StoneBridge (2nd Street South & 11th Avenue South)

[beykite]

This will be a cool bookend to the park. As I've said before too this will really extend the skyline looking from 35W.

[Avian]

This will be a cool bookend to the park. As I've said before too this will really extend the skyline looking from 35W.

Yes,in a slight way. But here we are .... Minneapolis is now in the big leagues as far as I'm concerned. A 12 or 15 or 20-story building is a minor blip on the skyline.

And let me clarify myself here. I'm not a Skyline Queen. The two years I've lived in DC made me cognizant that urbanity is not about height. I think DC is one of the better cities in the US regarding livability.

And that's accomplished with buildings that, #1) Address the street.

And #2. Address the street!

I'm about to launch into an editorial that goes well beyond the scope of this modest discussion....

I'm arguing that the Twin Cities street scape is going to be increasingly important because the street is where we live. We don't float 25 stories above the pavement to partake of the lotus blossom of height.

Most travelers to our Fair Cities will not remember that the IDS is 792 feet high. They're going to remember their dinner at Basil's overlooking the Crystal Court. Or Hell's Kitchen in the basement on 9th Street. Or Brit's Pub on the Mall.

Minneapolis is NOW - to my mind - the 2nd or even 1st destination for Midwest travelers. Chicago is the bright spot to be sure. But Detroit has abandoned it's #2 spot in the Midwest. The Twin Cities are vibrant, multi-cultural, non-denominational and ready to embrace the international crowd.

The third largest metro in the Midwest - and the 2nd-largest economy - needs to acknowledge it's responsibility and "go for the brass ring."

[nasa35]

third largest metro? Other than Chicago, which other one is larger?

[mullen]

really? honestly who travels here for leisure unless its to the mall of america? lot's of chest thumping on this forum. and athe street life you claim is so vital we kill with second story enclosed bridges. so we literally created this problem, became the world experts at it.

this stonebridge project is another non-descript squat condo block from this developer. you want interesting residential buildings you have to travel to chicago or gasp...milwaukee. thankfully we have the new loring park tower to break the malaise.

i disagree, a 15 story building is still big news here. we all get excited because "something" is being built. I know I do...i've lost any hope we will see anything to rival the IDS.

[go4guy]

third largest metro? Other than Chicago, which other one is larger?

Detroit is about 4.2 million, while we are only 3.3 million.

[Silophant]

It surprised me that MSP is third in the Midwest. I would have thought we were behind St. Louis as well. However, I also would have expected San Diego to be larger than MSP, so maybe I'm just a bad judge of size.

[John]

I think Stonebridge is a great condo project. It has a nice contemporary design and fits the site near Gold Medal Park well. It appears to be about the right height for that area. As people have said it creates a "book end" for the park to the east. For the most part, I think mid rise buildings are more appropriate for this section of downtown.

I do believe we need a few more very tall buildings in Minneapolis, particularly closer to the already existing ones in the CBD, and hopefully one tall enough to cap the whole skyline someday. The visual excitement and beauty of urban density is not just looking down the street, but also looking up to the sky.

[min-chi-cbus]

really? honestly who travels here for leisure unless its to the mall of america? lot's of chest thumping on this forum. and athe street life you claim is so vital we kill with second story enclosed bridges. so we literally created this problem, became the world experts at it.

this stonebridge project is another non-descript squat condo block from this developer. you want interesting residential buildings you have to travel to chicago or gasp...milwaukee. thankfully we have the new loring park tower to break the malaise.

i disagree, a 15 story building is still big news here. we all get excited because "something" is being built. I know I do...i've lost any hope we will see anything to rival the IDS.

Time to take a Zoloft Mr. Grumpy!

[mattaudio]

We have a 40 year supply of surface lots and run-down 50s-90s windowless fortresses to redevelop, so our great architecture will come in due time. Right now it doesn't take much to stand out among surface lots.

[Andrew_F]

or gasp...milwaukee.

Have you been to Milwaukee? Nothing against the town, it's fun and has a lot of beautiful older buildings, but to act like MKE has more exciting contemporary buildings than Minneapolis is very misguided.

[Downtowner]

According to the Stonebridge website, there are now 40 units sold and an additional 5 on reserve. Not bad for a building that looks like it is still a parking level or two from rising out of the ground.

[John]

According to the Stonebridge website, there are now 40 units sold and an additional 5 on reserve. Not bad for a building that looks like it is still a parking level or two from rising out of the ground.

It's exciting to see Stonebridge doing so well. I think it bodes well for more new condo development to happen downtown.

[min-chi-cbus]

I think you know the market is "red hot" when buildings like this pre-sell out within days or hours. I don't think that kind of thing happens much in a non-spec city like Minneapolis, but if that were to happen I'd have 100% confidence that the market can sustain all these projects and more!

[John]

I think you know the market is "red hot" when buildings like this pre-sell out within days or hours. I don't think that kind of thing happens much in a non-spec city like Minneapolis, but if that were to happen I'd have 100% confidence that the market can sustain all these projects and more!

No. I don't believe the condo market is "red hot" here, but I think it's showing signs of good health as evidenced by Stonebridge pre-sales. Also, no new condos have been built for quite a few years now, interest rates are very low, and the inventory is steadily decreasing (according to what I've read in the media). I doubt we will have a massive boom, but I'll bet we will see at least several condo projects announced this year.

[TWA]

I see these thousands of apartment units as an introduction to downtown living. It will be interesting to see if all these new renters will want to eventually buy into the downtown area as well... I feel like it will. So I am very optimistic about a new project or two being announced later in 2013.

[Nick]

IMG_2946 by UrbanMSP, on Flickr


IMG_2947 by UrbanMSP, on Flickr

[Nick]

Downtown families, etc, conversation moved to new topic here:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1249

[lordmoke]

This is well above ground now- they've started on the second floor already.

EDIT: Image from a few days ago, courtesy of the website:
http://stonebridgeloftsminneapolis.com/ ... l-20th.jpg

[contrast]

Stopped in the sales center yesterday. They are over 50 units sold- about a third of total. Construction will start to speed up soon. Will be putting up a floor a week by the end of May.

[nickmgray]

New Strib article claims there are now 60 presold units. http://www.startribune.com/housing/2089 ... page=2&c=y

With less than 3 months worth of condo inventory on the market, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a few new condo projects announced later this year.