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Normandale Lake Developments - Bloomington

Posted: April 2nd, 2013, 10:51 am
by gpete
Two new apartment buildings are under construction near Normandale Lake in Bloomington.

The first is called, Luxembourg, and will be 3-stories, 282 units and 450 parking spaces. The project has been ongoing for a while and the structure has topped out. The project is at at the SE corner of the intersection of 494 and highway 100. Address is 5100 W. 82nd St. Details here: http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhal ... ial.htm#r2


The second project just broke ground in the last month and it's called, Covington. It's a 5-story, 250 unit building at the SW corner of the intersection of 494 and highway 100 (will have parking for 413 vehicles). Address is 5701 Green Valley Drive. Site plans and renderings can be found here: http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhal ... al.htm#r10

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 2nd, 2013, 10:56 am
by mister.shoes
I work near 494 and 100 and have noticed both these projects. The first because the parking ramp is freaking huge. The second because cranes went up while I was on vacation last week. Interesting.

Also [moderately] interesting, UrbanWorks designed the Covington. There are precious few renderings in those documents, but it'll be neat to see what they come up with for the 400 Marquette apartments we're all so eagerly awaiting.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 2nd, 2013, 11:06 am
by mattaudio
Are these high parking to unit ratios a result of what the developer wants or what the city mandates?

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 2nd, 2013, 11:26 am
by twincitizen
I'm normally one to be all for reduced parking, but this area is entirely car dependent. Even if you worked in the Normandale Lake office park area, you would need a car for just about everything else, given that you are surrounded by highways and unwalkable stroads without sidewalks. That said, I do have a complaint about the Normandale Lake complex itself. Why do they build separate parking ramps for each building? It's a huge waste of space, but also a waste of money, I'd think. Why not orient the buildings in a more logical manner so that a single parking structure can be used for multiple buildings and uses.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 3rd, 2013, 9:09 am
by gpete
Re: the parking ramp situation at Normandale Lake, I can think of a couple of factors. 1) the office park has been built up over the years, and perhaps they didn't want to build excessive amounts of parking speculatively. Ramps are expensive and they don't charge fees for people to park there, so it would be hard to justify building excess parking in anticipation of future buildings. 2) The buildings at the north end of the office park, right alongside 494, are owned by a different entity than the ones near 84th Street, so they are each doing their own thing and not coordinating.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 8th, 2013, 12:09 pm
by kregger22
I have worked at the Normadale Office Park for over 9 years and to learn that a 5 story apartment building is going up on one of a couple of prime pieces of land on the SW corner of 494 & 100 is truly a shame.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 8th, 2013, 12:13 pm
by kregger22
The parking situation is somewhat of a mystery over here as well. They actually added a top level of parking to the ramp between the 8300 & 8400 towers a few years ago - and I see ONE car parked there today. A busy day for that top level might be two to three cars. The top level of the ramps for 8200 & 8500 buildings have a combined 1 car at the top of each. Now, I certainly agree that parking ramps are necessary here because everything is spread out - but the thought process was lacking.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 8th, 2013, 12:50 pm
by MNdible
I'll speculate that the parking supply in an area like this is driven by the language in individual tenant leases (eg. landlord shall provide one parking space per X thousand square feet of leasable area) more than by anything as mundane as actual demand.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 9th, 2013, 12:46 pm
by kregger22
If that indeed is the case (I certainly believe you and it seems very plausable to have language like that), you would assume they would try to work something out with the tennant instead of building levels that are not used. I spy no cars on the top ramps of the 8200 & 8500 towers and 3 cars on the top ramp of the 8400 Tower as we speak - that is a heavy traffic day for that top ramp and I hope there are no accidents.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 9th, 2013, 2:26 pm
by twincitizen
What's the vacancy rate in those buildings, or in Normandale Lake as a whole?

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 9th, 2013, 7:41 pm
by min-chi-cbus
What's the vacancy rate in those buildings, or in Normandale Lake as a whole?
I want to say at least 20%. GMAC RES-CAP is done for and I'm not sure they ever fully subleased the space where they were supposed to occupy, right there on the SW corner of I-494 and Hwy. 100. I'm not as certain about the rest of the buildings, except I'd be willing to bet that the newest one built 2 years ago on speculation is probably not 100% occupied either.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 10th, 2013, 12:19 pm
by kregger22
Great question about the vacancy rate. I am in the oldest tower, 8300, and I am almost certain it is above 95%. Parking is completely tight with the exception of the top ramp and now that is almost always filled - the only tower that utilizes the top ramp. Tata Consulting (who has the naming rights now) has 2 floors here alone.

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 10th, 2013, 6:18 pm
by min-chi-cbus
Great question about the vacancy rate. I am in the oldest tower, 8300, and I am almost certain it is above 95%. Parking is completely tight with the exception of the top ramp and now that is almost always filled - the only tower that utilizes the top ramp. Tata Consulting (who has the naming rights now) has 2 floors here alone.
YOu must mean occupancy rate...

Re: Normandale Lake developments (Bloomington)

Posted: April 11th, 2013, 3:42 pm
by kregger22
Yes, occupancy.

Re: Normandale Lake Developments - Bloomington

Posted: May 5th, 2013, 10:16 pm
by blobs
This area is pedestrain hell. :(

Re: General Suburb News

Posted: June 5th, 2013, 10:08 am
by Tcmetro
Toro wants to build a new office building at 80th and Lyndale.

http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/pccases/04788ABC13.pdf

Re: General Suburb News

Posted: June 5th, 2013, 10:41 am
by mister.shoes
And, naturally, a gigantic surface parking lot at American and Lyndale.

Re: General Suburb News

Posted: June 5th, 2013, 10:42 am
by mattaudio
That was my concern too. Is that really the best we can do for that corner? I realize one large constraint for the site plan is that the south side is closer to the existing building than the north side. But a surface lot?

Re: General Suburb News

Posted: June 5th, 2013, 10:46 am
by twincitizen
Of course their giant new surface parking lot fronts the corner of Lyndale & American and not any part of the building whatsoever. They're really going all-in the with suburban campus feel, even though this area is at least a little urban.

Ideally they would build a parking ramp at the corner with some kind of ground level retail presence. Hell it could be a showroom for their own products!

Despite being hot, steamy stroad on stoad action, Lyndale & American could actually be something useful to the area. I wouldn't be surprised if the Acura/Subaru across American redeveloped and expanded, as the Honda dealership on the Richfield side of 494 is doing. There's also a bunch of developable land kitty-corner from Toro on the REI outlots facing Lyndale & American. The Genessee thing worked pretty damn well over at Penn; I see no reason not to repeat the formula of success here, but with fewer green panels. The color choices for that building are mind-bogglingly ugly.

Toro Headquarters Expansion - Bloomington

Posted: June 7th, 2013, 2:39 pm
by lorwest
The Bloomington Planning Commission reviewed Toro's request on June 6th to expand and reconfigure their headquarters complex on Lyndale Avenue, just south of American Boulevard. A new 3-story building will connect to the northwest corner of the current building along Lyndale.

Full packet with staff report, drawings, site plans, and a few renderings is here:

http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/pccases/04788ABC13.pdf