urbanMSP

Figured it was time to start a topic for this. F&C article has a good deal of information:
http://finance-commerce.com/2013/10/mor ... re-center/

Construction should be starting in December and lasting two years at a cost of $182.5M. The building will be ~330K sq ft. Proposals in response to the RFP are due Nov. 1 and the winning bid will be selected on Nov. 14.

Mod Edit: Updated rendering

For anyone whose computer has enough oomph to download a big file, I believe this has just about everything you'd want to know about this project: http://purchasing.umn.edu/construction/ ... 5B1%5D.pdf

For those whose computers or phones can't deal with a 202-page PDF, it's going to be a 5-story building on the parking lot south of Argyle House, with the curved main entrance facing the Fulton/Ontario corner. There will also be a parking lot added to the vacant southern half of the block just to the west, and, more interestingly, a skyway connection to the Oak St. Ramp. There's two options for that skyway: a direct diagonal connection over the Essex/Ontario intersection, or a square design that goes over Ontario, turns the corner, then goes over Essex. This would require the acquisition/demolition of the house on the corner, but would presumably make for an easy connection if that block eventually gets a University medical building as well.

Anyone else find it ironic that an ambulatory care center would have that many curb cuts? Seems like they might be creating more patients than they're curing...

Yeah, I'm trying to figure out why the pull through on the NE corner of the site would be necessary.

I'm no die-hard libertarian, but things like the skyway connection to a parking ramp sure seem like a poor use of taxpayer dollars. Honestly, this isn't even part of a skyway network (where I can at least give a modicum of acknowledgement of potential benefits) - it connects a single parking facility to a single care facility, at a likely added cost of $20m (or more), and might require the taking of an existing property. Just so visitors can shelter themselves from rain or cold for 30 seconds??

As to how it addresses the street. I'll be respectful and say it's very much lacking in that department. We NEED our publicly and university owned buildings to be beacons of urban design (even if materials and flair are lacking due to budget constraints).

I think a skyway is very necessary in this situation. They will not have much for on-site parking and most patients will be parking in the ramp. Have you ever tried navigating a wheelchair thru a street crossing in the winter? Damn near impossible. I think this is very acceptable.

I wonder how people at Fairview Ridges get by without a skyway to their parking space? $20m++ over the course of the skyways useful life pays for some wicked good sidewalk and street maintenance the 4 months a year we have snow stay on the ground.

A skyway to the Oak Street ramp? Wasn't there a rumor that it was going to go away?

This building design clearly has drop-off areas.

Where does it say that the skyway would cost $20 million? That seems extremely excessive. With the size of this one, can I then assume that the skyways associated with the Vikings stadium represent 10% of the entire stadium cost?

And yes, the design does have drop offs. But have you ever brought someone home from the ER in a wheelchair? Isnt the best thing to leave them alone in the lobby for 15 minutes while you go get the car. And please dont compare this new place to Fairview Ridges. That is a SUBURBAN hospital that is surrounded by only parking lots. That comparison doesnt even make sense. Most parking to this center will be in the ramp.

Sorry, I was doing the wrong math. The Vikings skyway from the stadium to the parking garage is listed at $6.4m. Even if you assume this is half of that at $3.2m, that's still a lot of money - saving the yearly bond repayment on that amount would give ~$185k a year to buy some really great snow removal systems, pay people to operate them, and buy some complimentary umbrellas for rainy days. For the people in bad enough shape to require a wheelchair and not wait for a pickup.

The problem statement you gave was that wheeling patients out to their cars in snow/ice is damn near impossible to do. Why is a giant parking lot any less difficult to navigate vs. crossing 2 narrow streets and entering a parking garage, simply because it's in suburbia?

My point is that the suburban hospital parking lot is designed for people to move from the building to their cars. A street grid in a busy urban area which can have really heavy traffic at any time with various events in the area. Now that I think of it, there is only a small pedestrian entrance on that corner currently. And to get to any other level you have to climb stairs. The only elevator is on the opposite side. Are there plans to upgrade that?

Also, if you have ever been to the University-Fairview hospital, you would know how having that tunnel to the parking garage is a HUGE asset.

Define huge. Again, we're talking about the people who can't walk themselves out (likely a small % of total patients), who then also don't have someone willing to pick them up at the drop-off area (a yet smaller % of those), and inconvenienced for a minority of the months of the year (namely when it's below freezing and/or snow is on the ground). I lived at Pioneer Hall for 2 years, dated a girl who lived in Argyle for another year, and have had 3 siblings live in the Superblock since, so I'm very familiar with the area and the low amount of traffic on Essex, Fulton, Ontario, etc.

If no elevator exists on the SE corner of the ramp, people would have to access the elevator or take the stairs regardless. I would be in favor of spending much, much less on an elevator and snow mitigation than a multi-million dollar skyway. These are the things the U can do to improve their spending image.

I am just speaking out of experience at the Fairview hospital. My father spent many months in that hospital and most of the time it was during the winter. If we would have had to navigate those sidewalks and crosswalks instead of the tunnel, it would have been much more difficult. I too lived in the superblock. And even though that isnt the busiest intersection, it can be at times, and this will only add to the traffic.

But if there is no elevator, then a skyway is pointless.

The average skyway is unnecessary. The marginal one might be necessary.

I'm generally anti-skyway, think we have too many of them in the downtown core of the Twin Cities, but I'll go easy on one at a health care facility.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/m ... linic.html

This is the first I've heard of this project, which will be near Huron and I-94 at the University of Minnesota. I didn't see a rendering or anything indicating the scale of the project in the link.

Groundbreaking this week!

*Edit: 330K square feet
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_ ... lth-clinic
*Edit: Link to image (snazzy!):
http://www.umphysicians.org/news/new-am ... /index.htm

Already have a thread for this: http://urbanmsp.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1639

Already have a thread for this: http://urbanmsp.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1639

Oh, thank you! that makes much more sense considering a project this size doesn't usually sneak up on a forum like this.

Could somebody please move my post with the new links to that thread?

So, people who are around the U: Did they just have the groundbreaking ceremony for this back in December or did they actually start construction too?

Drove by the site yesterday and they had barriers up and some dirt moved but I don't think I saw any construction just yet.