21st Century Minneapolis | infill and development - Page 4

MNMike · #61 Posted **Oct 18, 2012, 7:38 PM**

There are many many more developments since this was last updated too!

IMBY · #62 Posted **Nov 14, 2012, 1:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by STLgasm

Quite a building boom, ranging from awful to awesome!

That ugly Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Minneapolis!!! Why oh why, can't they put more pressure on these cheapskate hotel developers to put more money into their architecture!

Let's hope some wealthier grafitti artist does a good job on this place some night, with some high-powered squirt guns filled with colorful paint!

IMBY · #63 Posted **Nov 14, 2012, 1:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

I think the real trigger for the development of the Mill District was the money the city put into revitalizing the downtown riverfront. Converting the Stone Arch Bridge from an abandoned rail trestle into a pedestrian walkway, developing Mill Ruins park and the Mill City Museum and building the Guthrie were the things that made it a desirable location. Before those things happened there was nothing there.

I lived in Mpls. from 1972-1993, and the debates/arguments seemed to go on interminably, when I lived there, over what they were going to do with the Mill district, at one point it was going to be high rises, but I see now the lower scale developments won out! Not all too happy with the results, but it's better than leaving it undeveloped!

Obviously, the urban snobs around Uptown/Calhoun have a height limit in place, it seems like 6 stories is the maximum height allowed there, an area, IMO, that craves higher density!

IMBY · #64 Posted **Nov 14, 2012, 1:42 PM**

I lived around Loring Park for a number of years, beginning in 1972, and I always dreamed of that area becoming a high-density pocket, but I'm a bit dismayed at seeing that lower scale Eitel project around Loring. I lived on two different places on Oak Grove Street, 200 and 307.

Later, I moved over to Cedar Square West, Phase I of a projected 10 phase project that was killed as they were ready to start construction on Phase II, on the Riverbluff, two 44 story towers were to go into that second phase. But it was not to be!

destroycreate · #65 Posted **Jan 18, 2013, 11:41 PM**

Wow! I am really impressed by these pictures and Minneapolis. I love the building designs and infill development. I was expecting a lot of parking lots and a rust-belt sort of vibe, but now I'd really like to visit. How's the economy doing up there?

dc_denizen · #66 Posted **Jan 19, 2013, 2:48 AM**

Minneapolis is a city that needs more representation on this site.

Chef · #67 Posted **Jan 19, 2013, 4:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by destroycreate

How's the economy doing up there?

Unemployment is currently at 5% which is high compared to historical averages but low compared to the rest of the country.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNMike

There are many many more developments since this was last updated too!

I'm probably going to do another batch in the spring when some of the stuff currently under construction is done.

I should probably post a link to this thread too because it is related:

The Minneapolis - St Paul Central Corridor part 1

min-chi-cbus · #68 Posted **Jan 20, 2013, 3:34 PM**

^I don't think anyone blames you for not wanting to go take photos when it's not even above 0 degrees this weekend! Wait even a month (these days) and it'll start being mild enough for not only pics but lots of construction activity.

MNMike · #69 Posted **Jan 20, 2013, 4:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by destroycreate

Wow! I am really impressed by these pictures and Minneapolis. I love the building designs and infill development. I was expecting a lot of parking lots and a rust-belt sort of vibe, but now I'd really like to visit. How's the economy doing up there?

The economy is good...better than San Francisco! ha. It was never horrible, we fare well in recessions because the economy is very diversified. Unemployment is always well below the national average.

PS, Minneapolis is very not "rust belt". That is more great lakes.

george · #70 Posted **Jan 29, 2013, 10:22 PM**

A northern metropolis with style.

Chef · #71 Posted **Feb 4, 2013, 5:47 AM**

I have a feeling that this is the era that is going to turn Minneapolis into a true big city in terms of dense built environment. I am glad it is happening during an era of good planning and design. It is exciting to watch it unfold. There was an article in today's Star Tribune that seems relevant to the topic:

Quote:

Apartments snapped up as fast as they're built
Article by: JIM BUCHTA , Star Tribune Updated: February 2, 2013 - 11:28 PM

Demographic and economic changes are driving explosive growth in metro rental market.

Apartments in the Twin Cities are filling up as fast as they become available, sparking a wave of new rental development unlike anything the metro area has seen in decades.

Though hundreds of new apartments were built last year, the average vacancy rate remained largely unchanged at a scant 2.9 percent, according to Marquette Advisors, a national research firm. Rental prices climbed slightly to an average of $957, suggesting that peak demand is still ahead.

"It can't get any better," said Kelly Doran, a developer who owns several hundred apartments in Minneapolis. "Everything we have is 100 percent occupied."

The rental market is in the midst of a historic expansion that's being driven by broad demographic and economic changes. With the memory of the housing crash still fresh, some would-be home buyers are worried about the risks of taking on a mortgage, while others are having trouble getting one. Many baby boomers, in turn, are in search of simpler lifestyles, swapping homeownership for the flexibility and ease of rentals.

It's a shift that's rejuvenating the construction industry as developers have announced plans to build more than 14,000 units in the coming year and beyond, mostly in Minneapolis and several inner-ring suburbs.

"The Twin Cities is now one of the nation's busiest markets in terms of apartment construction," said Brent Wittenberg, vice president for Marquette Advisors. He cites a diverse state economy that's producing more jobs than the national average.

more:

http://www.startribune.com/business/...1.html?refer=y

Chef · #72 Posted **Feb 4, 2013, 6:00 AM**

I have a few miscellaneous photos that I haven't here posted yet.

301 Clifton - Loring Park

mplsfeb201232 by afsmps, on Flickr

The Groveland - Loring Park

mplsfeb201234 by afsmps, on Flickr

mplsfeb201233 by afsmps, on Flickr

Flux - Uptown

mplssept201244 by afsmps, on Flickr

The American Academy of Neurology - Mill District

mplsoct201223 by afsmps, on Flickr

mplsoct201225 by afsmps, on Flickr

The Humboldt Lofts - Mill District

mplsoct201227 by afsmps, on Flickr

The Edge on Oak, Stadium Village Flats and Dinnaken House - Dinkytown

mplsoct201244 by afsmps, on Flickr

ENL House - Prospect Park

mplsnov201217 by afsmps, on Flickr

Solhaus - Dinkytown

mplsfeb201236 by afsmps, on Flickr

TCF Bank Stadium - Dinkytown

mplsfeb201239b by afsmps, on Flickr

U Flats - Dinkytown

mplsfeb201240 by afsmps, on Flickr

The Jourdain, Phillips

mplsfeb201263 by afsmps, on Flickr

The Wellstone, Phillips

mplsfeb201264 by afsmps, on Flickr

The Lyric Apartments - Midway, St Paul

stpnov201238 by afsmps, on Flickr

Frogtown Square - Frogtown, St Paul

stpfeb201211 by afsmps, on Flickr

stpfeb201211b by afsmps, on Flickr

Rondo Community Outreach Library - Frogtown, St Paul

stpfeb201212 by afsmps, on Flickr

Wheelingman04 · #73 Posted **Feb 12, 2013, 3:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

Minneapolis is a city that needs more representation on this site.

I agree.I love it there

destroycreate · #74 Posted **Feb 12, 2013, 7:53 AM**

Which we had this kind of high quality infill development in SF. Minneapolis is looking great.

atlantaguy · #75 Posted **Feb 13, 2013, 5:43 AM**

Some of these buildings are absolutely beautiful. I'm loving the use of cut stone mixed in with all of the steel and glass. Reminds me of a modern take on the Prarie Style, FLW inspired Midwestern aesthetic that I am such a fan of.

I'm seeing a lot of similarities with Denver and Austin design at work. Very handsome infill, Twin Cities!

novaCJ · #76 Posted **Feb 14, 2013, 12:24 AM**

Very impressive!

Chef · #77 Posted **Sep 28, 2014, 9:17 PM**

In preparation to doing an update of this thread I made a list today of what I still need to shoot. There is so much on that list that I decided to post a small update now with the photos I have taken over the last year and then do another larger one in a few months. So this is what I have so far, some of these photos have been posted in other threads. All of these have been built since the end of the recession:

Vue - Loring Park

mplsmay201303 by afsmps, on Flickr

mplsmay201304 by afsmps, on Flickr

Dock Street Flats - Warehouse District

mplsmay201430 by afsmps, on Flickr

mplsmay201429 by afsmps, on Flickr

Brunsfield Place - Warehouse District

mplsmay201420 by afsmps, on Flickr

mplsmay201423 by afsmps, on Flickr

Third North - Warehouse District

mplsmay201419 by afsmps, on Flickr

The Nic on Fifth - Downtown

mplssept201432 by afsmps, on Flickr

222 Hennepin - Downtown

mplsmay201405 by afsmps, on Flickr

mplsmay201408 by afsmps, on Flickr

Stonebridge Lofts and Izzy's Ice Cream Factory - Mill District

mplsmay201412 by afsmps, on Flickr

RS Eden Emanuel - Downtown East

mplsnov201325 by afsmps, on Flickr

Mill and Main Phase One - Northeast