| |
|
Submitted image
A rendering of the MCTC renovation.
|
Development update: MCTC renovation
|
By Amanda Kushner
MCTC renovation increases accessibility, sustainability
Minneapolis Community & Technical College (MCTC) is transforming their outdoor plaza.
The renovation will increase accessibility. Existing conditions of the plaza have quite a few steps and a considerable amount of concrete, which will be eliminated, said MCTC President Phil Davis. It will be an easy grade to move from Loring Park to the college. Construction has started on the project.
The plaza renovation is a sustainable project and a green roof will be installed to help with storm water runoff. This will ensure that there is a permeable surface, so water can seep into the ground slowly, Davis said. Also rain gardens will help filter water instead of running into streets and the sewer system, he said.
The project is divided into two phases. Phase I includes removing the concrete surfaces, waterproofing around the buildings, installing sidewalks and re-grading the plaza. This will be completed in mid-December. Phase II will be completed in the spring and will include adding plantings. Phase II will be discussed at the Citizens for Loring Park Land Use Committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 28.
The Minnesota Legislature allocated $2.1 million for the renovation.
“It is a huge opportunity to create a place not only for students and employees of the college, but a place for people who use Loring Park and this part of our city that feels welcoming,” Davis said, adding that the plaza will be a “natural environment where [students] can sit and enjoy the outdoors,” among other things.
———
Apartments proposed for 800 3rd St. N.
Developer Schafer Richardson wants to turn the existing industrial building at 800 3rd St. N. into a 188-unit apartment building, said developer Maureen Michalski.
The developer is attending meetings with neighbors immediately around the area and hopes the project goes before the North Loop Planning and Zoning board Oct. 21, said Michalski. After that a land use application would be put in late October or early November with the city of Minneapolis. She said she hopes for a construction start early next summer. The project is expected to take 14 months to complete.
“Overall the development fits with the master plan for the neighborhood in terms of what city staff is doing with the land use plan updates. So the density and type of building fits with what the city and the neighborhood is looking at for that area,” Michalski said.
Michalski attended the North Loop planning and zoning meeting on Sept. 17, 2008, and presented preliminary plans, said Karen Lee Rosar, planning and zoning chair for the North Loop Neighborhood Association.
Rosar said she does not expect the development to be controversial, and she said she thinks any positive development is a good thing.
“Hopefully the capital markets have loosened up, and we can see development moving back into the area. We are never oversaturated with supply downtown,” she said.
———
Apartments could rise next to Tower Lofts
On Aug. 31, Tower Lofts homeowners met and were presented with plans and elevations of a proposed six-story apartment complex at 701 2nd St. N.
“Tower Loft homeowners were concerned about size and height and how it relates or does not relate to the adjacent structures. They are proposing a six-story structure versus what is currently allowable for story limits,” said homeowner Jacquelyn Tofte.
Tofte said that homeowners were surprised at how far along Sand Companies is in the planning process.
“As the neighbors directly impacted by this project many voiced concern as to whether their needs would be taken seriously,” she said.
Homeowners met Sept. 9 to discuss the developer’s processes and how homeowners can participate in that process, Tofte said.
———
Plans for new dog park scuttled
A site near the Star Tribune’s printing plant considered for a dog park has been ruled out for now.
“We were not able to reach agreement with the Star Tribune for any extra land, so right now a dog play area is not possible, but we have hopes that they might reconsider our requests when they come out of bankruptcy,” said developer Steve Minn.
Leasing was put on hold pending city approval, but now that the site is approved Minn said the next steps are to wait for the environmental information, work through changes the planning commission made and then work on leasing.
The lot at 129 Plymouth Ave. N. is also undergoing environmental testing.
“We suspect there is some additional lead and might be other pollutants on the site beyond what was cleaned up by MNDot, and we are currently going through those lab tests,” Minn said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carmichael Lynch drops Harley account
UPDATED August 30, 2010, 2:29pm
By Gregory J. Scott
When it comes to selling muscle bikes, three decades is enough. Downtown advertising agency Carmichael Lynch announced August 23 that it was resigning from its Harley-Davidson account, ending a relationship of 31 years with the iconic motorcycle brand. In a prepared statement, Doug Spong, president of Carmichael Lynch, said, "Our agency leadership came to the consensus that we've taken the Harley-Davidson brand as far as we can. It's in our best interest to part ways." Mark-Hans Richer, Harley’s CMO, said, "Our strategies have been moving away from a singular consumer target and a one-size-fits-all agency solution. Rather than accept this new reality, Carmichael Lynch chose a different path and we respect that." The
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Community notebook :: Florence Court apartments
By Gregory J. Scott
1 Comment
At Florence Court, new apartments up, courtyard staysThe mid-August groundbreaking came and went quietly for the FloCo Fusion Apartments, a chic rebranding of a ramshackle cluster of student housing near the University of Minnesota’s East Bank campus. Despite years of resistance from current residents, the new building is officially going up, fanfare or no. Florence Court, as the community used to be called, is one of the oldest apartment buildings in the Midwest, dating back to 1886. The L-shaped structure sits at the intersection of 10th Avenue SE and University Avenue, but is tucked back from the street, hidden until recently behind a BP gas station. The 33-unit complex surrounds a leafy courtyard, which its residents — a colorful
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Watching out for the homeless
By Sarah McKenzie
// Volunteer outreach worker Jerry Fleischaker honored with prestigious McKnight award //After Jerry Fleischaker’s wife died of Alzheimer’s disease, he came across a newspaper article about St. Stephen’s Human Services’ work reaching out to homeless people with mental health issues. The story inspired him to start volunteering for St. Stephen’s. Now the 79-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative volunteers full time for the Downtown-based organization. “My wife died of Alzheimer’s in 2002. I saw the care she needed,” Fleischaker told Monica Nilsson, director of street outreach and community education for St. Stephen’s. “I was haunted by the thought that people might be
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Downtown visioning session looks to 2025
By jake weyer
// Whether to add a park north of Central Library will be part of the discussion, meant to produce a 15-year plan for Downtown //It’s been nearly 15 years since Downtown business leaders got together with city staff and elected officials to hash out a long-term plan for the area. Back in 1996, those stakeholders came up with Downtown 2010, a vision that included such grandiose plans as a new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins, a light rail line along Hiawatha Avenue, a new Central Library, completion of the Target Center and the development of the Downtown Improvement District — all realities today. “We’re standing now, planless,” said Sam Grabarski, president of the Downtown Council. “And a lot of good
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
A mountain out of a bronze molehill?
By Gregory J. Scott
// The Sid Hartman statue stirs debate about public memorials Downtown //
OK, no one disputes that the guy deserves a statue. Sid Hartman, the nonagenarian sportswriter who has spent the last 65 years reporting for the Star Tribune and WCCO, is probably getting bronzed. The Department of Public Works is ironing out technical details for installing a metallic Sid replica, complete with TV reporter microphone and newspaper tucked under the arm, right outside of Target Center and a block from the Twins stadium, at the corner of 6th Street and 1st Avenue. The Public Works assessment is the final stage in a roughly six-week approval process to get the statue out into the public. No one’s upset about that. As Nick Legeros, the artist who designed
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Biz buzz :: Construction costing Elliot Park businesses
By Gregory J. Scott
1 Comment
For Elliot Park businesses, street improvements come with a price
True to its motto, Band Box Diner can turn “grease into a feast.” But the Elliot Park gem can’t make much out of the road construction that’s transformed its streetscape into a scarred industrial zone.
The throw-back diner is one of the businesses standing to benefit from a sweeping, 15-block reconstruction of Chicago Avenue South — if only it can survive through to the project’s completion.
“It’s kind of like, if you have a half hour for lunch, and then you get lost for 45 minutes, what are you gonna do?” says Brad Ptacek, who has operated the diner for the last 13 years.
Ptacek’s breakfast
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
