urbanMSP

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... field.html

Shapco Site development

This is great news as they are locating their new headquarters in the North Loop. And it will replace an underutilized parcel of land. I'm sure Hines will figure out some nice project for their property in time.

A seven-story office building?

I wonder how much of an impact this will have on the other proposals.

A seven-story office building?

I wonder how much of an impact this will have on the other proposals.

none

I really liked that Hines proposal, but think this could be a decent step up. Something massive right here would be out of place, but it could set the stage for a nice step-up to something in the trench that's closer to what Hines had proposed. It would mate the density of downtown to the mid-rise character of the North Loop. This is great - at least they didn't re-up for their Broadway site.

There is a TON of confusion on here. READ PEOPLE!

The Hines project is 350 N 5th St. (viewtopic.php?f=13&t=61)

This is a different project. It is replacing Shapco at 524 N 5th St.

I think we'll see both built eventually.

There is a TON of confusion on here. READ PEOPLE!

Kind of, but not really. There was speculation here that the Hines development was for the National Marrow HQ. Plus the proximity. Hence the discussion.

lots of developers were courting this big office user. so i can understand the confusion. their name has come up on many proposals because it's not everyday a space eater such as this relocates to downtown.

most of the office movement downtown is from companies already located there.

I really hope they don't take up the whole site...that would be one chunky building, roughly twice the girth of the adjacent Ford Building. I know this is an office building, but they would be wise to include some commercial space on the ground floor. This site faces 5th St, 5th Ave, and 6th Ave and should really address all of those street frontages in an active manner. I hope the North Loop neighorhood really grills them on the ground level frontage. This area might be a little desolate now, but you've got two apartment buildings at that intersection that just broke ground, in addition to the entire 5th St corridor to redevelop, the Hines proposal, all of the future transit users making transfers, etc.

An office building with long, blank walls and no doors would be a huge disappointment. Who cares how tall it is? If it doesn't activate the street life in the increasingly pedestrian-filled area, then it will be a failure in my mind.

Also, given the penny-pinching ways of the Pohlads, did you really expect them to give anyone free views into Target Field?

I think too that there is confusion. The article states that the Shapco site will house the Minneapolis organization that runs the Be The Match program.

Later, the article states that National HQ is still searching for a property for their headquarters:

"A National Marrow official said the group hasn't made a final determination for its headquarters site search.

'The status remains the same. We are looking at a number of options, including a site by the ballpark, and hope to conclude a plan in the next 90 days,' said Michael Boo, chief strategy officer for National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match."

If the National HQ is still looking for a location , then it seems to imply that there are two projects, one for the Minneapolis Be The Match, and the second for the National Marrow HQ.

I think you're mis-reading it. The opening line says the site will house the "Minneapolis organization that runs the Be The Match program." National Marrow IS the Minneapolis-based org. that runs Be The Match.

^Yes, National Marrow runs the Minneapolis Be The Match, but they also have BTM offices in Charlotte and Atlanta. National Marrow also runs the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). Perhaps what they are doing is simply separating the local Minneapolis HQ for Be The Match, from their National Marrow HQ, both of which are currently located in the same building in NE Minneapolis.

Otherwise, why would National Marrow still be looking for a HQ, as Michael Boo stated?

I thought someone here is affiliated with NM, maybe they could clarify?

Oh shit. There IS a TON of confusion. Sorry about that.

Edit: READ PEOPLE! arggh!!

Well then, just clarify it for us. Because the article states that the Shapco site is expected to be the HQ. Then the articles states that NM is still looking for an HQ. Which is it?

Me? My post is all jokes.

But my take is that the quote from Mr. Boo is simply the organization's official position. If Mr. Black's sources are correct, the HQ will be at the shapco site.

OK then Maybe I am easily confused. I was just wondering why the building is a "go" and will only have one tenant, yet NM says that it's still looking.

Um, because PR people say things like that to the press all the time, until it's a done deal.

Um, because PR people say things like that to the press all the time, until it's a done deal.

Exactly. The same reason why Surly had to be coy about the site that everybody knew they were buying for the last year.

Heres a link to a finance-commerce article on the development.

http://finance-commerce.com/2013/04/uni ... -building/

I think too that there is confusion. The article states that the Shapco site will house the Minneapolis organization that runs the Be The Match program.

Later, the article states that National HQ is still searching for a property for their headquarters:

"A National Marrow official said the group hasn't made a final determination for its headquarters site search.

'The status remains the same. We are looking at a number of options, including a site by the ballpark, and hope to conclude a plan in the next 90 days,' said Michael Boo, chief strategy officer for National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match."

If the National HQ is still looking for a location , then it seems to imply that there are two projects, one for the Minneapolis Be The Match, and the second for the National Marrow HQ.

Yes, forgive me people for being confused!