Hiawatha-Minnehaha Corridor - General Topics

[minneboom]

Hopefully this study will address how the Greenway will safely cross 46th Street. I agree that a refuge island would work most of the time.

https://www.hennepin.us/e46streetstudy

[minneboom]

Hopefully this study will address how the Greenway will safely cross 46th Street. Emailing Hennepin County and asking them about it will probably help. I agree that a refuge island would work most of the time.

https://www.hennepin.us/e46streetstudy

[John21]

Min Hi Line linear park becoming a reality in Longfellow

[squrtis]

Any idea what the green line on Dight is referring to?

[Anondson]

This is exciting and could be a huge catalyst more than LRT.

[go4guy]

Min Hi Line linear park becoming a reality in Longfellow

Does anyone know what the uses are along this stretch of track that is still in use and keeping these tracks in place? Seems like such a waste of good real estate to have this type of use here. Any plans to remove some of the track near Snelling Yards and further south where this obviously no longer a use?

[amiller92]

Min Hi Line linear park becoming a reality in Longfellow

Does anyone know what the uses are along this stretch of track that is still in use and keeping these tracks in place? Seems like such a waste of good real estate to have this type of use here. Any plans to remove some of the track near Snelling Yards and further south where this obviously no longer a use?

Per a Minn Post article awhile back, the ADM Mill and a metal recycler.


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[Silophant]

Technically, Metro Transit as well, as new LRVs are unloaded just south of the Sabo bridge, but presumably they'll build a new one somewhere in the eightish miles the Green Line extension will parallel the freight line.

[DanPatchToget]

Based on just looking on Google Earth, the majority of the track is just for storing the hopper cars that go through the ADM mills. Besides that its just the "mainline" track so locomotives can actually get to those hopper cars, and the spurs to unload grain and the one spur for the metal recycling place. Not sure if this is still the case, but there was a little switcher locomotive stored inside the building adjacent to the 35th Street crossing on the south side (street view here-https://www.google.com/maps/@44.939532, ... 312!8i6656). I don't know what it is/was used for, but my only guess is for sorting through all the hopper cars.

[twincitizen]

The Rueter Walton apartment project at 4757 Hiawatha (former Bridgeman's/SomTaste) was denied by the Planning Commission back in December. A rare outright denial of a project in Minneapolis, over staff's recommendation to approve. The area is zoned C3A, which allows 6 stories, however is in the Shoreland Overlay district due to proximity to Minnehaha Creek.

Here's the appeal at City Council Zoning & Planning Committee Thursday AM: https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2019-00055

It was a split decision at Planning Commission, with a few members absent, and they rejected it over staff's recommendation to approve with conditions. My money is on City Council approval of the project. The CM for the area, Andrew Johnson, is not on the Z&P Committee. The vote could be unanimous in favor, possibly with additional conditions (lower the height to 5 stories perhaps).

The design of this project is...not great. Barely acceptable. It definitely does not do the site justice with anything architecturally interesting. While I'm happy to see this site and the auto repair site across Minnehaha Ave get developed, Rueter Walton and Lander, respectively, are bringing some of the weakest, most generic designs in recent memory to this premier, one-of-a-kind location.

[jtoemke]

The Rueter Walton apartment project at 4757 Hiawatha (former Bridgeman's/SomTaste) was denied by the Planning Commission back in December. A rare outright denial of a project in Minneapolis, over staff's recommendation to approve. The area is zoned C3A, which allows 6 stories, however is in the Shoreland Overlay district due to proximity to Minnehaha Creek.

Here's the appeal at City Council Zoning & Planning Committee Thursday AM: https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2019-00055

It was a split decision at Planning Commission, with a few members absent, and they rejected it over staff's recommendation to approve with conditions. My money is on City Council approval of the project. The CM for the area, Andrew Johnson, is not on the Z&P Committee. The vote could be unanimous in favor, possibly with additional conditions (lower the height to 5 stories perhaps).

The design of this project is...not great. Barely acceptable. It definitely does not do the site justice with anything architecturally interesting. While I'm happy to see this site and the auto repair site across Minnehaha Ave get developed, Rueter Walton and Lander, respectively, are bringing some of the weakest, most generic designs in recent memory to this premier, one-of-a-kind location.

The October 19th packet with the fake corten and zinc paneling looks better to me than the Nov 30th one. Maybe they are trying to tone down the colors to make it less visible from the park?

[twincitizen]

Appeal denied, unanimously. Motion was made by Bender. She mentioned "design" (not just height) a couple times in her reasoning for denial, as well as not wanting to overturn the Planning Commission's thoughtful consideration. This is probably the right move. The Planning Commission has rarely (never?) denied a development project in recent memory (5+ years). Probably not the best look for the Council to overturn PC's decision the one time they do deny something. I think Bender's between-the-lines message here was that this project needed to go back to the drawing board, and would probably be approved if it came back at 4 or 5 stories with a better design. CPED staff had recommended approval at 5 stories, after all. It is in a Transit 10 zone the 2040 Comp Plan, after all. Passing Mpls 2040 does not mean that the Shoreland Overlay ordinance has been thrown out completely. The Shoreland Overlay is still 100% in effect. Who knows if that will be modified in the upcoming zoning code rewrite.

EDIT: To be clear, the project is denied, case closed. The Planning Commission denied the project, and the applicant was appealing that decision. So in this case, denying the appeal means the project is denied. I thought this could be confusing for some of you, because in many recent cases where a project has been appealed at City Council, it has been a NIMBY group appealing the Planning Commission's approval of a project. So in those other cases, the Council denying the appeal has meant that a project was allowed to move forward. It's a lot to keep up with.

[amiller92]

Man, I hope the "between the lines" message was that this can be bigger and more ambitious in the Comp Plan future.

This spot is separated from the creek by a freeway in one direction and land bridge in the other and is two block from the light rail.

[twincitizen]

While it would be pretty shaky as legal finding for the city to deny development of this parcel, I would feel a lot better if the developer would wait a year or two and plan for coordinated redevelopment with the strip mall to the north. While legally separate pieces of property, there is so much to be gained by developing these pieces in tandem, thinking about re-orienting the various frontage roads and access points, etc. Doing it right would be infinitely preferable to just letting Rueter Walton build an extremely forgettable building here that kinda takes away certain options for the strip mall development. Development of this parcel as RW proposed would basically lock in the current road locations, etc.

Despite having publicly supported this project at the neighborhood meeting, I'm 100% fine with this denial at this time.

[kdo5581]

I would agree with amiler92 that I would hope they would go bigger and bolder rather than more timid with the design. Under 2040 isn't this parcel supposed to be due for pretty big upzoning given it's location near a train station?

[twincitizen]

It is already zoned C3A "Activity Center", which allows 4 stories by right, and higher by CUP. Most areas of the city that are zoned C3A currently have buildings of 6 stories and higher. Areas currently zoned C3A include the core up Uptown & LynLake, Nicollet-26th, Hi-Lake, and the downtown riverfront. Mpls 2040 is actually irrelevant to this discussion, as 6 stories (and more) is clearly fine in other areas zoned C3A.

The issue here is purely with the Shoreland Ordinance, which is not going to be tossed out wholesale just because of Mpls 2040. I do hope that the Shoreland Ordinance is looked at in the upcoming zoning code rewrite. It's imperative that the city come up with a more realistic standard for building height than "shall not exceed 2.5 stories / 35 feet" within 1,000(!) feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river/stream. The "issue" for this particular development is not that it would impact water quality or anything, it's that it would be visible from parts of the creek/trail just west of Hiawatha. Review the meeting packet to see the simulated views they came up with. I think most us here agree that seeing a building from the trail, in a city, is 100% fine. But the Shoreland Ordinance is completely at odds with that sentiment.

Read the Shoreland Ordinance here: https://library.municode.com/mn/minneap ... VISHSHOVDI

[minneboom]

Reuter Walton is coming back to the Longfellow Community Council on Tuesday, Feb 5th, with a revised proposal. Also, another update on the Snelling Yards development.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dn4apbc8n31tr ... .docx?dl=0

[amiller92]

I didn't have a problem with the original, but that does look better.

Measuring via Google Maps, it's right on the line of 300 feet to the creek, but again, there's a freeway, a light rail line and a wall in those 300 feet. And you can totally see the new building with the Cub from the trail, which is not within 300 feet and thus allowed to be taller. Even if it wasn't weirdly arbitrary, the view thing is simply pastoral nonsense.

[minneboom]

Community Meeting on Proposed Developments at Former Rainbow Foods Site and 4757 Hiawatha Ave. Tuesday, March 26th from 6 PM – 8 PM.

https://www.facebook.com/events/162243237996723/

[Sara Bergen]

Looks like one of the two ADM Mills is ceasing operations: https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles ... lour-mills. Any insight as to the location of the "Nokomis Mill" vs. the "Atkinson Mill"?