Western Container Building/Arctic Cat HQ - 500 3rd Street N

Downtown - North Loop - Mill District - Elliot Park - Loring Park
lordmoke
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Western Container Building/Arctic Cat HQ - 500 3rd Street N

Postby lordmoke » February 19th, 2013, 10:07 am

The first potential new condo project in the North Loop since the recession!

Behind a paywall, so not a ton of information yet:
http://finance-commerce.com/2013/02/bou ... orth-loop/

The building is located at the corner of N 3rd St and 5th Ave N. I am unsure whether it is occupied.

fehler
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby fehler » February 19th, 2013, 10:47 am

At first I thought this was going to be one of those "reuse Shipping Containers as Housing" threads.

John
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby John » February 19th, 2013, 10:57 am

More good news! Given the relatively modest size of the building and the smallish number of units it would have, it should be successful if it can get off the ground...
http://www.emporis.com/building/western ... lis-mn-usa

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Nick
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby Nick » February 19th, 2013, 11:01 am

Eh I'd much rather Sherman do something with the Reserve site on 1st Street North before any new projects. That lot is sad. It gives me Great Recession PTSD.
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mplser
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby mplser » February 19th, 2013, 11:08 am

At first I thought this was going to be one of those "reuse Shipping Containers as Housing" threads.
me too

John
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby John » February 19th, 2013, 11:14 am

Eh I'd much rather Sherman do something with the Reserve site on 1st Street North before any new projects. That lot is sad. It gives me Great Recession PTSD.
Yeah, It really doesn't have alot of character for an older building, but its always nice to see an old building rehabbed rather than torn down. The developer will probably do a nice job making it look better. I thought the Reserve site is going to be apartments?

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Nathan
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby Nathan » February 19th, 2013, 11:28 am

This would be great with some ground floor retail. If they can get more people to come down 5th from Washington... It could have a lot of action between the rest of NL and Target Field. Even freshened up would make the street seem like a better connection. I'd say it's a better get than The Reserve because The Reserve just leads to that town home neighborhood, and this development really expands a 'Stadium district'... especially if it has a bar.

twincitizen
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby twincitizen » February 19th, 2013, 1:35 pm

Likely 20-24 units. The existing building is 4 stories, they are proposing to add a 5th. Possibly some retail on the first floor, too early to say.

The proposal is in the very early stages. North Loop Neighborhood Assoc is supportive, obviously.

Downtown Resource Group is representing the building owner...no word on a developer yet.

jet777
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby jet777 » February 20th, 2013, 7:10 am

Interesting, keep us posted on this one. They tried to redevelop this building about 2 years ago but the plans included making the street level into the parking garage *shudder*. Glad there was no support for those plans. I agree that this area is prime for main level retail and it is important to reserve this space before there are 50,000 residents and no space for a corner store or shop.

mplser
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby mplser » February 20th, 2013, 12:44 pm

not that i disagree about 1st level retail, but there IS a corner store like a block or 2 north of here i'm pretty sure. I get your point though

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Nathan
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby Nathan » February 20th, 2013, 12:55 pm

This building screams 'Basement Bar!!!' to me... just saying.

mamundsen
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby mamundsen » February 20th, 2013, 1:27 pm

This is very close to Darby's right? For all I can tell Darby's does not do very well compared to everything else on Washington or on 1st Ave. I wonder if it's the location or the execution?

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woofner
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby woofner » February 20th, 2013, 1:46 pm

Darby's is cafeteria-style. It seems to survive on people who work in that building and are too afraid to walk up Washington to actual good restaurants. Also its patio is actually really great.

The only corner store in the area is at 1st & 4th Ave, not that close to here and not really convenient to much of the North Loop. This neighborhood needs another corner store, and I'd be happy if it were here, although further north would be better.

It'll be great to see this old building get rehabbed - after the warehouse shut down I was afraid it would be left for dead. There have been broken windows on it the last couple winters, etc. A plain building but it strongly contributes to the streetscape.
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mamundsen
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby mamundsen » February 20th, 2013, 3:19 pm

Darby's is cafeteria style????

I've only been on the patio a time or two before a Twins game and maybe once in '10 after a game. It always had wait staff and music being played WAY too loud to hear anyone at your table talk. Are Darby's cafeteria and Darby's Pub & Grill two different places? I think this area could definitely use a full scale restaurant/pub.

BTW - there used to be another corner store 2nd St & 5th Ave. It's been closed about a year. I think most (myself included) don't go to these corner stores because it's easier to stop at a full grocery store on the way home from work.

SixOneTwo
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby SixOneTwo » February 20th, 2013, 3:48 pm

Does the City have plans to repair / rebuild 5th Ave N in this area? It is pretty terrible over there.

mamundsen
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby mamundsen » February 20th, 2013, 3:52 pm

LOTS of the cobblestone streets in the North Loop are horrid. I was saying in the Interchange forum, that they need to look at 6th Ave now that the traffic from Olsen Mem Hwy is practically directed onto it.

mplser
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby mplser » February 20th, 2013, 7:58 pm

I think the cobblestone in the north loop is great. It deters people from driving too fast

RailBaronYarr
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby RailBaronYarr » February 20th, 2013, 8:38 pm

I think the cobblestone in the north loop is great. It deters people from driving too fast
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mamundsen
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby mamundsen » February 21st, 2013, 8:30 am

I think the cobblestone in the north loop is great. It deters people from driving too fast
I love the cobblestone too, but when there are some areas that seem like you're off-roading it's time to fix it. I swear there are some spots where the high and low are 8 inches different withing a 1 foot stretch.

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trkaiser
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Re: Western Container Building Condos

Postby trkaiser » February 21st, 2013, 8:34 am

It will be interesting to see if/how the city handles this. I drive through the North Loop on my commute every day and kind of enjoy the off-roading, swerve-to-avoid-bumps driving style, but it's quite a mismatch up against new buildings. There are a few similarly destroyed cobblestone streets around some of the major NE arts buildings. Eventually they're going to have to do something, but it will be sad to see it go.


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