Nicollet Ave / Eat Street - Whittier, Stevens, Loring Park

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Re: Nicollet Ave/Eat Street

Postby Minneapolisite » October 19th, 2013, 3:06 pm

The marketplace rejected Azia.
Ehhh... no way. A restaurant that the "marketplace rejects" doesn't stay open for 8 years. Which brings up the most hilarious part of the preceding rant -- Minneapolisite is 11 years late with his complaint (Azia opened in 2002). Or maybe he's only been an "eat street regular" since 2011? Sounds a bit like an ol' Johnny-come-lately, psych-folk listenin' douche nozzle to me.
Some of us moved to Mpls in 2011. And I'm more of an 'indie rock peppered with a dash of shoegaze and/or punk' fun nozzle...how do you strike font on this thing again? Anyway, if someone doesn't think Uptown @ Lake/Hennepin is full of extra large bags of douche, then chances are...

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Re: Eat Street

Postby Tyler » October 19th, 2013, 6:38 pm

It's just funny reading your rant considering a place with essentially the same menu, vibe, and clientele existed at this exact location from 2002-2010. I don't go out in uptown, I didn't go to Azia, and I won't be going to this place. But I can tell you for sure Eat Street got BETTER during that same eight year period. So just relax -- this isn't going to ruin your utopia.
Towns!

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Re: Eat Street

Postby Andrew_F » January 2nd, 2014, 8:53 am

Wedge opening market & cafe at 2412 Nicollet: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/ta ... 94011.html

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Re: Eat Street

Postby lordmoke » January 2nd, 2014, 11:43 am

Also not TECHNICALLY Eat Street, but when I passed by a few days ago there seemed to be a significant renovation going on at the building housing Blacklist Vintage at 26th and 1st. The building was in pretty sad shape.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby MNdible » January 2nd, 2014, 1:02 pm

Is somebody going to have to make a map explaining what is and is not Eat Street?

Kidding.

I'd noticed that this work has been going on for a bit, but the work at this point seems a bit haphazard, which doesn't inspire a lot of confidence as to what the final product will be. It appears that this building has previously suffered some less-than-professional improvements.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby PhilmerPhil » January 29th, 2014, 4:15 pm

Copper Hen Cakery & Kitchen moving in next to Greater Goods in the wonderfully renovated Edison building:
http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2014/01 ... a_home.php

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Re: Eat Street

Postby John » January 29th, 2014, 8:16 pm

Copper Hen should be a winner! What I think we're seeing is Eat Street emerge as a more interesting and trendy area yet without the pretense of Uptown.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby MNdible » January 29th, 2014, 8:48 pm

So, elelphant in the room:

How is this area going to deal with its impending parking crunch?

(He asks, waiting for a sweet lecture about the high price of free parking.)

But seriously, isn't this area overdue for a shared parking solution?

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Re: Eat Street

Postby twincitizen » January 29th, 2014, 9:05 pm

So, elelphant in the room:
How is this area going to deal with its impending parking crunch?
(He asks, waiting for a sweet lecture about the high price of free parking.)
But seriously, isn't this area overdue for a shared parking solution?
I agree that shared solution(s) are needed if the area continues to draw more folks who are driving in. I think the problem (partially) stems from the area having too much free off-street parking to begin with, and that sets expectations. Unlike, say, Lyndale Avenue at this latitude, which has very little dedicated off-street parking for businesses. How does Lyn-Lake manage with just that one not-that-large City-owned lot behind Jungle Theater and Lyndale Tap House?

I know this is a half-mile down the street, but I could see a Kmart block redevelopment scenario that includes public parking. It would almost certainly have to if it includes big box retail (among other retail and restaurant establishments) in a more urban configuration.

EDIT: Is there seriously not a single parking meter between Franklin and Kmart on Nicollet? That is insane. Huge lost opportunity for the city.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby John » January 29th, 2014, 9:58 pm

Some increased parking will be necessary for Eat Street as it becomes more popular. However, I think many people who patronize this area already live in Uptown, downtown , or other close by neighborhoods. So I would think biking , walking, and public transit would be fairly common modes of transit people use to get here . Also, anecdotally, I live near several hotels and have had tourists several times on Nicollet Mall ask me what busline to use for Eat Street restaurants ( I must look like I know where I'm going with my backpack :)). Anyways, it would make a good study or survey to see how people transport themselves to the area. I do think the idea of increased parking at Kmart would be helpful.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby mattaudio » January 30th, 2014, 7:04 am

I'll skip the lecture but I'll just say I have never had to walk more than two blocks from an on-street spot to an Eat St destination. Some of the time on the same block.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby Nathan » January 30th, 2014, 8:34 am

I go to weekend shows at ice house pretty frequently and never park more than 2 blocks away, fo free.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby PhilmerPhil » January 30th, 2014, 8:59 am

I'm curious as to how people are getting to businesses here as well. I've got to say, I love the (pardon my french) vibrancy of Eat Street combined with the light car traffic. Nicollet north of K-Mart is really sleepy when it comes to vehicular traffic. It's extremely comfortable for shopping by bike, bus and foot, when compared to roads like Lyndale and Hennepin. I would hope that this is part of the appeal for new businesses seeking to locate here. I worry that making it easier to drive in with more (or even coordinated) parking and would degrade the top notch (pardon my french again) livable experience on Eat Street. Also crossing my fingers that Nicollet is not reopened to single occupancy vehicles when the time comes.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby mattaudio » January 30th, 2014, 9:01 am

Agreed. I don't want to see Nicollet reopened to vehicles. Just transit, bike, walk. Big plaza with the redevelopment. Fewer cars.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby Wedgeguy » January 30th, 2014, 10:37 am

I'll say that the lack of a thru street is one reason that Nicollet is such a sleepy street. That will change if they reopen Nicollet. Putting street cars may deter some people from driving on Nicollet, but I doubt it.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby RailBaronYarr » January 30th, 2014, 11:26 am

I know it's more or less a crazy idea, and discussed a little in the Nicollet Streetcar thread, but.. we recognize the success of a Nicollet Mall in downtown. It's just about a mile long there. From the end of the Mall down to Lake St is 1.5 miles. Would a bike/ped/transit mall here not be just as successful? Obviously Eat St lacks the downtown office crowd, but the physical link of a streetcar paired with the development going on (+Midtown Streetcar) could have a more 24/7 crowd of residents, convention guests, and office workers willing to buzz down on the SC/bikeshare/etc. I know, businesses here do depend on people coming by car (and most people mentally want to drive on the street where their destination is, even if they end up parking on a side street), residents need options to get around, and so on. I think you could compromise and allow local access on certain, commercial-heavy, blocks via a woonerf (...) on one side: http://streetmix.net/alexcecchini/36/78 ... ross-secti . Pair this with putting street parking back on both sides of Blaisdell and 1st by removing the redundant bike lanes (need a slight lane diet). I dunno. Minneapolis' 2.4 mile version of a 'high street"

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Re: Eat Street

Postby Nathan » January 30th, 2014, 11:58 am

I think maintaining 1st and Blaisdell as one ways would continue to serve car commuters (and they'd realize that) better than Nicollet if there was an open (smaller) street. It amazes me how flip flopping people are here about the street grid. First the city and developers are condemned for not re-opening a street (dinkytown, northloop) to allow more dispersed traffic, then the idea of more traffic in an area you like comes around it should immediately stay closed and become a pedestrian/transit mall.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby mattaudio » January 30th, 2014, 12:04 pm

You're viewing "open/closed" from the perspective of an automobile.

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Re: Eat Street

Postby Nathan » January 30th, 2014, 12:23 pm

Or from the perspective of all taxpayers/citizens, not just an idealistic forum... I love transit and I walk, bike, and take the bus as often as possible, but when I'm in a neighborhood other than my own, I usually drive, and I usually identify shops and places I'd like to visit in those areas from my car.

The opening of Nicollet could also allow regular traffic flow on 1st and Blaisdell, those could become more neighborhood streets (which the residents deserve more than the zero existing residents N and SE of the intersection), they way Park and Portland should become more neighborhood streets.

There wouldn't be enough residential traffic in the Lake/Nic area to support a commercial pedestrian mall the way all the offices do in Downtown. Have you been to Nicollet Mall after 6 if it's not warm out? It's dead, just like the skyway... The office market supports that now that it isn't the largest retail market in the state. Nicollet Mall isn't really that much better than Hen or 1st avenue anymore, other than better finishes and class A office space, and definitely doesn't hold a candle to major commercial streets in other major cities. (where there also happen to be cars on the street)

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Re: Eat Street

Postby twincitizen » January 30th, 2014, 12:38 pm

I too, have thought about the impact of opening Nicollet at Lake to SOVs, vs. just transit, ped, and bikes. It's something that should be studied at the very least. I think it's kind of dangerous to be approaching this redevelopment with the pre-conceived notion that Nicollet-Lake will be re-opened to cars. If that's the case, then we won't even look at the option of doing it. Now is not the time to be throwing our options away.

Because of Nicollet Mall, the Eat Street portion of Nicollet is never going to become a major thoroughfare, even if it is opened to all traffic at Lake Street. Cars heading to/from downtown will continue to use Blaisdell and 1st, depending on how we configure those streets.

One scenario I'd really like to study would be de-emphasize 1st Avenue as a through-route and remove stoplights from intersections at Lake, 31st, etc. This will allow for better east-west traffic flow in a very congested area due to 35W and ridiculously close stoplight spacing. I drive through here every day and cannot stand that there are stoplights at 2nd, Stevens, 1st, Nicollet, and Blaisdell. 5 short-side blocks in a row! 1st Ave is the only one of that set that could possibly be a candidate for removal, but it could only happen if N-S traffic was given an alternative (Nicollet, Blaisdell, or both).

Coupled with that, I'd like to see Blaisdell become a two-way street, possibly without parking, possibly with a two-way cycletrack or buffered bike lanes on either side.

As for Nicollet, I guess I'm ambivalent about re-opening to single-occupant vehicles. As long as it doesn't greatly impact transit speeds and pedestrian safety, it can/should be re-opened to all traffic. It really depends what the eventual redevelopment scenario looks like. Keep in mind that the more ROW needed through the Kmart site, the more expensive it gets for the City. If we only had to secure enough ROW for bus/streetcar lanes (and sidewalks obviously) and the bus/streetcar stop was "on-line" (not pulling over to shoulder to let traffic pass), that could potentially be a much narrower ROW needed than one to accomodate cars.

tl;dr - We need to look at EVERYTHING in this area comprehensively: re-opening Nicollet, the streetcar, on-street parking, bicycle facilities on Nicollet or Blaisdell, etc. Frankly, I'm pretty disappointed by the current conversations at the City and how much disconnect there is between the planning of various developments and transportation modes in the area.


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