Southwest : Development News

Like many other schools, Normandale Community College, which serves Southwest Minneapolis and beyond, is faced with an increasing demand for technology.
 
To deal with that, and to give the school a competitive advantage, Normandale is planning a new $1.5 million data center.

This month, the design phase for the center will begin, while the school is still looking for a construction manager, according to Ed Wines, the school’s vice president of finance and operations.

The data center will go into a 20-foot by 28-foot space that's currently a classroom in the College Services Building.

It'll be a "hub housing network servers and blades that provide Internet, telephone, and other digital services for the campus," he says via email.

That's needed because the school's 400-square-foot "server room" has run its course. "It has become entirely inadequate due to the increased use of technology and a growing college enrollment over the past decade,” Wines says.  

A report from the Eden Prairie-based Parallel Technologies, Inc. states that the existing facility is over-taxed when it comes to power and cooling.

The improved data center will provide “more reliable service, an increased connected transmission speed, space for scalable growth, and space for collaboration” with affiliated institutions, he says.

In the long run, it'll also help the school save money, improve server system efficiency, and keep pace with technological advances. It puts Normandale in a position to “expand online resources, improve support for instructors, and provide a marketable resource to attract new students,” the report also states.

“Creating a more robust and reliable data center on campus provides the school with ultimate control of their environment and the ability to provide shared services to other MnSCU campuses” in its network, the report goes on to say.  

The center will open this November.

Source: Ed Wines, vice president of finance and operations, Normandale Community College
Writer: Anna Pratt

Fulton Beer is adding a taproom to its brewery in downtown Minneapolis's Warehouse District. 

Ryan Petz, president and co-founder of Fulton Beer, explains that although the taproom will be similar to a bar, it'll be more of an extension of the brewery. 

For starters, its menu will be limited to the varieties of beer that are made on the premises. “It’s not a brewpub,” he says. “The purpose is to get people to try and buy locally-brewed beers.”   

Referencing the company’s humble beginnings in a garage in Southwest Minneapolis, the taproom will have an industrial, “garage-esque” look, he says.

The space will be characterized by sealed concrete floors, an exposed ceiling, vintage lighting, and a dark-stained oak bar with a concrete top. Shades of gray, black, white, and green will run throughout, which will also help set it apart from the building's production-related functions.

From the taproom, visitors will also get a view into the brewery. “That’s the fun thing. You get to see what’s going on in there,” he says.

It connects with a growing local food movement in which “A lot of people are really interested in being closer to food or beverages and where they come from," says Petz.

Although he couldn’t disclose an exact dollar amount, Petz says that the taproom's build-out ranges in the six figures. “We really transformed 40 percent of the building into a gathering space," he adds. 

The taproom is slated to open in March.


Source: Ryan Petz, president and co-founder, Fulton Beer
Writer: Anna Pratt

A new brewpub that takes its cues from old England,  George and the Dragon, is coming to Southwest Minneapolis. 

Fred Navarro, who co-owns the business with his wife, Stacy, says that the first hurdle was to get neighborhood approval. From there, the pair got to work on the financial side of things. “That’s been the long part of the process,” he says.

George and the Dragon will have about 1,850 square feet in a newly-constructed building that replaces  one that burned down a couple of years ago. It's a one-story structure with a brick facade and a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood feel, he says.

The retail shop Patina will join the pub in the building, along with a to-be-announced tenant.

George and the Dragon is starting from scratch, in terms of the build-out and equipment, he says.

Navarro and his wife worked closely with architect John Abbott to recreate the feel of a traditional English bar or “public house,” one that “feels like it’s been there a long time.”

“Ultimately a public house is a place for the community and for neighbors to gather,” he says. “That was kind of a driving factor for what we wanted the design to look like.” 

The Atwater-based company TimeWorn is creating a wood-paneled interior in the pub, using reclaimed wood. In the basement will be a kitchen, offices and storage, and cooler space.

Altogether, the project totals nearly $500,000, Navarro says. The couple hope to open the pub by April 1.

Source: Fred Navarro, co-owner, George and the Dragon
Writer: Anna Pratt

A winter bicyclist, sledders, a roofline, bare trees, and snowflakes all appear in the 150-plus-square-foot mosaic that was unveiled on Nov. 19 at Bryant Avenue Market in Southwest Minneapolis.

The nearby Volunteers of America Southwest Senior Center, which does a lot of arts-related work, secured $11,900 earlier on from the city and the Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG) to pursue the mosaic, according to Mary Ann Schoenberger, who heads the center.

Such projects are "a really great way to get people working inter-generationally," she says, adding that by making certain building improvements, "We're also giving back to the community."  

The center worked closely with CARAG to pick out the site. Bryant Avenue Market is on a prominent corner, and it had been tagged numerous times, she says. "The neighborhood association was interested in doing building improvements [on the corner]," she says.    

To come up with the design, the center held a couple of brainstorming sessions with community members while also getting feedback from an online survey.

"A lot of people wanted a winter scene," she says. "There are a lot of things that celebrate summer. People thought, 'wouldn't it be neat to celebrate winter?'"

Another theme was the city's bike-friendliness. It helped that "Bryant Avenue has a major bike path," she says.

With the guidance of artist Sharra Frank, the center hosted numerous workshops with community members over six weeks to put together the mosaic.

The 185 all-ages volunteers came from the senior center, Clara Barton Open School, Walker Place, Bryant Square Park, Optum Health, and elsewhere.

Many of them worked on the 43 snowflakes that can be individually identified.

In a piece about the mosaic she wrote for Southwest Patch, Schoenberger states that each snowflake "is a work of art in itself and we were amazed at how seven patterns could result in such diverse creations."

She has high praise for the artist, who"remained calm and the final result is amazingly professional considering how many hands were involved in the project."


Source: Mary Ann Schoenberger, executive director, Southwest Senior Center
Writer: Anna Pratt

The California-based company Trader Joe's is looking at the possibility of developing a site at 27th and Lyndale Avenue in Southwest Minneapolis, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports. 

The five-year-old Nicollet East Harriet Business Association is always looking for creative ways to connect the business nodes in Southwest Minneapolis.

Under the umbrella of Experience Southwest, this holiday season it’s embarking on an early phase of a $40,000 place-making endeavor, with a marketing campaign that steers people to neighborhood shops, according to Matt Perry, who leads the business association.

“I don’t think we have to encourage people to shop local; I think they already want to do that," he says. "People just need the tools to shop local and raise awareness about the business and services and products.”

Based on marketing research that the business association undertook, “We have a broad marketing plan to do a destination identity for the area that gives a name to a place.”

For starters, the group has put together a holiday campaign kit that includes related brochures and a map of the 400 storefronts in the neighborhood.

The materials also have QR codes that people can scan with their smartphones; they land at the project's website, which has information about store sales, special events, deals, and more.  

The branding components, unified with a logo “give a sense of place from the perspective of shopping,” Perry says.

He adds that the promotion speaks to the fact that in Southwest Minneapolis, “The shopping experience is a special one because service is exceptional. You have a personal relationship with the owner of a business.”

It’s also a resource for business owners who “want to feel a sense of camaraderie and a sense of being part of something bigger.”  

Further down the line, the campaign will help sustain businesses during a couple of upcoming construction projects that will detour traffic.   

The business nodes are an important part of the fabric of the area, Perry says. “[They make] it unique and a great place to live."


Source: Matt Perry, Nicollet East Harriet Business Association
Writer: Anna Pratt

A group of gardening enthusiasts in Southwest Minneapolis's Kingfield neighborhood are working to make the area greener.

In 2009, the Kingfield Neighborhood Association (KFNA) formed a volunteer gardening group that already has a number of projects in progress, according to KFNA executive director Sarah Linnes-Robinson. "Their vision is to share food, ideas, and work and create a connection between gardens and gardeners throughout Kingfield," she says.

The group's first endeavor, Pleasant Garden, opened last year on land it leases from the Center for Performing Arts at 3754 Pleasant Ave. S. It rents the 17 plots to people who share some equipment and resources, while a common garden on the site is open to the public.   

Another community garden flourishes at 45th and Nicollet Ave. S., on land that a private property owner donated to KFNA. The vegetables, including a mix of tomatoes and eggplants, were also donated. "It's a true community garden," she says, adding, "We use all of the food raised to support the project and share it with the food shelf."

Right now, the group is researching models for ownership and management of a possible garden at 3916 Blaisdell. "We're talking to neighbors to see what they want and to address their concerns," she says.

Separately, the group is also looking into an area along the Interstate-35W sound wall. "The hope along the sound wall is to work with the [Minnesota Department of Transportation] to adopt the land as an urban orchard, planting hearty and fruit species, bushes and trees," she says.   

Community gardens are helpful to those who don't have the growing space or live in a shady spot. People can exchange tips or host gardening classes. "It's getting bigger and bigger. It continues the education of gardening and growing sustainably. It's very cool," she says, adding that the gardeners who are working together on this "are so inspired."   

But the benefits go beyond the environmental. "It's also a great community-builder," she says.

Source: Sarah Linnes-Robinson, executive director, Kingfield Neighborhood Association  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Mark Dwyer, an entrepreneur who lives in Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood, sees dramatic changes in store for the corner of 43rd and Upton Avenue South in Minneapolis.

Dwyer, who also serves as the president of the Linden Hills Business Association, presented a proposal earlier this month to the neighborhood group, for a $22 million mixed-use development that he's dubbed Linden Corner, which has a website.

The mid-rise development would have 34 condos plus a restaurant and commercial and office space on the ground level.

Linden Corner would replace the Famous Dave's restaurant on the site--the location where the barbecue business started--along with a nearby office building.

Dwyer says that the building will stand out for quality materials and details such as a decorative cornice, upper-floor step-backs and high ceilings. "We're designing it in such a way that it'll read three floors instead of five," he says.

The first-time developer has been working on the plan for several years, which he plans to make as green as possible, though he says those specifics are still coming together. 

Already he's found plenty of interested buyers for the condos. "There's a huge need for this type of housing in the neighborhood," which he adds is especially appealing to empty-nesters who want to downsize without leaving Linden Hills.
 
Part of what makes the development in this location ideal is its proximity to the 50th and France business district, Uptown and the Lake Harriet Band Shell plus bike, bus and walking paths. 

In developing the plans, Dwyer is working with TEA2 Architects, who are based nearby, along with a civil engineer and landscaper who are both also neighborhood-based. "We're as local as we can be and we really care," he says. 

In the neighborhood, "There's such an opportunity to tie this corner in better with the other three corners," he says, adding, "That's what this does. It really completes the energy for the corners."

Dwyer hopes to break ground within a year, so that the place would be occupied by the fall of 2013.

A commenter on an online forum called Minnescraper Forums agrees that the development could have a positive impact on the corner. The user, who goes by nmhood, writes, "I believe we should concentrate on tactical, piecemeal urbanism--not large downtown residential projects. Not to say we can't have both, but I feel there is still a higher demand for this Linden Hills-style development in Minneapolis."

Source: Mark Dwyer, developer, and Minnescraper Forums
Writer: Anna Pratt

At 56th and Xerxes in South Minneapolis, Pizzeria Lola has dramatically revamped the space that once housed a convenience store.

The restaurant, which opened late last year, recently began offering lunch and added patio seating.

Even though it's only been around for a matter of months, the authentic Italian-style pizza place, which has a Korean twist (there's a kimchi and Korean sausage pizza), has proven to be a boon for the neighborhood, according to Jennifer Swanson, who works for the Armatage Neighborhood Association.

Part of its success may have to do with the fact that the restaurant's co-owners, Ann Kim and Conrad Leifur, were engaged with the neighborhood group from the get-go, she says. 

Early on, the restaurateurs presented their plans and pizza dough samples to neighbors, she says. "They seemed to feel strongly about being a part of the neighborhood."

Also to their credit is the restaurant's thoughtful design, which makes it an enjoyable hangout, she says. St. Paul-based Loom Architecture's Ralph Nelson, who designed the 2,000-square-foot space, blends modern and vintage elements for a unique ambiance.

Eye-catching metallic track lights radiate overhead from the coppery oven. Gourmet pizzas are fired in the wood-burning oven, while the copper material is continued along the bar. 

Shiny concrete floors, decorative wood panels, antique items, cafeteria-style booths and tables, and a photo booth, help make the place "warm and inviting," Swanson says.

The transformation is so pronounced that "you can't believe that you're in the same space," she says.  

In a small way, the neighborhood group has even contributed to the space's upgrade by providing a grant to the building owner for a metal fence that's meant to enclose the new patio.

Swanson says she's heard plenty of positive feedback about the restaurant from nearby residents. "They value businesses like this that are unique to the neighborhood and are a part of the community," she says. "People really like having places like that to walk to," and Pizzeria Lola is family-friendly as well. 


Source: Jennifer Swanson, coordinator, Armatage Neighborhood Association
Writer: Anna Pratt

The 1986-built Lake Harriet Band Shell, which is one of the Minneapolis park system's most recognizable attractions, was recently honored for its lasting design.

The American Institute of Architects Minnesota chapter (AIA MN) chose the landmark for its 25-Year Award for 2011.

Stephanie Pelzer, who is the awards program coordinator for AIA MN, says that the jury for the annual award took into account the band shell's "unique style that's open to the community."

Besides its paint color, the popular band shell has barely changed through the years, which is a testimony to the quality of its original construction, according to a prepared statement about the award.

Minneapolis-based Bentz/Thompson/Rietow designed the band shell with inspiration from the site's previous Shingle-style structures, an Architecture Minnesota story reads.

The piece also notes that the resulting structure nods to an 1891 plan for the site involving spires and a romantic turret and eyebrow truss. The 1986 features complement the vast picture window that overlooks the lake. 

Additionally, adjustable acoustic panels and a steeply pitched roof, with a stage that channels sound away from nearby residential areas, make it a good concert venue, according to a prepared statement about the award.

Also on the site is a dining area and boathouse, which came later but were a part of the band shell master plan.

Besides sprucing up the lake's then-rundown north shore, Lake Harriet's band shell "set the tone for others to follow," Pelzer says. At the time, many band shells were too "cookie-cutter," she says. In this case, the jury appreciated that "the architect took the time to study the context of the site," she adds. 
 
Source: Stephanie Pelzer, Awards Program Coordinator, AIA MN
Writer: Anna Pratt

After four years of sitting vacant, the space that once housed the Auriga restaurant in Minneapolis's Lowry Hill neighborhood will soon reopen with a unique deli concept.

The deli will be similar to those in Eastern Europe, but with a twist, according to Tobie Nidetz, a consultant on the project. Nidetz has helped open numerous restaurants in many locations.  

Citing a shortage of delis in the Twin Cities and beyond, Nidetz, who is known as "the food guy," says there's a "pent-up demand" for such a place.

He and real estate attorney David Weinstein, who lives near the space at 1930 Hennepin Avenue South, hope to fill that void, he says.  

Although specific details of the plan are still coming together, including the project's cost, physical renovations will happen mainly inside the space, while the old exterior will probably stay intact, the Southwest Journal reports.

Right now, Weinstein and Nidetz are still meeting with various designers, general contractors, and others to flesh out certain aspects of the project, including the deli's name, according to Nidetz.

However, they've already committed to a "fast casual" type of restaurant that will offer as many local, organic and sustainable products as possible, he says.

Most of the food will be made in-house. The deli will also offer desserts, coffee drinks, beer and cocktails, and more, he says.

But the signature menu item will be a variation on pastrami that's popular in Montreal.

Although the timeline is preliminary, Nidetz says he and Weinstein hope to open the deli this fall.


Source: Tobie Nidetz
Writer: Anna Pratt

In Minneapolis, the RiverLake Greenway, which has been in the works for 15 years, recently opened the city's first bicycle boulevard.

RiverLake is a five-mile east-west-running bike and pedestrian corridor that connects Lake Harriet to the Mississippi River, according to information from Bike Walk Twin Cities, an initiative of Transit for Livable Communities, which administers the project.

The bikeway, which got its start in the 1990s after a group of neighborhood activists pushed for it, was finished after a $400,000 grant came through this spring from Bike Walk Twin Cities.

Minneapolis is one of four cities across the country that received $22 million as a part of a 2005 federal nonmotorized transportation pilot program to encourage biking and walking infrastructure, according to Hilary Reeves, a spokesperson for Bike Walk Twin Cities. 

The bikeway "creates a network so people can bike and get across the city," in a way that's "friendly to cyclists with different skill sets," she says.  

It goes through residential areas along parts of 40th and 42nd Streets East, between the Midtown Greenway and Minnehaha Creek.

Features such as striped bike lanes on its eastern and western ends, and the bicycle boulevard lining the lengthiest part of the greenway, help make the bikeway safe and accessible for bicyclists and pedestrians, according to information from Bike Walk Twin Cities.

It's the first of a handful of bikeways that are planned for the area in conjunction with the federal pilot program, according to Reeves.

Biking is a small piece of the local transportation system but it can make a big difference when it comes to people's health and the environment. "The boulevard gets people thinking about how they're getting somewhere. It gives them options to try biking," she says.


Source: Hilary Reeves, Bike Walk Twin Cities
Writer: Anna Pratt

A proposal for a Staybridge Suites extended-stay hotel in Minneapolis's Stevens Square neighborhood could transform a blighted empty lot near downtown. 

Although plans are still being refined, the hotel is likely to have multiple levels with about 100 rooms, plus retail spaces on the ground floor, according to Steven Gallagher, who leads the Stevens Square Community Organization (SSCO). Additionally, a glass and brick fa�ade would blend in with nearby buildings, he says. 

Gallagher says the neighborhood group welcomes the plan because the three-quarter-acre site, which is partly owned by Gateway Commons LLC, is a visible entry point to and from downtown. "It would spur development along that corridor," he says, adding that the development will make for a better flow along Nicollet Avenue's restaurant-filled Eat Street.

A 2008 Maxfield Research market trade study analysis "identified this type of hotel as very financially viable," he says.

A lack of competition for the longer-stay hotel concept is one reason why it's a strong proposal, he says. 

Also, the low land costs, plus its proximity to downtown--whose advantages include landmarks such as the Minneapolis Convention Center, nearby in-progress developments, and the possibility of Nicollet Avenue streetcars--makes it a win-win, he says. 

Armed with the Maxfield findings, SSCO has tried to recruit hotels to this spot in recent years, including Staybridge.

Details such as the cost and timeline are still coming together, but construction could begin as early as the end of the year, according to Gallagher.

A presentation on the current plan will be made at the June 25 SSCO meeting.


Source: Steven Gallagher, executive director, Stevens Square Community Organization
Writer: Anna Pratt

The $9.5 million Nicollet Square development at 3700 Nicollet Avenue, which takes an innovative approach to housing homeless youth, is hosting an open house on May 5, with building tours, speakers, and more.

It's one way to thank Nicollet Square's supporters and celebrate its accomplishments to date, according to Lee Blons, who leads the Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation, which developed the building.

Nicollet Square has 42 studio apartments that are targeted at young adults, ages 16-21, who are transitioning from homelessness or foster homes, Blons explains.

Since Nicollet Square opened its doors in December 2010, tenants have been moving in and the place is likely to be full by June, according to Blons.  

The foundation partnered with several other local groups on the project, including Common Bond Housing, HIRED and YouthLink, allowing it to provide personalized attention to tenants. "It's about an integrated comprehensive approach to housing, with on-site supportive services and employment," she says.  

For starters, its unique "Work Fast" program immediately connects people with jobs that have subsidized wages. "In a tough economy it helps break through some barriers to employment," she says.

This way, tenants are able to start paying rent right away. At Nicollet Square, rent is set at a low rate in the beginning and it gradually increases through time, to help tenants eventually ease into a more typical housing environment.  

As for other amenities, Nicollet Square has community, computer, and fitness rooms, while the backyard is equipped for grilling and picnics. The building has additional "little features to build community among the residents," she says.  

For the still-empty retail space, which can be configured for one tenant or several, Blons said the foundation is open to various possibilities. A restaurant, coffee shop, or offices could go into the space. "We'd love to have a business that was interested in having young people [from the building] if it needed entry-level employees."

Though she's proud of the project, she stresses the need for ongoing support. With 2,500 homeless young adults across the state, she says, "We hope to end homelessness but we have a long ways to go."

Source: Lee Blons, Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation
Writer: Anna Pratt

A new $4.5 million transit station, which opened on Dec. 6, makes connections between freeway and locally-running buses faster.

In Minnesota, it's the beginning of freeway "bus rapid transit" (BRT), which aims to get people wherever they're going as quickly as possible. 

The split-level 46th Street Transit Station, which spans the 46th Street bridge across Interstate 35W in Southwest Minneapolis, enables buses to pick up and drop off passengers without ever getting off the freeway, explains Metro Transit spokesperson Bob Gibbons.

Riders can efficiently make connections between the upper and lower levels of the station, which rises out of the median of Interstate 35W.

From the station, which has LCD monitors with real-time information about bus arrival times, people can hop on express buses bound for downtown Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, Best Buy corporate headquarters in Richfield, and Normandale Community College in Bloomington. During peak times, express buses run every 15 minutes.

From the freeway, buses benefit from the MnPass toll lanes, which "give us a consistent, fast trip," he says, explaining that the lane's traffic is kept moving at 50 miles per hour.  

Gibbons says that the 13 routes that converge here "have been adjusted to take advantage of the new station."

These changes were made following a lengthy public hearing process over the past couple years. The Metropolitan Council approved the route realignments in August. The project came together through a combination of federal, state, and regional funds.    

He says the setup is a precursor to an expanded bus rapid transit system set to be fully operational in 2012. The idea behind BRT is to have local buses running frequently enough for people to catch freeway buses that'll go both directions every 15 minutes all day.    

"When you have that frequency, you don't need a pocket schedule," he says. "You don't have to be a slave to the bus schedule and organize your life around it."  

   
Source: Bob Gibbons, spokesperson from Metro Transit
Writer: Anna Pratt