77th/76th Street Corridor - Richfield / Edina

[sdho]

Would it put the Mall of America at the intersection of American and International?

I suppose it would -- at least, if the north expansion was built out completely. I believe the majority of traffic comes from Killebrew and Lindau via Cedar Ave, so I'm not sure how many people would be able to appreciate this novelty.

[mattaudio]

You mean 81st St and 84th St...

[sdho]

There was some discussion at the last Richfield Transportation Commission about bike access in the future International Blvd corridor. Currently, 77th St has no bike lanes, and has a high speed limit (40 mph east of Lyndale). 78th St is relatively quiet, but with poor connections at major intersections, and a busy one-way section between 12th and Portland. 76th St has great bike lanes, but a sound wall along 77th from 35W to Cedar means that access is limited, both for the businesses and the thousands of residents living in apartment buildings along the corridor.

The following options were discussed:

1. A conventional bike lane along International Blvd (probably by squeezing down lanes and getting in a 5' shoulder)

2. Some sort of bike boulevard and/or two-way cycletrack along 78th St.

3. Additional crossing points of 77th St and openings in sound wall to allow better access to and from 76th St.

[mattaudio]

There's no need for four lanes on 77th St east of Lyndale. Why not reconfigure the street to have one traffic lane, one bike lane, and on-street parking at least on the south side of the street?

[sdho]

There's no need for four lanes on 77th St east of Lyndale. Why not reconfigure the street to have one traffic lane, one bike lane, and on-street parking at least on the south side of the street?

It's not a question that's really been raised. But, there are two issues:

1. What to do with the space. It's excessively wide even for a protected bike lane. Plenty of room for parking + bike lanes, but it's sort of an awkward street for parking, since the north side is a wall.

2. Anticipation of future traffic. The City has put a lot of money and even more lobbying effort into getting the Cedar underpass. There is an anticipation of more traffic. (Although traffic projections don't anticipate anything drastic.)

I'm also not sure if the federal funding for this as a reliever precludes reducing the number of lanes. I know a 3-lane configuration is penciled in between Penn and York on 76th, but that may or may not happen, and that section wasn't built as part of the reliever funding.

[mattaudio]

If I was a city and I was anticipating future traffic, I'd find that to be even more reason to reduce lanes.
If I anticipate a nuisance or danger, a rational response is to lessen or discourage that nuisance or danger.

[twincitizen]

There was some discussion at the last Richfield Transportation Commission about bike access in the future International Blvd corridor. Currently, 77th St has no bike lanes, and has a high speed limit (40 mph east of Lyndale). 78th St is relatively quiet, but with poor connections at major intersections, and a busy one-way section between 12th and Portland. 76th St has great bike lanes, but a sound wall along 77th from 35W to Cedar means that access is limited, both for the businesses and the thousands of residents living in apartment buildings along the corridor.

The following options were discussed:

1. A conventional bike lane along International Blvd (probably by squeezing down lanes and getting in a 5' shoulder)
2. Some sort of bike boulevard and/or two-way cycletrack along 78th St.
3. Additional crossing points of 77th St and openings in sound wall to allow better access to and from 76th St.

#3 would seem to have the best and easiest chance at actually happening, so I'd work on that.

[mattaudio]

Met Council TAB has awarded funding for the 77th St Tunnel to Nowhere. It's Regional A.F.

[twincitizen]

Well the feds still have to actually disburse the funds. Met Council's TAB approval is technically just a formal request for those federal funds, correct? Met Council is effectively the pass-through organization for these federal funds, matching them with state/MetCouncil/county/local dollars, right?

Combined the with $10MM from the 2015 bonding bill, this $7MM TAB allocation would seem to overfund the $15.1MM project by a couple mil. I'd guess the $15.1MM estimate doesn't include the property acquisition (Motel 6) and other soft costs, so that could be the reason for the apparent "overfunding". I think Hennepin County also committed $1.5MM for property acquisition last year, and shortly thereafter Motel 6 was privately appraised at something like $6MM. 2017 tax assessment value is nearly $3MM, and I'd bet the owners aren't going to walk away with anything less than $5MM in a eminent domain suit.

Financially it would seem Richfield is set to contribute next to nothing, aside from the years of soft costs (engineering, lobbying, etc.) and perhaps a portion of the property acquisition. Richfield probably is responsible for the costs of renaming 77th/76th to International Boulevard through Richfield (and Edina to at least Hwy. 100). I don't think either MNDOT or Edina are interested in paying for that, and it could cost into the hundreds of thousands for signage, administration, etc.

[sdho]

Richfield probably is responsible for the costs of renaming 77th/76th to International Boulevard through Richfield (and Edina to at least Hwy. 100). I don't think either MNDOT or Edina are interested in paying for that, and it could cost into the hundreds of thousands for signage, administration, etc.

My impression from the last Council discussion of it was that they were not offering to pay Edina's share for them, but to convince them of the regional value. Of course, it could shake out that Edina agrees to it only if Richfield pays for it. Even at $100,000, doesn't seem like a huge expense if the City really determines it's worth it.

I'm actually not clear what the basis is, other than it seems like a good idea because Bloomington did it. I assume the process has been more rigorous than that. I'd like to imagine there were at least case studies, interviews with developers, etc.

[mattaudio]

It's not too late for Canadian Boulevard. North of and more civilized than American Boulevard.

[sdho]

Richfield Planning Commission to consider a PUD change for Shops at Lyndale, to allow Don Pablo's to be replaced by a smaller drive-thru Panera. The building would face towards 494. No pedestrian access appears to be planned to 77th, Lyndale, or the existing internal sidewalk that runs along the big boxes. It looks like this is technically a separate parcel from the rest of the shopping center, although they have a common owner, and the only access is through the larger parcels.



Packet here: http://www.cityofrichfield.org/home/sho ... t?id=11399 (towards the end)

[mattaudio]

I remember when Shops at Lyndale was "Shiny and New" - mid to late 90s? And now it's borderline blighted, a mall that has trouble leasing despite being on the most prominent freeway interchange in Suburban MSP. Maybe it's time for Richfield to realize this pattern of development has failed them, rather than doubling down on it.

I remember they tore down plenty of old sub-urban fabric to make this work, including the store where my family bought our first Mac LC-III computer back in 1991. They built 77th Stroad, condemned some apartment buildings, condemned plenty more near 77th and Lyndale. And for what? A pathetic strip mall that's half vacant after a decade. And now a Panera that you couldn't even walk to. Shame on any Richfield "leader" who cursed corner two decades ago.

[sdho]

Panera got recommended approval from the Richfield Planning Commission last night, with the stipulation that they include some sort of pedestrian connection to the rest of Shops at Lyndale. The City Council will still have to approve the PUD change and the ped connection condition.

City staff also stated that Golf Galaxy is anticipated to open in the Borders space (which has been vacant for 5+ years) later this year. This would be a welcome addition, but I believe it replaces the Golf Galaxy that closed in another strip mall earlier this year -- Southdale Square. So, sort of a cannibalized success, but good for the 494 strip.

[twincitizen]

The Sports Authority space could be tough to fill...it feels so isolated on the far west end of the center (despite having basically direct access via the Meridian Crossing stoplight). Such is the folly of putting the back of the shops to 77th St, compared to Cedar Point which puts its back to the freeway and fronts a local street. CSM will wait for the right tenant, keeping it vacant as long as is necessary. Subdividing that space is a challenge, as it is extremely deep. I could maybe see it split in half, but not into any smaller suites (facing Meridian for example) as it completely lacks visibility from any side other than 494. The 77th St side is really well landscaped, blocking most views of the building with mature pine trees.

In a perfect world, Dick's Sporting Goods would move over from the west side of 35W and remodel the Sports Authority space, freeing up the Dick's building (owned by Best Buy) to be redeveloped. The current Dick's location has great visibility from the highway, but pretty crappy access for destination retail. Despite being 20 years old, it's actually a really nice building - it doesn't feel nearly as dated as Shops at Lyndale.

In the future, the Dick's site could be redeveloped as office and/or hotel. The development could also include park & ride space for the Orange Line station at 76th/Knox. Current plans have that station being the only P&R in the area (no P&R space currently planned at American). If rezoned to Mixed Use, the zoning code would allow up to 12 stories there (Meridian Crossing buildings are 8 stories). Of course, very little class A office space is getting built right now, but this would potentially be a very, attractive site. I figure this is at least as good of a site as United's proposed 15-story tower at Normandale Lakes, especially given the nearby lunch options, Orange Line station, etc.

[mattaudio]

The Dick's site could be redeveloped into a neoclassical structure hosting the headquarters of an outdoor advertising firm, flanked by Marlboro billboards. #oldmillenial

[sdho]

In a perfect world, Dick's Sporting Goods would move over from the west side of 35W and remodel the Sports Authority space, freeing up the Dick's building (owned by Best Buy) to be redeveloped. The current Dick's location has great visibility from the highway, but pretty crappy access for destination retail. Despite being 20 years old, it's actually a really nice building - it doesn't feel nearly as dated as Shops at Lyndale.

I agree that the Dick's site is very forgettable when actually on the local streets that can access it. I've only ever happened to go in there when I was waiting for a 535 bus that was running late. It is a very nice building inside -- although I don't love the style of the exterior, the interior is actually more impressive than even the flagship REI across the freeway.

Is dividing Sports Authority that hopeless, given the fact that it also has the west parking lot and curb cut? It seems that you might be able to get an additional entrance facing west for a separate tenant.

Of course, I'd prefer to see something facing 77th, but given the auto-orientation of these businesses and lack of good access to parking from 77th, that seems really unlikely.

[sdho]

Audi is open. I went over there and looked around:

Audi Richfield 494 frontage by Sean Hayford Oleary, on Flickr

Audi Richfield interior by Sean Hayford Oleary, on Flickr

Audi Richfield path between parking lot and apartments by Sean Hayford Oleary, on Flickr

Audi Richfield pedestrian entrance from 77th by Sean Hayford Oleary, on Flickr

Audi Richfield cladding, 77th st side by Sean Hayford Oleary, on Flickr

[sdho]

My only real disappointment -- although maybe it's not permanent -- was the plaza. This was billed as a quasi-public space, for neighbors to enjoy the water feature or come eat their lunch at the picnic table:



The result seems to possibly just be a vehicle display area (water feature still pending, I think):

Audi Richfield plaza (incomplete so far) by Sean Hayford Oleary, on Flickr

[mattaudio]

You expected a car dealership to build a "quasi-public" plaza? Um.