urbanMSP

It will be interesting to see whether the multi-billion-dollar oil boom in North Dakota will spur spill-over office tower demand in downtown Minneapolis and whether the City's hospitality industry will see a spike in demand for more hotel rooms as the City attempts to attract the well-paid, oil-indu...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWz7IC5s3dQ ‪https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_QZbjBa7qc I've included two links to what I consider amazing, world-class, downtown-defining development proposals: The first is the breathtaking Etihad Towers, located in Abu Dhabi; The other is the Hudson Yards project ...

Just finished watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals and it made me think, when will renovations begin on Target Center? The designs have been gathering dust for two years already and it's been more than a year since the legislature approved public funding as part of the football stadium deal. Now, it sh...

The plan to possibly double the size of the Ryan development and the timing of this story is very strange, given that Wells Fargo has yet to publicly sign on to the original plan. As it appears now, Ryan, has won the rights to build the large parking ramp. But why the continued hesitance on Wells Fa...

I would welcome a redo of the mall, but it needs to be a local company that knows what materials will and won't work with our climate. They need to spend the money to do it right and use reputable companies. For a change don't necessarily go with the lowest bidder... I wouldn't want to narrow the c...

Designers of The Yard should not miss the opportunity to add to the tennis and soccer infrastructure in the heart of The City. I'd love to see at least 8-10 lighted tennis courts included in a section of the park. The courts should be open to the public and should have a computerized on-line reserva...

http://the2020partners.com/wordpress/wp ... 011513.pdf The illuminated "waterfall" illustrated on the last panel ( in the above link) is incredible and will do a lot to enhance and soften the area. Like the fountains at Peavey Plaza, these too should provide a public amenity that reflects ...

Love the clusters of trees and the "windswept" plaza design. As the Strib story also points out, the trees and indigenous perennials to be planted surrounding the stadium will provide a welcoming, green, cushioning effect for fans arriving from every side of the building. The plaza area, l...

Where is the imagination? In the heart of the great metropolis, the best idea we can come up with to re-make Block E is a practice facility for the Wolves? There are at least two better options for this in Minneapolis than Block E. Why not have the Wolves and Gophers develop a dual use, split-wing p...

Since my idea for The Armory to be transformed into a Center Court tennis stadium failed to garner much traction, I now think the building would make an ideal central location for the proposed LA Fitness' flagship workout and lifestyle facility (formerly Bally's & US Swim & Fitness). Once th...

The youtube fly-through was helpful in understanding the scale and at least some of the detail of this development. I too hoped the buildings would have been even more modern and I'd hoped for something at least 40 stories but the park is a major plus. Love the idea of movies, concerts and theater i...

This jewel will sparkle for generations. Thrilled to get a glimpse at the finished product.

It was exciting to watch the unveiling unfold. This is a great start. Refinements, adding green space, the Vikings Hall of Fame (oddly not mentioned during tonight's ceremony) and something architectural to break up the concrete plaza will help. Also, the scale of the building itself will add to the...

By this time tomorrow we should know whether Minneapolis will be trumpeting a return to significant, inspired, architectural design, to an eager audience or whether we will whisper a retreat from our global ambitions.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/real_estate/2013/04/kansas-wins-uli-competition-for.html The Business Journal link above, illustrates the winning student-entry for a design competition remaking DTE. The design builds on much that already exists, including a revamp of the existing Armory a...

It still amazes me how long it takes to get anything of substance built or developed in Minneapolis. The Target Center renovation is a case in point. Moderate plans were announced more than two years ago to arrive at a "sensible solution" to drastically improve the exterior and interior de...

I think his point is that a hotel can be financed privately and it can be profitable for them to do so, but the events that come along with the people who need the rooms benefit the city 100%, so why should the private financier have to foot the entire bill for the building if the city is getting a...

As the downtown Minneapolis population remains on track to double from 35,000-70,000 by 2025, the demand for a walkable, first-run theater, will also increase. In addition to Hennepin Avenue, keep an eye on the North Loop, Mill District and DTE, near the future stadium. As those areas continue to de...

An argument could be made that Minneapolis and Hennepin County have vested interests in subsidizing a convention hotel tower in downtown Minneapolis in order to capture the additional tax revenue generated by future mega-events that will likely take place, including a Super Bowl, NCAA Basketball Fin...

I'm hopeful it won't take the 20 years it took the Powers Store block to redevelop.