Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

Downtown - North Loop - Mill District - Elliot Park - Loring Park
SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby SurlyLHT » August 31st, 2020, 12:48 pm

Why is the city rushing the RFP for the Public Service Building now? Didn't they put one out a bit ago and got crummy responses? Do they need the $$ because of the new building?
https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis ... 572273512/

alexschief
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby alexschief » August 31st, 2020, 4:34 pm

They're not. The city is taking a different approach (because of the previous failed effort you mention) and is issuing an RFQ, not an RFP. Sounds like they are hoping for a better result if they get a developer on board first and can then work towards a final package, which would start opening as the city and the country are well into a recovery.

We'll see if it works, but it's smart to try a different tack.

go4guy
Foshay Tower
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby go4guy » September 10th, 2020, 11:35 am

Anyone know what is happening on the 10th and Hennepin site? Have a buddy that works downtown message me today asking what is going in there. I wasn't aware of anything.

uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby uptownbro » September 10th, 2020, 11:38 am

Do you mean the hotels at hawthorne and 10th those are a block away

grrdanko
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby grrdanko » September 10th, 2020, 11:40 am

Anyone know what is happening on the 10th and Hennepin site? Have a buddy that works downtown message me today asking what is going in there. I wasn't aware of anything.
Are you sure it wasn't 10th and Hawthorne? They are building a new hotel.

go4guy
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby go4guy » September 11th, 2020, 6:07 am

That is what I originally thought, and he may have been confused. I know that is the dual brand hotel. Was hoping something was finally happening at 10th and Hennepin.

Silophant
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby Silophant » October 22nd, 2020, 10:45 am

The city got two responses to the new Public Service Building/City of Lakes Building RFQ, according to this BizJournals article. The John Buck Co. didn't share any details of their proposal, but the Alexander Co. said they were looking at preserving the City of Lakes building (2nd Ave and 3rd St) and converting it to affordable apartments, then tearing down and redeveloping the Public Service Building (3rd Ave side). Sounds like we'll hear more in December.
Joey Senkyr
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uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby uptownbro » October 22nd, 2020, 11:04 am

Based on there work John Buck Co isnt a small fish which is promising news

alexschief
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby alexschief » October 22nd, 2020, 12:17 pm

Two bids is better than one, and both sound like improvements over the original RFQ response.

John Buck Co developed one of Philadelphia's nicest-looking residential high rises and they tend to focus on larger buildings. They'd be new to MSP, if I'm not mistaken, so there's a lot of reasons to be interested in that proposal.

Either way, it will likely take a couple of years at the minimum before dirt is moved on this project, and I expect how quickly it advances will be a good indicator for how the market views a post-COVID economy.

SurlyLHT
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby SurlyLHT » October 22nd, 2020, 1:08 pm

It's interesting to think of what the area will look like by the time anything built here will be opened. They can design for a neighborhood that we don't currently have.

go4guy
Foshay Tower
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby go4guy » October 28th, 2020, 6:51 pm

Looks like JBC bought the IDS in 2004, remodeled it, and sold it in 2006. So a little experience in this market. They sure do have an impressive portfolio in Chicago.

SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby SurlyLHT » November 2nd, 2020, 1:29 pm

I jogged a few miles around Downtown Minneapolis to see what it was like this weekend. Two observations:

1) Nicollet boarded up is severely depressing. (I'm hoping they can be removed before the holidays after the election is in the past.)
2) All the new construction that has been going on in the past 6 months is impressive and people will be surprised when they take a bus in come April, May or June and see entirely new towers.
3) The residential areas are much more lively and less affected.
4) Final thought is that maybe there can be a huge push to get ppl Downtown during the Aquatennial? I know we want to see people before July, but a massive Aquatennial festival Downtown where people feel safe and come and see that Downtown is alive and open for business would be great. Hopefully the Twins can start letting fans back in and maybe do some promotions with local businesses to get them some much needed $$$ from fans.

uptownbro
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby uptownbro » November 2nd, 2020, 2:33 pm

Its shocking how different it feels on Nicollet as you said vs the residential parts of downtown. One of my friends said parts of downtown are boarding up for this week. But its not just Minneapolis my friends in the bay say downtown san fran is also boarding up in case it really goes side ways.
The return of large events to downtown will really help. Twins. wolves, concerts, ect all bring in people and there money who dont usually go downtown

alexschief
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby alexschief » November 2nd, 2020, 3:29 pm

Yeah, things are boarded up here in Philly as well, and I know it's the same in DC. I am hoping that we get a clean, decisive result in favor of Joe Biden tomorrow for a lot of reasons, and preventing further unrest, while not the most important one, is on the list.

Obviously the single best thing that downtown Minneapolis could do for activity would be to remove the skyways, or at the very least to make them far more accessible from the street. But that's a dead horse, so the next best thing would be to keep adding more residents and workers, with the eventual expectation that there will be enough that both the streets and skyways will be somewhat full. I always think about this great 2016 piece on Streets.MN about the "Downtown Home-Free Zone". Some inroads have been made, but not enough.

I've said this before, but the #1 best possible spot for a big residential development downtown would be on the skirts of the City Center Tower. None of those gigantic department store retail spaces seem to have long-term viability. Tear those structures down and build a bunch of homes right on Nicollet.

Other opportunities for homes right in the heart of the city: the old Walgreens building, the Music Wall parking lot, the Mar-Ten parking ramp, and the Warehouse District Station parking lot.

Another huge issue is the way that downtown's residential major areas are disconnected from the core CBD blocks by areas of desolation. The classic example is the Mill District, which is separated from the core by the Gateway Parking Ramp, the US District Court building, and the Wells Fargo Operations Center. There's really no way to get from the Mill City Museum to the IDS Center without passing through this area, and it's a lifeless walk. Redeveloping the public service block will be a nice step towards mending this gap. Redeveloping the former and latter buildings would go a long way further. But there's no one panecea, there are a ton of awful buildings between Marquette and 5th Avenues, and 4th St and Washington Avenue that all would need to go.

The North Loop is similarly disconnected, but the new developments on Hennepin and the eventual completion of the Opus block will mostly repair the damage. Loring Park has a great gateway into the core with the Loring Greenway, but he entire Hyatt block is a nightmare that someday needs to be repaired. Elliot Park has a bunch of surface lots in the way (and the highway), the problem is less the existing buildings and more the distance. A lot will need to be built to create a stronger connection.

SurlyLHT
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby SurlyLHT » November 2nd, 2020, 4:07 pm

One thing I will add is that the Gateway Project, although not perfect really does open a person's eyes and almost draws you into the CBD from North Loop. Pictures and renderings don't do justice to the impact of having a large tower on the edge of Downtown. I knew it was better than an empty lot with a few buses, but to see it for yourself up close it becomes more real.

I agree about residential units and City Center. We need more residential to offset the deadness you get near there without office workers on Weekends and Evenings. Retail also just simply isn't working despite all the trying.

Austinite
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby Austinite » November 10th, 2020, 3:11 pm

Union restaurant closed for renovations. Good sign.

seanrichardryan
IDS Center
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby seanrichardryan » November 21st, 2020, 1:10 pm

'Downtown Minneapolis becomes a buyers market'

https://www.startribune.com/downtown-mi ... 573144271/
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

QuietBlue
Target Field
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby QuietBlue » November 23rd, 2020, 11:07 am

That makes sense, all things considered. Most of the things people want to live downtown to be near aren't open, and right now the common areas and amenities in these buildings (if they have them) are shut down too, at least for a while. Plus, if someone can afford a downtown condo, they probably either have a job they can do remotely or are retired. SFHs in Minneapolis seem like they're still selling just fine, so I think this is specific to the condo market.

Mdcastle
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby Mdcastle » November 23rd, 2020, 1:35 pm

Seems to make sense. The outflow of young couples starting families and wanting private yards and private bedrooms for their kids rather than a condo or loft downtown is still going on. But the influx of young singles just graduating from college or moving out of their parents house and replacing them has slowed due to downtown being shut down and crime.

amiller92
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Re: Downtown Minneapolis General Topics & Development Map

Postby amiller92 » November 23rd, 2020, 1:53 pm

Seems to make sense. The outflow of young couples starting families and wanting private yards and private bedrooms for their kids rather than a condo or loft downtown is still going on. But the influx of young singles just graduating from college or moving out of their parents house and replacing them has slowed due to downtown being shut down and crime.
Rather doubt that crime has anything to do with new household formation, but certainly the lack of any reason to be downtown is a factor against new households taking root downtown.

It feels like the kinds of businesses (law firms, banks, people who work with law firms and banks) that locate downtown have been doing fine after a few months of slowdown. I suspect those business will also want to get back into the office when it's safer (I have colleagues who have been going to the office somewhat regularly). We shall see where the new kids they hire will want to live.


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