The Venue at Dinkytown - (14th Avenue SE & 5th Street SE)

[twincitizen]

Has nobody in the save dinky town group ever been to Madison or UW Seattle or pretty much ANY urban university? The area around the U is severely underutilized, forcing people to use cars, and wasn't there some data to support that we have one of the highest numbers of students who commute in? And that we're also behind on the amount of student housing surrounding the U, compared to other similar Universities? Those neighborhoods in other cities are vibrant and fun and have mixed use and sized buildings. Why they didn't protest the UTEC development but are going so CRAZY over this blows my mind.

Didn't you hear? There's something holy about "those four blocks" that create the impenetrable and unchanging "heart of Dinkytown". And everyone knows housing doesn't belong in business districts, silly! Especially if it's that "luxury housing" that we're secretly jealous of and wish we could afford.

FWIW there was a little stir over UTEC, but it was mostly limited to the loss of parking, and the complaining was being done by a few select business owners (Loring/Varsity and Kafe 421 for sure, maybe others). It wasn't enough to stir the hearts and Facebook walls of current and former students.

[FISHMANPET]

I think they're terrified about residential on this four block area, but there's already residentaial at 1301, and even on this block, but I think what people what people are considering "dinkytown" in this context is the old buildings that are on 4th and 15th but not actually the entire block. Because outside of that cross, there's some pretty crappy buildings. You've got McDonalds, the new Subway building, the Library, Dinkytown Liquors, etc etc.

[Snelbian]

I think the terror is largely from three sources, each affecting one of three groups. Business owners are terrified about the prospect of paying competitive rents in new buildings. A set of students are terrified about chains, corporations, and any shop that doesn't source all of its products from permaculture communes moving into their imaginary utopia. And the saddest sort of alumni are terrified of not being able to drive through Dinkytown after hockey games and pretend that it's still 1963.

[Nathan]

I watched the video that they posted on Youtube Yesterday, and it was easily comparable to listening to Michelle Bachman telling people why same sex marriage shouldn't exist. It's like a weird form of Urban Conservatism. Where normally most of the people in this group are probably very liberal and interested in being progressive, on this issue they have jumped back to the 1950's...

[FISHMANPET]

Do you have a link to the video?

[RailBaronYarr]

I think it's funny that the very picture on the home page of Save Dinkytown shows the Podium in a different location than where it is today. It should be noted that the space was likely much bigger - the building is deeper and the frontage seems wider to my eye.

[RailBaronYarr]

Also, was this the video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpzuoCKikJ0

[MNdible]

And the saddest sort of alumni are terrified of not being able to drive through Dinkytown after hockey games and pretend that it's still 1963.

I guess I fall into that category. I'm not opposed to this development (I think that UTEC is much, much more problematic for a few reasons), but I do get cold sweats when I think about the other shoe waiting to drop. It is inevitable that in the very near future, we're going to be having a discussion about whether or not it's acceptable to tear down three of the turn of the century brick commercial storefronts for a 6 story apartment building.

[min-chi-cbus]

You know at this point I just wish these conservationists would just start a fund that would help developers/the city pay for the parcels to be historic AND let developers work in a redevelopment in or on top of the historic buildings to create Adaptive Re-use projects. I love when I see projects like these, and they don't have to stop at the shell of the existing building -- I've seen modern buildings sprout out of small storefronts like these, and not only does it look incredibly cool but it keeps the history in tact while allowing the market to develop as it sees fit. It's the best of both worlds!

[FISHMANPET]

Also, was this the video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpzuoCKikJ0

They showed Gary Schiff in that video, I'm pretty sure he's against this project which is enough for me to not want to vote for him.

[mattaudio]

Sam Newberg suggests a form-based code for Dinkytown:
https://streets.mn/2013/06/07/a-form-ba ... dinkytown/

[VAStationDude]

In addition to form-based code for Dinkytown, multiway boulevards would be perfect for 4th Street and University Avenue.

[Didier]

It is inevitable that in the very near future, we're going to be having a discussion about whether or not it's acceptable to tear down three of the turn of the century brick commercial storefronts for a 6 story apartment building.

Again, I think this is the core of the issue that isn't being discussed here and is why this isn't an obvious home run development.

[Nick]

Relocating utilities already?


IMG_3586 by UrbanMSP, on Flickr

[mplser]

I HOPE so! then we can be done with this "save dinkytown" rubbish

[Suburban Outcast]

"It's Dinkytown, Not Megatown"

It should be called Parkytown if they really want to keep their precious surface lots.

[Snelbian]

And the saddest sort of alumni are terrified of not being able to drive through Dinkytown after hockey games and pretend that it's still 1963.

I guess I fall into that category. I'm not opposed to this development (I think that UTEC is much, much more problematic for a few reasons), but I do get cold sweats when I think about the other shoe waiting to drop. It is inevitable that in the very near future, we're going to be having a discussion about whether or not it's acceptable to tear down three of the turn of the century brick commercial storefronts for a 6 story apartment building.

I find the Slippery Slope Down 14th argument unconvincing. Not only because it's slippery, but also because I'm not sure that potentially imperiling the one block of nice buildings is actually too high a price to pay to do something about the underutilized surface lots and worthless 1 (at best 2) story buildings that make up the majority of Dinkytown.

[FISHMANPET]

I'd agree, the only buildings in DInkytown that I see worth saving is Al's and anything that's 2 stories, everything else looks pretty bad and I'd be fine with slow replacement over the next 20 years.

[Nick]

And wouldn't that be a much better use of Save Dinkytown's time? The Opus project will almost certainly happen. However, there is a good argument to be made for setting up some protection--pretty much the whole block with Loring Pasta Bar, the Varsity, etc. should be able to get some protection. Al's should stay for cute/arbitrary character reasons. The building with Gold Country is nice enough. Lots of City Council people are certainly fishing for attention right now, why not get the ball rolling on setting up a(n?) historic district that includes some of these buildings to avoid these fights in the future? If Riverside Plaza can get put on the National Register of Historic Places, it's hard to believe that the Kitty Cat Club and Annie's can't at least be protected by the city.

But it is sort of unfortunate that frankly, other than that, it is rather hard to make an argument for most of the one story buildings on the north side of Fourth Street. I mean what's the architectural significance of the building with US Bank in it? Then you start to get in the weeds pretty quickly with things like "character", etc...

[FISHMANPET]

Most of the "character" of Dinkytown (other than the Loring block and Al's) is in the businesses not the buildings, and there's no way to protect a business other than keeping rents low.