urbanMSP

Mod note: After much delay, the project was redesigned as a 19-story / 264-room hotel only project, simply known as The Hilton
Jump ahead to that news: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1392&start=40#p125988
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From Rochester Post Bulletin "The building would feature 30,000 square feet of Class A office space, a 150-room four-star hotel, 150 market-rent apartments, a "high-end grocery" and a Minnesota-branded steakhouse, among other attractions."

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/ ... c2cb3.html

sweet.

Rochester will have the second nicest downtown within a decade.

If this type of development continues, and if Zip Rail goes in, would we become the Triplet Cities? My tongue is obviously firmly planted in my cheek, but having a third "mid-major" city within a 1 hour train ride of Minneapolis would be a very good thing. Especially if their growth is good urban design (which, IMO is designed for pedestrian travel first, bike/bus second, car third - get this right and everything else comes naturally).

Great news for Rochester!

Also:
Planned municipal parking ramp on the back side of this block, from what I've heard. Not a way to A Better Rochester.

Sounds like Rochester will be adding so much car storage !!! that they will be bridging over East Center Street with an 8+ level ramp.
Because we know that's a great idea....

The article from the Post Bulletin also says, "The tower could go higher as planning proceeds -- possibly topping the Broadway Residences and Suites tower next door, which is the tallest building in Rochester."

Nice! I've also heard Mayo might start out their expansion big with a tower as well (part of the wow factor after getting support from the state I would guess) I could see a couple mid-rises changing Rochester's skyline in the next few years. Remember when that writer for the Post Bulletin wrote about something "towering in nature" maybe this was the development he was talking about, and not DMC. The article says this has been in advance planning stages for about 6 months. My only concern is that it looks like it could block quiet a few views out of Broadway Residences. Hopefully that doesn't hurt the project.

Side note: Anyway we could get the thread title changed? The article mentions the project name The Broadway at Center. I'd be in favor with a title like: The Broadway at Center-Rochester. In fact I think it would clean up the whole outstate sub if all topics were named similar. (project name-city) In fact if development really picks up in Rochester maybe we could go back to having separate subs for Duluth and Rochester like on Minnescraper?

I really hate the Broadway Residences and Suites. It looks like Section 8 highrises through out Minneapolis and St. Paul. Unappealing to say the least. Even the Rochester Towers built in 1966 looks better. http://www.emporis.com/building/rochest ... ter-mn-usa

Here is a rendering I came across:

It just seems so odd to block the views of people living in the current tallest residential building in Rochester, when (I imagine) there is plenty of surface parking or otherwise underutilized land to build on nearby. And yeah mattaudio, that parking ramp looks like a disaster. They should ask anyone in downtown St. Paul how much they like the ramp that bridges over the street.

I'm confused. Rochester already has a parking ramp that bridges over Center Street.

Yes, west of Broadway, disconnecting St. Mary's from this node. And it's from the 60s and closer to the end of its lifecycle. Do we really want to double down (or triple down in the case of Rochester) on past mistakes and sever the walkable connections between our neighborhoods? Is subsidized car storage really so important that we wish to destroy our streetscape and adjacent land values to promote it?

I'm confused. Rochester already has a parking ramp that bridges over Center Street.

Yes. Quite the eyesore in itself, and it's only 3-4 levels high.

Yeah, parking ramps over public rights-of-way are awful. In my hometown (Sioux Falls) a parking ramp spanned the river downtown, cutting off views and forcing the bike path through its tunnel-like underbelly. The day it was torn down people were practically dancing in the streets.

I'm not saying parking ramps over streets are the solution, I don't care for them myself, but parking options in Rochester are in significant need, especially for Mayo Clinic employees. For some, the current wait time to get a parking spot is around 10 years. With Mayo Clinic employing several thousand individuals from the surrounding communities, most people commute into Rochester. Either parking ramps or better public transportation options are needed to help alleviate this issue. Also, most street parking around downtown is limited due to restrictions.

Either parking ramps or better public transportation options are needed to help alleviate this issue.

So improve the public transit

I agree, public transportation needs to be significantly improved in the area. The current problem seems to be limited bus options from the surrounding communities. My mom took the bus in the past but when her hours switched it was no longer feasible with a big difference between her work hours and the bus schedule. Mayo does have some surface lots outside of the downtown core with shuttle service but I think a legitimate park and ride of some sort could be extremely beneficial. Where to locate it becomes the next question.

Apparently there are enough sane people in Rochester who have made a fuss and there will be no chance of a parking ramp over E. Center St. Supposedly it was just a sketch from a developer and not an actual plan. But maybe the developer of Broadway at Center really thought a giant parking ramp straddling a city street would be a great urban statement helping to command higher rents. You never know.

Any updates?

Downtown Rochester near Mayo

http://www.kttc.com/story/25084967/2014 ... -rochester