul has its own identity. But maybe St. Paul can re-invent itself as a major living destination. Cripes! The intimate scale of downtown streets is amazing and it has a venerable historic character that Minneapolis cannot match. I'd love to see St. Paul become a beautiful, livable urban oasis.

OK, this is a stretch. But I'd like to imagine that St. Paul could be Vancouver to Minneapolis' version of Seattle.

^The biggest reason why that will happen to is because land isn't as expensive in St Paul as it is in Minneapolis, making it more attractive for developers too. Retail, business, and better night life also follow where the people are. I doubt St Paul will ever be on par with Minneapolis on any of those fronts (at least not in my life time), but when the central corridor is built they will definately get a huge boost over there.

A twist in the tinfoil - Gehry doing Weisman addition
Superstar architect Frank Gehry says he always thought the Weisman Art Museum was "incomplete." Now, he will finish it.
By Mary Abbe, Star Tribune
Last update: March 08, 2007 – 10:09 PM

The University of Minnesota is giving Frank Gehry, the world's most famous living architect, the chance to fulfill a dream by expanding the first art museum he designed in the United States.
The Los Angeles-based architectural superstar will design a $10 million addition to the Weisman Art Museum on the University's east bank Minneapolis campus overlooking the Mississippi River.

Plans for the addition will be unveiled Tuesday . Construction is expected to start later this year, and the building is scheduled to open in 2009. It will add 11,000 square feet or about 25 percent more space to the existing 47,000 square-foot museum.

"The Weisman is special because it was the beginning of a new design direction for me," Gehry, 78, said in a prepared statement released Thursday. He said the existing building, which he finished in 1993, always seemed "incomplete" because its back, facing the campus, is a bland brick box unlike the dramatic riverside front that is clad in his signature panels of curved metal. "The expansion means we can bring the architecture around the museum to the pedestrian bridge and Coffman Plaza, something I felt was lacking from the beginning," he said. Noting that architects rarely have an opportunity to design additions to their earlier buildings, he said he was excited about the project and "eager to get started."

Weisman director Lyndel King said the museum has already raised about $7.5 million and is "revving up fundraising so we can break ground before the end of the year."

Highlights of the addition include a new studio and exhibition space for "creative collaboration" named after Target whose corporate foundation provided $2 million for the project. Three new galleries will be added to display the museum's collections of ceramics, works of art on paper, photography, and early 20th-century paintings. There also will be a 40-seat cafe overlooking the river, an amenity sorely lacking in the existing structure which opened in 1993 at a cost of $14.3 million.

The Target studio will enable the museum to launch a new program promoting creative collaboration between artists, designers, scientists, engineers, writers, doctors and other members of the University community as well as the public.

"This Target studio is for me the great leap forward," King said. "The philosophy behind it is that, while the idea of individual genius is still important, creativity in the 21st century will come more out of a collaborative process. There is a lot of collaboration at the University between scientists, engineers and others, but there isn't usually an artist in the mix and our program will always involve an artist."

I know not everyone is a big fan of Gehry, but I'm very interested to see what he designs for this very compact site.

I think the shamrock buliding is cool,
nice color, design and name,
chicago is number one with development
but the twin cities seem almost equal,
and are definitely booming with development
so those are the top two.

I have to go back and see all the changes,
havent been there in awhile,
glad to see the light rail projects going forward,
probably the most forward thinking of all the midwest cities
especially in that department.

I just scanned this thread. Wow! It is amazing all that is going on in the Twin Cities!

A new look for the Weisman
Frank Gehry designs a $10 million addition to Weisman Art Museum at University of Minnesota. Construction could begin at the end of the year.

By Linda Mack, Star Tribune

The eccentric Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota is going to sprout two silvery pods and three brick boxes.

Frank Gehry, the world's most famous living architect, has designed a $10 million expansion that will add three distinct sections to the sculptural building he designed in 1993.

A 40-seat cafe will be housed in a wing-like pod extending toward the Washington Avenue bridge.

A new Target-financed space for creative collaboration will slip onto the front of the building facing Washington Avenue, and three new galleries will be plugged in at the back of the building closest to Coffman Union.

Lyndel King, the Weisman's director, said, "It looks like it was designed by Frank Gehry but it's not seamless. He wanted to reflect his current design thinking."

The Weisman plans to start construction by the end of 2007 and open in 2009.

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http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/55_m854981standaloneprod_affiliate2_204.jpg

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/604_m854975standaloneprod_affiliate2_449.jpg

http://www.weisman.umn.edu/img/arch/southelevation.jpg

http://www.weisman.umn.edu/img/arch/threequarterview3.jpg

I wonder if the new addition will use titanium instead of the current stainless steel panels. In the model, the new parts don't have the seams that show on the existing portions.

I noticed that too. Could look odd if they go that route.

Capella Education Corporation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capella_University) is looking for 350,000 square feet of office space to consolidate their corporate headquarters. They are looking in downtown Minneapolis, downtown St. Paul, and anywhere within the 694/494 loop. Let's hope they choose either one of the two downtowns! They are currently located in 225 South Sixth:

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/9381/225southsixth02jh8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^There is a great deal of speculation that they could be a major tenant for the rumored 1,000 footer because they have made it known that they look to add on about an additional 50,000 feet per year for some time (at least from what I've heard, since they are growing like crazy apparantly).

The rumored 1,000 footer would have 1.2 million square feet (keep in mind it is on a small site). The developers could probably set aside a sufficient section of space for them to continue growth if they wished. Class A towers in downtown Minneapolis have a very low rate of vacant space.

Credit to MplsMatt from Minnescraper for the following pic. The new Carlyle condo tower (41 stories / 469 feet) has surprised us all with their final lighting scheme, which is incredibly bright! It really extends the skyline to the north, away from the traditional core. It strikes me as somewhat retro-1930's in style, recalling the Wells Fargo Tower in the background of the picture. Most of the tower is still dark, with owners just now moving into the units on the lower floors. The tower should be even more striking when it fills up with residents.

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/4599/carlyle01ai0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^Here is from the Stone Arch Bridge:

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/img_7718sm_198.jpg

A couple tourism articles that I didn't think really deserved their own thread.

2006 a Record Year for Minneapolis Convention and Tourism Business
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-15-2007/0004547293&EDATE=

Meet Minneapolis booked 323 future conventions resulting in more than a
half-billion dollars in future economic impact

MINNEAPOLIS, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Meet Minneapolis(TM), Official
Convention + Visitors Association, today announced that 2006 marked an
outstanding year for sales and publicity of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul
area. The organization exceeded its room night goal for future conventions -- 420,858 -- generating $574 million in future economic city for the metro area, an 83 percent increase over 2005. An additional 20,000 rooms were held as a result of the bidding process for the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Meet Minneapolis hosted 23 percent more conventions and meetings in
2006, resulting in a $100 million increase in delegate expenditures over
2005. A boom in cultural development, as well as the opening of several
high-end hotels and restaurants, contributed to a boon of media coverage.
This high profile media coverage drew attention to the city as a potential
meeting destination: The convention sales staff sent out a record number
leads for business to hotels -- the most in seven years.

2006 Highlights
2006 was one of best years in recent history for business and corporate
travel. Downtown hotels ended the year at a nearly 70 percent occupancy
rate. Meet Minneapolis contributed to this success by booking a large
amount of same-year meetings. Other major accomplishments include:

Republican National Convention
Meet Minneapolis played a critical role in securing the 2008 Republican
National Convention. At the request of Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, the
organization wrote and produced proposals for both parties' political
conventions. After organizing elements of the Democratic National
Convention site selection committee's visit in June, Meet Minneapolis
planned and executed all elements of the Republican National Convention
site selection committee's visit in August -- including city tours,
presentations, receptions and media events.

In a surprise early announcement, the Republicans announced in
September that Minneapolis-Saint Paul was chosen over Cleveland, New York and Tampa, Fla. The event is expected to bring up to 45,000 people to town Sept. 1-4 and will fill nearly all hotel rooms in the metro area.

Explosion of Media Coverage
Minneapolis-Saint Paul emerged as a media darling in 2006 thanks to the
transformation of the cultural landscape. A two-year campaign to promote
the Minneapolis Arts Explosion (high profile building projects by the
Walker Art Center, Children's Theatre Company, Minneapolis Public Library, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Guthrie Theater) culminated in a massive amount of media coverage, and cemented the city's reputation as a premier cultural destination and "design city."

Meet Minneapolis partnered with these organizations in a national media
outreach campaign. Initiatives included hosting a media party at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and organizing "Arts Explosion"-themed media tours. Efforts secured 71 stories in 2006, including major placements in The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Associated Press, Travel + Leisure and USA Today, among others.

Outstanding Number of Meetings
At the organization's annual meeting today, association leaders
announced that Meet Minneapolis produced impressive results in 2006,
meeting and surpassing all of its meetings, convention and room night
goals. Major bookings in 2006 included:

-- National Catholic Educational Association, 18,000 attendees and 14,700 hotel room nights

-- Barbershop Harmony Society, 15,000 attendees and 21,000 hotel room
nights

-- American Legion, 12,000 attendees and 15,300 hotel room nights

-- The National Conference on Tobacco or Health, the first meeting booked
based on the city's smoke-free environment

New Name
2006 saw a name change for the former Greater Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association (GMCVA). After extensive destination, meeting and
tourism-related research, the name Meet Minneapolis was decided upon. The name was designed to leverage the attributes of Minneapolis and to welcome, greet and reflect the personality of the market. The change was announced July 31, 2006.

About Meet Minneapolis

Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based
association. It actively promotes the Minneapolis area as a venue for
conventions and meetings and markets the city as a desirable tourist
destination to bring a positive economic impact to the greater Minneapolis
area.


SOURCE Meet Minneapolis

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goodbye Twin Cities: Minneapolis-St. Paul is the new metro identity
For marketing purposes, Minneapolis and St. Paul have decided to adopt a common trade name.
By Allie Winter
March 21, 2007

Minneapolis and St. Paul are putting differences behind them to come together as part of a new repositioning plan, with a goal of changing perceptions of the Twin Cities and ditching that name.

As a marketing tactic, this new plan will pair the two cities, making them known as one: Minneapolis-St. Paul.

A couple years ago Meet Minneapolis, an official convention and visitors association, conducted research with a New York branding company to find out what visitors and locals think about the cities.

Karyn Gruenberg, Meet Minneapolis's vice president of marketing, said the perceptions from "out-of-towners" were skewed.

"People think there's nothing to do in Minneapolis-St. Paul," she said. "They think it's fly-over land."

The results showed residents perceive the two cities as one and sparked the plan to reposition the two cities.

And the cities' mayors are in full support. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman came to the Institute for Research in Marketing at the Carlson School of Management on Monday evening to share the research and initiative of this project.

"This is one of the most exciting metro areas in the country, but we don't get the word out well enough because we don't work together," Rybak said in an interview. "It's time to get over all that old-school rivalry between the cities."

Gruenberg said the purpose is to change how people see the cities and make them a desirable place to live, work and visit.

The repositioning will take place through a marketing-communications campaign with three objectives. First on the table is working on the residents, educating the locals about how the "outside" world sees Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The second objective is to provide those outside a 500-mile radius of the cities with information about why it's a great place to visit or relocate.

The third arm of the plan is to draw employees and keep them by developing a more diverse atmosphere in the corporate world.

Kathy Tunheim, board member at Meet Minneapolis and CEO of Tunheim Partners, Inc., knows this challenge is a tough one.

"We want to improve retention," she said. "It's hard to recruit people to come here because if they know anything about here, their perceptions are probably wrong."

The project is in the first stage of informing residents about common views of the cities.

Rybak said the repositioning will ultimately benefit the city, letting people know what's offered. He said he wants the cities to help one another bring people in and enjoy Minneapolis and St. Paul for what they can offer together.

"Minneapolis and St. Paul are not competing against each other - they're competing together," he said.

Well, from the talk over at Minnescraper, it looks as if April is going to be one hell of a month for Minneapolis! :applause: Sounds like two major designs will finally be revealed. One is the new Twins Stadium design, on April 5th.

The other is a much-anticipated tower, in "mid-April."

^^ Awesome!! Lookin forward to hearing the news.

And about ditching the "Twin Cities" name... I'm not really sure I fully grasp the concept. I think "Twin Cities" has plenty of name recognition and by no means implies a competition between the two like the article refers to. Changing it to Minneapolis-St. Paul isn't going to do much IMO. Not that you really have to do anything anyway... The Twin Cities has a LOT going for it.

^its more or less about the name recognition. A lot of cities can claim to be "twin cities" but there will only be one Minneapolis-St Paul. I go to school in New York and when I say Minneapolis or St Paul for that matter, they have to think about it for a few minutes before they realize Minnesota. When I say Twin Cities, they have no clue.

http://www.startribune.com/535/story/1103899.html

Downtown might soon sprout new office tower
Despite high construction costs, market conditions may bode well for office development in Minneapolis for the first time since 2001.

By Susan Feyder, Star Tribune
It's been six years since downtown Minneapolis got a new office tower, but the signs are growing that at least one could be announced sometime this year.

The vacancy rate for office space has dropped for the past two years, and the rate for top-tier Class A space stood at 13.6 percent at the end of 2006. Typically, developers begin considering adding office buildings when the vacancy rate gets down to 10 percent.

Space is even tighter in office buildings along Nicollet Mall, where the vacancy rate is just 6 percent, according to figures compiled by Bloomington-based United Properties. At year's end, the IDS Center's vacancy rate was 3 percent, while 50 S. 10th St. (formerly Retek on the Mall) was completely full.

"There's a high likelihood we'll see someone come out with plans for a new [downtown] office project within the year," said Brent Erickson, a senior associate at United who specializes in the downtown market. Erickson said the economy is expected to stay relatively healthy, keeping companies growing and in need of more space.

Even so, Erickson said a couple of things will have to change before a developer moves ahead with plans for a new office project. Rental rates have risen in the past couple of years but would need to increase more to get close to the cost of newly built space, creating the equilibrium that would encourage demand from tenants for new office space.

In addition, an anchor tenant for a new building would have to emerge. "You can figure that any new office building that goes into the downtown core will be at least 600,000 square feet," said Russ Nelson, president of the real estate brokerage firm of Nelson, Tietz & Hoye. "You would probably be looking for an anchor that would take about 300,000."

Likely developers

Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest, whose downtown office projects include the Ameriprise Financial Center and 225 S. 6th St., and Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies, whose office developments include Target Corporation's headquarters and 50 S. 10th, are leading contenders to develop the next large office building. Houston-based Hines Interests, a major downtown player that developed 50 S. 6th St., also could step forward.

Erickson and Nelson said potential sites for downtown's next big office building are on or close to Nicollet Mall. The most recent prospective site to surface is at 10th Street and Nicollet, where the lackluster housing market has stalled development of The Nicollet, a high-rise condo project. Opus recently signed on as a partner in the project that is now being viewed as a mixed-use development that could include office space.

Opus owns or controls a few other possible sites -- the old Powers department store site on 5th Street just off Nicollet, the former Sheraton-Ritz Hotel site at 4th Street and Nicollet and the former Minnegasco site at 7th Street and 3rd Avenue. Tim Murnane, Opus senior vice president, said the former Powers site's location along the light-rail transit route makes it a strong candidate for an office property.

Another potential site at 801 Marquette Av. S. is currently occupied by the TCF Bank Building. Ryan acquired the site in 2005 and last year hired an East Coast architectural firm to design a possible new office tower. Ryan also owns the adjacent 17-story TCF Tower but has said it doesn't plan to take that structure down.

Rick Collins, vice president of development, said Ryan has worked with the architects for several months, evaluated several designs and had brief discussions with potential anchor tenants. But the discussions have not been detailed, Collins said, and there are no final building plans yet.

"Due to a relative lack of anchor tenant activity in the market in the immediate future, Ryan does not expect any change in the current status of the property during 2007," he said.

Potential anchors

Target, already downtown's largest office tenant, is frequently mentioned as a possible occupant for newly built office space. But it's still unclear how the retailer's long-term plans to develop a large corporate campus in Brooklyn Park will affect its growth downtown. Other possible anchors include Ameriprise Financial Inc. and Capella Education Co.

A business deal such as a merger or acquisition could result in a less-obvious tenant suddenly needing more space, Erickson said. That already has happened outside downtown.

United is working with Coloplast, a Danish medical technology firm that decided to move its U.S. headquarters to Minneapolis after acquiring a division of Mentor Corp. It plans to expand the former Mentor facilities in north Minneapolis.

And Supervalu Inc. said recently it has taken on added space near its Eden Prairie headquarters, leasing the former headquarters of Best Buy Co. Inc. Supervalu's workforce is growing after its acquisition of Albertson's Inc. last year.

Collins and Murnane said rents to support new development currently would be significantly higher than current rental rates, even those at top-tier Class A buildings. That's because of the sharp rise in construction costs, which Murnane said are about 30 percent higher than the last round of downtown office development in the late 1990s.

An office development by Hines most likely would occur outside the downtown core in the area the firm plans to develop around the new Twins stadium, said Bob Pfefferle, Hines project manager.

Hines envisions a mixed-use development that also would include a hotel, and housing and retail space. Pfefferle said the area could be attractive for potential office users because of its future as a transportation hub through the planned convergence of the Northstar commuter rail and Hiawatha light-rail lines.

Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723 • sfeyder@startribune.com

©2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Best Buy lands at former downtown condo site

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - April 6, 2007
by John Vomhof Jr.

Best Buy Co. Inc. plans to enter the downtown Minneapolis market with a store above Whole Foods in a new retail development planned for Hennepin and Washington Avenues.

Don Milliken, principal of Seattle-based Milliken Development Group, said Friday that Best Buy has signed a letter of intent to lease space on the second floor of the 165,000-square-foot retail-only development. The retail center will replace the Downtown Jaguar dealership that is relocating to a new home along Interstate 394.

Officials at Richfield-based Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) said it is interested in finding a site for a store in downtown Minneapolis, but would not comment further. The retailer does operate stores in other downtown areas, such as New York. Generally, these stores are configurated on multi-level design.

Whole Foods will occupy 71,000 square feet on the street level. Whole Foods and Best Buy will combine to take up more than 70 percent of the retail space, Milliken said.

"The other retailers will be name brands consistent with the quality of Whole Foods and Best Buy, but will not be larger than Whole Foods and Best Buy," he said.

Milliken originally planned to build a 290-unit condominium building on the site. The Business Journal reported last month that he was looking at other alternatives for the site due to a weaker-than-anticipated downtown condo market.

By John Gilbert / Special to MLB.com


Officials hope to have the new Twins-Hennepin County ballpark ready for the 2010 season. (Twins)
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070412&content_id=1895070&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

MINNEAPOLIS -- Representatives from HOK Sport, the architectural firm designing the new Minnesota Twins-Hennepin County ballpark, unveiled their drawings of the new facility to Hennepin County board members just before noon CT Thursday, then took their show downstairs and answered questions at a public display that lasted all afternoon in the main entry way of the Hennepin County Government Center.

While the unveiling took place one day after an April snowstorm dropped seven inches of snow on southern Minnesota, and on a 40-degree day in Minneapolis that was decreed as "severe-weather warning day" to test the emergency sirens, the sun was shining, both literally and figuratively, when the long-awaited new stadium design took center stage.

In a state where residents routinely go outside to enjoy and coexist with the elements, Twins fans who also engage in snowmobiling, skiing and ice fishing have long scorned the move from Metropolitan Stadium to the temperature-controlled Metrodome. On Thursday, they were treated to a plan featuring an inviting open-air ballpark that three years from now will move the Twins out of the Metrodome, the team's home since 1982.

"Through all the planning discussions, we've had two objectives," said Twins president Jerry Bell. "One, it has to be fan friendly, because ultimately that's how we're going to be judged. And two, it has to be a Minnesota ballpark, and we're very pleased with everything we've seen so far."

There won't be a roof -- fixed or retractable -- on the new Minnesota Twins ballpark, but there will be enough heat under the real-grass field to melt any unseasonable snow, and a canopy over the top deck. Plus, heated viewing areas will welcome the less-hardy fans who show up on chilly game days. Those are just some of the features of the cozy little 40,000-seat park displayed Thursday by the Twins and the ballpark's architects.

"The field will be heated, so you won't have to go to some other city to play baseball," said Earl Santee, senior principal of HOK Sport, alluding to this week's shift of the snowed-under Cleveland Indians to move games to Milwaukee's retractable-roof stadium. The plan is to have the new stadium finished in time to open the season in 2010, and part of making that happen is HOK's partnering with HGA, a Minnesota architectural and engineering company.

"There are 81 game days," said Bill Blanski, vice president of HGA, "but there are also 284 other days when we want this to be a wonderful place to be. It can be the rebirth of the whole neighborhood."

Ken Sorensen, vice president of the W.A. Mortenson architectural group from Minneapolis, stressed the community involvement with every step of the construction.

"The community will be involved with the construction, and we're making sure minorities and females are involved with the business end and the workforce. We plan to have Bid Package 1 on the street for us to pick contractors, and we'd like to be able to award a contract by the end of April.

"That would allow us to be on-site by early May, so we could start site clearing, fencing, asphalt removal, scraping off two feet of topsoil, and utility relocation, which will continue throughout the summer," Sorensen added. "Then we could be in position to start building in August. Part of the infrastructure we're responsible for is the pedestrian bridges to downtown, and work on them will start in September or October, concurrent with construction."

Santee said that among the challenges is the approved site, in downtown Minneapolis, which encompasses only eight acres -- "the smallest site we've had among the 60 ballparks we've designed," he said.

"That's been our challenge, but I would say it's a ballpark for the ages -- today and in the future. It will sustain itself, from an energy standpoint, and we didn't compromise on one thing.

"We're part of downtown. We're on the west side, but we're part of downtown. Fans will be able to come to ballgames by bus, on foot, by bike, skyway, car, light rail or commuter rail. There will be [pedestrian] bridges from sixth, seventh and fifth street, and there are 20,000 parking spaces within a five-block area. The Hiawatha Line [light rail] terminates at the ballpark, and if you get off the train and walk 20 steps, you're in the ballpark."

The 40,000-seat stadium will cover one million square feet, and when fans enter the stadium, from the pedestrian bridges or the light-rail transit line, they will be on a concourse 40 feet wide -- twice as wide as the current concourse at the Metrodome. That concourse will run a full 360 degrees around the entire ballpark, offering a view of the field all the way around. The top level, called the Terrace Level, will be shielded by a modernistic, curved canopy, which will provide shelter from rain and wind. Down one level is the Suite Level, then the Club Level, and finally the Lower Level, which will have 20,000 seats -- fully half of the capacity. A steep set of bleachers will be in left field, with more seats around the outfield to right.

"It's also about nature," Santee said. "The base of the structure from left to right field will be Minnesota limestone ... and there will be Minnesota fir trees beyond the outfield. Fans will be able to see the sun, also. Fans will be able to walk to the concourse to go to the concession stands, and they could walk to heated lounge areas, and choose whether they would rather watch the game from indoors or out.

"There will be a kids area, a family area. We want to give the fans no reason not to come. The field itself is at street level. The video board above left field will be one of the largest screens in any stadium."

Another screen will be in right field, which also will have the best view of the city's skyline. Put in further perspective, if Justin Morneau hit a long drive over the right-field wall and it hooked foul but carried over the genesis of westbound Interstate-394, it might hit Target Center, where the NBA's Timberwolves play. Without a roof, such a fantasy is possible.

And being open-air also will make it possible for fans to thumb their noses when they hear the sirens being tested on Minnesota's annual "severe-weather warning day."



____________________________________


This stadium is crazy cool... I can't wait. Renderings of it if you click the link.

Hopefully this turns this side of downtown in to something a little more lively.

The designs have been released for the Metrodome/Downtown East Redevelopment plan.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/siteplan.jpg


There's a slide show of more images here:
http://www.startribune.com/10136/gallery/1131536.html

Area by Metrodome would have whole new look
From inside the Vikings' proposed new stadium -- a $1 billion climate-controlled facility to be built on the site of the Metrodome -- fans will be able to look beyond the west end zone and see downtown Minneapolis.

By Paul Levy, Star Tribune

Last update: April 19, 2007 – 2:03 PM


From inside the Vikings' proposed new stadium -- a $1 billion climate-controlled facility to be built on the site of the Metrodome -- fans will be able to look beyond the west end zone and see downtown Minneapolis.

But it's not the downtown neighborhood we know.

The light-rail station outside the Metrodome will have been transformed into a Winter Garden, a dramatic transportation hub lined with trees, according to an urban planning firm that unveiled this afternoon its vision for eastern downtown and the possible future home of the Vikings.

Many of the parking lots along or near Chicago, Park and Portland Av. will be gone, giving way to office buildings, retail shops and restaurants. Where an annex to the Star Tribune's main headquarters now stands, there will be a park. For all the purple inside the stadium, there may be just as much green outside.

The stadium plaza will be open, expansive and inviting, ready to be used for outdoor events.

And then there is the stadium itself.

When the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission hired the ROMA Group, a San Francisco-based urban planner, the commission insisted that a new Vikings stadium had to be climate controlled with a retractable roof. The commission hopes to host a Final Four, Super Bowl concerts and other big events at the new stadium.

ROMA is not a stadium architect like HOK, the Kansas City-based company that is designing the Twins new stadium and has consulted with the Vikings the past year. But ROMA's vision of a retractable roof goes beyond shielding fans from the elements.

When the stadium is open, the view through the west end zone into downtown reminds fans where they are -- in case the ever-present purple borders weren't reminder enough. But when the roof closes, the view to downtown is seen through a glass partition.

The big caveat: Who pays for all of this?

Without a financial partner and without much time to present a case for stadium approval form the Legislature this session, the Vikings have become a football team with an innovative new plan, but without the players to make it happen anytime soon.

Paul Levy • 612-673-4419 • plevy@startribune.com

This design is not at the proposal level yet though. It's an urban master plan for Downtown East, centered around the new Vikings stadium. I like a lot of the planning gestures and I hope this gets built.

You can see an animated flyby of the whole development here (or download by right-clicking):

http://media.startribune.com/smedia/2007/04/19/10/ROMA_Video__Fly_Through__of_New_Stadium_in_Redeveloped_Downt.source.prod_affiliate.2.wmv


A couple of additional images are below.

The west entrance shows the pair of "Viking" towers and the enclosure of the existing Metrodome LRT station in the lower left.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/351/vikings01kw6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


This shows the west end opened up toward the skyline.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2208/vikings02at8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Same view showing a Basketball configuration.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9024/vikings03rs9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Wow, there's a ton of exciting stuff happening around Minneapolis. FYI Cargill just released Q1 report with a 49% increase in profits! That's nearly unheard of for billion dollar companies. Supposedly it has been largely in part of the record demand for corn this year.

I love the new stadium for the Metrodome site.

Holy crap that new vikings stadium plan is so much better than the last one! i hope they make this one work for them. It would be cool if they could really fill in all those parking lots around the current dome...

Ya if that whole plan or a plan like that ever turned out as nice as those renderings I would be happy.. that side of downtown would be revitalized.

A construction update to the ultra-luxe IVY Hotel + Residences. Photo by MidwestProduct at Minnescraper.com:

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3647/ivy01hg9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The conversion of the art-deco Farmers & Mechanics Bank in downtown Minneapolis to a Westin Hotel (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1723) is nearly complete. It opens May 3rd.

Here are some pics of the restored and renovated lobby. The original lotus-blossom chandeliers are among the striking design features of the space.

Photos by the StarTribune (http://www.startribune.com/10001/gallery/1146973.html).


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1959/westin01wg4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/7176/westin02yr5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Looks like with this and the new W hotel the Twin Cities is getting ready for 2008 RNC.

The newest roller coaster at Valleyfair is nearing completion. It will be the park's 7th coaster.

The Renegade:
Track Length: 3,113 feet
Lift Height: 104 feet
Ride Duration: Approximately two minutes
Maximum Speed: 52 mph
Capacity: 850 riders per hour
Total Number of Turns: 19
Total Number of Crossovers: 10
Total Number of Supports: 505
Special Features: Never before experienced twisting first drop
Low to the ground high speed S-turn
High speed station fly-by

Photos taken by Mndude 111 at Minnescraper.com:

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/329/renegade01vb8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2416/renegade02tj9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Wicked!

Wow, no posts in 3 weeks! However, there's plenty going on anyway. Minnescraper.com grabs all the local forumers. :)

The new Minnesota Twins Ballpark is well underway with site work and relocation of utilities, though an "official" groundbreaking will happen in August.

The new downtown "Gold Medal Park" has opened to rave reviews. It's next door to the new Guthrie Theater and features a large mound with a spiral walkway to the top. The name refers to the iconic flour mill with its flashing neon sign on the other side of the Guthrie. The custom benches are internally lit at night with cobalt-blue lights that match the Guthrie's night lighting.

Photos by Michael Mingo and Sushisimo at Minnescraper:

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3317/goldmedal01ky7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/2716/guthriegold3sk8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Minnesota Planetarium is a go! There was a brief delay as the City and County Library systems worked out a merger. The 60-foot dome will be atop the new Central Library, also designed by Cesar Pelli. It will be at the corner of 3rd and Hennepin Avenues.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/9826/mnplanetarium01pv3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Brazilian churrascaria steakhouse, Fogo de Chao (http://www.fogodechao.com/history.htm), has opened on the corner of 7th and Hennepin. It's the company's 8th location in North America. (Photo by Michael Mingo at Minnescraper)

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/2046/fogodechao01la4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The East Bank Mills project has begun demolition. There still may be a few historic preservation issues to deal with. The project includes 4 towers from 15-30 stories in height.

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/2797/eastbankmills01qs8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/3734/eastbankmills02hx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This would be your condo view (photo by Heatonator at Minnescraper):

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7807/eastbankmillsview01gv9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

:banana:

Go Minneapolis

:banana:

does anyone know what's going on next to the foshay tower? They have the sidewalk all blocked off around there, is this for the new "supertall" that people have been talking about?

Nothing heard on the new possible tower. Probably working on the Foshay with it's reconstruction.

From today's StarTribune:

"The Minnesota Vikings have tentatively agreed to buy four city blocks for $45 million from Avista Capital Partners, owners of the Star Tribune, as part of a broader plan to build a football stadium and develop surrounding land in downtown Minneapolis, sources close to the sale confirmed Thursday."

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9162/vikingscityblocksnv2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

More Development News:

St Paul:
-----------------------------------

It isn't news that the St Paul Saints have been looking for a new stadium (or at least a renovated stadium) and the Minnesota Thunder have been looking for a stadium. There are rumors that both could end up in Lowertown each with their own stadium. Both stadiums would probably be around 10,000 seating capacity each.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/20070612_070613lowertownredevelopment_486.gif

Here is an aerial of the area...ignore all the lines over the image. As you can see there is a building with a white roof which would probably be torn down for one of the stadiums and the other would go on to one of the surface lots. A great deal of the surrounding land would be developed also with this as well to avoid a dead zone created by parking lots. There is a thriving community in Lowertown and a lot of the residents want only intelligent devlopement in the area to promote growth and enhance the neighborhood.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/stadium_site_04b_331.jpg

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Uptown
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There is currently a North Face store going in.

This: http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/northface_rendering1_146.jpg
is going to replace this: http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/northface2_171.jpg

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Performance space coming to Bryant Square Park

Photo by Jake Weyer
Bryant Square Park’s performance space will be similar to this one at Edgewater Park in Northeast Minneapolis.
By Jake Weyer
A community gathering space, a place for music, theater and other art performances - maybe even a wedding.

That's what CARAG community members hope a new $60,000 outdoor performance space will become at Bryant Square Park, 3101 Bryant Ave. S.

The Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG), the organization the neighborhood is named after, approved funding the project with NRP dollars in February. The idea came from a a park done by landscape architecture company Damon Farber Associates. CARAG has also been working with the Minneapolis Park Board on the project's development and construction is scheduled to begin this fall, pending Park Board Approval.

The performance area will include two staggered, curved rows of seating facing a circular, non-elevated stage. The project is to be built on a park hillside near the basketball court and is expected to accommodate between 50 and 80 people sitting on the seating and the grass.

CARAG community coordinator Scott Engel said the space is one of the neighborhood organization's more expensive projects, but it will give the park a signature meeting place.

“I think it's going to give it something special,” Engel said. “This is going to be an identifying feature. I think it's also going to be used.”

Engel said the space is not meant for amplified music, but more low-key music shows and a variety of other art performances.

Neighborhood resident and former CARAG board member Cindy Christian said she uses the park regularly with her children Sean, 5, and Anna, 6, and said a performance space would be “awesome.”

She said aside from performances, the space would offer a place to sit and read or watch basketball. The park currently doesn't have a central gathering place, she said.

Park Board member Alexander Zachary, who has been working with CARAG on the performance space development, said the only other similar structure in the city is at Edgewater Park in Northeast Minneapolis.

“This is something that is going to be unique for a while,” Zachary said.

The CARAG board also approved spending $20,000 from NRP on new park seating and picnic tables, which will be installed this spring.

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Lake Street Condos:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/2626LakeModel.jpg

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Mozaic

Xcel Energy started work in mid-March to move utility lines off the site of the planned Mozaic mixed-use development behind the Lagoon Cinema, according to Ackerberg Group President Mary Armstrong. She said that they will probably start construction in early or late summer. Stuart Ackerberg had said in January that he hoped to start construction this spring.

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American Apparel Inc. to open first Minnesota store in Uptown
By Chris Serres, Star Tribune

Last update: May 18, 2007 – 12:05 PM

American Apparel Inc., the casual clothing chain known for its tight-fitting T-shirts, racy advertisements and progressive employment practices, will open its first store in Minnesota in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood.
The Los Angeles-based retailer said Friday that it will open a 4,200-square store at W. Lake Street and Hennepin Ave. S. by early August.

The store is a rare victory for Uptown, which has seen a rising number of empty storefronts. In fact, American Apparel will open in a building currently occupied by clothing chain American Eagle Outfitters. That store, which had been open less than a year, will close its doors at the end of May.

American Apparel has garnered widespread publicity for its edgy clothing and progressive business practices. The privately held company, which has about 150 stores worldwide, pays wages averaging $12.50 an hour and provides healthcare coverage for all its workers. The company manufacturers all of its clothing at its factory in downtown Los Angeles.

Though a national chain, American Apparel tries to infuse each store with local flavor. In some markets, local artists have been brought in to paint murals in the stores; and local rock bands have performed live concerts.

Its in-store advertisements tend to be sexually charged. On its Web site, models pose in tight swimsuits, nylon leggings and thongs.

"We're not like the Gap, where every store looks exactly the same," said Miguel McKelvey, a project manager and location scout for American Apparel. "We like to respond to the environment we're in."

McKelvey said that American Apparel considered going into Calhoun Square, the shopping and entertainment complex across the street from its new location, but was concerned that it wouldn't stand out inside a building that large. "We felt we were able to stand out more with our own building," he said.

Thatcher Imboden, a resident of Uptown and board member of the Uptown Association, a business group, hopes that American Apparel will help bring back some of the "edginess" that Uptown had in the late 1980s and 1990s.

"There's been concern that Uptown is becoming more corporate in a very monolithic kind of way," Imboden said. "For Uptown to land a national retailer that's slightly more unique, and slightly more in line with the progressive ideals of this community, is a big deal. We hope Uptown will acquire other retailers of a similar type."

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Minneapolis (Outside Downtown)

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Phoenix on the River is making good progress...
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/img_150.jpeg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Phoenix042107A.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Phoenix060907C.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Phoenix060907B.jpg

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Fort Snelling: A new push against the ravages of time
Federal grants will help hold off further deterioration at Fort Snelling's Upper Post. But officials say to do more will take even more money.
By Jeannine Aquino, Star Tribune

It's a battle against weather and time as Hennepin County officials fight to save one of Minnesota's national historic landmarks.
The 28 buildings at Fort Snelling's 1880s-era Upper Post stand abandoned in various states of deterioration. In the worst case, the roof of the quartermaster shop has collapsed.

"The further it falls into disrepair, the less likely that it can be preserved at all," said Patrick Connoy, who oversees the county's interest in the Upper Post. "That would open up this historic treasure to other forms of redevelopment."

Recent federal grants, however, will help delay further deterioration. A $150,000 U.S. National Park Service Save America's Treasures grant will be used for emergency repairs, which include putting plywood on windows, fixing holes in the roof and sealing the buildings. The county's Sentencing to Service Homes crew -- low-level offenders who are taught carpentry skills -- stabilized three buildings last fall and will continue its work later this summer.

Sealing the buildings will buy up to 10 more years for the Upper Post, architect Chuck Liddy said.

The 141-acre Upper Post, near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, is west of the original portion, Historic Fort Snelling. The eastern portion was built in 1820 as a trading center and later used as a military base. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, new barracks, warehouses, headquarters and officers' quarters were added to create the core of the Upper Post. It was abandoned after World War II.

The site, owned by the state Department of Natural Resources, now stands like a relic of the past, a ghost town of bygone years. Cars on nearby Hwy. 55 rush by, the roar of an airplane fills the air and two men in a golf cart speed along discussing their game.

As time continues to stand still for the weathered fort, the DNR, in conjunction with Hennepin County, has commissioned studies to determine what can and should be done about the site.

Liddy, of Miller Dunwiddie Architecture, led the 1998 survey of the Upper Post buildings and its 2006 update. He found that all buildings needed work. Holes in the roofs and open windows allowed moisture into the buildings, causing extensive damage to the floors.

Although the grants bring the county a step closer to saving the buildings, funds fall short of the estimated $587,000 needed to stabilize all of the buildings. The Legislature denied the county's request for $500,000 for that effort.

"The idea is to hold things in place so we can then move forward with a bigger rehabilitation program," said Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who wants to restore the site. "It's clear to me that if you don't stabilize these buildings, stop the deterioration, that they're going to be destroyed."

Liddy, whose firm has done more than 500 historic projects throughout the years, said he's seen sites in worse condition than the Upper Post. As long as a building hasn't collapsed, he said, it can be saved.

Bonnie McDonald, executive director of Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, a statewide historic preservation nonprofit advocacy group, is excited about the rehabilitation efforts.

"There's an energy about finding a solution because the properties are in such an endangered state that the timing is crucial," she said.

The Upper Post has been on the advocacy group's annual top 10 endangered list of Minnesota historic places four times in the past 14 years and was on America's 11 most endangered historic places list last year.

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Gopher Stadium is underway. They are realigning a lot of the streets right now.
http://www.mndaily.com/daily/2007/04/03/stadiumB.jpg
http://www1.umn.edu/stadium/images_stadium/siteplan_lg.jpg

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Other University developments...


http://www.augsburg.edu/campaign/gateway/images/mainphoto_clean.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/1_339.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/3_117.jpg

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A “landmark” vision for the Central and Lowry corner fire site

By Dan Haugen
Northeast Beat Editor

A group of volunteer architects, designers and residents have completed a vision for the future of the southeast corner of Central and Lowry avenues.

The drawings, which were unveiled earlier this week, envision a four-story building anchored by a large retailer and topped by a restaurant or art gallery. The middle floors could be made into offices, condos or apartments.

“I thought it opened up a whole new prospect of what really could happen on this corner,” said Colleen Olson, an owner of one of the three properties destroyed in a May 2005 fire on the corner.

Another property owner, however, said he’s determined to redevelop on his own, and neighbors have raised concerns about the inclusion of a large retail store.

“I’m certainly not liking someone else putting something on my property,” said James LoPesio, owner of B Sharp Music. “My intent is to put our building back so we can have our business back there.”

B Sharp Music, Central Alterations and Tom’s Beauty Salon were all destroyed in a three-alarm fire on May 27, 2005, along with an office space and several apartments.

The property owners’ conflicting visions for the area have complicated redevelopment of the site, which still sits vacant nearly two years later.

The mayor’s office selected the corner last year as one of five sites in the city for its “Great City Design” program. The initiative connected neighborhood groups with volunteer designers and architects to help sketch out the community’s goals.

Architects from two firms, Weber Architects & Planners and Locus Architecture, were picked to lead the Northeast group, which formed in February. It included artists, activists, architects, designers and others.

The team decided early on that the designs should be finished in time to be displayed at Art-A-Whirl, which put them on a tighter schedule than other design teams.

After a couple informational and brainstorming meetings, the designers sat down to start sketching the concepts a couple weeks ago, said Wynne Yelland, a principal with Locus Architecture.

The drawings will be enlarged onto display boards and available for viewing at the site during Art-A-Whirl and the Northeast parade.

Semper Development, which builds Walgreen’s stores in the Twin Cities, was not at the meetings but did request a copy of the drawings after they were complete, Yelland said.

A representative of Semper Development did not respond to an e-mail request for interview this week, but property owners said the company has expressed interest in the fire parcels and several others adjacent to it on Central Avenue.

Because of the interest from Walgreen’s, Yelland said they tried to integrate a large retailer into the plan, but in a development that had an urban feel.

“In the end if you are going to have a large retailer that’s interested in this site, why don’t we make some guidelines that we can take to them, and work with them to put together a proposal that the neighborhoods like and they can live with,” he said.

The parking and drive-thru were conceptualized in the rear of the building, out of sight from the street, Yelland said. The sidewalk level features a simple design similar to other existing buildings in Northeast. The upper floors would be “more architecturally expressive of the new Northeast,” the architect said.

Red flags

Peter Vevang, a Windom Park resident who participated in the design process, said he sees “red flags” with the drawings’ incorporation of a retail store. He said he hopes the planning wasn’t a backdoor route to rezoning the property for a Walgreen’s.

“If they were committed to an urban vision that improves the character of Northeast, there’s nothing to argue against, and that is possible even with a Walgreen’s,” Vevang said.

Vevang worries if the city rushes to rezone the corner, the neighborhood would have no leverage if Walgreen’s decides to pursue building something that doesn’t fit its standards.

“If it’s just a generic, typical Walgreen’s, all of the residences around it are going to decline in value,” he said. “It’s not going to be an urban amenity.”

He sees some qualities he likes in the drawings, but it’s not as neighborhood-friendly as he’d like.

“It looks like a typical, generic Walgreen’s, with a few amenities stacked on top of it,” Vevang said.

Vevang is one of several Windom Park residents who last year mobilized, unsuccessfully, to oppose a Porky’s drive-thru on Central Avenue. He said there’s still lingering distrust between City Hall and some residents.

Council Member Paul Ostrow (Ward 1) said the process wasn’t an attempt to sneak zoning change past residents, and they don’t assume for a Walgreen’s or a drive-thru.

“I understand there’s been some concern generated by that possibility and concerns people might have about certain pieces of that,” Ostrow said. “Leaving Walgreen’s completely out of the equation, what I heard people talk about is they wanted a landmark development. They wanted something with significant density, either commercial or housing. Any larger development at that site, if it’s going to have a large retail space or significant density of housing, will likely require some zoning changes and approvals.”

The intersection is the busiest in Northeast, and second busiest in the state behind Hennepin and Lake in Uptown. Colleen Olson said she thinks the development has potential to spur improvement up and down Central Avenue. She and her husband Tom have signed an agreement to sell to Semper Development, but unless other do, too, the deal could fall through.

Olson said she believes nine of the 13 property owners have signed agreements with the company. It was her understanding that neither of the other fire site properties have agreed.

“I think in order to get something that’s going to benefit everybody and improve Northeast, we’re going to have to get all three property owners to work together,” Olson said.

Other ideas

“Well, that’s wonderful. They discussed the numbers with me, too, but that’s not going to be of any interest to me,” LoPesio said.

Instead, LoPesio, who owns 75 feet of storefront on the block, said he already has an architect with plans for a similar building to what stood there before the fire.

“My intention is to build my building there again,” he said. “I have good intentions of putting up a good-quality, proper building there, with two apartments up above, the same as I did have in the past. Unless somebody comes up with an unbelievable number to change my mind, and I haven’t seen anybody do that.”

LoPesio said the building will be paid for with money from insurance and a legal settlement he said he expects to win from the city for the fire department’s response the night of the fire.

“We’re in the midst of a lawsuit. What we’re waiting for is to get a good quality settlement on this without having to go to trial,” he said.

Deputy City Attorney Peter Ginder said Thursday that no complaint has been filed against the city by James LoPesio or B-Sharp Music.

Assistant Fire Chief John Fruetel said also he had no knowledge of a lawsuit from LoPesio. He said the department reviewed its response and found nothing inappropriate.

“We do always have an after-action review,” Fruetel said. “In that particular fire, what happened was there was a very small fire that started in the rear of the building that did not show itself.”

Firefighters were sent to the scene at about 2:30 a.m. for a report of a fire in a building on the corner. About 40 minutes later, a three-alarm fire had engulfed the building.

“Crews were there, drove around the building, did not see anything, … then were called back and obviously a lot more fire when they came back,” Fruetel said.

LoPesio said his attorneys, whom he would not name, have prepared a case and lined up witnesses, including TV station employees who were at the scene.

“They’re putting everything together for it, if they haven’t already got a motion,” he said.

“Whoever I talk to about this damn thing, it irritates me when somebody has some other ideas for my property,” he said. “To me, it’s like the city burned down our buildings, then tears them down, and then wants to do something else with our properties.”

The next test

The “Great City Design” process is nearly complete, at which point the plans will be turned over to neighborhood groups and others who are interested in pursuing the development.

Just getting started can be a challenge with large development projects, Ostrow said, so the design team‘s work is very helpful.

“I think having an ambitious and creative design to start the conversation is a very valuable tool,” Ostrow said. “Of course now it has to be tested against the broader community discussion and the financial realities.”

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Downtown Minneapolis

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The Ivy is nearly topped out.
http://www.pbase.com/mmingo/image/80608500/original.jpg

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Twins Ballpark
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/site_070614_129.jpg
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New riverfront park
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g260/mattlaible/IMG_4989a.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g260/mattlaible/IMG_4979a.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~sushisimo/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/xcelpark1.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g260/mattlaible/IMG_4965a.jpg
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new apartment complex

The Alatus Partners developer behind the Carlyle and Grant Park condominium projects is interested in building apartments that would wrap around part of the Loring Ramp at Nicollet Mall and LaSalle Avenue.

Bob Lux is the frontrunner in the bid to buy the city-owned ramp. The city has eight of its ramps for sale, and Senior Project Coordinator Emily Stern said staff are close to having sale terms in place for each ramp.

Lux said he is considering 100–150 units of housing between the existing structure and Grant Street.

Bob Copeland, a member of the Citizens for a Loring Park Land Use Committee, said masking the large ramp with housing would be a “brilliant plan.”

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/2_949.jpg

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HCMC Expansion

HCMC moves forward with $80M expansion plan
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - 11:31 AM CDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007 by Lauren Wilbert Staff Writer

Hennepin County Medical Center has received approval for a major renovation and expansion project to the downtown Minneapolis hospital, after a favorable Hennepin County Board vote on Tuesday.

The board approved allocation of $80 million in general obligation bond support for the first phase of HCMC's projects, which will include more inpatient units, outpatient care and overdue renovations to a "significant portion" of the facility, the hospital said in a statement Wednesday.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal initially reported that the expansion and renovations would cost between $40 million and $60 million.

In the first phase of the project, HCMC will rearrange and renovate areas of the hospital to expand its inpatient capacity by 58 beds, to add more private and semi-private rooms, and to concentrate inpatient medical and surgical wards into two buildings.

The hospital will replace the Family Medical Center in South Minneapolis, which has been seeing three times its intended capacity of 20,000 patients per year.

HCMC also plans to buy land in downtown Minneapolis for a new outpatient facility near the existing hospital campus.

Phase two of the capital project includes construction of the outpatient clinic, as well as an education facility, also for downtown.

"We are just completing a technology upgrade with the installation of the electronic health record, and now it's time to bring our physical facilities to state-of-the-art," said Mike Harristhal, vice president of public policy and strategy at HCMC.

HCMC's governing board, the Hennepin Healthcare System Inc., has endorsed these plans as part of its integrated strategic, financial and master-facility plan.

The hospital's most recent improvements include the expansion of its Acute Psychiatric Services unit in 2006, and the opening of an Emergency Express Care unit this year.

---------------------------------

MacPhail center for the arts is getting close to finished

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/MacPhail060907.jpg

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Minneapolis to sell impound lot to be developed

Minneapolis plans to sell impound lot to developer
By Susan Feyder, Star Tribune

Last update: June 08, 2007 – 8:36 PM

The city of Minneapolis is exploring redeveloping a large chunk of land on the west side of downtown that includes the impound lot, and it's seeking development proposals for the site.

Earlier this year the City Council approved a master plan for the so-called Bassett Creek Valley area south of Olson Hwy. and north of Interstate Hwy. 394. The city's master plan in general calls for redeveloping the mostly industrial property into a combination of housing and commercial space.

Now the city is trying to gauge developers' interest in 56 acres in the area. The impound lot accounts for 26 acres. An adjacent 30 acres is used for storage and concrete crushing by the city's public works department.

"We believe those are less-than-attractive uses," said Beth Grosen, senior project manager for the city's planning and economic development department.

"We think the area has a great deal of potential."

Ryan Companies, which funded the master plan, plans to submit a proposal, according to Rick Collins, vice president of development. Collins said specifics of that proposal have yet to be developed.

Representatives of other developers active in the Twin Cities, including United Properties, Opus Northwest and Hines Interests, could not be reached for comment Friday.

The city is interested in a mix of residential and commercial development, and a report by city planners also points out that the area could accommodate a corporate headquarters.

The report also mentions the site's good highway access and proximity to light-rail transit, including possible stations for extensions of the southwest corridor. The site also is close to the booming North Loop neighborhood, the future Twins stadium and several points of interest, including the Walker Art Museum.

Grosen said redevelopment probably wouldn't begin for at least a few years. The city hasn't put a price on the land but expects it to sell at a market rate that would fund relocation of the impound lot, she said. The city wants to hold the property until it can get state or federal grants to clean up soil and groundwater contamination.

Developers have until July to submit preliminary proposals, and the City Council hopes to choose one in November. The developer would have exclusive rights to buy the property for up to five years, based on the progress it makes in putting together a detailed development plan. The deal would be negotiated when the developer is ready to proceed with a project.

The city wants to sell both the impound lot and the other parcel to one buyer. Under terms of the purchase agreement, the developer would have to give two years' notice to the city to vacate the impound lot. Grosen said a study of alternative sites for the impound lot has already begun.

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The Portland still really hasn't had much activity on site but I bet this thing will get underway soon..there is currently a giant hole in the ground on the site
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/PortlandModel.jpg

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Zenith...the hotel portion of the project is supposed to break ground soon and be completed by the RNC 2008 convention while the condo's will start shortly after the hotel gets underway. The hotel is an aloft.

Aloft Brings a New Twist in Travel to Minneapolis

aloft Minneapolis Scheduled to Break Ground in 2007

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. & MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--aloha! Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft hotels, announced today it has signed a deal with 900 Washington Hotel, LLC, an affiliate of Sherman Associates, Inc., to develop an aloft hotel in Minneapolis, MN.

The 155-room aloft Minneapolis, located along Washington Avenue South in the trendy Mill District of downtown, will be aloft hotel’s first property in Minnesota. The property is situated along the city’s beautiful riverbluffs, just steps away some of the city’s main attractions, including the Guthrie Theater, Gold Medal Park, the Metrodome and the Mill City Museum. As a main component of Sherman Associates, Inc. redevelopment of the entire block, the hotel will share an avant-garde interior landscape plaza with the stylish new Zenith condominiums project currently under development.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Zenith042107B.jpg

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The Bridgewater is pretty much done...they just have a little left to finish
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Bridgewater060907.jpg

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Thats about all i can think of...there is a bit more that i left out but I hit up most of the highlights of recent development news.

So I take it the rumored supertall never panned out ?

^The supertall has never been officially proposed and is still rumored. Even the rumor said it wouldn't start construction for another 2-3 years.

Actually most of the stuff from page 4 is still going ahead. Although a handful of projects probably won't make it as is such as Two Twenty Two which is now going to be a two story building featuring a whole foods and a best buy. Most of the projects including The Eclipse, Sexton II, The Nicollet, Eitel Hospital Site (the condo tower portion, not apartments), East Bank Mills, 1010 Park, The Pacific, The Wave, Meter Farm Development, 401 Hotel and Residence, and a few select others are simply waiting for the market to rebound. I would imagine that out of the list above, The Eclipse, Sexton II, The Nicollet, and 1010 Park will be built but it might take several years (1-5 more years). The other ones such as the Eitel Hospital condo tower wasn't even scheduled to begin construction let alone take sales orders for another few years so that one still has a good shot also. The 401 Hotel and Residence, The Pacific, The Wave, and the Meter Farm Development don't really have a chance in my opinion. East Bank Mills is a phased project and will be built because it is intended to take a while to be completed.

whoa massive update! thanks vgmLiquid

^The supertall has never been officially proposed and is still rumored. Even the rumor said it wouldn't start construction for another 2-3 years.

Actually most of the stuff from page 4 is still going ahead. Although a handful of projects probably won't make it as is such as Two Twenty Two which is now going to be a two story building featuring a whole foods and a best buy. Most of the projects including The Eclipse, Sexton II, The Nicollet, Eitel Hospital Site (the condo tower portion, not apartments), East Bank Mills, 1010 Park, The Pacific, The Wave, Meter Farm Development, 401 Hotel and Residence, and a few select others are simply waiting for the market to rebound. I would imagine that out of the list above, The Eclipse, Sexton II, The Nicollet, and 1010 Park will be built but it might take several years (1-5 more years). The other ones such as the Eitel Hospital condo tower wasn't even scheduled to begin construction let alone take sales orders for another few years so that one still has a good shot also. The 401 Hotel and Residence, The Pacific, The Wave, and the Meter Farm Development don't really have a chance in my opinion. East Bank Mills is a phased project and will be built because it is intended to take a while to be completed.

Thanks.

That picture at the new Riverfront Park with the 2 guys standing with the woman who appears to be pointing at the new 1964 Ford Galaxie 500.

thats awesome that the Vikings are building downtown.

I'm going to be in Minneapolis this weekend, any thoughts on what I should check out?

Here are a few more updates:

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Bridges of St Paul making a comeback. This project was canceled and rejected pretty much but now they are going to be making a run at it again...

'Bridges' advocate tweaks his plan
The latest proposal for the Bridges of St. Paul development doesn't cut height of most buildings, a key sticking point.
Last update: June 19, 2007 – 9:38 PM
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1256555.html

Developer Jerry Trooien crossed a long-awaited bridge Tuesday when he resubmitted his plan to build an urban village along the Mississippi River with a few changes from his original plan.

Trooien agreed to withdraw his rezoning request in November after concerns from neighborhood groups about the scale of the $1.5 billion project, known as the Bridges of St. Paul, which would include condos and a Westin hotel.

The new proposal, submitted to the city's Department of Planning and Economic Development, includes height changes to one of the proposed high-rise condo buildings.

But most of the adjustments from the original plan provide more access to the river for pedestrians and cyclists without changing the heights of most of the buildings, the main point of controversy for some groups.

There also were some concerns about the city changing the zoning standards on the land plot on the city's West Side with the possibility that the project would not advance.

Trooien's next zoning request, however, would only apply if the project was approved. City officials have voiced opposition to Trooien's original request for $125 million in tax-increment financing to support the project. He said he'll ask for a similar amount from the city, but he said the project will add $1 billion to the city's tax base and create nearly 4,000 jobs.

"This time, we're going all the way," Trooien said.

Bob Hume, spokesman for Mayor Chris Coleman, said the mayor wanted to review the proposal before commenting on it.

"We just received it," he said. "We'll give it a thorough review."

MYRON P. MEDCALF

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Vikings ready to spend millions on money-losing parking ramp next to Dome

The Minnesota Vikings' owners are ready to pay up to $14.5 million for an underground parking ramp next to the Metrodome that has lost millions and was ignored by developers for years. But it is seen by Vikings owner Zygi Wilf as "integral" to building a new stadium and redeveloping downtown's east side.

By Paul Levy, Star Tribune

The Minnesota Vikings' owners are ready to pay up to $14.5 million for an underground parking ramp next to the Metrodome that has lost millions and was ignored by developers for years. But it is seen by Vikings owner Zygi Wilf as "integral" to building a new stadium and redeveloping downtown's east side.

According a tentative agreement approved Monday by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which owns the Metrodome, local developer Bob Lux will sell the 450-stall ramp to the Vikings, who have an option through the end of the 2009 Legislative session or any special sessions thereafter in which to close on the deal.

"We're working towards an agreement," said Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president of stadium development and public affairs. "It's not quite there yet. But this is an important piece for our overall plans."

The timing of the option is crucial for the Vikings, who will seek legislative approval next year for their proposed $954 million, retractable-roof stadium to be built where the Metrodome now stands. Even if the Vikings fail at the Capitol next year, the team hopes to build enough momentum for approval in 2009 -- which enables the Metrodome to be razed and construction to begin after the Twins complete their final season and move into their new open-air ballpark in 2010.

The Vikings last week reached a tentative agreement to buy four city blocks near the Metrodome from the Star Tribune for $45 million, according to sources. Two weeks ago, the team bought three other parking lots near the Metrodome for a total of $5 million.

The underground ramp cost the city of Minneapolis $17.3 million to build, and then, according to sources, lost as much as $15 million while the city owned it.

Wilf, who has contacted several owners of property near the Metrodome, asked in a March 5 letter to City Council President Barbara Johnson that the underground ramp by the Metrodome light-rail station be removed from public auction.

Wilf asked that the city notify the 13 bidders that the land was "potentially to be included in a broader development plan." Wilf said he hoped to turn the station into a Winter Garden, "a dramatic indoor station that would be the heart and soul" of his development plan for the east side of downtown.

Privately, the Vikings worried about the complications they watched from afar as the Twins and city officials struggled with a third party during negotiations for land for the Twins' new ballpark.

"We don't want a problem with other people [owning the land]," Bill Lester, executive director of the sports facilities commission, said Monday.

But Johnson responded that the city asked for bidders and "people responded." One was Lux, who bought a ramp that few cared about three years ago.

It was built to be able to support a six-story office building on the northwest corner of the block. But that never materialized. Now the property supports the Vikings' stadium dreams.

The Vikings could, according to terms of the tentative agreement, pay as little as $12.5 million for the ramp if the deal is complete by Sept. 1. The Sports Facilities Commission, the team's public partner in a quest for a new stadium, agreed to share costs of any purchase options. The city's Transportation and Public Works committee will hold a public hearing July 10 to review the sale.

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Vikings close deal on buying 4 blocks from Star Tribune

By Paul Levy, Star Tribune

Last update: June 20, 2007 – 4:23 PM

The Minnesota Vikings have bought four city blocks near the Metrodome from Avista Capital Partners, new owners of the Star Tribune, Wednesday as part of a broader plan to build a football stadium and develop surrounding land in downtown Minneapolis.

"It's official," OhSang Kwon, one of the owners of Avista owners, said this afternoon.

Sources with knowledge of the transaction say the Vikings paid $45 million for the land.

"It's significant because it demonstrates a real commitment to both the Metrodome site and downtown east," said Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, owner of the Metrodome and the Vikings' public partner in the team's pursuit of a proposed $954 million stadium with retractable roof.

"The result will be a plus for us as we talk about a multipurpose stadium where the Vikings would also play," said Roy Terwilliger, chairman of the commission. "The whole area will be under development. I would assume that the Vikings will pick up other properties, that other property owners will fall in line with it."

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, a New Jersey developer, has talked to more than two dozen owners of property in the area surrounding the Metrodome. But the Star Tribune property is seen as crucial for plans to revitalize the east section of downtown.

One of those blocks - the block at 3rd Street and Portland Avenue - has been designated as a future park, according to plans by the ROMA Group, the San Francisco-based urban planner hired by the commission with the Vikings' blessings.

And while Boris Dramov, who revealed ROMA's plans for the area in April, said the Star Tribune's main building at 425 Portland was one of two area buildings deemed untouchable (the other being the Armory), the fate of the Star Tribune's main building also remains cloudy.

As part of the transaction, the Vikings are believed to have a right of first refusal to later buy the newspaper's longtime main office building, sources with knowledge of the transaction said, though that block is not included in the sale.

In an interview March 14, Kwon, one of the Avista owners, did not rule out one day selling the 425 Portland block. But Kwon said it would not likely happen anytime soon. Kwon said that the stress involved with continuing to produce a daily newspaper and, at the same time, relocating a newsroom already reduced in size by recent employee buyouts was not something Avista felt the Star Tribune could bear at this time.

"We can't contemplate selling all five blocks at once," Kwon said in March. "Were would we [the newsroom] go if he [Wilf] said, 'Hand over the keys and be out?'"

The sale gives the Vikings four blocks that mainly have been used by the newspaper for surface parking. But the area also includes another large office building and an older warehouse facility.

Those four blocks have been seen as critical to Wilf's plans to build a stadium on the site of the nearby Metrodome, the team's home since the early 1980s.

The Vikings began negotiations for the Star Tribune property last October, or possibly earlier, when the Star Tribune was owned by the McClatchy Co. Kwon said in March that he was unsure whether McClatchy, strapped for cash after buying the Knight Ridder newspaper chain for $4 billion, contacted the Vikings in October, or whether Wilf contacted McClatchy.

Other area landowners have been waiting anxiously for the Vikings-Star Tribune land deal to be finalized.

"They want to concentrate on the immediate neighborhood," said Basant Kharbanda, who owns property near the Metrodome and was contacted by Wilf's representatives months ago.

Asked whether the Star Tribune sale could have a domino effect among property owners, Kharbanda said he wasn't sure.

"But this was a big step," Kharbanda said.

A month ago, Wilf disclosed he paid $5 million to buy three other parking lots near the Metrodome, whichtogether comprise less than three city blocks.

Wilf is currently negotiating to buy an underground parking ramp at the light-rail station by the Metrodome. The ramp is owned by the city and put up for auction last fall. The leading bidder, developer Bob Lux, is negotiating with Wilf. According to reports form the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, Wilf is willing to pay up to $14.5 million for the 450-stall ramp, which cost the city $17.3 million to build, but has lost nearly $15 million in recent years.

Paul Levy

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[B]BEST UPDATE OF THIS POST

Dock Street (part of twinsville development). The goal of Dock Street is to create a historic area filled with bars and restaurants. The unique thing about the area is it currently is filled with highway viaducts that will be transformed into city streets creating a "multi-level" street system around the new twins stadium. On one level you will have the dock street and historic feel which will run from the twins stadium all the way to Hennepin Avenue. The buildings and new development would have two street fronts on some of the buildings, one street front facing Dock Street at a "lower level" while the other street front would face the highway viaducts from my understanding. There is going to be a unique set of stairs between two of the viaducts that are close to each other and probably a plaza located there as well to invite pedestrians to dock street from the viaduct level as well as the other way around. Traffic will be slowed to city speeds as well.

The white areas north of dock street are surface parking lots presently to give a perspective.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/dockstreet01_285.jpg

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Washington Avenue masterplan:
http://www.aia-mn.org/chapters/pdf/Wash%20Blvd%20Pres%2006-12-07.pdf
This is a 67 page .pdf file filled mainly with pictures and a few highlighted points periodically. It is really quite interesting and I'd recommend looking through it. Most of it is very reasonable because it doesn't require massive developments in the 50 story range but buildings in the 4-10 story range to infill some of the empty areas to bring more life back into Washington Avenue because the goal is to turn it into a Boulevard filled with life, pedestrian friendly, and of course streetcars.

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thats the rest of the updates i' have for right now.

any info on MOA Phase II?

any info on MOA Phase II?

The $1.8 billion Phase 2 will include a 4-level, 5.6 million square-foot expansion on 42 acres connected to the current MOA, and will also link to the existing IKEA. The developers estimate that the current 40 million visits per year will expand to 60 million when Phase 2 opens. (40 percent of those visitors come from a distance greater than 150 miles.)

All of the plans and diagrams can be found here on the City of Bloomington's website. (http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhall/dept/commdev/planning/econdev/moa_ph2/moa_ph2.htm#plans)

The project is approved and designs are well underway by KKE Architects of Minneapolis. A 300,000 sq. ft. Bass Pro Shop, Kimpton Hotel and a 6,000-seat performing arts center are in the mix, along with 450+ new stores added to the current 520. Here are some earlier concept drawings:

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/7637/moaphase204ip3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/2851/moaphase207wy9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4971/moaphase2level03bw4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4559/moaphase202eg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3916/moaphase201ni9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The $1.8 billion Phase 2 will include a 4-level, 5.6 million square-foot expansion on 42 acres connected to the current MOA, and will also link to the existing IKEA. The developers estimate that the current 40 million visits per year will expand to 60 million when Phase 2 opens. (40 percent of those visitors come from a distance greater than 150 miles.)

All of the plans and diagrams can be found here on the City of Bloomington's website. (http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhall/dept/commdev/planning/econdev/moa_ph2/moa_ph2.htm#plans)

The project is approved and designs are well underway by KKE Architects of Minneapolis. A 300,000 sq. ft. Bass Pro Shop, Kimpton Hotel and a 6,000-seat performing arts center are in the mix, along with 450+ new stores added to the current 520. Here are some earlier concept drawings:

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4971/moaphase2level03bw4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)




I've seen the other renderings but never this one. I really wonder what the Future Development thing on the left is going to be. If I remember correctly it is currently a bus loading/unloading area. There is a vacant lot directly to the east of the mall which I always assumed would be Phase III (since it was originally planned to have 3 phases) however it is in direct path with a runway fly area from the MSP Airport and would probably be 2 stories at the very tallest which might make an above ground enclosed connection between the two areas difficult. Maybe Phase III is that "Future Development" part then...just a really small Phase III in comparison to the potential site to the east.

I've seen the other renderings but never this one. I really wonder what the Future Development thing on the left is going to be...

From the MOA's website (http://mallofamericaphase2.com/), they say that the Kimpton Hotel will be on the south side of the existing mall (which is the left side of the plan shown), so I'm guessing that this "future development" may already be spoken for.

great updates


The photo of the Ivy's progress was kind of weak though..

MOA II is going to seal the fate of Minneapolis' retail for some time to come. Very disheartening.

MOA II is going to seal the fate of Minneapolis' retail for some time to come. Very disheartening.

Actually that is what one would think, but it won't be the end result. That is why I favor MOA Phase II. Realistically, if you think about it, its going to do the most damage to Southdale and not Downtown. Mall of America dealt all the damage it ever will to Downtown when it was first built and even now downtown retail really isn't as bad as people claim it to be. I have several reasons for this fact.

Mall of America brings in 40 million people per year and will add an additional 20 million per year through the expansion. The only new anchor going in will be an outdoor sports/hunting/boating store. If one examines the plans also, there are several hotels in the project as well. This is clearly an attempt to draw more tourists. The one new anchor isn't going to draw as well as one might think on a local level because a Dick's sporting goods store would be closer to most people in the metro and simply more efficient.

Downtown Minneapolis continues to increase in population. Traditionally, retail follows where high concentrations of people are located. Take the increasing number of residents and the existing workforce that commute into downtown (which will also increase every time a new office tower is constructed...i'm looking at you 1,000 footer), there is a large base to support a healthy retail scene.

The point I'm trying to get at is its not going to affect Downtown Minneapolis really at all. It will affect Southdale for sure but thats simple proximity. If you look at national trends, people in Minnesota tend to spend more money on stuff which tends to lead to more available retail outlets. This might be partially due to high wages with relatively low living expenses compared to other places (resulting in more disposable income to spend on merchandise).

If anything it will help downtown Minneapolis. 20 million more people per year is a lot. The average person in the metro probably isn't going to go to the mall anymore than they do presently even with more stores in it (this is logical because you only make X number of dollars a year and allocate X dollars to the mall which means X can't be spent more than it did before). This means that the majority of the new 20 million will be from out of town. Mall of America states that 40% of their visitors come from more than 150 miles away and that is using the existing 40 million visitors annually (16 million from out of town). That 16 million tourists will basically increase to 30-36 million tourists and account for over half of visitors. This is clearly evident with placing hotels directly as part of the complex that the mall is attempting to draw on more tourists. I say this will benefit Minneapolis because a great number of those 30-36 million tourists need a bed to sleep in and will probably end up downtown. Odds are if they are downtown they are gonna check the place out a little bit and they will probably wander down Nicollet and start shopping there too.

vgmliquid,

You have successfully changed my mind on this project. My stomach dropped as soon as I realized this expansion was/is most likely going forward, and for the same reasons as, I'm sure, Sirus' did.

Most local people I know refuse to go to the MOA, which is a good thing IMO. Unfortunately, a lot of them will not go downtown to shop, either. To them, both are intimidating and/or annoying to shop. I am a HUGE advocate to my friends for downtown shopping, and will continue to support my neighborhood and downtown before I go to ANY mall.

It makes a lot of sense to think that the MOA expansion will bring even more people from outside the state and country...thus a lot of them will stay downtown, thus spending their money there as well. What I can see for the rest is that the locals will continue shopping wherever they shop, and probably even less of them at the MOA for reasons of them wanting to avoid the tourists/massive parking lots/confusing layout. This means that people that barely put up with the MOA before but won't after the expansion will shop elsewhere...like Southdale. So this might not all be as bad as it may seem. I believe that the MOA, downtown, AND the local, smaller malls will all be benefitted.

I REALLY hope that's how things pan out, anyway. We can only wait and see.

^What would help out retail downtown the most NOW would be if the local media stopped portraying the city as a dangerous place and if the condo market turned around (although there are several hundred rental units proposed now which will more than likely get built). Realistically it really isn't that dangerous (in the pure numbers department for a metro our size) but every time something happens the local media starts saying the total murders or armed robberies or whatever for the year along with it and it intimidates people. It is stunning to think the Star Tribune, located downtown, contributes to this and even has complained about empty parking lots not being utilized when they themselves owned 4 blocks next to the Metrodome that were pretty much empty. I hate thinking that a sports team now owns them...by Wilf made his money in real estate development so we should see some quality stuff be put over there now.

The other thing our metro needs to do as a whole is advertise. The whole Explore Minnesota campaign really doesn't help the metro (I think that is Pawlenty propaganda to help the state so we look good in rankings but not help the metro...I'm kidding on this, but one has to wonder as he seems to ONLY care about rural areas..). I heard a radio commercial for Sioux Falls trying to advertise as a great, inexpensive place to do business and live. The commercial's catch phrase was "Minnesota Nice without the Minnesota Price." I was stunned. Not because of the catch phrase but because a city with a metro population smaller than 250,000 is able to advertise in major market yet we are unable to do so. There have been Denver advertisements and Milwaukee advertisements around lately too although those are trying to get vacationers and tourists, not actual residents.

One example of what I mean by we need to advertise...all four of our pro sports teams are named after Minnesota. Even our minor league soccer team is named after the state. Our only team named after a city is the St Paul Saints (minor league baseball for those unaware). The average American might not realize when watching a sports game where the team is located in the state. As far as they are concerned its just in Minnesota. This helps out the state's reputation but not the city's reputation. Sometimes I wish we could merge Minneapolis and St Paul and go to a borough system with one being Minneapolis and the other being St Paul and just call the city as a whole Minneapolis (the more well known of the two). Then teams could actually be named after the city and be politically correct about it.

I don't think there will be a downturn in Minneapolis' current retail scene. I just think it will remain stagnant. I guess what I was trying to get at is there are a lot of stores that have maybe one location per major metro market and usually that store will be in the heart of downtown or at least in the main city's major retail district. Take a Virgin Megastore for example, or a lot of your high-end boutique stores like the Diesel, Prada and Louis Vuitton types. What motivation would they have for opening a downtown Minneapolis store over a MOA store?

I don't want Minneapolis retail to be second to a massive mall.

I know where you are coming from on that but keep in mind this: a great number of high-end boutiques don't do malls. Top that with the fact that the goal of twinsville and the vikings development is to bring life back into two ends of town that are kind of bleak. In 5 years we will be having a different conversation on where all the retail is going to go. MOA Phase II will only bring more attention to the area as a whole and put us back in the spotlight on a national stage..include that with the national attention we are getting as an architecture mecca as well as having a thriving arts scene plus the hosting of major events (like the RNC)...that kind of stuff really helps out a lot.

When people live downtown retail follows. We are about to add a ton of people Downtown in the next 5 years with both the twins and vikings stadium. The twinsville development will be able to sell even if the condo market is in a slump because it fills a niche we don't have in the market. We really don't have any large quantity of condos (or any quantity for that matter) that are within walking distance of two professional sports team that combine for 122 games (81 and 41), light rail distance to where the vikings are for an additional 10 games plus other sporting events, but the proximity to night life on that end of town also is very easy to access. The sports teams alone account for 1/3 of the year (although there are a handful of overlaps). Like when the population downtown will be increasing in the multiple thousands over the next 5-10 years that will attract retail...then you throw in the existing commuters which are in the hundreds of thousands not including new commuters that will come out of future office space (which we are very close to getting something announced)...that is just to many people to pass up for it to not have a successful retail scene. Sure it is possible it won't happen, but its just so many people in such a small area relatively speaking that it seems impossible for retail groups to pass it up in the near future. There have been a few groups that have left but I'm sure others of similar quality will replace them in the next 5-10 years.

I just don't see retail in downtown getting any worse than it is now...and to be honost...its really not that bad right now. There is still enough there to make it worth while to shop at and make it a quality experience as well. Sure, its not as hot as it was 10 years ago or so when we had like 500+ stores along Nicollet in a 12 block stretch making it arguably the densest shopping strip in any major city in north america...but with people moving back into downtown it will get back to that point eventually. We are already making improvements with Best Buy, Whole Foods, and a few other big name stores wanting to get downtown. You can't take one giant step to get back, its gotta be a little here and a little there...but over 5-10 years that adds up to a lot.

I kind of feel obligated to make an update on this page because there are no updates with pictures yet...

So here are a few....

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Wireless
This one really isn't new...in fact it is rather old but nobody has posted it before.
There are wireless internet hot spots all over Minneapolis in an effort to give the entire city internet access. They are plainly visible and not exactly massive either which helps disguise them into their surroundings at the same time.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Wifirouter.jpg

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1,000 Footer Rumors

From the Downtown Journal:
Skylab Imaging has closed in the TCF Tower after operating there for about 20 years, the owner said.

Skylab Owner Randy Lynch said that when Ryan Cos. bought the building, the firm raised rent prices and he said the building owner didn’t want to sign another lease.

Lynch said opening a new store Downtown doesn’t seem feasible.

“With a photo lab ... you move even a block away and you’re in trouble,” he said, noting competition from large retailers and the changes that digital photography have brought to photo development.

.......(my comments)......
While this is sad a photo lab is going to be gone, it might be an indication that Ryan is A) Testing tenants staying power for slightly higher rates...sort of the way a new building would have or B) pushing out certain tenants to justify tearing down the TCF tower rather than upgrading it in order to build the new tower...of course it could also simply mean they are trying to raise money to renovate some of the building. This last scenario seems most logical though.

Even if the last scenario is the case, it still might mean that Ryan is upgrading the existing TCF Tower so its interior and amenities can complement the new tower built adjacent to it (assuming the TCF Tower is still standing). One thing is for sure, if Ryan goes ahead with renovating the interior of the TCF Tower it will mean the TCF Tower will not be torn down as part of the new office building, which will result in a for sure super tall if the 1.2 million square feet figure is held true and the site doesn't change. For a super tall not to exist there with 1.2 million square feet the city of Minneapolis would have screwed up horribly because it will mean much of the new building would essentially be touching the Foshay tower and over run it more than a super tall would that has setbacks away from the Foshay. For that to occur it has to have early setbacks otherwise it will over power the Foshay. Early setbacks implies height.

For reference, the TCF Tower currently is unknown if it would be torn down or part of the rumored 1,000 footer. The TCF Tower is a 17 story building built in 1981. The office space of the tower rests on top 4 levels of a parking ramp. The buildings directly adjacent to the Tower (excluding the Foshay area) is underutilized and would make for a great tower, especially if the existing TCF Tower was torn down. One might speculate the TCF Tower would need to be torn down to create the demand for the office space to be built (even though the demand in this central of a location exists based on current vacancy rates). It is speculated however, that if the TCF Tower is indeed torn down the building might not reach 1,000 feet but will be around the height of the IDS instead...giving us a fourth tallest to add into the "which building is tallest out of the big three debate." However, if the TCF Tower is not torn down, it will easily be over 1000 feet and could even approach 1200 based on conservative estimates I have done using the 1.2 million square feet and the square footage of the base of the site without the TCF Tower.

With the proximity to the Foshay Tower any building here would need to have major set-backs away from the Foshay (which might mean a massive front against one of the streets)...regardless the 1.2 million square feet would be in a building constantly getting slimmer as it reaches the top meaning it very well could reach a few hundred feet above 1,000.

The best part about the project is 1.2 million square feet is a lot, but it isn't so much that it would halt the market for new office space. It is in just the right location that it could fill up quickly without damaging new office space construction on a significant scale. Sure, it might take a few years to recover before new proposals are made, but it won't take more than a few years based on the rates many downtown companies continue to grow and the way many companies in the suburbs are outgrowing their spaces. What I'm trying to say is even with a supertall it won't take decades to recover before more office space can be built (I actually think a supertall could help the downtown office scene fill up existing vacancies faster because it would create a stir and buzz to being located downtown).

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Thats about all I have for now...although I might add some more later tonight or tomorrow on some other projects.

^For reference, this is the site vgmLiquid is talking about:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/9839/00mplsskyline04amf7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I have made a few images using an out-dated google earth's virtual buildings feature for height references. The tower would be MUCH slimmer than the one shown below but the one in the picture is 1,007 feet (imagine if it touched 1,200 which it very well could if they slim it down then add a crown or something to the top and it would be quite tall).

http://www.axisplay.com/supertall1.JPG
http://www.axisplay.com/supertall2.JPG
http://www.axisplay.com/supertall4.JPG

This last photo below is why it needs substantial set-backs, I added a tiny one and it overpowers the Foshay still...which is why I stated before it would the set back to be fairly substantial.

http://www.axisplay.com/supertall3.JPG

I'm going to refrain from shitting my pants until a real proposal turns up. And that will be no easy task, considering these images you've just shown us! I get more anxious everyday! But I must keep my composure... :D

More updates:

Phoenix on the River
15-Story condo tower being built along the river across from downtown

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Phoenix070707B.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Phoenix070707C.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Phoenix070707D.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/phoenix02_287.jpg

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Bridgewater
This one is pretty much done...they are just finishing some interior work. This picture is nice because you can see the new Gold Medal Park which really turned out quite nicely.
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Bridgewater070707.jpg

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The Ivy

This building looked dull during its initial building stages, but it has turned out nice in my opinion so far.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Ivy070507.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Ivy070707A.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Ivy070707B.jpg

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Zenith

At 55% sold out this baby is gonna break ground for real pretty soon. You can already see some construction crane equipment moving on site. This is the condo/hotel project that is to include an A-Loft hotel as well as a bunch of condos. The hotel is the shorter of the three buildings in the last rendering.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Zenith070707A.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Zenith070707B.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Zenith070707C.jpg
http://www.zenithcondos.com/images/hdr_home.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/zenith_536.jpg

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The Eitel

This really isn't an update as much as it is a reminder that the apartment portion of this project is underway and the condo tower itself was never scheduled to begin sales for a few more years so technically this is still on pace and on track. Below are the apartments under construction followed by the condo rendering:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Eitel062307A.jpg
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Eitel062307B.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Eitel_rendering.jpg
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Elliot Park Hotel
I think this has been posted before...probably by me...but I don't recall so here it is again. This is a hotel that will hopefully get under construction soon otherwise it won't make it in time for the RNC 2008 convention. However, it is unique because of the site it is being built on which is one that is incredibly under-utilized yet seems an unlikely place to build something on.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/global_one_hotel_aerial_317.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/rendering_159.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/color_aerial_sketch_ii_852.jpg
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Downtown Parking Ramps
This is was smart move by the city. They have sold off a lot of their parking ramps that were not generating great sums of money and required developers as part of the deal to redevelop land surrounding the parking ramps which would increase the city tax base as a result.

Buyers of city ramps now must redevelop development
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - 10:31 AM CDT Thursday, July 5, 2007 by Sam Black Staff Writer

Minneapolis' pending $88 million deal to sell eight municipal parking ramps requires the buyers to spend tens of millions of dollars to redevelop adjacent property for housing, retail and other uses.

Areas affected include the proposed Vikings stadium site, the Seven Corners district and the St. Anthony Main district.

In addition to generating cash the city needs to balance its insolvent parking fund, city officials expect the development surrounding three to five of the ramps will boost the city's tax base.

Alatus Partners, which was selected to buy six of the eight ramps for $69 million, made formal development proposals to go along with two ramps and is looking at future development projects near two others.

Alatus principal Bob Lux couldn't be reached for comment. Here are some details from the deals he's made with the city:

The highest-profile development tied to a ramp sale is around the Downtown East Municipal Ramp at 425 Park Ave. S., which abuts the light rail transit station near the Metrodome. Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has publicized a plan to include that site as part of a larger Vikings stadium redevelopment project. Wilf is negotiating a option to buy the ramp from Alatus for between $12.5 million to $14.5 million, according to media reports.

If Wilf's option falls through, Alatus has committed to developing a project worth more than $13 million that could include housing, retail or a hotel. Any development, by Wilf or Alatus, would need to obtain LEED certification from the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council, according to terms of the tentative purchase agreement Alatus has with the city. Alatus' penalty for not performing on this commitment is $826,226.

Separately, Alatus proposed building a mixed-use project next to the Seven Corners Municipal Ramp, 1504 Washington Ave. S., near the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus. Alatus' Lux owns the property that is now home to Grandma's Saloon & Grill next to the Seven Corners Ramp. He has committed to developing a housing complex there, most likely apartments, that would not exceed 35 stories and 300 housing units, according to terms of the sale agreement. The project would have a minimum development cost of $9.8 million and also obtain LEED certification. Alatus' penalty for not performing on this commitment would be $455,582. No information was available on the future of Grandma's.
Alatus also is studying developments at two other ramps. It may build a housing project that wraps around the Loring Municipal Ramp at 1330 Nicollet Mall, as a way to improve the look of the ramp. It also may consider a project near the Gateway Municipal Ramp, at 400 S. Third St., but hasn't made a commitment to do anything there.

But Alatus isn't the only buyer with redevelopment plans. The owners of the St. Anthony Main retail, office and entertainment center are buying the St. Anthony Municipal Ramp at 210 Second Ave. S.E. for $2.525 million.

They've committed to building 70 to 100 residential units plus some neighborhood shops on land next to the ramp at a cost of at least $10 million. They also agreed to obtain LEED certification for the project. The buyers would be penalized $540,500 if they don't do the development.

John Rimarcik, an owner of St. Anthony Main and part of the trio buying the ramp, said it was clear early in the sale process that the city wanted to maximize the sale price, erase parking ramp operating deficiencies and study future developments near the ramps.

The city said surrounding development plans would be "a very important part of the proposal because it would bring additional ... tax revenues to the city," Rimarcik said.

Part of criteria
The prices offered were a huge factor in determining who the city selected to buy the ramps, but so were the buyers' plans for future development, said Patrick Born, the city's chief financial officer who was involved in negotiating the deals.

Two offers stood out from the 11 other groups who submitted bids. One was Alatus and the other was New York-based investment firm Northern Group Inc., which offered $87.75 million, compared to Alatus' original offer of $82 million plus a $5 million capital improvement plan. Both were the only offers received for all eight of the ramps. The city rejected Northern Group's bid.

"To be sure, when we originally looked at these proposals, Alatus was really the only proposer that had taken pretty serious steps to develop these real estate concepts. And that was certainly appealing to us," Born said.

Another factor that worked in favor of Alatus, he said, was its willingness to deduct two of the ramps from its package deal so they could be sold to groups that owned nearby property, such as the St. Anthony Main group. The other such buyer, the Guthrie Theater Foundation, wants to buy the Riverfront Ramp for $16.5 million. Should the Guthrie deal not close by next March, Alatus has a deal to buy the ramp for $16 million.

Born happy with deals
It cost the city $124 million to build the eight ramps, and the city has $68 million in outstanding debt among them. Proceeds of the sale will be used to pay off the debt and to fund other parking-ramp activities.

One way to look at the deal is to compare the sale price, $88 million, to what it would cost to build these ramps today, $151.13 million, not including the land, according to city estimates.

Born, however, said he is pleased with the deals and doesn't consider the comparison to replacement costs a signal that the deal was a fire sale.

"A fire sale would indicate that we sold them for something less than the market price. I think we got an outstanding reception from the market, with 13 proposals. We think the market has set the price for these properties. It was a very active competition by a wide variety of parties," he said.

The sales will be considered at a public hearing 11 a.m. July 10, held by the city's Community Development Committee and Transportation & Public Works Committee. The full City Council will consider the sale on July 20.
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The Nicollet
Despite the lack of updates on The Nicollet their website is still online which is a good sign for any development of this scale. Just for a little tease I included the rendering below:

http://www.minnescraper.com/content/images/stories/Nicollet_at_night.jpg

Thanks for updating vgm.
Damn that Global One hotel is still as disgusting as the first day I saw that rendering.

Yeah, but it's something where there was nothing, so I won't complain.

I don't think it'll look THAT bad. I looks a bit suburban, but at least it tries to fall into the same architectural genre of Grant Park tower. Plus, it will add some more density and movement to this neighborhood. With all the potential, unsuspecting out-of-towners taking a stroll through the neighborhood, maybe there wont be so many drug deals in triangle park. We can all hope, anyway.

Twins Ballpark Webcam is now live:
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/ballpark/new_ballpark_webcam.jsp

^^ What does everyone in the TC think of a new ballpark there? I have never enjoyed watching games on tv from the dome. But I've never been there either. So I can't say how I feel about the place overall. I do love outdoor ballparks!

^^ What does everyone in the TC think of a new ballpark there? I have never enjoyed watching games on tv from the dome. But I've never been there either. So I can't say how I feel about the place overall. I do love outdoor ballparks!

I would say most favor it, especially anyone living outside Hennepin county as they pay nothing for it. Currently the area is under-utilized as surface parking lots with highway access ramps basically hanging directly overhead and adjacent. The idea is to create a neighborhood there that is connected to the north loop and downtown. Something needs to be there though to spark interest (Twins stadium). The Guthrie theater arguably brought interest back into the river front which is why the Mill District area is seeing strong development despite the poor housing market. The Twins stadium along with the Target Center is believed to be enough of a draw (especially since they don't really overlap on the seasons to much) to create a vibrant neighborhood with a lot of condos, bars, and restaurants. In fact they are creating a two level street system. One level of it would feature bars, restaurants on a very narrow street designed to be very walkable and historic feeling (due to the narrow street) while the upper level streets would slow traffic on the ramps to street speeds and serve another level of bars, etc...although they wouldn't have the same feel. These would probably be done using taller condos as the lower parts of the condos would border dock street and the second or third levels would probably be facing the other newly created streets.

Overall, the whole idea is to take very imposing infrastructure and turn it into a very unique asset. However, it could take 4-10 years to fully realize its potential. Its not a HUGE area...maybe 3 blocks in length...but its large enough that it might take some time to do it right. I'd rather have them build 15+ story condos on each spot to enhance the experience than wimp out and go with 6 story condos due to market conditions. Both could get the job done, but one would bring more people in which would let a two level street system work better. Its kinda confusing to explain, so there are some pictures below to give you a better idea...

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/twinsville_142.jpg
http://www.twinsballpark2010.com/_resources/twinsville_concept.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/dockstreet01_285.jpg
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/9528/mntwinspark03oc0.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/gotwinz_196.jpg

^^ If it's anything like the impact Petco Park made in downtown San Diego, you guys are in for a treat.

Back when there was no ballpark in that area of downtown and bums were all the eye could see, it was nasty and horrible. No police presence or no feeling of safety whatsoever. Plus every building felt run down and abandoned.

Not any more though. Now it's full of condos, restaurants, lounges and more. The police presence is awesome now. I can walk around anywhere down there and feel perfectly safe. Not that I couldn't walk around before(I lived in Detroit and Philly). But it's just a better feel.

It's impacted the entire downtown area overall. So I wish you guys well and I hope it has that same type of impact.

I
--------------------------------------

1,000 Footer Rumors

From the Downtown Journal:
Skylab Imaging has closed in the TCF Tower after operating there for about 20 years, the owner said.

Skylab Owner Randy Lynch said that when Ryan Cos. bought the building, the firm raised rent prices and he said the building owner didn’t want to sign another lease.

Lynch said opening a new store Downtown doesn’t seem feasible.

“With a photo lab ... you move even a block away and you’re in trouble,” he said, noting competition from large retailers and the changes that digital photography have brought to photo development.

.......(my comments)......
While this is sad a photo lab is going to be gone, it might be an indication that Ryan is A) Testing tenants staying power for slightly higher rates...sort of the way a new building would have or B) pushing out certain tenants to justify tearing down the TCF tower rather than upgrading it in order to build the new tower...of course it could also simply mean they are trying to raise money to renovate some of the building. This last scenario seems most logical though.

Even if the last scenario is the case, it still might mean that Ryan is upgrading the existing TCF Tower so its interior and amenities can complement the new tower built adjacent to it (assuming the TCF Tower is still standing). One thing is for sure, if Ryan goes ahead with renovating the interior of the TCF Tower it will mean the TCF Tower will not be torn down as part of the new office building, which will result in a for sure super tall if the 1.2 million square feet figure is held true and the site doesn't change. For a super tall not to exist there with 1.2 million square feet the city of Minneapolis would have screwed up horribly because it will mean much of the new building would essentially be touching the Foshay tower and over run it more than a super tall would that has setbacks away from the Foshay. For that to occur it has to have early setbacks otherwise it will over power the Foshay. Early setbacks implies height.

For reference, the TCF Tower currently is unknown if it would be torn down or part of the rumored 1,000 footer. The TCF Tower is a 17 story building built in 1981. The office space of the tower rests on top 4 levels of a parking ramp. The buildings directly adjacent to the Tower (excluding the Foshay area) is underutilized and would make for a great tower, especially if the existing TCF Tower was torn down. One might speculate the TCF Tower would need to be torn down to create the demand for the office space to be built (even though the demand in this central of a location exists based on current vacancy rates). It is speculated however, that if the TCF Tower is indeed torn down the building might not reach 1,000 feet but will be around the height of the IDS instead...giving us a fourth tallest to add into the "which building is tallest out of the big three debate." However, if the TCF Tower is not torn down, it will easily be over 1000 feet and could even approach 1200 based on conservative estimates I have done using the 1.2 million square feet and the square footage of the base of the site without the TCF Tower.

With the proximity to the Foshay Tower any building here would need to have major set-backs away from the Foshay (which might mean a massive front against one of the streets)...regardless the 1.2 million square feet would be in a building constantly getting slimmer as it reaches the top meaning it very well could reach a few hundred feet above 1,000.

The best part about the project is 1.2 million square feet is a lot, but it isn't so much that it would halt the market for new office space. It is in just the right location that it could fill up quickly without damaging new office space construction on a significant scale. Sure, it might take a few years to recover before new proposals are made, but it won't take more than a few years based on the rates many downtown companies continue to grow and the way many companies in the suburbs are outgrowing their spaces. What I'm trying to say is even with a supertall it won't take decades to recover before more office space can be built (I actually think a supertall could help the downtown office scene fill up existing vacancies faster because it would create a stir and buzz to being located downtown).

------------------------------------

Thats about all I have for now...although I might add some more later tonight or tomorrow on some other projects.


Project now official (or supposedly) on hold til 2010 per the developer and the Downtown Journal.

I don't want Minneapolis retail to be second to a massive mall.

Look at the bright side...at least it takes a massive mall to compete with our downtown, unlike most most major cities.

I don't know if I'd really call it a competition, but ok. :) I think Minneapolis will win out in the end, but the end is probably decades off. In the mean time hopefully we can reap the benefits of some over-flow tourism.

'Compete' as in 'put a dent in.' Whatever that means. lol

Foshay Tower is to be converted into a 230-room W Hotel. In order for the conversion to take place, all tenants will be evicted from the building, save for a cafe on the first floor. The conversion will cost $90,000,000 and may be completed in 2009.

^Do you have a rendering of the signage they want to put on it? I saw one in the atrium of the TCF tower about a month ago and I didn't like the signage at all. They were big red W's on all four corners of the tower between the words FOSHAY. I'm not sure if that is still the case.

Virchow Krause moving to downtown Mpls.
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - 12:34 PM CDT Monday, July 23, 2007 by Bryant Ruiz Switzky Staff Writer

CPA and consulting firm Virchow Krause & Co. will be moving to downtown Minneapolis, signing a letter of intent with 225 S. Sixth St.

The firm will occupy 72,000 square feet on the 21st through 24th floors of downtown's largest office building, which is recognizable by its rooftop "halo" design. The firm plans to move there from its Bloomington office in September of next year.

Virchow Krause is the seventh-largest accounting firm in the Twin Cities. Eight of the top 10 are based in downtown Minneapolis.

The firm has been exploring a move to downtown for two-and-a-half years. The move would bring the firm closer to many of its largest accounts and clients, said Regional Managing Partner Jeff DeYoung. "Downtown Minneapolis is still where Minnesota does business."

The new digs also will have advantages for employees, including a central location, making a shorter commute for employees who live in the north metro, and 11 percent more space on fewer floors, making for better internal camaraderie. "We hope it'll be a great retention tool for us," DeYoung said. "Downtown Minneapolis is very vibrant, with cultural events, sporting events and museums. [It] is a very special place."

The firm still has four years left on its lease at the Wells Fargo Building, and hopes to sublease the space after it moves out.

Madison, Wis.-based Virchow Krause has 250 Twin Cities employees.

^Do you have a rendering of the signage they want to put on it? I saw one in the atrium of the TCF tower about a month ago and I didn't like the signage at all. They were big red W's on all four corners of the tower between the words FOSHAY. I'm not sure if that is still the case.


Argh! But I thought Minneapolis has an ordinance against building signage of that kind.

They do above a certain height. But the words FOSHAY are technically signage and they are well above the height limit so I think they kinda got it approved on those grounds. I really don't know what they intend to do but the drawing didn't look pretty. I hope it was just meant to showcase the tower in the rendering instead of being legit signage.

Here are some more updates of additional projects or existing projects...

--------------------------------

Suburbs

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Duke jumps into busy market for Plymouth office space
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - July 20, 2007 by Sam Black Staff Writer

Duke Realty Corp. last week closed on its purchase of an 18-acre site near the Waterford office complex in Plymouth where it plans to build between 250,000 and 300,000 square feet of office space.

Duke will join other developers with sites in the market that are hunting for office tenants. The vacancy rate in the Western metro for class A space, usually found in newer buildings, ranges between 7 and 8 percent.

Pat Mascia, head of Indianapolis-based Duke's Twin Cities operations, said it's not clear if there is enough demand to justify building either or both buildings as "speculative" space without commitments from tenants. But he didn't shut the door on moving ahead with the projects.

The site is zoned for office space, but Duke still must get city approval to begin construction.

James Allen, a developer and owner of Roseville-based Industrial Equities, will likely be chasing some of the same tenants as Duke.

Industrial Equities plans to build along Highway 55, about a quarter-mile west of Duke's site. The Plymouth City Council approved that project earlier this year.

CB Richard Ellis broker Brian Helmken has been working on Allen's project for several months, looking for tenants for a prospective five-story, 150,000-square-foot office building.

Duke's construction arm will build the two four-story buildings and St. Paul-based Pope Associates Inc. will design them, Mascia said.

Brokers Jim Damiani and Bryan Beltrand at Bloomington-based Welsh Cos. are marketing the buildings.

Damiani and Beltrand also represented ING RelliaStar, which sold the land to Duke. The land was sold for less than the $4 million asking price, Damiani said.

ING owned it for about two decades. In the past year, other developers considered building houses there, but none of the potential buyers could get approval from Plymouth city leaders for residential use, Damiani said.

The site works well for office space and should lease up because lower land costs and a smaller building will allow Duke to offer rents in the $17-per-square-foot range, $2 or $3 less per square foot than typical new suburban office rates.

This is the first time Duke will hire an independent brokerage company to market one of its development projects in the Twin Cities.

Duke is always looking for new ways to attract business, and in this case, these brokers brought the deal to Duke and so they got the listing, Mascia said.
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/waterford_503.jpg

-------------------------------

Edina Westin
making good progress...
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/westin_456.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/westin_133.jpg

--------------------------------

UnitedHealth Group
New tower has now topped off. I work at the UnitedHealth Group HQ and can see this from the set of windows next to my cubicle...its quite massive. The picture below does not show it in its topped off state.

650,000 square feet...quite massive...so massive it would have taken up a quarter of the rumored super tall which would have been enough to have it built. When a city the size of Minneapolis has dozens of fortune 500 companies and dozens of fortune 1000's (and even more that are multi-billion dollar privately held groups)...it gets frusterating when we see so much damn suburban office development. If you look in previous pages of this thread you will see several other buildings in the 250,000 square foot to 600,000 square foot range...any of which could have supported the key tenant for a super tall downtown.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/387_1real0611doublewideprod_affiliate21_184.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/new_uhg_hq_7_13_07_182.jpg



--------------------------------

Minneapolis & St Paul

--------------------------------

Central Corridor LRT and Northstar Commuter Rail (and bridge collapse updates)

With the recent bridge collapse and the pledges made by both the federal government and state government to help ensure better transportation/infrastructure as a major issue facing Americans and Minnesotans, several sources have hinted that this might result in LRT and Commuter Rail being put on the fast track to being built (or at least a faster track).

The federal government so far has pledged $255 million to the collapsed bridge. $5 million to clean the site and $250 to build a new bridge. Gov. Pawlenty is trying to declare the county as a disaster zone essentially to get more money from the federal government to be sure the bridge is built right as well as quickly.

I-94 between downtown and 280 is to be expanded by 1 lane each way (2 total) to help ease traffic congestion due to the bridge collapse. Most of this from my understanding will be done by converting most of the shoulder into a lane. I'm not entirely sure though so don't take my word for it.

-----------------------------------

Coloplast Headquarters

Coloplast is to build a 6-story, 90,000 square foot tower (as part of a complex containing 200,000 square feet) along the river north of downtown. This tower has very generous floor spacing and will be around 100 feet in height as it will be measured as if it were a 12 story building...which will dominate the sky this far north of downtown as most of the buildings are in the 1-3 story range there. One of the interesting aspects coming directly out of one of the reports on the project is as follows: "These improvements represent the first of three expansion projects proposed over the next eleven years."

We currently do not have an available rendering of the tower or any of the future expansion projects.

---------------------------------------

Fort Snelling

There have been some rumors that an aviation museum wants to be located at Fort Snelling. With its proximity to the airport and the Fort's military heritage it makes a good fit. Most of the buildings at Fort Snelling are in horrible decay and are in need of a project like this to come by and restore it to its historic glory.

--------------------------------------

Phoenix on the River

This continues to rise out of the ground and looks good. For those unaware, this is on the other side of the river from downtown (east side of the mississippi). The street grid-work on this side of the river matches the downtown street grid in a slightly smaller area. This side is going to be looking like the warehouse district I would imagine in terms of height and density before to long.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Phoenix072807A.jpg

-------------------------------------

Track 29 - Uptown area

4-story building. Lofted condos....$160,000-$260,000 price range. It is nice to see some in this range as most condos that were built earlier seemed to be averaged around $500,000 or more.

Condo development off the Midtown Greenway. It is under construction from my understanding. I haven't seen the site yet.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/track29_1_590.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/track29_3_283.jpg

--------------------------------------

Uptown Hotel

Supposed to start construction this fall. With this project, along with the Mosaic (also on schedule to break ground relatively soon), there will be very nice hotel options in the Uptown area.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/uptown_hotel_191.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/hoteluptown2_483.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/hoteluptown1_166.jpg

------------------------------------

Mosaic

This project will begin construction soon...probably sometime this fall. They have sold 45% of their condos and intend to go ahead and start construction soon. This is a two building project, one being for condos, the other a hotel. There is also ground level retail included in the project from my understanding.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mozaic_image4_178.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mozaic_image1_178.jpg
http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/mozaic_rendering5_153.jpg

-----------------------------------

Zenith

Hotel portion of the project is under construction. Condos will follow very quickly after.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Zenith072807A.jpg

----------------------------------

Pacific Flats

This project as a condo tower is over. It has been replaced by the following, and is very likely to be built as there is little to no glut in the market for those things right now:

The new project, which fills the block bounded by Second and Third avenues north, Second Street North and Washington Ave. North, tops out at nine stories. It includes a 150-room hotel, connected by skywalk over an alley to a second building with major retail, medical office space, a large health club, and parking, topped with a green roof.

----------------------------------

Sexton Phase II

This project is up in the air and in a lot of trouble. Phase I residents are suing the developer because they have not yet built the parking structure they were to be guaranteed with their units. The parking ramp was meant to be part of the Sexton Phase II but they basically ran out of money. There has been some construction materials seen on site recently including what might be part of a crane. There is speculation on whether or not 1) a parking ramp will be built 2) Phase II will be built or 3) it will be converted into a surface parking lot and put up for sale. There is a court date set for the condo owners that are suing the developer. This project has literally no chance. It was a 300 footer too.

---------------------------------

Convention Center Hotel

While nothing official, the city is still exploring a site to build a 1,200 room hotel. Two of the three potential sites are off of 12th street. The most logical site of the two is the one bordering the currently under construction Ivy Hotel & Residences. The design of the Ivy, which many say sucks, includes a huge blank wall on that side of the building for a reason. I wouldn't be surprised if we see another tall tower built up against the Ivy. The site is literally next to the convention center and would provide very easy skyway access. It is the best site for the hotel. For reference to the blank wall I am talking about, see the image below:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Ivy072807D.jpg


---------------------------------------

Bridges of St Paul

This project was denied before, but the developer said he would come back with a revised plan. He came back with his revised plan, and it was denied again. The project calls for a tall Westin hotel along with a very large number of housing units directly across the river from downtown St Paul. Overall its nice, but it is essentially a gated community which is NOT something St Paul wants to promote next to downtown.

------------------------------------------

Developer gets nod for plan near St. Paul arena
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - 4:26 PM CDT Wednesday, July 25, 2007 by Sam Black Staff Writer

The St. Paul City Council today awarded tentative developer status to a San Francisco-based firm that is planning a mixed-use project near the Xcel Energy Center.

Such designation now gives the company, City Center Retail Inc., another tool to help sign potential tenants in its proposed 300,000-square-foot project.

Eric Anderson, principal of the firm who makes his office in Minneapolis, said in an interview that he's met with the Minnesota Wild about possibly building a skating rink in the center. The rink, if it is built, could be used by the NHL team for practices and be open to the general public at other times.

Anderson said his firm is also studying a hotel for the project that would probably lean toward "the higher end" in terms of amenities and rates.

He said the project could also include a restaurant, other retail space and some kind of a "cultural attraction" similar to the U.S. Figure Skating hall of fame and museum in Colorado Springs, Colo.

City Center Retail now has 10 months to shop the project and come back with a more solid plan for the City Council to approve.

The city of St. Paul owns the site, which is set to be used as a media-staging area during next year's Republican National Convention.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a press release that the designation of City Center Retail as tentative developer "is a great step forward" in his administration's agenda to make St. Paul a more liveable city. It will help expand the city's entertainment corridor into the heart of downtown, he said.

-------------------------------------

Regions Hospital Expansion Tower

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/regions_176.jpg
http://www.healthpartners.com:747/media/Regions_expansion_mediakit/images/RegionsHospital-square.jpg

-------------------------------------




That is about all I have for new updates. There are still other stuff going on I haven't updated on in this post. The Ivy as an example is still under construction.

Thanks for the updates, I finnaly found the Minneapolis area of the site.

Where is the Mosaic going to be?

^^ Mosaic is being built on the Lagoon Theater block in Uptown. The Lagoon will be re-built and incorporated into the project.

And to clarify, the aloft is not yet under construction. The Zenith Phase I condos are going up on the northwest corner of the block, but the aloft site along Washington Avenue remains a staging area only...no foundation work to be seen.

^are you sure? I have heard that the developers intend to have the hotel ready for RNC 2008 next year and were fast tracking the hotel to be built.

Ivy Hotel & Residences update

http://www.colinkulow.com/twincityscape/aug2007/arch_ivy.jpg

Neat-o picture. :) The Ivy fits in well from that angle. Still torn on the project as a whole, though.

^are you sure? I have heard that the developers intend to have the hotel ready for RNC 2008 next year and were fast tracking the hotel to be built.

I drive by 5 days a week, and there's nothing happening on the Washington Avenue side. If it's wood or prefab concrete, it won't take long to build.

I drive by 5 days a week, and there's nothing happening on the Washington Avenue side. If it's wood or prefab concrete, it won't take long to build.

Good timing on my part. The first foundation works started yesterday, Monday the 27th on the 10th & Washington corner.

Neat-o picture. :) The Ivy fits in well from that angle. Still torn on the project as a whole, though.

I'm not torn. At this point I think it looks worse than the red-brick pseudo-East German Hilton Hotel on the right side of that pic.:gaah:

This is really Saint Paul news, but I didn't know where else to put it:

MPR interviewed this morning about The Bridges of Saint Paul :
Jerry Trooien: President of the JLT Group, and developer of the proposed Bridges of St. Paul project.

Patrick Seeb: Executive director of the St. Paul Riverfront Corp

and opened the lines for calls from listeners. It got very intense. A good listen.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/04/midmorning1/?rsssource=1

also has anyone heard any rumors about the proposed supertall in minneapolis? the one that would sort of replace the TCF building?

also has anyone heard any rumors about the proposed supertall in minneapolis? the one that would sort of replace the TCF building?

Nothing really new. Just check this thread out and you will find everything you want to know. Otherwise go to minnescraper for any gaps of information.

Well, the rumor mill is going again. Yes, Ryan has said that they will postpone their development of the Foshay Tower site until 2009 or 2010; but other sources say that the central city is on the verge of another major - and I mean major - tower very soon.

I think it's interesting that both Ryan (http://www.ryancompanies.com/)and Opus (http://www.opuscorp.com/)(two strong competitors who are each located in the Twin Cities and who hold key development sites downtown: Ryan at 8th and Marquette and Opus at both 6th and 10th and Nicollet Mall) are both hinting at very large projects in the works.

Minneapolis' classic skyline may be changing soon. But who knows at this point? It may all be for naught. We can wish all we want, but until ground is broken, we might just as well wish for the stars.

Well, the rumor mill is going again. Yes, Ryan has said that they will postpone their development of the Foshay Tower site until 2009 or 2010; but other sources say that the central city is on the verge of another major - and I mean major - tower very soon.

I think it's interesting that both Ryan (http://www.ryancompanies.com/)and Opus (http://www.opuscorp.com/)(two strong competitors who are each located in the Twin Cities and who hold key development sites downtown: Ryan at 8th and Marquette and Opus at both 6th and 10th and Nicollet Mall) are both hinting at very large projects in the works.

Minneapolis' classic skyline may be changing soon. But who knows at this point? It may all be for naught. We can wish all we want, but until ground is broken, we might just as well wish for the stars.

i've got my fingers crossed at this point. as long as it isn't butt ugly, its alright with me.

I hope it is 1000+ without a silly spire on top of it

One of the new towers is most likely The Nicollet, being developed by Opus at 10th & Nicollet Mall. It's being re-designed as a mixed-use 50+ story tower. Originally all condos, it's now going to be 500,000 sq. ft. of offices, 200-room hotel and 100 condos.

I really really hope they build the Nicollet. The design is nearly perfect.

^At this point I am much more confident that it will be built as a 50+ story tower. But the design will change. We'll know more in a month or two.

http://www.startribune.com/535/story/1453489.html

The article indicates that there is a strong demand still for more hotel rooms within the downtown markets. The city of Minneapolis has been trying to find good location and funding for a large-scale convention hotel with something in the neighborhood of 1200 rooms for sometime now. Perhaps recent trends will encourage them to move forward. That large number of rooms would more than likely fill any void in the market space but might also create additional demand as Minneapolis would be more appealing to larger conventions (not that we aren't already by hosting the RNC next year) wanting to keep everyone at a single hotel. The hotel would include a large ball room and other large meeting spaces. As a result it would be fairly wide to accommodate larger floor plates for meeting spaces. One could reasonably assume that there could be 40 rooms per floor as a result. This would allow for 30 floors of rooms (assuming no set-backs higher in the tower) along with a floor for the lobby, several floors for the convention/meeting space (as they often contain taller ceilings), and several floors for parking. It could easily become a 35-40+ story tower.

So the designs were released today for the new 35W bridge replacement. The fact that no one has posted them yet is a good indicator of how exciting it is.

You can view the winning design here:
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/i35wbridge/rebuild/index.html

(sorry, I'm too lazy to post photos here right now)

The only good thing about this bridge is the potential to place a pedestrian bridge directly under it and the fact it was ordered to incorporate the ability to have future light rail on it. Beyond that I think the design is pretty bland.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/bridge.jpg

Proposed rail line between Minneapolis and Duluth is gaining a lot of ground apparently as of late and could be operational by 2009 according to the article.

http://www.startribune.com/10072/rich_media/1476387.html
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1476913.html

While it pays to be quick, how fast is fast enough? When the train made its last stop in 1985, the average speed was 50 mph. Now, government officials representing counties along the line will consult with Burlington Northern and choose between speeds that average 79 mph or hit as much as 110 or 125 mph, said Erhart, an Anoka County commissioner. A decision is expected by December.

110-125mph That's pretty impressive! I'm kinda skeptical about this happening, but I'd totally ride the train to Duluth for a weekend getaway all the time... as long as they make the fares somewhat reasonable.

http://www.startribune.com/535/story/1453489.html

The article indicates that there is a strong demand still for more hotel rooms within the downtown markets. The city of Minneapolis has been trying to find good location and funding for a large-scale convention hotel with something in the neighborhood of 1200 rooms for sometime now. Perhaps recent trends will encourage them to move forward. That large number of rooms would more than likely fill any void in the market space but might also create additional demand as Minneapolis would be more appealing to larger conventions (not that we aren't already by hosting the RNC next year) wanting to keep everyone at a single hotel. The hotel would include a large ball room and other large meeting spaces. As a result it would be fairly wide to accommodate larger floor plates for meeting spaces. One could reasonably assume that there could be 40 rooms per floor as a result. This would allow for 30 floors of rooms (assuming no set-backs higher in the tower) along with a floor for the lobby, several floors for the convention/meeting space (as they often contain taller ceilings), and several floors for parking. It could easily become a 35-40+ story tower.

The Marriott in the Renaissance Center in Detroit has about 1200 rooms and 100,000ish sq feet of meeting space and their tower is 73 floors.

So you never know, you could have something quite tall on your hands! :)

MacPhail is pretty much done...they are mainly working on the interior now.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/h_139.jpg

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/435544_144.jpg

While the picture quality is rather low in the above, the actual building looks remarkably similar to the rendering.

While the picture quality is rather low in the above, the actual building looks remarkably similar to the rendering.

Is that good or bad?

:lol:

Is that good or bad?

:lol:

bad.

haha.

Adrian Peterson's a stud.

The most expensive home in the Midwest currently for sale is now a $53.5 million estate on Lake Minnetonka.

That would be the Pillsbury Family's Mansion. They overpriced it deliberatley, because they want to avoid anyone buying it to tear it down and re-build. There are a lot of people with bad taste and lots of money living on Lake Minnetonka and they don't want it to be replaced with something garrish and gaudy like some of the other homes around the lake.

That would be the Pillsbury Family's Mansion. They overpriced it deliberatley, because they want to avoid anyone buying it to tear it down and re-build. There are a lot of people with bad taste and lots of money living on Lake Minnetonka and they don't want it to be replaced with something garrish and gaudy like some of the other homes around the lake.

I grew up off Lake Minnetonka and all the smaller homes are being bought up...like 2 or 3 lots next to each other are turning into one giant house basically. The Pillsbury Mansion is gorgeous too.

One would think it would be on some type of historical/heritage listing forbidding it from being torn down. If for nothing else it was also featured in a local movie.


Glad you asked. It was Foolin' Around. I'll let you look at all the stars in that gem. It featured tons of local architectual icons.

Actually there is a Frank Gehry work (its a guest house) about a 1/4 away from the mansion above which has been on the market for a long long time. It has had a very hard time selling because it is protected by the city and can't be torn down.

In 1982, architect Frank Gehry fused three separate-seeming shapes juxtaposed into a guesthouse for a prominent site near Lake Minnetonka. Its quirky sculptural shapes provide a landscape feature for the rolling and wooded site, as well as act as a foil for the mid-1950s modernist brick box designed by Phillip Johnson as the main residence on the property.

http://www.thecityreview.com/gehgug30.gif
http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/10/05/gehry/guesthouse.jpg

It looks better in person than these images above...its not exactly photographed very often considering to get to it you pretty much have to trespass onto private property.

The W Hotel is scheduled to open next July 28th, in the newly-remodeled 448-foot Foshay Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foshay_Tower).

Starwood's preview of the hotel is here. (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3019)

In the meantime, Starwood's Luxury Collection Hotel, the Ivy (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/search/hotel_directory.html?regionName=north_america&brandCode=LC), is scheduled to open a few blocks away on February 13th. It will be the brand's first hotel in the Midwest.

This recent photo of the east (back) side of the project is by forumer MidwestProduct at Minnescraper (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/index.php). The crown is not yet complete:

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/663/ivy06pj2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Edina Westin (Hotel plus Condo project located in the suburb of Edina) is coming along nicely.

http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/files/edina_westin_174.jpg

I have a question. Is there a light rail line that runs from the airport to downtown? I've never been to MSP and I have a three hour layover from Indy to Denver and wanted to take some pictures, maybe get lunch?

It doesn't have to be light rail, what do you think is the quickest way to get from the airport to downtown and back. Cheap would be nice too.

I have a question. Is there a light rail line that runs from the airport to downtown? I've never been to MSP and I have a three hour layover from Indy to Denver and wanted to take some pictures, maybe get lunch?

It doesn't have to be light rail, what do you think is the quickest way to get from the airport to downtown and back. Cheap would be nice too.

Yes, the airport is connected to downtown Minneapolis via the Hiawatha Light Rail line. A ticket costs $1.50 or $2.00 during rush hour. Can't get much cheaper than that.

Nice, thanks. Is it fast? I was hoping for a thirty minute round trip.

it probably takes about 20min to get from the airport to downtown.

When I was going down 494 from Eden Prairie to Bloomington I was amazed by all the construction.

Any of these areas walkable? Or are they typical suburban office parks? Anyone have any info on the high rises currently being constructed along this stretch? It seems to be getting pretty dense.

This is still in planning, but is a tantalizing prospect for not only St. Paul, but the Twin Cities in general.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_7627919
photo and diagram available at link above

About the architect:
http://www.adjaye.com/docs/work.html

Mystery man developer sets sights on St. Paul
But city officials wary as he pitches ambitious skyscraper plans for downtown corner
BY LAURA YUEN
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 12/04/2007 12:31:16 AM CST


The skyway to nowhere - a remnant of Wabasha Court - crosses Wabasha Street from then Marshall Field's in 2003. (Craig Borck, Pioneer Press) One of St. Paul's native sons is vying to build the next sky-scraping darling of the modern architecture world.

Dean D. Johnson is one of the most enigmatic developers aiming to make his mark in St. Paul. Now a developer in Belgium, Johnson has set his sights on at least four downtown properties, including the site of the now-razed Wabasha Court complex.

Johnson's proposed tower would stretch about 40 stories and combine a five-star hotel with condominiums, an arts venue and offices - all on a parking lot where past development dreams have crumbled.

Now, people want to know: Is he for real?

"What I say is, 'Why don't you get one project going and then start talking about the others?' " said City Council member Dave Thune.

"Frankly, people get nervous when it looks like they're biting off an awful lot before their dishes are served."
City Hall and development sources have described Johnson as both elusive and ubiquitous. He regularly flies into town to meet with local officials and arts leaders to talk about his plans but bides his time before he submits proposals.

In August, he and business partner Henk Habers quietly bought the Minnesota Thunder and pledged their commitment to build a soccer stadium. Johnson also has been eyeing the old Diamond Products plant in Lowertown and said he has site control of the parking lot at Minnesota and East Fourth streets.

For the past couple of years, however, Johnson has been focusing most of his energy on a $200 million-plus opus at 415 Wabasha St. He has hired David Adjaye, a London-based "starchitect" who has modern-design experts in the Twin Cities salivating.

St. Paul powers-that-be are still sniffing out Johnson's track record. While his firm has begun work on projects around the world - including Chicago, Brussels, Frankfurt and a luxury resort in Mallorca, Spain - none has been completed.

Immediate applause will be hard to come by in St. Paul, a town still recovering from the divisive, and now-defunct, Bridges of St. Paul proposal. Having made his luck overseas, the Hamline University alum acknowledges he lacks the local connections a developer would typically enjoy in his hometown.

"I've always worked in environments where nobody knew who I was," Johnson said.

The surface lot on Wabasha Street stands for all that is wrong with downtown St. Paul. It's on a pivotal corner that has housed cars, not commerce, for years. Overhead, a rusted walkway from Macy's abruptly ends, earning its unofficial designation as "the skyway to nowhere."

That will change, Johnson asserts. He said an internationally known hotel operator has signed a letter of intent for the development. He would not name the hotel, saying they were fine-tuning details of their contract.

Ideally, construction would start by fall 2008 with the hotel to open in spring 2011. Johnson's behind-the-scenes approach to getting things done stands in contrast to other developers' styles. But he's taken one key step: His company owns the Wabasha Street parcel.

Brussels-based WingField Corp. N.V. also has brought on Sherry Hastings, a vice president at Bloomington-based Frauenshuh Cos., to head the company's real estate division in the U.S. Frauenshuh had wanted to build a $55 million mixed-use tower on the site but sold the property to Johnson about a year ago.

When Adjaye, the architect, spoke as a guest lecturer last month at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, he unveiled renderings of the St. Paul project. Each component of the tower was shifted slightly out of place, like three building blocks askew in a vertical stack.

"If you took a regular rectangular building and put two slices into it and jogged out the middle section - it's kind of a feat," said Andrew Blauvelt, the Walker's design director. "I don't know if we've seen that in a building."

If the Wabasha project succeeds, it would raise the architectural prestige of the entire Twin Cities, much like the Guthrie, the Walker and the Weisman, Blauvelt said.

The limelight soon will shine on Johnson, but for a different St. Paul project. He is bidding for the rights to redevelop the old Ramsey County jail and adjoining riverfront properties, considered one of the most lucrative real estate opportunities in the city. On Dec. 18, WingField and Minnetonka-based Opus Corp. will go before the county board to pitch their dueling plans for new condos, offices and hotel rooms.

For that project, Johnson tapped another big-name architect, Toshiko Mori, chairwoman of Harvard University's architecture department.

Johnson has proven that even East Siders can go to Europe and discover an inner fashion sense. At 50, he sports tastefully coordinated suits and cufflinks, shorn gray hair and a slight European accent.

The latter, he claims he always had. The grandson of Swedish immigrants, he was born in Dayton's Bluff and raised in Payne-Phalen.

"I grew up speaking English with a heavy Swedish accent," he said. "At Hamline, people would ask me, 'Where are you from?' "

After college, he went to Germany to pursue graduate studies in history. In 1980s Europe, as the London financial markets were being deregulated, Johnson became interested in finance. His banking career began with Commerzbank in Germany.

He moved to Belgium in 1994. As state-owned banks were being privatized, Johnson formed a company specializing in treasury advisory and structured finance. His WingField partner, Habers, has 26 years of experience in the hotel and tourism industry, according to the company's Web site.

Johnson can argue passionately the merits of St. Paul's downtown and why it deserves cutting-edge architecture. He believes in the city's narrow 19th century streets as well as its dense mix of parks, traffic, restaurants and condos.

"It feels more like TriBeCa and SoHo than anything in Minneapolis," he said.

Some local officials find Johnson's story compelling. Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, who has met with him to discuss his plans, describes him as "a hometown boy who wants to come back and invest in his city."

He has not submitted his Wabasha proposal to the city yet. The WingField team plans to spend the next several months on the design before it seeks a site plan review at City Hall.

John Mannillo, a real estate broker and member of downtown's CapitolRiver Council, said, "He's going around buying (land) and nobody knows the guy, and he hasn't done anything yet."

If St. Paul seems cautious, it's because it has been burned before.

In 1993, a con man posing as an Italian investment broker promised to arrange $45 million in financing for a horse arena on the West Side riverfront. Michael DePassquallo wore a topcoat draped over his shoulders and sometimes spoke with an accent.

As it turned out, he was not Italian but a Twin Cities native raised in Fargo, N.D. He conned hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors and pleaded guilty to fraud in an Arizona court.

Thus, many city officials are reserving their most rapturous praise for when Johnson's first shovel hits the dirt.

Said Thune: "Everything is potentially wonderful, but everything is potentially potential. Nothing is real until someone writes a check."

Johnson said he does not intend to ask for public subsidies, saying his firm has worked with major European investment funds, such as those operated by Germany-based Deka Immobilien, to help finance its projects.

And about that "elusive" label: Johnson doesn't care for it. He figures he'll ease suspicion over time, doing things his way.

"We're not promoting anything to anyone, and we haven't been asking for anything," he said. "In this market, with other developers, a lot has been talked about, but not a lot has materialized."

Laura Yuen can be reached at lyuen@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5498.

DEAN JOHNSON

Age: 50

Birthplace: St. Paul; grew up near Larpenteur and Payne avenues.

Education: Johnson High School and Hamline University, where he majored in German and history.

Background: Became interested in business while a graduate student in Germany; banking career began there with Commerzbank; moved to Belgium in 1994 and formed a company that grew into WingField Corp., a Brussels-based real estate development and investment company.

In the works: One of WingField's current projects is a luxury resort on the coastal cliffs of Mallorca, Spain, scheduled to open in 2010.

On the sidelines: Bought Minnesota Thunder soccer team this summer with partner Henk Habers.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/adjaye_stpaul.jpg

holy shit

:eek2:

Ahh, it's fun to be able to post renderings again after such a dry spell and wave of project cancellations. :D

Minneapolis

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/1wholefoods1208.jpg
A sketch of the current plans for 222 Hennepin Av. Best Buy is no longer part of the project, which now includes housing with plans for a Whole Foods Market.

By Susan Feyder, Star Tribune

Last update: December 8, 2007 - 12:27 AM

The developers planning to put a Whole Foods Market in downtown Minneapolis have revised the project again, bringing housing -- this time apartments -- back into the mix.

The latest change comes eight months after Seattle-based Milliken Development Group pulled the plug on a 290-unit condominium building that was to be part of the project, and proposed an all-retail complex at 222 Hennepin Av. Whole Foods and Best Buy were to be the major tenants in the 164,000-square-foot development at the site of the former Downtown Jaguar.

But Don Milliken told members of the North Loop Neighborhood Association late Thursday that Best Buy is no longer part of the project. Milliken said his firm and the Richfield-based electronics retailer ended lease negotiations this fall, about the same time the developer began redesigning the project to include apartments and Best Buy started looking at other downtown sites.

In an interview, Milliken said Best Buy told him that it was considering the IDS Center, because the rent there was lower than at his project. The most logical place at the IDS is the lower level, which has about 61,000 square feet of vacant space.

Jim Durda, general manager at the IDS, declined to comment on the status of negotiations with Best Buy. He said there have been some discussions with the retailer about it leasing a small amount of space on the ground level and linking it by an escalator to another 25,000 to 30,000 square feet on the lower level.

Best Buy is said to have also looked at a site at the south end of downtown owned by Minneapolis-based Alatus Partners. Representatives of the firm could not be reached for comment Friday.

Best Buy Co. Inc. spokesman Justin Barber declined to comment Friday concerning negotiations for specific sites but said that the company remains interested in opening a store downtown.

Milliken's new plan calls for a first phase with a 56,000-square-foot Whole Foods on the ground level, topped by a six-story apartment building. Milliken said there would be about 247 apartments averaging 800 to 850 square feet.

"This is what we believe there's a market for today," Milliken said of the decision to build rentals instead of condominiums. Later phases could include one or two towers with condos, but not until the sluggish market recovers, he said. Besides condos, the other towers could include more apartments, senior citizen housing or a hotel, he said.

Milliken said the apartments in the first phase would be smaller than what's generally available in Minneapolis but would command monthly rents of $1,000 to $1,500 because of their upscale design and the building's location. The development also would have two levels of underground parking for residents and store customers.

Besides the Whole Foods, an additional 28,000 square feet of retail space would be built, mostly for service-oriented retail, Milliken said. No tenants have been signed, but Milliken said that they could include a bank, a pharmacy, a dry cleaners, a hair salon and possibly a fast-food outlet.

Project trimmed $70 million

Milliken said the project's first phase would cost about $110 million, compared with the $180 million figure when it was first proposed in 2005 and included the condominiums. The initial price was higher because it included more underground parking, a high-rise tower for the condos and a larger Whole Foods, he said. The store has been downsized because the Austin, Texas-based grocer recently decided to build smaller stores nationwide.

Besides meeting with the neighborhood group, Milliken also discussed the revised plans Thursday at an informal meeting with city planners. He hopes the planning commission can review the project next month, clearing the way for work to begin in April and be completed in about two years.

This is still in planning, but is a tantalizing prospect for not only St. Paul, but the Twin Cities in general.


Ugh, this was depressing to read. I hope that Dave Thune, Saint Paul's idiotic mayor and a Major League freak, that doesn't really care if he screws over the City in order to advance his screw wing ideology, doesn't stay on the way of this project of the truly historic magnitude.:ohno:

Though I'm going to have to disagree with mr. Blauvelt on that the shifting floors structure is something completely new to the world of skyscrapers . Similar technology was implemented previously in 'Capital City' (http://www.capitalgroup.ru/img/city_big_picture_01_03_2006.htm), a 280m office block currently u/c in Moscow

Ugh, this was depressing to read. I hope that Dave Thune, Saint Paul's idiotic mayor and a Major League freak, that doesn't really care if he screws over the City in order to advance his screw wing ideology, doesn't stay on the way of this project of the truly historic magnitude.:ohno:

Uhhh... Dave Thune is not the Mayor of St. Paul. Chris Coleman is. (http://www.stpaul.gov/mayor/) Dave Thune is a DFL Council member representing Ward 2.

That St. Paul project looks like Museum Tower in Louisville

Thats what I was thinking.. although a little more accesible to the city than Museum Tower

That St. Paul project looks like Museum Tower in Louisville


That's what I sort of thought at one point also and I'm glad it didn't stick with me because I do not like that project in any way. So I'll say it reminds me of a broken monolith from 2001 A Space Odyssey (yes it's spelled correctly).

Some sick real estate going around lately:

http://homes.realtor.com/search/searchresults.aspx?ctid=94&ncs=64824%2c81839%2c28184%2c9413%2c6975%2c28702%2c55367%2c87426%2c78607%2c75504%2c52404%2c1804%2c13928%2c14287%2c22663%2c34509%2c16370%2c9883%2c480%2c82400%2c77688%2c39919%2c85781%2c24444%2c5994%2c1382%2c86346%2c81070%2c39294%2c10637%2c24107%2c12756%2c23296%2c63492%2c51938%2c85114%2c45955%2c91203%2c10499%2c92964%2c8528%2c5160%2c92905%2c104752%2c6109%2c25276%2c29750%2c1147%2c2319%2c104819%2c54392%2c47135%2c40492%2c87677&ml=3&typ=1&sid=5d909214e29c4d829209c2d1d3715050&sdir=0&sby=2

About the Pillsbury Mill Redevelopment Project, will any portion of the former mill be razed? And how is the Tile Elevator (the brown-coloured structure) gonna be redeveloped into 5 residential units?

Some sick real estate going around lately:

http://homes.realtor.com/search/searchresults.aspx?ctid=94&ncs=64824%2c81839%2c28184%2c9413%2c6975%2c28702%2c55367%2c87426%2c78607%2c75504%2c52404%2c1804%2c13928%2c14287%2c22663%2c34509%2c16370%2c9883%2c480%2c82400%2c77688%2c39919%2c85781%2c24444%2c5994%2c1382%2c86346%2c81070%2c39294%2c10637%2c24107%2c12756%2c23296%2c63492%2c51938%2c85114%2c45955%2c91203%2c10499%2c92964%2c8528%2c5160%2c92905%2c104752%2c6109%2c25276%2c29750%2c1147%2c2319%2c104819%2c54392%2c47135%2c40492%2c87677&ml=3&typ=1&sid=5d909214e29c4d829209c2d1d3715050&sdir=0&sby=2

Yeah. Don't you love the following quote regarding the $53.5 million house?

"Estimated Payment: $277,600 Per Month"

What the hell is going on in St. Paul.

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site569/2007/1218/20071218__071219wingrender.jpg

A proposal for the St. Paul riverfront by the WingField corporation includes three spectacular glass towers, designed by renowned architect Tashiko Mori, a one-time winner of the Medal of Honor from the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Developer Dean Johnson said the design would attract worldwide attention to St. Paul. Image from WingField corporation.

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site569/2007/1218/20071218__071219opusrender.jpg

This rendering shows the Opus Corporation's initial proposal for the St. Paul riverfront, although the drawings may not reflect the final design. The plan includes an office tower to the left, a hotel and condo tower at center and residential development, possibly town homes, on the east end of the parcel where the empty Adult Detention Center now sits. Photo provided by Opus.


Source says Opus has edge on developing old West Publishing property
BY DAVE ORRICK and TIM NELSON
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 12/19/2007 12:17:44 AM CST

Ramsey County wants to sell a prime swath of riverfront land in downtown St. Paul for at least $10 million as part of a deal with Minnetonka-based Opus Corp., the Pioneer Press has learned.

On Tuesday, the company pitched a $200 million mixed-use project with two towers, 19 and 23 stories high, on the site of the former headquarters of West Publishing.

County Board Chairman Tony Bennett declined to confirm the board's decision, made during a closed session after a two-hour presentation by Opus and a rival developer with its own vision for the site.

"We don't have a deal, and the property is not sold," Bennett said.

Opus Executive Vice President Tim Murnane said he hopes his project can fill the gap left by West Publishing when it relocated to Eagan in 1992 and abandoned its Kellogg Boulevard headquarters - an economic blow from which the city still is struggling to recover.

"That's what we're trying to do, and I think that the Opus experience, combined with our track record, has the best chance to make that happen," Murnane said.

He told the County Board he thought the project's office element might lure a major company and said in a later interview that Opus is in discussions with companies, at least one of them local, looking for new corporate headquarters.

Murnane declined to name any of them.

"It's the next Lawson that may or may not be out there," he said. "It's people that may be looking to St. Paul or looking to upgrade their building."

He cited Cargill's decision to occupy his company's Excelsior Crossings development in Hopkins as an example of what could happen on the St. Paul riverfront.

According to a source close to the negotiation, the county decided to open negotiations with Opus in earnest, after hearing from the company and Belgium-based rival WingField Corp., headed by St. Paul native Dean Johnson. The source did not want to be identified because the talks are legally secret.

WingField pitched a $600 million project that called for three blade-like high-rises of transparent glass next to a low-lying new home for the Minnesota Museum of American Art. But in the end, commissioners seemed drawn to Opus' résumé.

Opus is a national developer with completed projects that include Medtronic's headquarters in Mounds View, Best Buy's corporate campus in Richfield and Grant Park in downtown Minneapolis.

Murnane, whose family roots go back a century in St. Paul, outlined three buildings:

A 23-story, 504,000-square-foot office building with river-level parking for 252 cars.

A 19-story building with nine floors of hotel space topped by 10 floors of condos.

"Cliff Dwellers," an Anasazi Indian-inspired, six-story high-end condo building that stands no taller than the bluff, which opens a view of the river and allows Kellogg to enjoy more boulevard-style park space.

Murnane pegged the price "in excess of $200 million" and said he would seek government-backed tax subsidies to make it happen.

"At this point, it's too early to say how much," he said.

Murnane said Opus' idea is based on economics.

"Our plan is an exciting plan," he told commissioners. "It may not be as aggressive as some others ... but we have to make sure the market is there."

Minutes later, Johnson made his pitch for a mixed-use project, also an aesthetic effort to climb the limestone bluff separating downtown St. Paul from the Mississippi River.

Johnson, who also plans an architecturally striking high-rise hotel at Sixth and Wabasha streets, was joined by architect Toshiko Mori, chairwoman of Harvard University's architecture department, and offered a list of his projects spanning the globe, from Qatar to Mallorca, Spain.

Johnson said he was asking for no tax breaks and outlined a trans-Atlantic financing plan anchored by German equity firms.

But neither he nor his 13-year-old company could boast a finished project, a fact Bennett seized upon.

"Is there anything that I can see, concrete, that you have done?" Bennett asked. Johnson responded that WingField had secured funds, tenancy commitments and even sold buildings.

"You're the dreamer," Bennett responded. "Where are those projects that I can see?"

While several of Johnson's projects are under construction, none is finished, he acknowledged.

The riverfront site is a slice of land across the street from the City Hall-Courthouse that runs between Kellogg Boulevard and Shepard Road from the Wabasha Street bridge to District Energy's downtown plant.

Ramsey County owns the land, an awkward assemblage of buildings extending about eight stories below Kellogg. Much of the 550,000 square feet of space is vacant. It includes the former county jail and sheriff's office, county records division and other administrative offices.

The county wants to unload it all and have private developers demolish the existing buildings and transform the area into a mix of hotel, luxury residential and office space, all with some of the choicest views in the Twin Cities.

holy shit st paul

Just wondering... is there a St. Paul Development thread? Or is this actually the Twin Cities Development thread?

Just wondering... is there a St. Paul Development thread? Or is this actually the Twin Cities Development thread?

More or less Twin Cities (and suburbs) development thread.

vgmLiquid have you heard anything new about twinsville? I would love to see that area developed the way in those renderings that were released a while back.

Even more wishful thinking... I'd love to see the metrodome area developed the way they had in the renderings for the new viking stadium.

Would fill in so many ugly areas(parking lots) of downtown, and make the whole downtown dense.

More or less Twin Cities (and suburbs) development thread.

Then I vote for a name change on this thread... either Twin Cities or Minneapolis/St. Paul?

Even though St. Paul doesn't have as much development going on, it should be acknowledged as part of the region.

Not a particularly glamorous project, but the 218-room Global One hotel (actually it will be branded as a Hilton Garden Inn) has broken ground in downtown Minneapolis. To its credit it does take advantage of a tiny bit of land near the convention center, and relates to the taller condo tower across the highway:

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/2552/globalone01zb4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5899/globalone02iu4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Ultra-luxe Phoenix on the River condos is nearly topped out. The first photo of the model is by forumer Spdcheetah at Minnescraper. (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/index.php) The second is by forumer MidwestProduct:

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/6024/phoenixmodel01rh3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/7316/phoenixconst01db4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Another great photo by MidwestProduct. This is an old bank building that is currently being renovated into the "Hotel Minneapolis." It should be ready in time for the Republican National Convention in August:

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7602/401hotelmpls01gc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

vgmLiquid have you heard anything new about twinsville? I would love to see that area developed the way in those renderings that were released a while back.

Even more wishful thinking... I'd love to see the metrodome area developed the way they had in the renderings for the new viking stadium.

Would fill in so many ugly areas(parking lots) of downtown, and make the whole downtown dense.

The good news regarding the Twins stadium is it will most likely bring several tall buildings within a few blocks of it but with the current credit and housing markets its not likely to happen until at least 2010 (when the ballpark opens). This will give the market conditions more than ample time to reverse itself. I would guess we could see proposals for significant development around 2009. There are a few developments in the North Loop area right now under construction.

I agree completely with the vikings stadium proposal. Especially considering the vikings did better than everyone imagined, they might get more support from the legislature to get a new stadium (although probably not this year due to the bridge collapse but I would be willing to put money on it that in 2009 something gets passed for it).

so this wing west project or what is likely to get topped out by the more boring but more realistic opus project

St. Paul / 1 project sinks as another swims
Locations on river explain the fates of Bridges, West site
BY DAVE ORRICK
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 01/19/2008 11:06:47 PM CST


Developer Jerry Trooien - whose bold 2 million-square-foot mixed-use proposal, the Bridges of St. Paul, was nixed last year by St. Paul - is still licking his wounds.

Meanwhile, Timothy Murnane - the public face of Opus Northwest's plan to transform the former county jail and Ramsey County-owned West Publishing building into a similarly bold project - is getting congratulatory slaps on the back in City Hall. The Ramsey County Board last week approved a deal that would sell the land to Opus for $10 million.

What gives?

Answer: It's all about the river. St. Paul's vision for big developments - high-density, high-rise, high-impact - calls for them to be only on the downtown side of the Mississippi River. Opus' property is; Trooien's isn't. Neither the projects nor the developers have been actually pitted against each other. Location is the difference.

The Pioneer Press had more questions and asked each man, separately, to reflect. Here are their answers, edited for space and clarity:

Jerry Trooien
Q. You've said the market can't support anything less than what you proposed. What's up with the Bridges site these days?

A. What's there to do? We still come to work everyday. I still own the land. The ball is in the city's court - and the entire community's court - if anyone wants a plan that has any chance of working. Unless the city's going to give a zillion-dollar subsidy, there isn't a plan that will work (and have the city's support).

Q. The Bridges was at odds with the larger plan of the city and the St. Paul Riverfront Corp. According to your logic, that very plan is flawed?

A. Yes. There's never been a history of objecting to the heights of buildings. There isn't any disturbing of the majesty of the Mississippi or anything like that. And the other objection - that you'll hear the sucking sound from the life of St. Paul if you build across the river - it really is irrational fear-mongering.

Q. But you do understand why they like Opus' proposal, right?

A. I'm not against development of the West Building. I wish them well. But it's OK over there, but it's dirty and rotten over here? There's some real inconsistencies.

Timothy Murnane
Q. You knew from the get-go that Opus' plan wouldn't face the same opposition as the Bridges, right?

A. The comprehensive plan and the vision that the city and Riverfront Corp. have are consistent with our plans. That makes a difference.

Q. Even with public support, you still have the economy to deal with. It's slumping.

A. Our business is all about timing, and I wish the market were in better condition than it is now, but unless you try to put a good project out there, it'll never happen. 2009 is earliest we could start construction, and that's a tall order in this economy.

Q. Think it'll turn around by then?

A. It's hard to gauge that. Some people think we're in a recession. We'll know a lot more in six months.

Q. You've said your first order of business is a corporate tenant, but condos are eventually part of the plan. The residential real estate market is in the tank.

A. We're also well aware of the challenging real estate market, but we also think this is the best real estate site in St. Paul, and we're going to commit to doing everything possible. We're going to give it everything we've got for St. Paul.

Dave Orrick can be reached at dorrick@pioneerpress.com or 651-292-1159.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_8018288?nclick_check=1

Minneapolis might be adding an additional Fortune 500 to its ranks in the near future. Advance Auto Parts (Fortune 500 #478, would be the metro's 24th largest company with revenues of $4.62 billion, just behind Nash Finch and just ahead of PepsiAmericas).

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2007/12/24/story2.html
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/148570
http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/148174


Regardless, its going to be filling up office space.

Good News.

Some more good news tidbits for downtown Minneapolis.

Excel Energy is adding over 36,000 sq ft downtown.
SoftBrands, Virchow Krause & Co., Kerker Advertising Agency and Hazelden Foundation are all re-locating their corporate HQ's to downtown.

A senior exec at Opus Corporation (http://www.opuscorp.com/Pages/Default.aspx)(one of the leargest developers in the US) anticipates a major building boom downtown in about 5 years that will produce some high-quality designs due to the tightening of design standards at City Hall. This seems to gel with the dropping vacancy rates for Class A space.

^Yeah, more companies are filling in the spaces downtown. I didn't realize an Opus exec said that or that city hall is putting harder standards on building designs (especially with the Ivy). I would have predicted a building boom downtown within the next 5 years simply because during that time the Twins stadium will have been done, Northstar would be done, the rail between duluth and minneapolis could be done or under construction, and the central corridor could be done or under construction, housing market should be strong, and companies seem to keep locating downtown lowering vacancy rates (plus the metrodome will most likely be in the process of demolition to build a new vikings stadium by that point). I just hope we can get some tall slim towers.

That building boom + the new rail lines + new twins stadium + new vikings stadium


would = :banana:



and..
I remember seeing a project a long time ago that someone posted about, but I couldn't find it. I'm not sure exactly where it was but I think it was southeast of downtown along the rail line somewhere, and included a few 15 story-ish buildings. Any idea what that was and what happened/is happening with it?

Just an FYI - I have several prints available on my website that you Minneapolis junkies might like to take a look at. If you're interested in purchasing one (or several), simply use the contact form on the website (http://www.markofphotography.com) to let me know the name, size of the print and whether you'd like me to mount it on a board for you.

Here are the photos available:

Evening Rush
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2021/1864573647_8d51448999.jpg

Into the City
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2227/1954849023_aabe9caf9a.jpg

Yeah!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2321/1943074907_075bcc43f2.jpg

In the City
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2175/2253558797_b6cb9f74e8.jpg

Dark Tower
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/1871935821_da6231a8ca.jpg

Gold Medal Flour
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2287/1966275594_97fe49f649.jpg

I drove by the Penfield site today and there was a car in the parking lot.

I'm not one to speculate, but since the car was there in that parking lot and not at home, I can only assume the person has no place to live. Maybe they were interested in living at the Penfield? This we may never know.

This does not really relate to development but is some history about transportation:

http://www.metrocouncil.org/about/HistoryTransit.htm

Minneapolis at one point could have had a 37 mile subway system developed. While 37 miles is nothing staggering, it was back in 70s and probably would have continued to develop over the 35-40 year period since then. For comparison the proposed Central Corridor LRT would be 11 miles and the current Hiawatha line is 12 miles. Basically 37 miles could have been between 3-4 lines of heavy rail depending where they went.

This does not really relate to development but is some history about transportation:

http://www.metrocouncil.org/about/HistoryTransit.htm

Minneapolis at one point could have had a 37 mile subway system developed. While 37 miles is nothing staggering, it was back in 70s and probably would have continued to develop over the 35-40 year period since then. For comparison the proposed Central Corridor LRT would be 11 miles and the current Hiawatha line is 12 miles. Basically 37 miles could have been between 3-4 lines of heavy rail depending where they went.

Minneapolis never had the population to support a subway system - and probably won't for a long time. the current light rail system is perfect for the city, and the central corridor line will be a perfect addition. I just wish they'd finish it sooner!

cool pics, milwaukeemark! minneapolis is truly a beautiful city. i've always felt that you guys have one of prettiest skylines in the world........

Well, since no one has posted it yet, here's a night view from a parking ramp of the new Ivy Hotel + Residences (http://www.ivympls.com/index_fl.html)in downtown Minneapolis, still under construction. Photo by forumer MidwestProduct from the forum Minnescraper (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1). This is the 10th Starwood Luxury Collection hotel in North America, and only the 2nd urban location for this brand (San Francisco's Palace Hotel (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=373)was the first).

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9835/ivymplsnight01nx5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Here's a photo by forumer Leapfroggy at Minnescraper of the construction progress of the new I-35W bridge, which will replace the collapsed bridge.

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/344/35wbridgeconstruction01el3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Another photo by forumer MidwestProduct. Taken this past weekend, it shows construction progress of the new Aloft Hotel (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/index.html) + Zenith Condominiums (http://www.zenithcondos.com/) going up in the Mill District of downtown Minneapolis:

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/3493/zenithalofthotel02ud9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

From today's Pioneer Press:

One of the nation's largest for-profit online universities will put its name atop one of the tallest buildings in Minneapolis.

Capella Education Company, already based in Minneapolis, will consolidate more than 1,150 employees into 225 South Sixth Street in downtown Minneapolis early in 2009, officials said today. That's the "halo" building once named for First Bank System. It will now be known as Capella Tower.

This is the tall building on the left:

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/936/00mplsskyline02fd0.th.jpg (http://img517.imageshack.us/my.php?image=00mplsskyline02fd0.jpg)

Forumer "minneapolitan" at Minnescraper (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1) posted this tidbit:

Target seeks options for employees at City Center
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/04/07/story2.html

Target's lease in 33 South Sixth expires in November 2012 and according to Target spokeswoman Lissa Reitz, "we're assessing how we're going to accommodate our space needs beyond that date."

Target has plenty of options, from staying put to moving out of downtown. At least one major developer has held talks with the company about building a new tower for the retailer.

Forumer "minneapolitan" at Minnescraper (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1) posted this tidbit:

Target seeks options for employees at City Center
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/04/07/story2.html

Target's lease in 33 South Sixth expires in November 2012 and according to Target spokeswoman Lissa Reitz, "we're assessing how we're going to accommodate our space needs beyond that date."

Target has plenty of options, from staying put to moving out of downtown. At least one major developer has held talks with the company about building a new tower for the retailer.

You beat me to it. The speculation we have been getting lately is killing me.

^Yes, this could be interesting, since Target occupies 800,000 square feet of the 52-story City Center tower. By 2012 I'd think it reasonable that Target might need upwards of one million+ square feet.

That could translate to a major new tower. Unless, of course, they decide it's best to put that into their campus in Brooklyn Center. After all, corporations like Target love big floor plates. On the other hand, Target HQ is the epicenter of their creative teams, and I've heard they consider downtown Minneapolis to be a positive for them.

The other big development news is about Alatus Partners and the 3-block area at 10th & Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis. Alatus developed the successful 39-story Carlyle and the 27-story Grant Park Tower and now has begun demolition of the parking lot/gas station at 10th & Hennepin, closed the existing Ramada on the next block and is moving the Catholic Charities out of their building on the block next to that.

Nothing official has been announced yet, but the fact that work has already started on the sites should mean the plans will be forthcoming soon.

Here is an updated photo of construction on the new ball park.

http://www.startribune.com/photos/?c=y&img=TwinsStadiumK2drb.jpg

^Yes, this could be interesting, since Target occupies 800,000 square feet of the 52-story City Center tower. By 2012 I'd think it reasonable that Target might need upwards of one million+ square feet.

That could translate to a major new tower. Unless, of course, they decide it's best to put that into their campus in Brooklyn Center. After all, corporations like Target love big floor plates. On the other hand, Target HQ is the epicenter of their creative teams, and I've heard they consider downtown Minneapolis to be a positive for them.

With the economy bad and getting worse, I wouldn't count on too many places actually increasing it's number of employees that much, much less a department store