urbanMSP

Those trees will look great once they mature. Especially in fall. Sorry I notice a lot about the landscaping of apartments and such

Those trees will look great once they mature. Especially in fall. Sorry I notice a lot about the landscaping of apartments and such

I wish more places would put some emphasis on landscaping the area. Just because a project's downtown doesn't mean it needs to be gray slabs everywhere.

With the equipment removed

Velo 7-4-14 by bapster2006, on Flickr

The Minot project are artist live/work spaces by Artspace. Simple but nice. The Elysian apartments in Minneapolis are one of my favorite new projects in Minneapolis. They stick to traditional brick without so many fussy details:

I think the Minot project is pretty good for what it is (if it is indeed affordable). I don't see any exterior unit space so I think that is lacking.

As for Elysian, I think it's a really nice building. I'm glad that you brought this up - Elysian and Velo = same "design" architect (ESG). I'd love to hear some thoughts on how the same firm could design two projects that are generating opposite responses.

A lot has to do with budget, but most if it has to do with personal preference/bias of the people on here.

I actually like Velo. I think to ESG's credit, they are attempting to respond to context of the area/ neighborhood and how a building will appeal to renters of different demographic markets. Whether a person likes it or not is another issue. Of note: Latitude45 is quite different looking from either of these, and Nic on Fifth has more of a "New York" high rise image. My feeling is Latitude45 will turn out the best, probably because it appears Alatus puts some focus in the budget on quality and attention to details, especially at the street and roof levels. It relates to the Milwaukee Depot across the street, and it makes a dramatic architectural gesture at the intersection of Third Ave. It will stand the test of time. I contrast all of these with Stanton's Eclipse project design, which was basically a copy of his other projects with no response to it's important location at the gateway of The North Loop. That was my biggest gripe about that project.

I actually like Velo. I think to ESG's credit, they are attempting to respond to context of the area/ neighborhood and how a building will appeal to renters of different demographic markets. Whether a person likes it or not is another issue. Of note: Latitude45 is quite different looking from either of these, and Nic on Fifth has more of a "New York" high rise image. My feeling is Latitude45 will turn out the best, probably because it appears Alatus puts some focus in the budget on quality and attention to details, especially at the street and roof levels. It relates to the Milwaukee Depot across the street, and it makes a dramatic architectural gesture at the intersection of Third Ave. It will stand the test of time. I contrast all of these with Stanton's Eclipse project design, which was basically a copy of his other projects with no response to it's important location at the gateway of The North Loop. That was my biggest gripe about that project.

Well said; I love to see that people are engaged in architecture and design. I'll try to chime in further if I get a chance.

Already 65% leased:

http://m.bizjournals.com/twincities/blo ... -loop.html

Good to hear. If these luxury units keep filling up, we could see a new wave of developments coming in the next 2-3 years. I don't want to be too optimistic, but I think the city will exceed its 2025 downtown population growth numbers.

Whatever happened to the lit, color-changing, VELO sign? Can't imagine that space is going to remain an ugly blue blank canvas, although it wouldn't shock me if it did.

Good to hear. If these luxury units keep filling up, we could see a new wave of developments coming in the next 2-3 years. I don't want to be too optimistic, but I think the city will exceed its 2025 downtown population growth numbers.

I tend to agree, if for no other reason than simply due to momentum: because it's slowly becoming THE place to live in the metro area and even in a down economy people will continue to demand the premium areas.

I want to say I believed in the growth estimates put forth in the 2025 model but I never saw this complete perception change that I honestly feel is taking place in downtown Minneapolis in particular. Time will ultimately tell.

Whatever happened to the lit, color-changing, VELO sign? Can't imagine that space is going to remain an ugly blue blank canvas, although it wouldn't shock me if it did.

I'm sure it'll show up at some point. It probably just got delayed for one reason or another until post-opening. I mean, LPM is open and still doesn't look finished..

The lit up sign is one of the best details of the exterior and gives it more distinction. Hope they didn't have to nix it due to budget constraints.

At night, both blue panels are downlit (autocorrect doesn't like that). So, I'm hoping some VELO letters are going up there, or why else punch that part of the building up, put blue panels and light it?

Article in WSJ regarding 'Bike-friendly' buildings in Mpls, Seattle and NYC...

http://online.wsj.com/articles/develope ... ideo_Third

They specifically mention Velo but also the midtown greenway.