Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) Clinic Expansion

[mattaudio]

Anyone know when HCMC built a new helipad on the main building near the red entrance, and stopped using the top of their big parking ramp across Park?

[pjohnt]

Anyone know when HCMC built a new helipad on the main building near the red entrance, and stopped using the top of their big parking ramp across Park?

They finished it right before construction began on the clinic. They still occasionally use the helipad above the parking ramp.

[nordeast homer]

I was acutally up there for the grand opening of it. It was the day the did the groundbreaking for the clinic. They had a HUGE tent on the lot where the clinic is, made a big party of it!

[MinnMonkey]

The funny part is that the new helipad opened, and as soon as the crane went up on the new site, they used the old helipad almost exclusively.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Anondson]

Could go in another thread I imagine, but the skyway association seemed the biggest news. Hennepin Healthcare will be expending their parking ramp with new underground ambulance space.

But the expansion will link to the skyway network connecting to the new Thrivent HQ.

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... -ramp.html

[MinnMonkey]

Could go in another thread I imagine, but the skyway association seemed the biggest news. Hennepin Healthcare will be expending their parking ramp with new underground ambulance space.

But the expansion will link to the skyway network connecting to the new Thrivent HQ.

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... -ramp.html

Full plans:

https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/media/co ... e-Ramp.pdf

Honestly for a parking ramp, this provides a lot:
- Underground ambulance storage
- Active ground floor
- Skyway connections to the rest of downtown
- Expanded patient pickup in the existing ramp
- Possible light re-skinning of existing ramp
- Solar roof

[MNdible]

Going to necromancy this thread up, since it seems like a more appropriate location for HCMC's parking ramp announcement.

1,000 parking spaces on the block bound of Portland between 6th and 7th, and it does include connecting to the Thrivent HQ via Skyway.

Of note:

"The [ramp] expansion paves the way for HCMC’s future campus plans. This includes demolishing the parking ramp next to its Parkside Professional Center building on South Eighth Street. The ramp has 1,400 parking stalls and has reached the end of its structural life, according to the environmental review. That ramp – often called the hospital parking ramp – will likely be demolished sometime in the next two to three years."

[alexschief]

What a thumb in the eye of the city. Flies in the face of everything that people have been trying to do to improve downtown Minneapolis for years and years. This would be a second Gateway Ramp disaster. The city should reject it, tell HCMC to read a book sometime, and come back with a better idea.

[Anondson]

They could have a clearer public way between street and skyway.

I don’t like how the skyway level of the extension building is camouflaged with almost similar design that the parking levels use.

[Trademark]

Could go in another thread I imagine, but the skyway association seemed the biggest news. Hennepin Healthcare will be expending their parking ramp with new underground ambulance space.

But the expansion will link to the skyway network connecting to the new Thrivent HQ.

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... -ramp.html

Full plans:

https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/media/co ... e-Ramp.pdf

Honestly for a parking ramp, this provides a lot:
- Underground ambulance storage
- Active ground floor
- Skyway connections to the rest of downtown
- Expanded patient pickup in the existing ramp
- Possible light re-skinning of existing ramp
- Solar roof

Will the Thrivent HQ building include a skyway that crosses 5th Avenue to connect HHC to the rest of the network? If so that will be huge for downtown winter walking!

[Anondson]

Looks like it.

[samuelmcchesney]

Isn't this explicitly not allowed to be built according to zoning, or is the city just allowing pretty much anything now? A block away the massive parking structure was wrapped with housing for a reason, this would be horrendous for the already cut-off area due to hostility of the hospital dominating the streetscape for multiple blocks. A skyway connection won't help with street use that is needed. Also, are we in 2022 seriously placing a solar array on a multi-story private car park built with concrete and not calling out the greenwashing...? If this gets the okay, it gives the green light for more hostile car-centric design in an already hostile downtown. This block should be anything but a parking structure. Who are we building downtown for, because it certainly isn't for humans.

[BikesOnFilm]

I thought trading a 1,400 stall ramp for a 1,000 stall one was a decent deal but relocating all that parking to 6th and Portland is gross.

A far better way to get the skyway connection would be to build whatever office expansion they're considering at this site, and keep the parking further from active areas.

But I'm sure their thought process has more to do with "We don't want to be without the parking when we tear down the old ramp" and everything we see here is a result of that decision.

[martykoessel]

Ugly. Oppressive. It would help if HCMC would take a cue from the old Thrivent block and wrap the ramp in housing, perhaps adding a level or two to the ramp itself. Is it not possible to make enough from the housing to cover that added expense?

[Silophant]

Yeah, the zoning code requirements for parking ramps in the downtown districts are:
1) The ground floor of principal and accessory parking garages shall have commercial, residential, office, or hotel uses located between the parking garage and any public sidewalk except where frontage is needed to provide vehicular and pedestrian access to the facility. (Which this meets, the ground floor is all commercial.)
2) Above the ground floor, in any structure that includes a principal or accessory parking garage, parking and loading shall be limited to no more than thirty (30) percent of the linear frontage of each floor facing a public street, public sidewalk, or public pathway. (This proposal:100%)
3) The combined, above-grade floor area of principal and accessory parking garages in the downtown districts shall not exceed the gross floor area of all other uses located on the same zoning lot. (lol).

Additionally, this is in the Core 50 district, requiring a minimum of ten floors, which was notably enforced on the apartments getting finished up across the street. Idk if I'd want to push that, though, they'd probably just add another floor of parking.

So, this proposal explicitly does not comply with the zoning code in at least two ways.

[MinnMonkey]

As much as I would like to see something more active than a parking ramp, I don't really see many alternatives for this site.

As much as we want less parking downtown, the hospital needs parking, they need a place to store their ambulances, and a skyway connection to the burn victims housing is very important.

Also the old helicopter pad is still occasionally used so the ramp really cannot be any taller. I would also think fumes from the helicopters would make housing less desirable for this location.

I am curious about the ground floor though. In the plans it shows tenant space, and in the packet it says retail.

[alexschief]

As much as I would like to see something more active than a parking ramp, I don't really see many alternatives for this site.

As much as we want less parking downtown, the hospital needs parking, they need a place to store their ambulances, and a skyway connection to the burn victims housing is very important.

The hospital may need parking, but they certainly do not need it in the configuration of a full-block parking ramp on a prime downtown site. They can store their ambulances anywhere. The site bounded by Chicago, 9th Ave, and 8th Street would be far better suited for this type of proposal, to the extent that it truly is needed.

But the hospital should really be encouraged to think more creatively overall. Can they put some parking underground and let a developer build housing on top? Can they wrap a parking lot with housing? Can they better-incentivize their employees to walk, bike, or take transit to work? Proposals like this are not just bad, they are lazy.

Also the old helicopter pad is still occasionally used so the ramp really cannot be any taller. I would also think fumes from the helicopters would make housing less desirable for this location.

Oh, and the great thing about helicopters is that they are extremely maneuverable. It's absolutely not the case that this site would be height restricted because of helicopter concerns. To think of three examples that I know well, here's a helicopter pad for a Center City, Philadelphia hospital, here's a helicopter pad for a Center City, Philadelphia hospital that closed recently (for financial reasons) and here's another one in University City, Philadelphia, all on all buildings with even taller buildings nearby. The city does not need to be held hostage by a hospital's helicopter access.

[Silophant]

Also, as discussed a few years ago at the top of the previous page, the parking ramp helipad is only the secondary one. The newer, primary helipad is on the Red Building, a block away.

[MinnMonkey]

The hospital may need parking, but they certainly do not need it in the configuration of a full-block parking ramp on a prime downtown site. They can store their ambulances anywhere. The site bounded by Chicago...

I agree 100% with everything you stated, but I think this is one of those site that will be function over form. I hope I am wrong, but I highly doubt the city is going to reject these plans.

[thespeedmccool]

The best compromise here is probably rejecting this plan as is and pushing HCMC to get a developer to building housing on top or around this or something.

Unfortunately, I don't foresee HCMC ever being able to go without a massive parking structure, so the best way forward is to get housing on top of it rather than forsake a block to exclusively car storage for 40 years.