Hopkins - General Topics

Twin Cities Suburbs
MNdible
is great.
Posts: 5988
Joined: June 8th, 2012, 8:14 pm
Location: Minneapolis

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby MNdible » January 3rd, 2020, 11:28 am

Bear Cave? Isn't that a very niche target demographic?

mplsjaromir
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1138
Joined: June 1st, 2012, 8:03 am

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby mplsjaromir » January 3rd, 2020, 6:39 pm

As long as the beer is better than LTD it should be a welcome addition.

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » January 3rd, 2020, 6:39 pm

Hah, that name does seem to set its sights on a particular demographic.

With LTD Brewing, Mainstreet Bar and Grill, 819 Pub, Cream and Amber, and Bear Cave Brewing, Mainstreet is getting nice string for a pub crawl.

Korh
Union Depot
Posts: 388
Joined: March 8th, 2017, 10:21 pm

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Korh » January 3rd, 2020, 7:35 pm

I wonder if this will mean Mainstreet has more of something than it does of antique stores

Multimodal
US Bank Plaza
Posts: 714
Joined: March 4th, 2016, 7:55 am
Location: Oh, no, the burbs!

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Multimodal » April 19th, 2020, 6:54 am

Bear Cave? Isn't that a very niche target demographic?
The EagleBolt was doing fine. Maybe the bears are hibernating in the suburbs now?

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » June 12th, 2020, 10:23 am

Whoa. A proposal is being readied for 752 units and 11,000 sq ft of commercial at Blake and Excelsior.
Image

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » June 12th, 2020, 10:23 am

Image

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » June 12th, 2020, 10:23 am

Image

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » June 12th, 2020, 10:41 am

It’s in the June 16th agenda packet.


https://www.hopkinsmn.com/AgendaCenter/ ... ?html=true

Tcmetro
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1765
Joined: May 31st, 2012, 8:02 pm
Location: Chicago (ex-Minneapolitan)

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Tcmetro » June 12th, 2020, 10:41 am

Love to see it!

alexschief
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1139
Joined: November 12th, 2015, 11:35 am
Location: Minneapolis

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby alexschief » June 12th, 2020, 11:57 am

Checks all the boxes but one; over provision of parking. 752 units, 893 parking stalls.

Am I naive enough to expect any different for this suburban parcel? No, I'm not. It's certainly a project worth supporting. It looks like the developer is quite sensitive to issues of urban design, stormwater, and retail. But we should be clearheaded that developments like this do not have the same effect on ridership as developments with lower parking ratios.

mamundsen
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1195
Joined: November 15th, 2012, 10:01 am

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby mamundsen » June 12th, 2020, 5:14 pm

When the SWLRT platform is basically going to be on the property line... it feels like a max parking ratio should be 1:1.

Korh
Union Depot
Posts: 388
Joined: March 8th, 2017, 10:21 pm

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Korh » June 13th, 2020, 2:49 pm

Combined this with the already existing apartments and the cold storage site and the area around the Blake station might end up being the densest part of Hopkins, and I don't think its in danger of being reduced given its a decent distance away from any single family homes, but I could be wrong. Also any idea if there are going to be any affordable units in the projects? Cause looking at it, it might end up being comparable to the moline in terms of price per unit.

Multimodal
US Bank Plaza
Posts: 714
Joined: March 4th, 2016, 7:55 am
Location: Oh, no, the burbs!

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Multimodal » June 14th, 2020, 9:58 am

I agree about way too much parking.

But when Hennepin County has too many lanes on adjacent roadways (Blake & Excelsior) with no dedicated bus lanes, this area will continue to be all about cars, much like the next station down at 36th & Wooddale. High density, but fast, wide lanes for cars and lots of parking.

Multimodal
US Bank Plaza
Posts: 714
Joined: March 4th, 2016, 7:55 am
Location: Oh, no, the burbs!

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Multimodal » June 15th, 2020, 10:58 am

After further inspection, a couple more things:

1. “Bicycle friendly”. Why not “bicycle/ped/transit prioritized”?
2. Seems a shame there’s going to be so little retail. I get that Site C doesn’t need retail, but the frontage on Excelsior & Blake should have it. I know, I know: “retail is dead”. But is it, really? Especially at such a prominent corner as this, next to (walkable) an LRT station?

OK, one more thing.
3. Interesting how, a century ago, the Como Harriet Streetcar line went west past France Ave. to Brookside Ave. and then connected to a line that went further west, south of Meadowbrook Golf Course and The Blake School, which is just south of this new development, and west out to Lake Minnetonka (Excelsior?). We’re restoring transit & density to an area that was established because of rail (born as West Minneapolis). Now if only we made transit the dominant method of traveling here, instead of a minor accessory to 4-lane county roads.

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » June 15th, 2020, 11:13 am

Regarding the retail, this is not a retail-absent area, there is an abundance of retail serving a neighborhood node, especially low income apartment renters and immigrants right across the street. This eliminates ... all of what’s left of it. Except one Somali restaurant. The park and ride eliminated the other tiny strip retail.

It’s going to make the existing residents increasingly car dependent.

widin007
Nicollet Mall
Posts: 139
Joined: November 3rd, 2012, 4:07 pm

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby widin007 » June 15th, 2020, 12:06 pm

Yeah, while the strip mall setup right now is very run down, ugly and covered in parking lots it is flush with small businesses serving area residents. When I lived over here all that retail was pretty heavily used by people in the adjacent apartments up and down Blake. With light rail coming its really unacceptable to be removing so much retail. Adding retail for its own sake isn't really the best, but demolishing tons of affordable and *filled* retail space and not replacing it is much worse.

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » July 25th, 2020, 12:40 am

Business Journal finally picked up on the Blake Road Station development.

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... -line.html

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » August 27th, 2020, 4:49 pm

Hopkins is asking for public input on the Cold Storage site, they have released a draft Development Vision.

http://www.hopkinsmn.com/165/325-Blake- ... orage-Site

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4644
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Hopkins - General Topics

Postby Anondson » August 29th, 2020, 2:23 pm

Nextdoor post reporting that McCoys, the gas station behind/next to Pizza Lucé, closes tomorrow permanently as the owner has sold the property to a developer.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests