University of Minnesota - News & General Topics

[Nick]

wild

[talindsay]

Perhaps he should find a new, appropriate site for the U's track if he thinks this is so important.

[grant1simons2]

One of the parking lots maybe?

[talindsay]

One of the parking lots maybe?

Heh, dream on. Nice thought though.

[grant1simons2]

So there's a massive white structure with a peaked roof that has gone up overnight. I believe it's the indoor football field.

[go4guy]

Yup, the first section of the peaked roof has been up now for at least a few weeks. They have been working their way east.

[Didier]

Silos apparently coming down.

https://twitter.com/callaghanpeter/stat ... 6951297025

(Can't remember which thread this discussion has been in)

[lordmoke]

Yeah, they've been chipping away at everything except the Electric Steel itself and the structures owned by Wall for a while now. The other elevators are about half gone.

[grant1simons2]

Someone painted Harambe up there this past week.

[Serafina]

Word at a meeting last week was that the court wasn't viewing the lawsuit to save the Electric Steel Elevators very favorably. The U's Metropolitan Design Center and several other architects had worked up concepts for several other sites for the sports bubble that were actually inside the University's designated athletics area (yes, currently parking). The impression was that the court might have looked more seriously at it if it had been the neighborhood association bringing suit. The University has been meeting with neighborhood stakeholders to talk again about being more forthcoming with joint planning in the areas that affect the neighborhoods, and I believe there are still a couple of meetings left in that process.

[grant1simons2]

There were 4 projects that went in front of MH Z+P tonight.

915 6th St SE:
• 5 Townhomes proposed
• Removing the house
• Surface parking in back
• All 4 bedroom units
• 5, 3 story townhouses
• 9 parking spaces
• 13' set back
• Parking tucks under the building in back
• 20 bedrooms total

925 6th St SE:
• Cluster development
• Keeping the carriage house and frat house
• Restoring the carriage house
• Removing the driveway on the 10th Ave side
• Not building a basement to save renters money

1000 5th St SE:
• New Kappa Sigma Frat house
• 3 stories
• Adding porches, patios
• Mid century modern aesthetics
• 50 beds total (23 bedrooms)

401 University Ave SE:
• 5 stories
• Moving house on 4th Ave to parking lot on 4th St
○ Adding windows to the blue pole barn (4th St Side)
• 44 units
• 17 parking stalls

[seanrichardryan]

915 6th St SE: I like that house. A loss.

925 6th St SE: This could turn out well or be a disaster. Site plan / finishes?

1000 5th St SE: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

401 University Ave SE: Huh? pole barn? We're talking about the 4-plex on the corner?

[grant1simons2]

Lol, sorry that was my snark. That house just across the parking lot from the church on 4th St. Long blue building with almost no windows.

925 is planning on being almost a duplicate of the mansion. Meaning similar materials, colors and size.

Only 925 and 1000 5th needed action tonight. Both passed.

[seanrichardryan]

Okay, so they're moving the house behind the church to the parking lot here.

I'm pretty sure they rewrote zoning code after that monstrosity was built.

[grant1simons2]

Parking lot, yes. And the building pictured is going to get remodeled so it looks like a real house. A main front entrance with a proper front porch and roof. Looks like a real Marcy Holmes house.

Ted Tucker was there and confirmed that it was indeed this house that rewrote the code.

[nBode]

Does this mean that TKE is moving? I lived across the street for a year and they were terrible neighbors.
Also, I had a friend who lived in the blue thing. The unit was enormous and surprisingly nice.

[grant1simons2]

Nope. They do have to take down their letters though, so we got that. They never had permission to put them up in the first place.

[grant1simons2]

Here's a bad picture of the 401 University proposal. N'hood didn't like the fact that it was 5 stories (especially because it's CPM). They want something around 3-4 like they mention in their master plan. They also don't like seeing car parking line 4th Ave. Want something a little bit more active. There were other weird things mentioned. Like the fact that they're not using any brick, compared to other apartments on University (even though there's almost nothing new).

401University by grant.simons, on Flickr

[talindsay]

Got an email today that the Regents approved "many key details" of the track facility. Apparently the planned facility will meet requirements to host Big Ten and first round NCAA championship meets (which the old track hadn't been able to do for quite a few years), so that's good. Construction is supposed to begin this summer, with the track returning to use for fall 2018 - meaning another two seasons with the track teams having to use Hamline's track.

They have a website up as part of their athletic facilities page ("Nothing Short of Greatness" blah), with some details about the new track: http://www.nothingshortofgreatness.com/track.php. They're really cramming the track into the back corner of the athletic facilities, and I'm not sure I buy their claim that it's "in the heart of the new Athletes Village area", but at least it's part of it.

[grant1simons2]

What's happening to the rec dome?