222 & Whole Foods - (222 Hennepin Avenue)

[Aville_37]

The park is still in the planning stages, but it's going to happen. City leaders and business execs are really pushing for a "central park" downtown, as well as redoing Nicollet Mall.

[Wedgeguy]

I saw from the Library that they are now working on the second story of the wood framed stories on the east and North. Looks like that have all the supports in for the Whole foods.. Next will be the celing and then they can start building with wood on top of that. The upper floors I think will proceed much faster. I hope so be for the snow starts to fly!

[aguaman]

The park is still in the planning stages, but it's going to happen. City leaders and business execs are really pushing for a "central park" downtown, as well as redoing Nicollet Mall.

the park concept includes that full block as well as a portion of the next two blocks to the north, forming a triangle.

[Lancestar2]

I just noticed that the streaming link wasn't working...

hopefully it will be back soon! I don't check it often but I do enjoy the added benefit of having it!

and yes, this site will be one of the best places to live at once the park is completed! With quick access to the park and the Riverfront project AND a full grocery store. This site will be a healthy persons dream! Or at least mine if I could afford the prices of whole foods on top of the rent!

[aguaman]

I just noticed that the streaming link wasn't working...

hopefully it will be back soon! I don't check it often but I do enjoy the added benefit of having it!

and yes, this site will be one of the best places to live at once the park is completed! With quick access to the park and the Riverfront project AND a full grocery store. This site will be a healthy persons dream! Or at least mine if I could afford the prices of whole foods on top of the rent!

not necessarily the healthiest if it's the most expensive option:
http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/september/organic.html

[Didier]

Whole Foods sells mostly non-organic food.

[mplsjaromir]

You probably overstate how much of your income does into your grocery budget. Americans spend the lowest percentage of their income on food in comparison to the rest of the world. Generally people much more on housing and transportation than they do on food. I would find it hard to believe that a single person would save money by owning a car and driving to rainbow or cub, instead of walking to a marginally more expensive grocery store.http://www.bls.gov/cex/#tables Unless you insist on having steak or frozen foods for every meal.

[Tyler]

I just noticed that the streaming link wasn't working...

hopefully it will be back soon! I don't check it often but I do enjoy the added benefit of having it!

and yes, this site will be one of the best places to live at once the park is completed! With quick access to the park and the Riverfront project AND a full grocery store. This site will be a healthy persons dream! Or at least mine if I could afford the prices of whole foods on top of the rent!

not necessarily the healthiest if it's the most expensive option:
http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/september/organic.html

If we want to break this out into a separate discussion we can, but the conclusions the researchers and the media are drawing from this study are completely overblown. Quotes like "There isn't much difference between organic and conventional foods, if you're an adult and making a decision based solely on your health." are completely unjustified based on the actual data in her meta-analysis. It's actually mind boggling that she would make such a statement pretending this is what the study has proven. But this is par for the course. Researchers need funding and love overstating the significance of their work, and the media loves twisting it even further to be controversial and gain readers. Idiocy all around.

[John]

There will always be controversy about organic versus conventionally grown food until the end of the world. Buy what you prefer and be done with it.

[Ubermoose]

I think that there will be a lot of people in the area that will actually save money by shopping at the new Whole Foods. I work in the area at an apartment building it has a small market nearby. I know there is another owned by the same man about 1/2 mile away as well, and it is suprising what the residents pay for groceries at the market. I know most people are shopping for convenience, but there are some elderly and people without transportation that get quite a lot of their grocery items at the markets. I have my doubts that the markets will survive after Whole Foods opens. Their margin for profit is already very thin.

[Lancestar2]

I just noticed that the streaming link wasn't working...

hopefully it will be back soon! I don't check it often but I do enjoy the added benefit of having it!

and yes, this site will be one of the best places to live at once the park is completed! With quick access to the park and the Riverfront project AND a full grocery store. This site will be a healthy persons dream! Or at least mine if I could afford the prices of whole foods on top of the rent!

not necessarily the healthiest if it's the most expensive option:
http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/september/organic.html

the study is flawed it does not study the long term effects. Also nutritional benefits are not increased by going organic however going organic is about cutting out the chemicals in the process. Of course the effects of your body processing all those chemicals over the long term has not been studied, however if you wish to consume all the pesticides in the belief that there is no long term effects then by all means. Of course the long-term effects of such a study would take decades which by then many pesticides will change there formula and will be hard to track the results.

I spouse without long-term effects studies just about everything is "safe"

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCMzjJjuxQI[/youtube]

Whole Foods Is a great design of a store where everything is natural food and free of pesticides. Also I believe that the long term effects of eating health is still good no matter if your eating food made with pesticides. A increase chance of cancer is still better than a heart attack from lack of proper nutrition. Also some foods like celery I can find organic for 1.99 where as the pesticide made celery is 1.19. Not all organic foods are x2 the price. A healthy balance I think is best choosing organic foods when the price is close, and buying locally and in season is best In my opinion. Also once I find out how they get a tomato to ripen (a pesticide made tomato) I started to have an apatite for organic foods

[min-chi-cbus]

^Give me a break with that crap! It's not a life or death decision where you decide to grocery shop. If you want to pay a 50% surplus for "clean" food with the "organic" label that doesn't taste as good that's your business, but to play Chicken Little and say the "sky is falling" for those who choose (or have no choice but) to go to normal grocers isn't akin WHATSOEVER to the effects of nicotine and other KNOWN deadly carcinogens in cigarettes. Obviously you were just making an anology but it's not a very good anaology. Cigarettes are a drug, and nicotine is a very addictive substance.

I like some aspects to Whole Foods (they have an excellent beer & wine section in states that allow them to carry it in-store, and they have great fresh meal options), but overall the store is built for people who think they are better than the rest of society by offering the same food as other stores but with the "organic" label. Personally I think it's one of the best legal scams in recent memory! As to the health reprocussions of eating normally-processed foods: I'll wait until the FDA tells me there's a problem before making a major switch in my grocer of choice.

Back to the subject at hand though, I don't have a problem with Whole Foods being downtown and I think they'll market to the right crowd: the recent-grads and empty-nesters, who make up the majority of the population near the development site. Many grocers can't afford the premium price a downtown site would command to operate (Net Operating Margin for the grocery industry is essentially the lowest of all industries), which is why the Lunds and Whole Foods of the world CAN make it work. If I had a choice I'd prefer smaller specialty stores with fewer offerings and less diversity of offerings, specializing in meats/cheeses, bakery, produce, etc. I think those type of businesses do best in a very urban environment, but again, most of those types of businesses are priced out of the market, so I'll take what the market DOES offer in Whole Foods or Lunds. Better than nothing, for sure!

[aguaman]

so does anyone have a project update? up to the third level yet? photos? it would be nice to see concrete construction rather than wood but hopefully it won't be too noticeable once complete...

[dmdhashw]

so does anyone have a project update? up to the third level yet? photos? it would be nice to see concrete construction rather than wood but hopefully it won't be too noticeable once complete...

They're up to the third floor on most sides of the building. They've begun putting the ceiling in above the Whole Foods portion of the building.

[Konante]

I saw this phrase on 222's website and had to share it: "Minneapolis’ most sought after address[.]" LOL. I think I like this project more than many but a 6-story, stick-built apartment building ain't exactly generating oohs and aaahs.

[MNdible]

We may not be in love with the design, but I'd agree that it's a damned good location.

[Nathan]

Maybe 'sought after in 2014' It's a great place and will have the grocery store... but it's in no place to have a slogan like the Foshay's best address in the west or anything...

All said I hope it's wildly successful and encourages new larger better addressed buildings.

[woofner]

I think it's a great location and would give my first born for a renovated-to-tolerable-square-footage apartment in an old 3 or 4 story italianate if they hadn't torn them all down.

[John]

^Amen to that comment. I think 222's design is strongest on the Washington Ave side, and will be a nice entrance to the North Loop neighborhood going west. However, for some reason the other three sides of the complex seem to "peter out" as far as making the building look interesting (varying the building's shape and materials like the Washington Ave side does). From the rendering they appear flat, uniform , and fortress-like. It's possible it will look better in real life and I'm hopeful.

[Didier]

I'm also in the camp that doesn't mind the size/design of this building. That said, there's still a lot that's undesirable once the building goes up. A bunch of dumpy surface parking lots and strip clubs separate this space from all of the "action" on Hennepin. The North Loop neighborhood, which nice in parts, still has way too many parking lots to feel like a true "neighborhood." In a decade, with the potential library park and additional infill in the area, this area could be great. For my money right now, though, I'd much rather live across the river in Northeast.