Nicollet-Lake - greater Kmart area

[twincitizen]

Note: The City doesn't actually plan to acquire In Town on Lake. It's just included in the scope of study. But I agree that a complete renovation of the first floor is needed. The way that building addresses the sidewalk is atrocious...borderline City Center. The upper floors were re-clad in blue not too ago and I don't think it looks that horrible. It's really too bad that the units in this building and 2930 Blaisdell are now investor owned, rather than individual homesteaded owners, as was intended. Getting those units back on the market to individuals would really help things turn around and encourage improvement in both buildings. 2930 Blaisdell might be too far gone though, as far as ownership condos go. It's basically a slum in there today. I doorknocked for Lisa Bender in that building and it was pretty terrifying (flickering lights, stinky stairwells...the whole horrorshow)

[Wedgeguy]

For me the new questions are what retail and how much retail/office are we looking to put here. How do we parcel off the blocks. Where to we place things like the grocery store, Target Express, or similar anchors. How are we deal with parking issues. Where will the transits stops be placed once Nicollet is now the bus/streetcar route. Where on Lake will they be. Where will we have our in/out for those ramps or parking lots. Will we have a few mixed use towers. Office buildings, will they be figured into the mix? Residential will be primarily on the northern 2/3rds of the blocks and I say 400-600 depending on height limits which there should NOT be in my judgement. There needs to be a promenade on the south edge of the greenway. I see a woofner here and townhouses fronting the promenade. There apartment would be 4-6 stories with apartment tower, 7-10 stories over the parking garages to give nice density. There should also be some apartments over the retail that front Lake and Nicollet. How wide will we make Nicollet and Lake streets sidewalks. Will there be a pocket park or two?

Retail would primarily face Nicollet and Lake. I'd like to see restaurants with roof top dining at the north end of Nicollet on the greenway to take full advantage of it. This would also help to break up any 222 Hennepin monolith wall. I would like to see buildings with courtyards to help invite people into the buildings. Asking a lot of 2 city blocks.

[twincitizen]

Back to the market rate vs. subsidized mix. I think it's a given that there will be an affordable component, assuming heavy city/county/state grants coming in to make this project happen. The real question is how much of it will be subsidized housing? 50%? 20%? Obviously we are getting way ahead of ourselves here, but it makes you think.

Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing ever for this project to take a few years to germinate until we can clean up Lake Street from Grand to Nicollet, and for the 35W-Lake access project to get cooking. Doing some polishing up of the surrounding area will make it more realistic to support market rents here in 2017-8 (opening date).

[mattaudio]

But the real question is: Will Nicollet have double left turn lanes onto Lake?

[PhilmerPhil]

Fascinating article that really shows how much car obsession influenced planning decisions back then: http://www.southwestjournal.com/voices/ ... e-nicollet

[RailBaronYarr]

I'm surprised the former CM can't really admit that the closing off had negative impacts to greater Nicollet (not just Eat Street) and was one of the many poor decisions that helped auto-dependency in our region, not keep it at bay within the city. Hennepin has also revived compared to its state in the 70s, without the need of a giant big-box cutting it off down at Lake. Citing improvement in absolute terms ignores area-wide improvements (and ignores the continued disinvestment to its south).

[woofner]

Can you elaborate on your comments? I've never understood the argument that closing Nicollet at Lake St was detrimental to the stretch of Nicollet south of Lake. How exactly was this area harmed by the isolation of the segment north of Lake? Do you agree that revitalization would have spread southward if not for the Kmart firebreak?

[RailBaronYarr]

Can you elaborate on your comments? I've never understood the argument that closing Nicollet at Lake St was detrimental to the stretch of Nicollet south of Lake. How exactly was this area harmed by the isolation of the segment north of Lake? Do you agree that revitalization would have spread southward if not for the Kmart firebreak?

It's obviously far more complicated than the K-Mart site alone. Other neighborhood clearing, 35W, and poor design of new structures like Horn Towers and the MT bus barn, among broader social trends, negatively impacted the area. My point was that areas south of Lake on other nearby streets such as Hennepin/Lyndale (or along Lake to the E/W their crossings) have fared much better than Nicollet. Is this because of the one-way nature of Blaisdell/1st? The presence of the freeway? The horrible design that comes with big box stores in the form of acres of poorly maintained surface parking? Lyndale and Hennepin are definitely further from 35W, so I guess a better comparison is the intersection of 4th Ave & Lake, which is far more pedestrian friendly (just my take).

So to these points, I don't think areas south of 34th along Nicollet were harmed, potentially not at all, in relation to the area from 29th to 32nd Sts. I think the auto-oriented feel made locating the bus barn where it is a convenient decision, and perhaps things may have been a little different. In general, it's just a little frustrating to hear a former CM not acknowledge that breaking important pedestrian links, but it is definitely a breath of fresh air to hear criticisms of traffic engineering trumping all. My answer may not have shed much more light, though...

[woofner]

To address just one of your points, they put the bus barn there because the streetcar barn was there before, and they put the streetcar barn there because it was the edge of town. But you're right that the bus barn contributes to the dead feel of some of the area. I probably shouldn't comment on Horn right now, but I've always thought it would help if townhomes were built around the periphery of the property, although that should probably be done in conjunction with building underground/below-grade parking, since that lot is heavily-used (but who has the money for underground parking?).

[twincitizen]

I've always thought it would help if townhomes were built around the periphery of the property, although that should probably be done in conjunction with building underground/below-grade parking, since that lot is heavily-used (but who has the money for underground parking?).

Same. Taking down that fence and building THs fronting 31st Street, especially, would do wonders for the area.

Did you know Nicollet Garage cannot handle articulated buses? It's the smallest garage in the system. The benefit of having it in this location is driven a lot by the 21 and the 18 running such high frequencies. I wonder what percentage of the runs out of Nicollet Garage are just those two routes?

I've long pondered if a combined, multi-level facility for Metro Transit and MPD 5th Precinct could be built in the area and take up just one city block instead of two. Both the PD and the bus garage's employees demand a lot of surface parking in the area. This could be moved to the roof of a rebuilt bus garage / 5th Precinct facility, including a multi-story office facility.

[seanrichardryan]

LOCKED- http://finance-commerce.com/2014/04/kma ... -nicollet/

Wait for the synopsis in MSPBJ tomorrow.

[HiawathaGuy]

Kmart: We get it, but want to stay at Lake and Nicollet
Apr 10, 2014, 7:19am CDT

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/m ... e-and.html

Officials at Kmart say the retailer wants to keep a place at the Lake and Nicollet intersection, but is open to redeveloping a store there that blocks off the avenue and is a sore spot for urban planners. Finance & Commerce reports on a visit to Minneapolis by executives from Illinois-based Sears Holding Corp., which owns Kmart. They say the Lake Street Kmart is one of the chain's stronger-performing stores nationwide. City officials have long targeted the site not because of the store, but because it blocks off Nicollet Avenue, forcing traffic to meander around.

"Kmart gets it," Misty Redman, divisional vice president of government affairs for the retailer, told F&C. She said Kmart is open to redeveloping the store as long as it stays in the neighborhood. There are other players involved, however. The site's currently owned by a group led by New York investor Lawrence Kadish, and efforts to get control of it have been stymied before.

[Nathan]

Apparently Kmart isn't thrilled at be considered blight... and they fire back with a few, I hate to say it, but true, zings at the city.

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/255211171.html

"This leaves the public with a negative impression of Kmart when, in reality, Kmart has buoyed the local economy and community for years while the city has failed to invest in the Nicollet corridor's development for decades," they wrote.

[MNdible]

Meh. That sounds like nothing but legal and financial posturing to me.

The article mentions a city "authority" but doesn't make it clear (unless my quick read failed me). Is this a reference to the recently resuscitated Port Authority?

[FISHMANPET]

I like the Strib commenters all saying it's blight.

The article mentions that the city has to call it blighted to buy the property, but Kmart is willing to play ball, so why cant the city just buy the land as an expansion of public ROW and not need to apply labels to it to meet specific criteria?

[uptowncarag]

If this is one of your stronger performing stores wouldn't you want to be part of a redevelopment and perhaps build a new store. How is it possible to not neglect this area when the street does not go through? That being said K-Mart is on life-support.

[David Greene]

http://www.startribune.com/local/minnea ... 23091.html

The company has hired lobbyist Jackie Cherryhomes, a former council president

And she had the gall to run for mayor?

[twincitizen]

I sometimes want to email the City's Zoning Administrator and complain about her campaign office sign at that storefront on Lake Street:

543.170. Abandoned signs.

Any sign which advertises or directs attention to a business, profession, commodity, service or entertainment no longer in existence at the premises on which such sign is located, shall be deemed abandoned and shall be removed within thirty (30) days of notice from the zoning administrator or shall have shown reasonable cause for failure to do so. The removal required by this section shall include all supporting brackets, frames or other structural elements of the abandoned sign.

[woofner]

The article mentions a city "authority" but doesn't make it clear (unless my quick read failed me). Is this a reference to the recently resuscitated Port Authority?

Typically they'd use the HRA for redevelopment districts. Use of the Port Authority would indicate a much larger role for the city in the redevelopment than I've heard they're planning for this one. Although for Downtown East they just used the PA for bond issue expediency right? So who knows.

[twincitizen]

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/ ... krOQrWB.97

Kmart, landlord, and city finally meet.