urbanMSP

http://current.mnsun.com/2013/10/plans- ... gels-lawn/

http://m.bizjournals.com/twincities/mor ... -lawn.html


http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3215334.shtml?cat=1

Looks like the Hub will always be a strip mall Hell.

I've got no love for Holy Angels, but it would be sort of a bummer to lose that classical lawn.

Only somewhat related, looking at an aerial of this site, I had no idea that the Hub had that huge parking lot behind it. Seems like it must be seldom used, and looks like that would be a great opportunity to add some density to the area.

My wife and I go to the LA Fitness on the corner of Lyndale and 65th. We drive 65th over to Nicollet to get home. I've *never* seen cars in that parking lot since LAF opened. The former Bally's space made partial use of the lot, but hardly enough to make it worthwhile. I agree that some development along 65th would be great—a couple stories of residential certainly wouldn't be out of character for the area.

Everything has a price. I'd move if someone offered me six times the value of my house, even though I mostly like it (wish I had a much bigger garage or pole barn to store a snowmobile, jet ski, ATV, my traffic signals, etc.) and it has sentimental value.

Why weren't they out there selling cookies and brownies to raise the $10 million needed to pay off the school's debt?

The title of this thread makes me laugh. If the strip mall is built, I hope they do call it Holy Angels Strip Mall.

Seriously, I hope this project doesn't come to fruition!

The school's board voted last night to sell the land to a developer (Semper, i.e. Walgreens' developer).
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/257173611.html

The school's board voted last night to sell the land to a developer (Semper, i.e. Walgreens' developer).
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/257173611.html

This is just awful along with everything else in this area.

Who are the planners in Richfield? This entire area needs to be wiped out and become something better, not more of the same!

Why is this just awful?

If Walgreens is moving across the street, then this will allow for the Hub owners and the city to start looking at a massive redevelopment of the whole area. Break it into two separate blocks and do more of a Excelsior on Grand and not the strip malls that were allow on 66th and Lyndale. Make a real walkable area.

This is really Richfield's Lake and Nicollet. They need to better utilize their land there. None of the stores needs to leave, they just have to rebuild so that they are using the land much better with district parking ramps to take over for the sea of parking asphalt. Adding housing above would give a boost to the number of people that would use the area also.

I like where your head is, Wedgeguy. Excelsior and Grand would be incredible, but I'd settle for something much smaller but still sensible. The diagonal layout of that area means that a tremendous amount of space dedicated for use by cars isn't actually usable by cars—and it certainly isn't usable by people.

There are a lot of really good stores in the center, so some sort of phased redevelopment that lets those retailers stick around would be ideal. Once Walgreens is gone, the remaining businesses on the east wing could temporarily set up shop across Nicollet or in the new strip mall that's the topic of this thread. Knock everything down east of Marshall's and start building a nice mixed-use project that hugs both Nicollet and 66th with underground and/or structured parking tucked away in the middle. Work your way west, moving businesses into the new spaces as the buildings go up—easier said than done, I know. Anyway...

When all is finished, there would be a N-S connection through the site lining up with Wentworth—or better yet, one each at Blaisdell and Pillsbury. 65th should be straightened out and connected with itself. The land north of the new 65th could have apartments with ground-floor town homes facing the street. Ditto the new mixed use Hub, making 65th a proper neighborhood street instead of an entirely unnecessary 4-lane shortcut to LA Fitness.

Now that I re-read all that, it sounds exactly as awesome as Excelsior and Grand. Let's shoot for that

Why is this just awful?

This is in response to the fact that a Walgreen's developer is buying the parcel. I don't know too much about the boundaries of the parcel but does anyone want to make a wager on what they propose? 5 to 1 odds on a sea of asphalt in front with a building behind.

Excelsior and Grand? That development is a bust. The roundabout and town square should have been on Excelsior, not a block to the north. The front lawn of Holy Angels will look awful. All of this for a Walgreens? There is one on every corner. The Hub does need to be redeveloped but throwing a Walgreens on the front lawn of Holy Angels is not the answer.

Excelsior and Grand? That development is a bust. The roundabout and town square should have been on Excelsior, not a block to the north. The front lawn of Holy Angels will look awful. All of this for a Walgreens? There is one on every corner. The Hub does need to be redeveloped but throwing a Walgreens on the front lawn of Holy Angels is not the answer.

Do you have a spare 10- 20M to give to Holy Angels so they don't have to sell. They are in debt, They need to sell something to get it paid down. Not sure the land sell will even cover all of the debt, but it will make a dent.

Excelsior and Grand? That development is a bust. The roundabout and town square should have been on Excelsior, not a block to the north.

A couple of things...you know that the city is largely in control of what happens on its streets right? If SLP wanted a roundabout on Excelsior then that should have been a city initiative. There is only so much that developers can do. Also, go ahead and criticize Excelsior and Grand but to call it a bust is...aggressive - it is a LEED for Neighborhoods pilot project, at or near fully leased, and the city of St. Louis Park loves it as evidenced by their reference to it at nearly every entitlement meeting. I acknowledge the parking/access issues associated with the Trader Joe's and maybe you don't like the architecture which is your prerogative but surely the parking/access is a problem that comes with SUCCESS rather than "a bust."

The front lawn of Holy Angels will look awful. All of this for a Walgreens? There is one on every corner. The Hub does need to be redeveloped but throwing a Walgreens on the front lawn of Holy Angels is not the answer.

I agree with EVERYTHING in this paragraph.

Do you have a spare 10- 20M to give to Holy Angels so they don't have to sell. They are in debt, They need to sell something to get it paid down. Not sure the land sell will even cover all of the debt, but it will make a dent.

Sad that Holy Angels is running their business so poorly that they are in massive debt. I'm not blaming them per se, I'm blaming the city of Richfield which is trashing this area FURTHER by allowing a Walgreen's that will SURELY be fronted by the aforementioned sea of asphalt. Developing the lawn isn't an inherently bad thing but developing a Walgreen's? As I said, "just awful"...

Excelsior is also owned by the County, they'd have to sign off on that. When this was built there was a snowball chance in hell Hennepin would put in a two lane roundabout on this road.

Excelsior is also owned by the County, they'd have to sign off on that. When this was built there was a snowball chance in hell Hennepin would put in a two lane roundabout on this road.

Thanks for the clarification. The point remains that developers don't control everything. The municipalites and GOs have responsibility/culpability. If I lived in Richfield, I'd be pushing VERY hard for something different at "Hub."

Excelsior and Grand? That development is a bust. The roundabout and town square should have been on Excelsior, not a block to the north.

A couple of things...you know that the city is largely in control of what happens on its streets right? If SLP wanted a roundabout on Excelsior then that should have been a city initiative. There is only so much that developers can do. Also, go ahead and criticize Excelsior and Grand but to call it a bust is...aggressive - it is a LEED for Neighborhoods pilot project, at or near fully leased, and the city of St. Louis Park loves it as evidenced by their reference to it at nearly every entitlement meeting. I acknowledge the parking/access issues associated with the Trader Joe's and maybe you don't like the architecture which is your prerogative but surely the parking/access is a problem that comes with SUCCESS rather than "a bust."

The front lawn of Holy Angels will look awful. All of this for a Walgreens? There is one on every corner. The Hub does need to be redeveloped but throwing a Walgreens on the front lawn of Holy Angels is not the answer.

I agree with EVERYTHING in this paragraph.

Do you have a spare 10- 20M to give to Holy Angels so they don't have to sell. They are in debt, They need to sell something to get it paid down. Not sure the land sell will even cover all of the debt, but it will make a dent.

Sad that Holy Angels is running their business so poorly that they are in massive debt. I'm not blaming them per se, I'm blaming the city of Richfield which is trashing this area FURTHER by allowing a Walgreen's that will SURELY be fronted by the aforementioned sea of asphalt. Developing the lawn isn't an inherently bad thing but developing a Walgreen's? As I said, "just awful"...

I would have to disagree about this being a success. The design is not a failure but as a retail hub it is a failure. The retail portion on Excelsior is either empty or filled with daycare/learning center businesses and a CVS. Trader Joes is in an awful location with little or no parking and during peak times the intersection is clogged. The housing options are fine but as far as retail goes this is not a success. There is nothing there that is not on every other corner. It is really too close to uptown.

Excelsior and Grand? That development is a bust. The roundabout and town square should have been on Excelsior, not a block to the north. The front lawn of Holy Angels will look awful. All of this for a Walgreens? There is one on every corner. The Hub does need to be redeveloped but throwing a Walgreens on the front lawn of Holy Angels is not the answer.

Do you have a spare 10- 20M to give to Holy Angels so they don't have to sell. They are in debt, They need to sell something to get it paid down. Not sure the land sell will even cover all of the debt, but it will make a dent.

I care about design and development. I am not concerned about Holy Angels.