Bloomington - General Topics

[BigIdeasGuy]

What bothers me most about studies is how often the results are just ignored by leaders and the population at large. Why pay an expert to tell you something if aren't going to listen to it? Just save the $1.3 million in study costs and put the shovel in the ground now, you'll save a few additional dollars in inflation while you are at it

[Nick]

Propping up the grad school industrial complex is in many peoples’ best interest, even if very indirectly. You too could someday be producing lucrative studies no one reads!

[wingedmolotov]

Enclave is proposing a 7-story, 275-unit apartment building at 3901 Minnesota Drive with ~5,500 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail at the corner. 25 units will be at 60% AMI. This is next to the Minnesota Center building at Minnesota and France. Cool to see more development but man are the streets wide around here.

[mister.shoes]

I can never remember what used to be on that corner.

[Mdcastle]

As long as I can remember it's been sort of a private park for the Minnesota Center. Pre-Covid they cleared and leveled it for a Drury Hotel that never got built.

[BikesOnFilm]

When I searched to find these plans, I found an earlier incarnation that had been submitted to the City of Bloomington in August 2024.

It's too bad they laid out all that surface parking for two parcels of retail in the originally submitted plans, consolidated it into one corner parcel, and kept all the surface parking anyway. But I guess that made room for the all-important pickleball court.

[MNdible]

Google Earth historical aerials show that up until 2018, most of this lot was surface parking (presumably for Minnesota Center).

[wingedmolotov]

There was also a proposal for a two-story medical office here in 2023, before the apartments and after the hotel. Apparently there was also a landfill and then a drive-in theater here once.

[Anondson]

The gravel pit became Centennial Lakes.

The drive in theater was a bit further north by my memory going to it as a kid.

[wingedmolotov]

I wish there was some sort of a connection from that whole Greater Southdale area down France and then west to the Normandale Lake area, kind of like the Edina Promenade. I could see American Boulevard being the second part, but France... 8 lanes and all you can spare is a curb-tight sidewalk on one side?

[twincitizen]

It's too bad that a bike-ped bridge between France and 100 is not part of the plans for the massive 494 expansion project currently underway. Even worse, I don't think anyone even asked for one. A bike-ped bridge connecting Computer Ave on the north to Stanley Ave on the south doesn't seem that outrageous. That seems like the most obvious way to connect the Nine Mile Regional Trail (within Fred Richards Park, before the trail turns north along 100) to the Normandale Lakes District, with connections across Normandale Blvd via both American Blvd and 84th St.

[Mdcastle]

Once upon a time the city of Bloomington wanted a regular overpass at Nord Ave. Havent heard them mention it in over 25 years though.

[wingedmolotov]

The Rosalyn senior apartments at 700 American Boulevard (American and Lyndale) is now well under construction!

[Mdcastle]

Bloomington rethinking the idea of a pedestrian bridge crossing Normandale at 84th, due to the expense of the bridge combined with overll reduced traffic the intersection since the new ramp on Bush Lake opened, giving them the opportunity to calm the intersection instead. Ideas thrown out include possible elminating one of two left turn lanes from northbound and eastboundor eliiminating the two free rights on the south half of the intersection.

https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/b ... 230104.pdf

Back in the late 80s a full diamond freeway interchange was proposed here.

[wingedmolotov]

Personally I'd like to see both #1 and #3. Wonder why removing the slip lanes on the north end aren't on the table? I'd love to see better connectivity to the Normandale Lake area in general seeing as it's a very popular park and a growing residential density to the north. A good start would be continuing the bike lanes on 84th to Stanley and then wide multi-use paths on both sides to the trail on East Bush Lake Rd/future regional trail.

[Mdcastle]

North end are both extemely high volume vehicle movements, note also removing the dual left turn lanes to and from the north aren't on the table either.

As a resident, my perception is that the current political-engineering environment is such that free right turn lanes can be removed only if doing so doesn't signficantly hurt vehicle operations. Some of this may simply be engineers thinking like engineers, but also political blowback is a real fear too.

[DanPatchToget]

It'd be nice if they raised the Normandale Boulevard bridge over Nine Mile Creek so there could be proper trail underpasses instead of the current ones that look like an afterthought with low clearance, weed overgrowth, and easily flooding after steady rainfall (like now). Unless there was a major redesign to the intersection with 84th Street, I don't feel safe crossing there at-grade on foot or bike.

And then there's my Dutch inspired idea:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mFRC8pV2sC2svMEAA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nWtjDHjY4xY58BHn7

[Mdcastle]

https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/b ... 878713.pdf

Some discussion on the city's Prevailing Wage Ordinance on projects that receive basically any amount of city subsidies vis-a-vis the Drury site. Seems since the city is paying for cleanup, that triggers the ordinance to apply for the entire project which the developer alleges will increase construction costs by 20% and thus are demanding the city increase the amount it coughs up to double to $13.8 million. Council discussing various ways to carve out exceptions for both Drury and small-scale missing middle type developments.

[wingedmolotov]

Looks like the City Council approved the ordinance exemptions Mdcastle mentioned.

Also, K-A seems to be planning some apartments around Knox & American, on the auto dealership site just east of Southtown at 1750 American Blvd W. Applying for TOD funding from the Met Council.

https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/b ... 262247.pdf (pg. 8)