Downtown Minneapolis - 3 New Towers + other projects

[TallBob]

That western edge/end of the stadium is really going to protrude out a ways!

[TallBob]

I could easily see a couple of reasonably tall (40-50 story) mixed-use buildings west/n.west of the stadium, aside from the Ryan proposal!

[Nordeast Homer]

Originally Posted by TallBob

I could easily see a couple of reasonably tall (40-50 story) mixed-use buildings west/n.west of the stadium, aside from the Ryan proposal!

I think that's what we're hoping, but when the dome was built there was promise of the area developing and it never happened.
Obviously times are different and we already have proposals on the table for the area surrounding the stadium; the hope is that those developments will help spur a shift of some larger developments in the area. I could see a large hotel happen, or even a mixed use in the short term.

[TallBob]

^Good point.... Kind of aware of the problems developing the area. Get some of those companies and residents back in the city. Wishfull thinking I guess!

[NYC2ATX]

Kind of a random question, but as an outsider I've been wondering this all this past week, maybe some of you who are locals can offer your opinions: do you think the winter weather extremes have had/would have any effect on growth and development in Minneapolis?

I ask because I visited back in the middle of the summer in 2012 and I thought it was a fantastic place, somewhere I could totally see myself living, but being someone who could barely stand the winter weather in New York (and prefers warm weather in general), temps well below zero would be a dealbreaker for me.

Thoughts?

[Avian001]

I'm sure the weather has deterred many people from moving here. (It hasn't seemed to affect amount of recent immigrants from East Africa though!) To its credit the MSP area is home to more Fortune 500 corporations and their "parasitical" companies than any metro area other than New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston so there are a great number of white collar jobs here. That, and the diversification of the economy generally means that good-paying jobs are plentiful. On the downside, perhaps, is that a lack of manufacturing jobs means that those who do not pursue a higher education might be at a disadvantage. But with 34 colleges and universities in the Twin Cities alone there are plenty of opportunities to get a degree.

The Twin Cities are doing very well and, despite being the 3rd-largest metro in the Midwest, they surpassed Detroit in economic output in 2010.

The quality of life is quite high compared to many other cities as well. A lot of money goes into public education, park systems and public services. Those factors can offset weather-related issues for a lot of people. Families tend to find the Twin Cities a very desirable place. So weather can be a plus or minus, depending upon someone's priorities. It may surprise some, but a lot of people have no issue with cold temps although the recent "polar vortex" was extreme - even for the Twin Cities - and for me a bit too much! It's a terrific place to live for about 8 or 9 months out of the year. In January there's no place like Hawaii...

If you can stomach a fluff piece , this video shows the general quality of the business climate:

Minneapolis-St. Paul: The US Economic Icon

[TallBob]

^^ Nice news article! I wonder how many viewers around the globe see this?

[MplsTodd]

Regarding StatenIslander's question, I agree with Avian's post. I thought I'd appraoch a response from a different angle too.

Regarding how the weather impacts development in the Twin Cities:

Due to the cold winters, the vast majority of downtown Mpls and St. Paul are linked together via a network of 2nd story pedestrian bridges (called skyways). I think dwtn Mpls has approximately 70 skyways. I worked in downtown Mpls for 20 years and had an admittedly love-hate relationship with skyways. They do detract from the city's streetlife. However, the skyways are filled with businesses--mostly quick-fresh restaurants, coffee houses, banks, barbers/nail salons, plus a few boutiques. In cold weather, people still are out and about in downtown because of the skyway. You don't even need to bring your coats, because many are heated.

Another factor in how the weather impacted development of the twin cities is our shopping centers. In 1956, the Dayton's company developed Southdale, which was the 1st enclosed regional mall in the nation. The cold weather was a major factor in encouraging the architect (Victor Gruen) to create it as a large enclosed space that would function as a town square. I believe he came to hate his creation later after seeing how the malls contributed to substantial ancillary retail development that was solely focused on auto access. Of course, The Mall of America also was built in the Twin Cities in 1992. I have never been a big fan, but it does actually draw some tourists to the Twin Cities.

[TallBob]

According to the "Strib", sounds like there is some interest in the "East ramp" air-rights development!

[Avian001]

Originally Posted by TallBob

According to the "Strib", sounds like there is some interest in the "East ramp" air-rights development!

Yes. No less than 7 developers will be presenting proposals to the city for the February 5th deadline. A high-profile site to be sure! Whatever gets built there will be on every TV shot of the stadium. I'm really looking forward to seeing Malaysian developer Brunsfield's ideas. They built the very nice Brunsfield apartment block in the North Loop.

[TallBob]

^I hope it's fairly tall... 50 floors minimum I would think. ^

[Avian001]

The Hump is History! Ten acres of Teflon is Terminated!

The Metrodome's roof has been deflated in preparation for demolition of the building. Full story & photo here.

[TallBob]

So Long Dome!! Must have seen 20-25 Twins games there over the years, and another 12-15 games at the Met in the 60's.... And didn't live near the Twin Cities! Great memories with family, ect.! But moving on to bigger and hopefully better things for sports fans.

[Avian001]

Shamrock Development is reviving their condominium proposal called the Eclipse, which was halted during the recession. It will be at the corner of Washington and Hennepin, directly across the street from 222 and the new Whole Foods. 360 units with two buildings at 16 and 20 stories. Approx. 230' tall.

Full story here.

Nerds like us can download the 35-page pdf proposal to the city here.

[TallBob]

Saw this on another thread. Looks pretty dark/gloomy. I guess considerring the area, that's about as tall as could be.

[m b p]

Google Earth model for Eclipse:http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehou...a7f45&result=4

[TallBob]

I hope they use some different/lighter colors. Too dark.... Would've been a good spot for a 30+ story tower.

[Avian001]

I mentioned on UrbanMSP that it may be too soon to judge the actual appearance of the building. The renderings are monochromatic except for a hint of beige masonry. If the glass is a bit reflective it could look something more like this. But I'm beginning to dig the black. Reminds me of a tuxedo (on a portly man )

[TallBob]

I beleive the old proposal was for 30 floors and saw the old render on SSC. Got to tell you the old proposal is much, much better. This one is too short and stuby and once again is too dark and gloomy.... IMO!

[TallBob]

Avion001: Why don't you post that "2020" Minneapolis skyline render over here? Great job on it! Also like the original proposal for "Eclipse". Thanks