North Loop Neighborhood

[Bakken2016]

Do we know if the Met Council is taking the land for the new connected N 8th Ave through eminent domain or is there already an easement going through (maybe related to Basset Creek underneath)? It'll create two kind of hard to develop parcels... unless there's a Bathhouse 2.0 waiting in the wings.

https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation ... plots.aspx

Here is the 60% design roll plots for that area, I can't really tell from this though.

[MNdible]

There's not a ton of detail in these plans, but to me it looks like the only odd plot will be the reduced parking lot for The Cameron, which might lose one of its two rows of parking. I feel like that lot was unlikely to ever get redeveloped, since the Cameron owns it and punched windows in the wall facing the parking.

For the remnant lots adjacent to the Salvation Army and the Bassett Creek Offices, I'd assume that any development would be taking out a good chunk of the existing one story buildings there anyway, so they shouldn't be constrained. And the lot in the parking lot next to the new park should be big enough to be easily developed.

To answer your original question, as far as I know, there isn't an easement yet, so they'll try to negotiate a purchase and do eminent domain as a last resort.

Is the 9th Avenue extension new, or had I just forgotten about it? Not opposed to it, but do we know why specifically that was included?

[Silophant]

I wonder if that's just to replace some of the street parking the 10th Ave transit mall will remove? Reestablishing the street grid is all well and good, but restoring one block of 9th that will still be disconnected between 3rd and 4th, and is offset from the existing part of 9th anyway, is a strange choice.

[twincitizen]

Finally - the city added a 4-way stop at 4th St and 6th Ave N.
https://northloop.org/at-last-north-loo ... ersection/

I think 3rd St & 6th Ave should also be a 4-way stop. Maybe at 3rd St and 5th Ave too. There's so much pedestrian activity in this area now, all-way stops should be the default

[twincitizen]

Annoying that even after the addition of North Loop Green, you still can't legally cross 5th St at the LRT platform: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZAZbHF4YDeQ23GiR6

In recent years, the city has been much more open to the idea of raised crosswalks and signalized crossings, etc. in locations where they wouldn't have allowed them in the past. I wonder if this location could be reconsidered either for a raised crosswalk or signalized crossing.

That said, I'm remembering now why they wouldn't consider a signalized crossing here. The signal would have to be tied into the pedestrian crossing of the LRT tracks too, because once you cross 5th, there's basically no place to stand if there's a train coming on the track closest to 5th St: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zwauDpQBeeZvxPvx7 There's room for a few people to safely wait there for a train to pass, but not for a crowd. So it basically wouldn't be safe during Twins games, but would be fine at all other times. I suppose it would be pretty weird to put a crosswalk here and then prohibit people from using it during Twins games.

[Bakken2016]

Annoying that even after the addition of North Loop Green, you still can't legally cross 5th St at the LRT platform: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZAZbHF4YDeQ23GiR6

In recent years, the city has been much more open to the idea of raised crosswalks and signalized crossings, etc. in locations where they wouldn't have allowed them in the past. I wonder if this location could be reconsidered either for a raised crosswalk or signalized crossing.

That said, I'm remembering now why they wouldn't consider a signalized crossing here. The signal would have to be tied into the pedestrian crossing of the LRT tracks too, because once you cross 5th, there's basically no place to stand if there's a train coming on the track closest to 5th St: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zwauDpQBeeZvxPvx7 There's room for a few people to safely wait there for a train to pass, but not for a crowd. So it basically wouldn't be safe during Twins games, but would be fine at all other times. I suppose it would be pretty weird to put a crosswalk here and then prohibit people from using it during Twins games.

I reached out to the city a couple years ago about this, and got a big fat no from them. They were concerned about having to work with Metro Transit about it.

Also, Metro Transit closes off the crossing post Twins Game as well, so people don't get hit by trains and for getting people either to Platform 1 or 2 depending on which train you are taking.

[grrdanko]

Metro Transit Police are always parking their cars on the sidewalk on 5th right there causing people to walk around in the street and completely blocking the way for people in wheel chairs.

They've been doing this for years. The behavior of Metro Transit staff demonstrates that are obviously fine with pedestrians crossing there.

[Bakken2016]

https://thedevelopmenttracker.com/news/ ... -to-market

This is beyond disappointing. The developer broke the agreement with the city and tore down the Knutson Building and left it as a parking lot for years.

[Anondson]

That does seem like a ton of bull shit that demolition was allowed before it was clearly going to happen.