Wednesday, January 2, 2013
If city is trying to boost density, could that come to Southwest Minneapolis?
Shortly before I left for Boston to enjoy some family time, the Star-Tribune ran a story outlining city officials' quest to get more higher-density housing built in Minneapolis. Several major projects underway illustrate a trend toward tightly packed, urban living that is playing out in cities across the United States, giving Minneapolis planners hope of recapturing population the city lost starting in the 1950s. More apartments and condominiums got the green light in Minneapolis this year than any in recent history -- about 2,800 in 22 new buildings so far. "If we're going to compete in the 21st century as a competitive global city, we have to attract people who want to live in cities. And cities are dense, urban environments," said the…
Monday, September 10, 2012
Mayor has called for investigation.
If you believe its worst critics, Minneapolis' City Planning Commission is full of cronyism. In a report in Monday morning's Star-Tribune, Commission members Dan Cohen and Councilmember Gary Schiff (Ward 9) attack the body for what they say are conflicts of interest among many of its members. The commission is made up of a mix of representatives from the Minneapolis School Board, Hennepin County, the Minneapolis City Council, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and a majority of mayoral and City Council appointees, and reviews redevelopment plans, zoning changes, and other aspects of new construction. Cohen represents Hennepin County on the commission, and Schiff represents the City Council It's those appointees, though, that has …
Friday, September 7, 2012
Developer brings plans before city body next week.
An empty lot in Kingfield could soon get a visit from construction crews if city authorities approve key elements of the project next week. Developer Michael Lander wants to build a three-story, four-unit building at 3824 Grand Avenue South. One of the four units is in the building's basement, kindly referred to as "garden-level" in today's apartment marketing-speak. Lander's company was also involved in "38," the redevelopment of the Blackbird Cafe's building at the corner of 38th and Nicollet several years ago. According to preliminary plans Lander shared with Patch (posted at right), the building will be done in a contemporary style, with a large, projecting set of windows on its front façade. The property is zoned for a building …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
MinnPost columnist claims "'Stop' may be Minneapolis’ secret mantra."
In the wake of the Minneapolis City Council's rejection of a waiver for a proposed 60-unit development in Linden Hills that left the developer warning that the vote "should be very troubling to all business interests in Minneapolis," one MinnPost columnist contends that Minneapolis' neighborhoods have a culture of "no" when it comes to any kind of change to the built environment. Marlys Harris, who covers development issues for the online newspaper, writes: Nobody wants (to substitute ugly hi-rises and freeways for current neighborhoods). But it seems as though right now, we can't even put up a modest apartment building or a store without requiring developers to rejigger plans 17 times and jump through a batch of political hoops only to …
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Project at corner of 46th and France asked for waiver from development moratorium.
By a vote of four to two on Thursday morning, a crucial Minneapolis City Council committee voted to give a large Linden Hills development a waiver from a six month-old moratorium on large-scale development projects in the neighborhood's business districts. The development is a new, shorter version of one that was proposed this past February. It sits on around one half of the 4500 block of France Avenue South, starting at the Lake Harriet Masonic Lodge and continuing to the corner of West 46th Street and France. The developer had come before Thursday's meeting of the City Council's Zoning and Planning Committee to get a waiver from a moratorium imposed in March, that put the brakes on so-called "large scale" developments in Linden Hills…
Friday, August 17, 2012
New condo project at 43rd and Upton has 18 units.
4250 Upton, the revamped, half-size version of Mark Dwyer's former Linden Corner project, just got even meeker. Not only is the proposed building for the corner of 43rd and Upton just half the size of its former self—opponents had called the Linden Corner design a "cruise ship"—and not only does it now fit within the basic confines of the site's zoning classification—another objection to the Linden Corner design—but it won't even touch the "pocket park" that sits exactly at the corner of West 43rd Street and Upton Avenue South, according to an announcement Dwyer made at Thursday night's meeting of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council (LHiNC). The project, Dwyer said, is now asking the Minneapolis Planning Commission for just one variance…
Monday, August 13, 2012
Project planned for former Linden Corner site.
Just in time for his presentation before the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council, developer Mark Dwyer released the above image of his 4250 Upton project Monday afternoon. The condo building is planned for the site of the former Linden Corner project, at 43rd and Upton in the heart of the Linden Hills village. It is only about half the size of the Linden Corner project, though, and fits within the site's current zoning. Dwyer will present the details of his proposal to the neighborhood on Thursday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Linden Hills Park rec center.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Planning Commission rejected initial proposal for 46th and France site.
For one, brief moment Tuesday, it looked like the story of the France Avenue Apartments might have a pleasant denouement. Developer Scott Carlston told the Southwest Journal that while he was "shocked" at the City Planning Commission's decision to veto his proposed 62-unit apartment building on the 4500 block of France Avenue, he was committed to working with neighborhood opponents to come up with a new design which they could support. He even went so far as to ask the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council (LHiNC) to cancel a planned open house on April 29 so his architects could draw up new plans, according to LHiNC board member Constance Pepin. Then, he dropped a bombshell, accusing the same neighbors of not being willing to sit down with …
The City Planning Commission approved the development on Monday.
At Monday's City Planning Commission hearing over the Nicollet Avenue Apartments at 54th and Lyndale, some criticized the proposed design as "having all the charm of a brick wall." What do you think? These pictures were published Monday by the Tangletown Neighborhood Organization.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Project to come before city Planning Commission today.
Remember that group of empty lots at the corner of 54th and Nicollet? Turns out, big changes are in store for that little white-and-green shack next to the firehouse, much sooner than we thought. Monday afternoon, developer Scott Carlston and his architects will present their plan for a 45-unit apartment building for that site to the Minneapolis Planning Commission. The Commission will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the Minneapolis City Council chambers at City Hall, and will take public testimony for and against the proposal. Carlston is also working on a 62-unit development in Linden Hills that also goes before the Commission on Monday. It is not impacted by a city-imposed moratorium on new large developments because its application was submitted …
Sean Hayford Oleary
11:56 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
Between Lowry Hill and the Minnesota River, the junction of TH 121 (Lyndale Freeway spur) and Lyndale is by far the biggest roadblock toward seeing Lyndale as a continuous street. 121 must be disconnected from Lyndale, as shown in the master plan, for anything south of 56th to be well-connected to the commercial nodes just south of Minnehaha Creek. There has been development of mixed quality near… more ›