Nic on Fifth - (290' - 26 Stories)

[Konante]

I figure it'll be 307 feet. The original design was 365 feet. The apartment floors are 9' 8" in height. So that should lower it to around 307.

Yeesh. I'm still looking forward to it but 307 isn't as exciting.

[Nordeastmpls]

I too, wish that this worked out better with the timing of Nieman Marcus' lease. A lot of people were very surprised that they stayed the last time their lease was up. I think it is even less likely for them to stay this time around. I'll cross my fingers though. One thing if they do move is maybe we could finally get a Nordstrom store downtown. I know that they were interested in the past, but were not interested in the existing space available (a la City Center). Perhaps if that part of Gaviidae became available, they would be interested. I think Nordstrom would be a great fit with Downtown Minneapolis.

[spectre000]

Well after further consideration, since they are reducing the number of apartments, they'll also need less parking. They could wind up removing 5 residential levels and 1 parking level. Which might make the height a couple feet taller than the 307 figure I gave.

Then again, they might want the extra parking for the public and Xcel employees.

[Didier]

I believe I read that the Xcel building would only have 40 parking spaces, which seems quite low.

[Unity77]

This construction may be too late to help persuade Neiman Marcus into a new lease(theirs is up at the beginning of next year)...I just don't see them sticking around. Anyway, enough negativity! haha

One would think Neiman Marcus officials are paying attention to the growing downtown population and its demographics as well as the up-and-coming residential developments. My fear is that they will end up opting out of downtown and opening a location at the MOA.

[mnmike]

I don't think they would go with MOA, but maybe. I think they would more likely go in Edina, or even out of the market. If they do leave, I REALLY don't see another department store taking it's place...I think that is VERY wishful thinking. Downtown just isn't a retail destination anymore...which doesn't have to be a horrible thing I guess. It is what it is. The places that do best are the ones office workers can go to on their break and pick up things on sale, like Marshalls, and off 5th. I think H and M could do ok. Upscale doesn't really fit downtown anymore...not at the current time anyway. Most upscale retail has left over the years, and Gav II is a ghost town. I think we may just have to realize it isn't going to be a retail destination, and go in a different direction. In the future, as more residents come, maybe some will come back, maybe it won't. Anyhow....sorry, that is off topic.

[John]

What I don't understand is how Opus was touting this development as a "New York style" apartment building , and now scales it back to 27 floors. Sounds more like a "Omaha Style " apartment building to me! The upper floors are frequently what give a high rise apartment complex appeal to renters in other big cities. The top floor is sometimes a party space or amenity space with a great view for all renters to enjoy. There are going to be way fewer of these rentals (with views) compared to its previous 33 story version. I guess I wonder who's going to pay all that high priced rent to look at nothing?

[mullen]

i'll take an omaha style building. they've built a 45 story tower there in the past ten years. we're high fiving over 9 stories in this town.

i don't have a problem with the developer doing what they can if that results in something being built on what is now an ugly, vacant parcel on our showcase corridor.

[4-d]

27 stories is just fine. We just need to create demand to push up instead of out. People will want those upper floor apartments and developers will follow suit. Two towers started this year, a couple more in the next year, and we will be booming. I think we will easily pass our goals of 35,000 new downtown residents in the next ?12? years, was that it?

[Jez]

I don't think they will have views of nothing, I think it'll be cool to be in the heart of it all, in amogst the tall buildings, that's very "New York" to me. I personally think people that will rent there will totally "get it" and totally enjoy the urban experience. Sounds FABULOUS to me:)

I really think also that losing 6 floors is no biggie, it's still going to be a significant improvement on what's currently there (or not there).

[Nick]

Their financiers wouldn't give them the money for it. Remember that Opus went super bankrupt pretty recently.

And again, within a couple blocks of this site, there's an entire block surface parking lot, two half block surface lots, and a few fourth of a block parking lots. There's plenty of room to build higher if the market demands it. It's been five years since the Carlyle was built and that was really the last project of this scale to go up in Minneapolis.

[John]

Well , if anything, they should increase the height of Nicollet Residences to 45 stories! 27 stories is too wimpy and makes the building feel more parochial. The building will lose quite a bit of its prestige and bold presence. The whole image of the building as a very prominent high rise residential building fronting Nicollet Mall is muffled. This was one of the major characteristics of this development that made it appealing to people wanting to live a distinctly urban lifestyle. I think Opus is using poor judgement with their downsizing. This is good news for Magellan though , because now if they build 1368 Lasalle they have no competition!

[spectre000]

The building's prestige isn't losing anything by the loss of a few floors. It's on Nicollet Mall afterall. Home to the IDS, Wells Fargo Center, Target, US Bank, etc etc.

This has been an empty lot for about 20 years, lets not forget that.

[John]

The building's prestige isn't losing anything by the loss of a few floors. It's on Nicollet Mall afterall. Home to the IDS, Wells Fargo Center, Target, US Bank, etc etc.

This has been an empty lot for about 20 years, lets not forget that.

I understand where you are coming from and it's good they are building something here. The building will still be quite nice at the street level. And it certainly gives 1368 Lasalle a nice distinguishing selling point as the tallest apartment high rise of all the new projects. In that sense I'm happy for Magellan. I think people here just don't "get it" with urban living yet. We are still perhaps a little provincial and too cautious. Opus just reflects that sensibility. Height and view is a huge amenity for people wanting urban living in most big cities.

[Nick]

The building's prestige isn't losing anything by the loss of a few floors. It's on Nicollet Mall afterall. Home to the IDS, Wells Fargo Center, Target, US Bank, etc etc.

This has been an empty lot for about 20 years, lets not forget that.

I understand where you are coming from and it's good they are building something here. The building will still be quite nice at the street level. And it certainly gives 1368 Lasalle a nice distinguishing selling point as the tallest apartment high rise of all the new projects. In that sense I'm happy for Magellan. I think people here just don't "get it" with urban living yet. We are still perhaps a little provincial and too cautious. Opus just reflects that sensibility. Height and view is a huge amenity for people wanting urban living in most big cities.

Opus couldn't get financing for the whole thing. It wasn't their decision.

[FISHMANPET]

Why would we acknowledge the economic realities of urban development when we can just rally against "the man" holding back our tall buildings?

[min-chi-cbus]

The building's prestige isn't losing anything by the loss of a few floors. It's on Nicollet Mall afterall. Home to the IDS, Wells Fargo Center, Target, US Bank, etc etc.

This has been an empty lot for about 20 years, lets not forget that.

I understand where you are coming from and it's good they are building something here. The building will still be quite nice at the street level. And it certainly gives 1368 Lasalle a nice distinguishing selling point as the tallest apartment high rise of all the new projects. In that sense I'm happy for Magellan. I think people here just don't "get it" with urban living yet. We are still perhaps a little provincial and too cautious. Opus just reflects that sensibility. Height and view is a huge amenity for people wanting urban living in most big cities.

Opus couldn't get financing for the whole thing. It wasn't their decision.

Clearly, nobody is listening to you, because I keep seeing posts about how Opus is getting screwed by the people of this city! I hear ya though!

I agree, Magellan and their tower is going to (could be) THE Minneapolis epitome of super-urban living at its finest -- with the best views to boot, IMO! I think it's fitting that the classiest design would be the classiest high-rise one could live in here.

[dumberGuy]

slouching toward mediocrity is the metier of Minneapolis developers

easy to blame the financiers, but unless you come to the table with a compelling anxiety-dispelling project, the financiers naturally are going to scale things back. And just how hard a sell could those extra six floors have been? The urban core is clearly growing; the economy is (relatively) stable, diversified and growing; and vacancies are few.

The argument could have been made persuasively in the language financiers understand. I doubt that argument was made, much less made well.

[PhilmerPhil]

Skylines symbolize cities. Neighborhoods define them.

[Nathan]

I'm gonna go with Opus is probably doing its best to make the most amount of money that they can on this project. And more floors would be more money. They are also one of the only divisions of Opus that didn't go under through the recession, so I think they are probably pretty good with finances. Let's be excited about our city developing and rebounding and having some more CBD residences eh?