Selby and Snelling

[MNdible]

From the Biz Journal:

Associated Bank has selected Ryan Cos. US Inc. to redevelop its property at the corner of Snelling and Selby avenues in St. Paul.

A new Associated Bank branch will be part of the mixed-use project at 176 N. Snelling Ave., which now contains a three-story office building with a bank branch on the first floor.

“We’re excited to get underway on this unique site in a great St. Paul neighborhood,” said Mark Schoening, senior vice president of national retail for Minneapolis-based Ryan.

Tentative plans for the site include a street-level grocery story and between 200 and 300 apartment units...

[fotoapparatic]

Another cool retro building down the drain :/ With the number of empty lots we have around, this is starting to get annoying.

[stp1980]

I agree it is a cool building on a busy corner, but I am pessimistic about the neighborhood opposition that is probably coming. Soon, you won't even be able to build a snow fort in Saint Paul without your neighborhood complaining that it is too tall and doesn't have adequate parking

[mattaudio]

Weathered wood is cool and retro? Meh.

[redisciple]

I always assumed this was a historic building that had been horribly disfigured in the 70s or 80s. Ramsey County property info backs that up, gives build year as 1917.

300 units is a lot, even for a big parcel like that.

Edit: by 'horribly disfigured' I'm not saying weathered wood is bad per se, but it doesn't really work with form of the classic commercial building.

[seanrichardryan]

Wood covers the bricks on the upper floors and pebbles stucco covers the first. Easily restored like the building across the street that houses Patina. There is a huge parking lot to build on. Fix the building and put your cheap wooden housing behind it.

[fotoapparatic]

Weathered wood is cool and retro? Meh.

Uh. Yes. It's a unique building, conversion or not. It doesn't make sense to raze everything for sterile 2010's clones.

And the lower half has exposed aggregate on it... Just because the materials don't toot our horns now doesn't mean buildings like this with materials like this aren't going to be hard to find and coveted when it becomes historic.

[mulad]

Exposed aggregate tends to make me worry about getting my head bashed in.

[redisciple]

I expected it to have had a grander entrance:



Certainly the cornice is gone and I doubt the pediments remain either. I always assume it would be pretty easy to recreate that sort of thing but maybe not because no one ever does. This will be demolished and replaced with either a big generic building or several big generic buildings.

Edit: btw this pic is dated 1918 - look at the flashy sign!

[612transplant]

Like the current building or not, you have to admit this is a pretty good spot for some apartments. This intersection is pretty popular with Tommies and Mac kids. If it's within their price range, you might see a few students or recent grads in this building. Plus, the grocery store would beat Kowalski's or Cub, neither of which is really walkable from Tommie Town...

[aguaman]

https://maps.google.com/?ll=44.946576,- ... 79,,0,3.37

i hope the new structure will extend the full block length up to dayton. that is definitely an improveemnt, plus, the setback can be improved to make more space for peds and bikes.

[spectre000]

https://maps.google.com/?ll=44.946576,-93.166809&spn=0.004333,0.007489&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=44.946528,-93.166989&panoid=fE8OYXkDeRx1bDwKiOVxiQ&cbp=12,50.79,,0,3.37

i hope the new structure will extend the full block length up to dayton. that is definitely an improveemnt, plus, the setback can be improved to make more space for peds and bikes.

I think that's likely. Associated Bank has acquired a lot of nearby parcels, including the Getten Credit Building at the NE corner of Snelling and Dayton. That is where the new bank will be built. I think they've even got the old bike shop building at Snelling and Marshall. Two full blocks along Snelling look to be getting a total makeover.

[Eóin]

The Highland Villager has an article about this in their November 21-December 4 edition. It mentions the bank would downsize the number of drive-through lanes from eight to four or five. It looks like all of the surface parking will be gone with the developers planning to build underground parking or ramps.

[gcm]

From the Highland Villager:

"The properties to be redeveloped include the three-story bank building at Selby and Snelling, a large parking lot, and four rental houses east of the lot. North of Dayton Avenue, the bank own four more houses, a metal storage buidling, a parking lot, green space and a former gas station that most recently housed a Youth Express bicycle shop.

The buildings would all come down to make way for new construction..."

[twincitizen]

All good news for an intersection that is already pretty cool (for St. Paul, ha) despite the ugly bank building. Cahoots Coffee is great.

[Wedgeguy]

All good news for an intersection that is already pretty cool (for St. Paul, ha) despite the ugly bank building. Cahoots Coffee is great.

My favorite St. Paul coffee shop. Been going there for years~

[spectre000]

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/12/02/st-paul-notes-selby-and-snelling-fast-track-redevelopment

ST. PAUL NOTES | Selby and Snelling on fast track to redevelopment

"...Ryan Companies is the developer, and spokesperson Tony Barranco said they are excited about the project, but just beginning..."

"According to Barranco, they are "hoping to have a site plan together in 60-90 days" and that they want to have at least partial opening by 2014..."

[nate]

There is an article in this week's Villager about this project, as well as the proposed Buffalo Wild Wings down Snelling. Each appear to be raising the predictable traffic and parking concerns. The article also reiterated that the new building would contain a grocery store, which I think is a surprising use, considering the number of grocery stores in the area -- Whole Foods, Kowalskis, Target, Rainbow, Cub -- but I would welcome it.

If this development goes through, this would be a pretty slick urban corner with revamped 84 service to both LRT lines, a grocery store and a bunch of retail and restaurants within a half-mile walk in most directions. Exciting.

[twincitizen]

This intersection is already quite active. You're right though, this development will make it even moreso. They have got to do more traffic calming on Snelling though. Some kind of marked ped crossing on Selby, mid-block between Snelling & Saratoga, would be nice too.

With the addition of a grocery store here along with Midway SuperTarget having a full grocer, how long can Cub and Rainbow both stay afloat at Snelling & Uni? The only way that area gets properly redeveloped with smaller blocks and less parking is if those grocery stores fall. Rainbow would be my choice to redevelop first, given that there's the big vacant lot behind it and Walgreens is leaving the strip mall for the American Bank building.

[nate]

I think that the hated boulevard of death and increased traffic (per neighbor comments) that they installed on Snelling between St. Clair and Grand a few years back would be a nice addition to this part of Snelling.

I tend to like Rainbow more than Cub, for some reason, but I wouldn't be too sad if one of the two fell. Rainbow definitely has the better location for redevelopment. The thought of the Rainbow block, the Snelling/Selby Block, and the LRT construction staging block all getting urban infill or redevelopment makes my mouth water.

There really is a lot of traffic on Snelling, though, especially between I94 and Selby. Traffic diversion and calming should be top priorities.