St. Louis Park - General Topics

[Anondson]

Maybe in some future scenario when a commuter or LRT line gets spurred off SWLRT these 18 acres could get a urbanists redevelopment and a station. In twenty years?

[Anondson]

Noodles confirmed they are moving in to Knollwood. Opening in September.

http://m.bizjournals.com/twincities/new ... 515&r=full

It feels like the presence of Cargill in the Hopkins campus has helped the corners of TH7 and Blake/Aquila.

[David Greene]

It feels like the presence of Cargill in the Hopkins campus has helped the corners of TH7 and Blake/Aquila.

Unless you're thinking about a different facility than I am, Cargill in Hopkins isn't that close to Knollwood. I guess maybe people drive but downtown Hopkins has some nice restaurants and is within walking distance, though a long walk including a not-so-pedestrian-friendly intersection.

A bike/ped bridge or tunnel from the Cedar Lake Trail by Cargill to Main Street or Washington Ave. N. would be excellent.

I am hopeful that with SWLRT, downtown Hopkins is going to see the boom that's been building for a decade. I also hope the Hopkins Tech Center and similar properties can be redeveloped into some great TOD.

[Anondson]

I've never seen walkers from Cargill walking to either Knollwood or DT Hopkins. Around lunch time though quite a few drivers are exiting out 2nd to head toward both DT and toward Blake and Knollwood.

FWIW, many residents along the Blake corridor and 2nd complained at the open houses about the heavy Cargill traffic and are begging the redevelopment of Blake coming in 2018 do something to tame the speeds of drivers.

Getting to a tangent, but I've inquired about a ped/bike tunnel exactly as you suggest to city planners and engineers. They gave me suspicious sideways looks like I'm crazy.

But there really a noticeable amount of driving traffic coming from the east (Minneapolis?) down TH7 to Blake then 2nd to the campus. I imagine a good number of the drivers would switch to LRT and arrive at the Blake station. Knollwood is seeing a boost right now because there are so many drivers to Cargill and it is a very close drive at lunch. But if enough Minneapolis employees switch to LRT we should expect businesses popping up around Blake station area that walkers would get to from the campus.

[David Greene]

But there really a noticeable amount of driving traffic coming from the east (Minneapolis?) down TH7 to Blake then 2nd to the campus. I imagine a good number of the drivers would switch to LRT and arrive at the Blake station. Knollwood is seeing a boost right now because there are so many drivers to Cargill and it is a very close drive at lunch. But if enough Minneapolis employees switch to LRT we should expect businesses popping up around Blake station area that walkers would get to from the campus.

Huh. That's really interesting. This is a reverse commute pattern for SWLRT I hadn't even considered.

Blake is definitely going to be transformed by SWLRT. I've been waiting for the Excelsior/Blake-to-LRT Trail strip mall hell to be blown up for decades.

[dragne_SDI]

Somewhat old news now, but the former Most Holy Trinity building has been demolished to make way for the Wooddale Flats condo development.

[blobs]

West End keeps getting better.

[mamundsen]

West End keeps getting better.

With the Yard House restaurant that recently opened, the under construction Bonefish Grill, and the announced bowling alley/bar/restaurant... The West End really is a restaurant entertainment hub with a few other shops mixed in. It will be nearly 100% occupied once these are all open.

[min-chi-cbus]

What about the 1.5 million square feet of office space? If you think about it, there aren't many better sites for new office development in the Twin Cities than the West End in St. Louis Park. I'm fine if they wait until the next office boom (whenever that happens), but I'm a bit surprised that even in this currently soft market nobody has proposed anything in this location.

[mattaudio]

Which makes me wonder... why aren't we talking about building excellent transit to West End? Is it because the plans aren't hypothetical enough?

[LakeCharles]

Which makes me wonder... why aren't we talking about building excellent transit to West End? Is it because the plans aren't hypothetical enough?

We just have to tear it all down so there can be enough "potential" development room in the future.

[go4guy]

Which makes me wonder... why aren't we talking about building excellent transit to West End? Is it because the plans aren't hypothetical enough?

This isnt downtown. I am told we shouldnt support any development outside the core.

[Anondson]

With the big lots along 100 being banked for future office and the parking ramp for it, I'm hoping the Parkdale area just south of West End gets redeveloped mixed use.

[FISHMANPET]

Which makes me wonder... why aren't we talking about building excellent transit to West End? Is it because the plans aren't hypothetical enough?

We just have to tear it all down so there can be enough "potential" development room in the future.

This is too true to be funny.

[MNdible]

Why is West End any more magical than the dozen other major suburban retail/office nodes that we're loathe to extend transit access to?

(Somewhat rhetorical -- I know it's sort of a unique condition. But as near as I can tell, the main reason we keep talking about it is because somebody's got a fantasy transit map that he literally can't help but bang the drum for.)

[LakeCharles]

Why is West End any more magical than the dozen other major suburban retail/office nodes that we're loathe to extend transit access to?

(Somewhat rhetorical -- I know it's sort of a unique condition. But as near as I can tell, the main reason we keep talking about it is because somebody's got a fantasy transit map that he literally can't help but bang the drum for.)

I'm not sure which ones you are referring to, but it is far closer than most other suburban retail/office areas. It is about 3.5 miles from the middle of nicollet mall. Rosedale is 8, Southdale is >8, the Brooklyn Park end of the blue line is 13 miles, etc.

[twincitizen]

The least Metro Transit could do is straighten out the Route 9 into something comprehensible. Expert transit riders can't even crack that nut. The western half of it (west of Ramp A / Target Field) really ought to be broken into two separate routes. The current operation is just trying to do too much.

I really thought the 675 served West End. I thought wrong. Looks like Louisiana is the easternmost stop before it goes full express mode into downtown. For those that don't know, the 675 is a very well utilized hybrid express/local route that serves many nodes along the frontage road including Ridgedale, General Mills, CR-73 P&R, Louisiana Transit Center/P&R. It runs at least hourly throughout the day and even has weekend service. It's just beggin for some kind of branding (though it doesn't really fit into aBRT or METRO).

[acs]

I-394 BRT is probably the best long-term option, but its not even on the met council's radar. If the Orange Line is successful this should be next.

[mattaudio]

I guess it's too difficult for some people to think about the walkability, job/housing density, and proximity to other nodes to compare one node to another. That explains many of our current political outcomes when it comes to transit.

[Tcmetro]

I-394 BRT is probably the best long-term option, but its not even on the met council's radar. If the Orange Line is successful this should be next.

Actually the recently completed Highway Transitway Corridor Study determined that BRT on 394 would be one of the most successful suburban transit lines. In reality, that probably means nothing will happen for a long time.