urbanMSP

Interesting article in the Strib today about the low vacancy rates in office buildings along 394 between 100 and 494. With what this article is suggesting, I wouldn't be surprised to see Duke start planning another tower at West End. Also nice to see so much talked about the importance of The West End.

http://www.startribune.com/business/189269121.html

Wondering how expensive a LRT spur would be via BNSF ROW to the West End... then from there it could slowly get extended westward.

Wondering how expensive a LRT spur would be via BNSF ROW to the West End... then from there it could slowly get extended westward.

I think this is a great idea, but curious as to where it would go. I can see following the Cedar Lake Trail to the West End area, but after that how would you get it going more directly west? After West End, that trail goes to far south and would be too close to SWLRT

From the article:

St. Louis Park community development director Kevin Locke said the city has encouraged public transit by reconfiguring some streets in the West End area.

Someone has an inflated sense of self-worth - those streets are a mess if you're in a car, they're intolerable if you're not. I dare you to try and figure out what the 9 bus does there. Or was he talking about connecting 16th St to the Hwy 100 underpass, which may actually straighten things out slightly someday.

I think this is a great idea, but curious as to where it would go. I can see following the Cedar Lake Trail to the West End area, but after that how would you get it going more directly west?

I'd say Laurel Ave is the most obvious candidate, the tricky thing is getting it back into the I-394 right of way around Louisiana presumably. My fantasy is to stick it right through the golf course and adjacent neighborhood so the LRT can be routed right through General Mills and Shelard Park, but that would only be feasible in a political environment where... LRT in the 394 corridor is viable.

Given that 394 was built with buses in mind and also goes directly to Wayzata, I'm not sure why you'd want/need the LRT spur to go any further west than West End. We could also do something really smart and build a Transit Center at the West End LRT Station, keeping a few more buses out of the downtown core.

I like what that could do for people commuting TO West End for work. Take LRT or Express Bus into downtown and a quick transfer out to West End on this LRT spur. It wouldn't require a PhD in Transit Planning like the Route 9 does out here.

Yep, agree. I don't see the point of LRT beyond West End, at least until there's crushing capacity for buses on the freeway and more jobs in the corridor. Although I would like to see more concentrated nodes of development along the corridor rather than the existing mishmash.

It wouldn't require a PhD in Transit Planning like the Route 9 does out here.

I literally got lost on the 9 like three hours ago! Damn Google Maps said it was going to turn on Cedar Lake Road...false.

But overall WRT the spur/transit center idea, do you really think a three seat ride (car to park and ride, bus to transit center, train to Downtown) would sound appealing to most folks? Especially wealthy West Metro commuters?

The 394 corridor is probably 3rd best in the Metro in terms of destination density, but needs a ton of work obviously to make it transitable (i.e. sidewalks, less digressive streets).

There's something being built north of 394 on the frontage road, across from Ridgedate Mall. I didn't pay attention to it assuming it was another chain store/office complex, but from the window spacing it looks almost residential (or a hotel, at least). Anyone know what it is, or am I going to have to exit the freeway myself and look?

I saw that over the weekend as well. It looks very apartment-y - I think it may be this project: http://finance-commerce.com/2012/02/mor ... innetonka/

Sunset Ridge is looming large over Ridgedale now.

Yeah, it feels uncomfortably close to the highway.