urbanMSP

The First Covenant project (actually called East Town Apartments) is before the Planning Commission to make some tweaks to the project.

...the applicant is proposing to change the commercial space to additional apartments. The number of affordable residential units would increase from 159 units to 169 units. The applicant is also looking to increase the capacity of the underground principal parking facility from 131 spaces to 185 spaces. Exterior building changes are confined to the first floor where commercial is proposed to be converted to residential.

Isn't this already under construction? The loss of retail is actually a fairly substantial hit to the area if approved.

The crane is up...I'm thinking their mission is to provide affordable housing so they're trying to maximize that. More retail would be nice here and overall around the stadium however.

The packet

www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/pub ... 217764.pdf

Disappointing to see the retail disappear and the parking increase dramatically. Also disappointing to have another development attempting to make significant changes when construction has already started. It's a bad precedent to set, and this project is worse for the neighborhood than when it was proposed.

Yeah, but. This always seemed like a real stretch for a retail location. Are empty storefronts better for the neighborhood than full apartments?

This area is quiet during the week. It seems that HCMC staff and North Central Students don't make their way there. I also find it hard to complain about additional affordable housing given the need. If I was part of the decision making I'll make the same decision given their mission as a faith based organization

I’m OK with the addition of more fordable housing. This does speak to a significant problem. A problem that needs to be fixed immediately. A developer should not be able to change the aesthetic’s, or design at the building after it has started construction. What would have happened if the planning commission denied them? Would that mean the building would have just been built as it was planned originally?


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It's notoriously difficult to finance retail components in 100% affordable 'tax credit' housing projects. This has been documented over and over again. Also, this is the same project that Ryan was formerly a partner on, then wound up suing the other partners, correct? I'm guessing the changes (both the loss of retail and the additional units) have more to do with that than market demand. The project changed because the development partners and financing changed.

Great points.

Is there any way to do live-work units with tax credits?

https://twitter.com/nickmagrino/status/ ... 8524498945

A surface parking lot bites the dust.

Not in love with the design (or the institution), but the way that angled facade responds to the 10th Street downtown grid smashing into the N-S grid is kind of fun.

This is a peculiar design. I agree that the way it meets the odd intersection is clever and a good approach, but the barrel effect looks too contrived - especially with rest of the building looking plain and featureless. It is likely a building on a tight budget trying to projec5 an image of being “with it”. Maybe it would have been in the sixties.

Probably just the rendering, but they appear to be showing 14th with a protected bike lane. A little odd, since this is a fairly quiet street that uses advisory bike lanes (which I used on my commute and really don't mind).

I didn't read the report, but they're leaving the southern part of this half block as just sod. So maybe they're anticipating a Phase 2?

What a great building. I'm glad we've kept a few like it around.

This is overall a really good project. But I agree completely with the staff feedback. The drop-off and guest parking area undermines the protected bikeway on 11th Street, and it is a missed opportunity to create a really nice public space in the area behind the building. Hope the developers think bigger, or at least alter the access street for that drive.

Yeah, really kind of crazy that they'd even propose surface parking there.