urbanMSP

Crazy how many well-to-do people are looking for downtown spots! It's mind-boggling to me, even though I fully expect the core of most U.S. cities to become increasingly popular -- this just seems so fast....so unnaturally fast!

It's fun to witness though!

When I got done with college at the U, everyone moved to the first ring suburbs. Mostly St Louis Park. Which meant everyone had a car, car insurance, gas. Many of those friends got good paying gigs downtown, so then commuted. I bet if there were options like this available, and the want to live downtown as there is now, many of us would have moved downtown instead of to the suburbs. If you work downtown, and dont have kids, why wouldnt you live there? I think more and more people are realizing that with the changes we see downtown.

When I got done with college at the U, everyone moved to the first ring suburbs.

Just curious to note the time difference, how long ago was that?

That's still pretty much the case, though. In my group at work (downtown) there's four people including me who are 23-25 and graduated from the U in the last two years. I live downtown, one guy lives in uptown, and the other two drive in from Maple Grove and Hopkins. Cannot comprehend why.

I can say that on my team at Capella we are all mostly 20-30 somethings and I think I'm actually one of 3 or 4 who live in the city and the rest are all in the suburbs. There are 30 of us.

Doesn't it also depend largely on the major too? Design students are more likely to live in the city than say a business major.

Graduated from the U 10 years ago. The appeal of living downtown has changed a lot since then.

Graduated from the U 10 years ago. The appeal of living downtown has changed a lot since then.

Which is to say that it is eleventybillion times better.

Still needs a good PUBLIC grade school, possibly secondary as well and probably another grocery somewhere nearer the West Bank and/or Downtown East. It looks like the city is going to get the latter, we need to work on the former...

Doesn't it also depend largely on the major too? Design students are more likely to live in the city than say a business major.

Don't tell that to the Targetrons at Flux.

It does amaze me how quickly some people hoofed out to the suburbs and insist on a commute into downtown for work. My friend group is mainly urban, but I've got a few hanging out in places like Roseville or St. Louis Park. I do have some suburban friends looking to move all the way out to Blaine in their early 20s and I can't even begin to fathom a world in which I could do that (at least for them, it's commute-related, but it seems horrible).

But my office is definitely filled with lots of people roughly 23-27 that decided Uptown/downtown/NE wasn't to their liking and have instead moved out. Of course they complain about traffic all the time.

Keep in mind that you don't actually need that many people to support a development like this. The U of M graduated about 7-9 thousand students a year. If 10% of those students decide to stay in the twin cities and move into downtown, we could support three new developments like this every year. Things get even better when you consider the number of U of M students who live in "luxury" college apartments near campus.Someone should do a study to see how many of those students graduate and move into downtown.

Today I noticed that they have started putting up the Formica fake wood on the 3rd st side of the building. They still are very slow with getting the rest of the siding up on this building.

Today I noticed that they have started putting up the Formica fake wood on the 3rd st side of the building. They still are very slow with getting the rest of the siding up on this building.

They started the siding/brickwork back in January, if not slightly before. Trouble getting the right materials? It's been weirdly slow.

Today I noticed that they have started putting up the Formica fake wood on the 3rd st side of the building. They still are very slow with getting the rest of the siding up on this building.

I drove by this past weekend and I have to say that siding looks totally like Formica! I don't think I've ever seen that siding or that flat formica effect. not sure how that will look when all of the siding is done.

DSC_0190 by grant.simons, on Flickr

DSC_0191 by grant.simons, on Flickr

DSC_0192 by grant.simons, on Flickr

Great pics. I have not been a fan of those brick siding panels but I am looking forward to how they light up the tower thing.

Saw that brown material on the corner up close today. Like a sponge painting. It is not pretty.

Looks like the black panels are all up on the interior courtyard. They seem to be finishing up on the 3rd Ave side with the black panels and have yet to start on either the north or east sides with those panels. Will hold off final judgment until it is finished, but only a 6 in my book from what I've seen so far.

Latitude 45 restaurant will open Sept. 22
http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/la ... en-sept-22

Then they have 2 months to get the siding up and rebuild the sidewalks around the place. At the pace they have been going I don't see that happening.

Then they have 2 months to get the siding up and rebuild the sidewalks around the place. At the pace they have been going I don't see that happening.

The corner section of the complex at Third and Washington looks as if it will be completed in time for the restaurant to open. But I agree the cladding is going up at a snail's pace.