Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Downtown - North Loop - Mill District - Elliot Park - Loring Park
dillonfried
City Center
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby dillonfried » July 16th, 2019, 5:56 pm

Couldn't there be some sort of compromise here? Like wrapping the ramp with apartments and including substantial ground floor retail? Or is this too valuable a piece of property to waste on parking at all? Honestly just curious on people's thoughts.
If this project was wrapped in housing and/or had ground retail and/or was not as tall it almost certainly would have passed through the planning commission and possibly would have received a favorable staff report. The fact that it was none of those things put it well outside of the vision of the 2040 plan and city leadership.

I don't have a problem with construction of new parking facilities in principle but I do think there should be a demonstrated need supported by facts. The Fed's own transportation consultant never counted fewer than 80 open spaces in the 300 stall lot that this facility would be constructed upon. Something just doesn't smell right there. Operational capacity of parking facilities is generally accepted to be 85% occupancy. It's true that surface lot parking is not that highest and best use of land in dense urban areas. This could have been a project with ground level retail, and housing with a shared parking model supporting the Fed's business day parking needs. Both could have been accommodated with a 300ish stall parking area.

Qhaberl
Foshay Tower
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby Qhaberl » July 16th, 2019, 6:10 pm

This ramp should have been wrapped in housing with significant ground floor retail. Had that happened, I would have no problem being OK with this ramp.

A good example I can think of off the top of my head is some of the new Bloomington Central Station Apartments, although they did not add enough retail in that area, in my opinion. The ramp at Bloomington Central station is completely surrounded by apartments.


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atburns
Block E
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby atburns » July 18th, 2019, 4:56 pm

Not surprising, but the Fed appealed this afternoon, so it's headed to Zoning & Planning and then the full council. I've started to get the sense that this project has elevated the topic of parking and its climate implications into the public conversation. If you share the opinion that this ramp is terrible, contact your CM. Rejecting this ramp would create a ton of momentum for moving Minneapolis away from auto-oriented development.

mplsmatt
Block E
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby mplsmatt » July 24th, 2019, 11:43 am

Not much for details, but for now the ramp isn't happening: http://www.startribune.com/federal-rese ... 513147052/

alexschief
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby alexschief » July 24th, 2019, 12:10 pm

Great news. I hope the Fed will take the comments of the city planning commissioners to heart, and come back with a proposal that better fits the city's goals and honors the riverfront site.

Break this big site up into multiple buildings. Make room for people to live and work, not just space for cars.

Most of all, let's hope that Councilmember Fletcher, the Fed, and the North Loop area can work to improve transit options in the area and bicycle safety. For just a fraction of what they were planning to spend on this ramp, the Fed could've paid for curb protected bike lanes and subsidized more buses per hour to roll past their campus. They could also use their political leverage to pressure Metro Transit to straighten out bad bus routes, like the #7 and the #14, which both should go down the entire length of Washington from Plymouth, providing high frequency service directly down that increasingly busy and populated corridor.

dajazz
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby dajazz » July 24th, 2019, 12:19 pm

Meanwhile in reality it will be a blighted surface lot for the next 20+ years

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nBode
Union Depot
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby nBode » July 24th, 2019, 1:05 pm

It won't. But that would still be better than the ramp.

Anondson
IDS Center
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby Anondson » July 24th, 2019, 1:13 pm

A bare lot will be eternally developable. A ramp would stay a ramp for decades.

MattW
Rice Park
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby MattW » July 24th, 2019, 2:14 pm

Meanwhile in reality it will be a blighted surface lot for the next 20+ years
Personally, I'm not too bothered by this surface lot. It's tucked away and hardly visible from the street grid. I'd much rather it stay in its current form for 10-15 years than be stuck with an awful parking garage for the next 30.

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VacantLuxuries
Foshay Tower
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby VacantLuxuries » July 24th, 2019, 2:20 pm

Edit - didn't see the news was already posted, Biz journals article just went up 20 minutes ago. Great news, hopefully something better comes along.

Oreos&Milk
Landmark Center
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby Oreos&Milk » August 20th, 2019, 1:14 pm

The Reserve bank is 5 blocks away from C Ramp! Walking 5 blocks isn't feasible? I understand not everyone is able to walk modest amounts, so long term some (one level) underground parking into a development on the site would be a great long term vision to strive for those with mobility requirements.

I really hope we see two buildings on this space, so we can fix that sharp turn on the Cedar Lake Trail! However still leave a trail ending segment to go over the railroad bridge that one day when were ready to expand the trail across the river.

Heck had they proposed building the ramp ungerground and building a green park with trail connections on top I think it would be well under construction by now. Even if it's not the best use of space, it would have been good enough to pass.

Qhaberl
Foshay Tower
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby Qhaberl » August 20th, 2019, 1:53 pm

I don’t know exactly how feasible this would be, but what about running shuttles from the C ramp over to the building? I’ve thought about this with a lot of office developments in downtown. If you could run shuttles, people wouldn’t need to park so close to where they work. Walking five blocks can be really shitty in the winter. If we could run travels to more places, couldn’t we make district parking work better?


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SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby SurlyLHT » August 20th, 2019, 2:10 pm

Honestly, you could give employees Go-to-Card like passes and hook them up to the electric scooters. But then...it does snow in MN doesn't it? Maybe the Fed can work with a developer and build something like Thrivent did for their ramp.

dajazz
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby dajazz » August 20th, 2019, 2:54 pm

I really hope we see two buildings on this space, so we can fix that sharp turn on the Cedar Lake Trail! However still leave a trail ending segment to go over the railroad bridge that one day when were ready to expand the trail across the river.
.000000001% chance of that ever happening. They'll never give up the riverfront parcel they own that is currently fenced off. Realistically it'll stay a surface lot until they move locations.

rhettcarlson
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby rhettcarlson » August 22nd, 2019, 4:08 pm

Neel Kashkari was on WCCO radio this morning and was asked about the ramp. He reiterated that they have a parking problem (lol) and said something to the effect of "we're not done yet." Very ominous.

Oreos&Milk
Landmark Center
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby Oreos&Milk » August 22nd, 2019, 8:10 pm

Neel Kashkari was on WCCO radio this morning and was asked about the ramp. He reiterated that they have a parking problem (lol) and said something to the effect of "we're not done yet." Very ominous.
So ridiculous, there is literally a parking ramp another government group wants to tear down. We would be better off letting them use that instead of building a new ramp. Tearing it down to make a wider connection to the riverfront don't seem that amazing of a plan that it be worth wasting money tearing it down now. A skyway connection from Churchill to post office, and then a underground private tunnel to the Reserve Bank would be cheaper than building a whole new ramp, and another government organization tearing that ramp down to build park space to connect to the river. In return they can utilize the space in front of the bank to be a step down space to the riverfront. Then they can long term sell that space for development and then require them give the option to provide more parking space into that development if they still need more by the time that site is ready to be developed, and if the existing USPS ramp is getting to old.

Never gonna happen, but we would be far better off.

As for the Parking ramp shuttle idea I think that is a good idea, but what is even better is if we can have our METRO/RAPID transit network do that same grunt work without added cost.

A Ramp is going to be serviced by C, D and Broadway BRT lines, B Ramp is serviced by the METRO Green/Blue via a 1.5 block walk, I think creating a new station between 2nd Ave N and 3rd Ave N would MUCH better serve commuters AND the transit users that use those routes that stop at that little bus station there. Plus it would help serve the C Ramp commuters. That helps them get more eastward. However unfortunately I just don't think those that choose to drive and park are to wanting to hop on the bus for the last little bit. I mean if anything they could park at the Walker Art Center and ride the existing frequent bus service down Hennepin (on detour now) Ave. and just use that to get to the Reserve Bank instead of the dreaded walk, plus it be far cheaper.

Come to think of it, it's a bit obnoxious focusing attention on those who choose to drive into downtown and not willing to walk more than 4 blocks to there workplace. I mean this is AMERICA isn't it? Why have we not invented drive thru offices where you can work and just stay in your car in the parking ramp, there by not even having to unlock the car door and step outside of your own car! :lol:

rhettcarlson
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby rhettcarlson » August 22nd, 2019, 8:49 pm

I agree, it is all pretty ridiculous, but there will probably have to be some compromise. Since they legally can't develop themselves, they should sell off to a developer that could be far more creative with it. Coming back with a proposal for a couple hundred parking spaces and a couple hundred residential units would be far more palatable. I would think they could condo-out a portion of the parking spaces so they are technically owned by the Fed, rather than leasing. The developer could throw in 50-100 public parking spaces to make the neighborhood happy.

dajazz
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby dajazz » August 23rd, 2019, 7:52 am


So ridiculous, there is literally a parking ramp another government group wants to tear down. We would be better off letting them use that instead of building a new ramp. Tearing it down to make a wider connection to the riverfront don't seem that amazing of a plan that it be worth wasting money tearing it down now. A skyway connection from Churchill to post office, and then a underground private tunnel to the Reserve Bank would be cheaper than building a whole new ramp, and another government organization tearing that ramp down to build park space to connect to the river. In return they can utilize the space in front of the bank to be a step down space to the riverfront. Then they can long term sell that space for development and then require them give the option to provide more parking space into that development if they still need more by the time that site is ready to be developed, and if the existing USPS ramp is getting to old.

*starts writing script to Oceans 14 :lol:

alexschief
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby alexschief » August 23rd, 2019, 8:07 am

Neel Kashkari was on WCCO radio this morning and was asked about the ramp. He reiterated that they have a parking problem (lol) and said something to the effect of "we're not done yet." Very ominous.
It's beyond dispiriting if nothing that anyone has said about climate change or transportation alternatives seems to have gotten through to them. The main "parking problem" in downtown Minneapolis is that there is too much of it.

MattW
Rice Park
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Re: Federal Reserve Riverfront Parking Ramp

Postby MattW » January 10th, 2021, 10:47 pm

I ran by the Fed's parking lot the other day. It looks like they're installing a security fence around the perimeter of the parking lot.

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