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Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 8th, 2016, 3:00 pm
by twincitizen
Isn't it only straight up along the property line on either end (i.e., isn't the length of the building shaped like an I)?
It's a pretty fat I.
Based on the image above, it looks to be about half the building length that is the 5 stories straight up. And even in the center where the residential floors are stepped back, the 2-story height (over 20') first floor blank wall still runs directly on the property line throughout. Relative to the condo building across the alley, that blank wall would be about 2.5 stories high, or everything but the top floor of the condo building

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 8th, 2016, 3:05 pm
by David Greene
Man, even people participating here think a five story building is too big? Okay.
I see the purity police are on patrol today.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 8th, 2016, 4:21 pm
by scottiem
Not exactly the same situation, but the apartments at W Lake St and Knox offer a pretty good comparison on the alley setback. From the looks of it, there's 0' (or near zero) setback and nearly solid massing at the alley. Doesn't look great, but it doesn't bother me either.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 8th, 2016, 7:17 pm
by Condo_Dweller
This project is way out of proportion to the rest of the neighborhood. The alley can only accommodate one car at a time. It's not a commercial alleyway. Garfield Gables building (directly east) goes right up to the property line in some parts and will make this a potentially hazardous alley.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 9th, 2016, 7:41 am
by RailBaronYarr
So here are my thoughts:

- Circulation: We talk a big game about limiting curb cuts, particularly on major commercial arterials, but now that we have a design that does just that we're concerned (perhaps rightfully so). If this is something that limits this or future designs of a 6-story mixed-use building fronting a transit corridor, which seems to be because the building itself 1) doesn't straddle the alley on a block end (like Lime, Murals, Bad Waitress building, CVS building at Franklin/Nic, etc) and/or 2) includes a grocery, which is a larger trip generator than a restaurant (like the WSK building), I dunno. We want mid-sized groceries serving primarily people within walking distance in mixed-use buildings without awful, blighting surface parking lots (ex. Wedge Co-op, Lunds, Cub) but apparently none of the potential tradeoffs? In any case, this seems more like a problem with Lyndale's design and 26th/28th one-way pairs, not the building itself. We should be having a serious discussion about 4-3'ing Lyndale to allow us the ability to stop left turns in the corridor via a center median. While I personally the calmed one-way + protected bike lane solution for 26th/28th, this is a great reason for why reverting to two-way would be helpful. 27th, like 25th, SHOULD get a light considering the pedestrian activity, vehicle speeds, and resulting crashes in the area. Traffic counts between 27th and 28th in 2015 were just over 17k AADT, so this isn't an insane suggestion. Maybe, MAYBE, if we built some protected bike lanes on Lyndale as a result people like my wife and I would feel much more comfortable biking up to Aldi to grab food.

- Semi access: how often do semis bring food to a grocery store? Once a week? Twice? I sympathize with the concern about conflicts with a one-vehicle-at-a-time alley, but how is that any different than *any* other alley in our city (that see garbage trucks alongside resident cars conflicting with each other)? Also, the design seems to keep the semi inside the building footprint until delivery is complete, so the conflict would only be as they negotiate exiting the alley. Would we prefer semi delivery on-street? Set delivery times to low-conflict times as a condition of approval? Especially considering the design forces all resident and guest parking to not even use the alley to exit, this has a fairly low impact on alley traffic.

- Massing against the alley: we should probably have a real discussion about how important the aesthetics facing our alleys are. We have blocks on blocks of single family neighborhoods where 10-15' high blank detached garage walls or doors form a pretty bleak wall, people seem to not mind. Thinking a little bigger, awful alley-fronting buildings could also be described as building natural affordability into neighborhoods. I can get behind shifting the building's massing closer to the street, but that won't come tradeoff-free; people complain about giant walls fronting commercial corridors. This seems to balance those concerns. But I mean, yeah, a development of this size with parking isn't gonna have a pretty facade against the alley, and it's actually not unheard of to have 4+ stories of residences right up to the alley lot line in places of our city.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 9th, 2016, 8:02 am
by EOst
Thinking a little bigger, awful alley-fronting buildings could also be described as building natural affordability into neighborhoods.
Couldn't you use this justification to build any awful thing you wanted? Even if awfulness can == affordability, it's still awful.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 9th, 2016, 8:36 am
by RailBaronYarr
I was being at least a little tongue in cheek there. I guess I try to remind myself that something like 3/4 of our region would describe my single family home with a yard, which I really like, "as awful stack and pack would never live there if you paid me." And I remember a time when I lived in apartment overlooking a freeway wall with train tracks running perpendicular to that. Obviously we strive to influence city design such that people actually want to live here, but even if you hate this building's design (which could yet be improved on the things staff and forum members have outlined, and many people would still hate it), it does still provide places for people to live and a grocery store 5 seconds from their front door. So, I dunno.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 9th, 2016, 2:28 pm
by Condo_Dweller
REX 26 is a six story building, though it is being sold as a "five" story. See the city staff report. They pull no punches. It truly is out of proportion to the rest of the neighborhood which already has 3-4 story buildings. The Garfield Gables condo building and the several apartment buildings and homes south of it will be greatly affected with the shade of the six stories and massive alley wall. We are speaking of at least 50 residents east of Rex 26. A shorter building would be fine.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: April 9th, 2016, 2:31 pm
by VAStationDude
When did the earth's axis shift 180 degrees moving Minnesota to the southern hemisphere?

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: May 12th, 2016, 1:25 pm
by Condo_Dweller
Any news on this?

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: May 12th, 2016, 2:40 pm
by bapster2006
This is in front of the Committee of the Whole tonight.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: August 13th, 2016, 5:43 pm
by Qhaberl
So what happened to this proposal after he appeared at the committee of the whole meeting? Has it made it to the planning commission yet? Any thoughts on a construction start date?


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Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: August 14th, 2016, 9:42 am
by twincitizen
Plans still being reworked, finalized, etc., I hear. Aldi still on board. Likely to be back at Planning Commission for approval within the next few months. The rezoning requires city council approval.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 10:03 am
by RailBaronYarr
Plans have been updated before CPC: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 190672.pdf

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 11:59 am
by lordmoke
Oh, that looks pretty nice now. Lots of brick.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 12:29 pm
by TroyGBiv
It really does look good - I live a few blocks away... I like how this works in the neighborhood...

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 1:03 pm
by MNdible
The site plan seems to be somewhat improved as well.

Still concerned about the left hand turns into the site.

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 4:21 pm
by mattaudio
Is now the time to add a TWLTL to Lyndale?

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 4:54 pm
by Nick
What is that

Re: Rex 26 - 2601 Lyndale Ave S

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 6:00 pm
by MNdible
Is now the time to add a TWLTL to Lyndale?
I don't think there's room for a five lane cross section, Matt.