Development News

This summer, music is happening in unconventional places in St. Paul. All over the city, 20 colorfully painted pianos have been planted outdoors. They're available for anyone to play through a program called "Pianos on Parade."  

The musical objets d'art have been on the streets since the beginning of June, where they'll stay until the end of this month.

Keys 4/4 Kids, a St. Paul-based nonprofit organization that raises money from the sale of used pianos for music education programs in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and Kansas City, worked with the city to bring the program to fruition.  

It's a take on an initiative that originated in the U.K. and debuted in New York last year, called, "Play Me I'm Yours," according to Kelsey Shanesy, a coordinator for Keys 4/4 Kids. When the New York City program took off, some people approached Keys 4/4 Kids about doing something similar locally, she says.

Her organization, which is well stocked with the instruments, was receptive to the idea, and the city backed it. "That's how it was born," Shanesy says.   

Besides adding a unique element to the landscape, "Pianos on Parade" aims to "create moments of community between people who might not otherwise encounter each other," she says.

So far, the response to the project has been positive. She's been getting enthusiastic emails about how the pianos are stirring up fond memories for people, along with comments about the experience of hearing the music wafting down the street. Photos of players banging out tunes are also coming in. "It's been a lot of fun and the city is wrapping its arms around it," she says. "It's had some great moments."

More broadly, the program seems attuned to a broader movement that's picking up all over the U.S., wherein the piano, which used to be the center of home entertainment, has migrated outside for all kinds of people to enjoy, she says.

Source: Kelsey Shanesy, Keys 4/4 Kids
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 a recent public event, the city of St. Paul presented its master plan for 17 miles of the Mississippi riverfront, which it's calling the Great River Passage.

The plan ties together various parks, trails, areas of restored habitat, activity centers, former industrial sites, and more, for over 3,000 acres of river parkland, according to information from the city.

Although planning for the Great River Passage took only about a year, funding for the $1 million project took a decade to get, according to Brad Meyer, a spokesperson for St. Paul parks.

The St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department, Denver, Colo.-based Wenk Associates, and the local Hoisington Koegler Group led the charge, while the Minneapolis-based Little & Company came up with the new Great River Passage branding, according to city information.  
 
The main idea is to make the riverfront more natural, urban, and connected, Meyer says.

Even though the Mississippi River is the city's chief environmental and economic asset, too much of the riverfront is hard to get to. "The point is to provide access for all of the city's residents," he says. 

The plan lays out a big-picture view for "how we redevelop, leverage private investment, and create nature-based recreation" along the riverfront. 

For example, one part of the plan is about making Watergate Marina at the bend of the Mississippi a hub for recreational activity and environmental education opportunities, according to city information.

Separately, the former Island Station power plant, which is vacant, could become a gathering place. Another idea is to make Shepard Road feel more like a parkway and less like a busy thoroughfare, he says. 

Although current economic circumstances make it difficult to pursue some of these initiatives, Meyer hopes the plan will prepare the city for when funding does come through.
 
Looking decades into the future, it will "lead us into using the river, making sure we understand its values and move forward as an entire city."

Source: Brad Meyer, St. Paul Parks
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

Visit Saint Paul is collaborating with the city of St. Paul on a high-tech promotion that encourages people to explore downtown landmarks where various sustainability efforts are underway.

As a part of the contest, which runs until Oct. 1 and is called "Saint Paul: Code Green," players can scan large QR codes on banners that adorn 16 sites, according to Jake Spano, a city spokesperson.

QR codes are a kind of barcode that's readable by smartphones. People can also enter the contest by using text messages and paper forms. 

After scanning the QR code, participants will be directed on their phones to a website that "will give the user a branded experience based on the location they are at," which includes links to related eco-friendly facts and initiatives, according to a prepared statement about the event. 

City Hall, Park Square Theatre, and Como Park Zoo and Conservatory are just three of the many and varied venues participating.

Spano hopes the promotion helps convey how the city has become a leader in sustainability, helping to educate people about the benefits of its green initiatives both in terms of cost and energy efficiency. 

"We want to get people to think, to create a curiosity around prominent tourist attractions and drive traffic downtown," he says.

Possible home initiatives range from retrofitting old windows to switching out fluorescent light bulbs to be more energy efficient. "These are things that people can do at home and apply to their daily life," Spano says. 

Additionally, participants have the chance to win various green prizes, including a 2011 Chevrolet Volt, an energy-efficient furnace, an Energy Star-rated washer and dryer and an electric lawn mower.

Source: Jake Spano, City of St. Paul
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

Just over a month ago, the North End Urban Farm broke ground and started food production on a three-acre parcel in the St. Paul neighborhood from which  it takes its name.

SPARC, a community development corporation, previously proposed a townhome complex on the site, but the idea was scratched in the economic downturn, according to business development manager Allison Sharkey. 

A future housing development is still planned for the site, but part of the farm will probably stay intact. "By then we will have tried different pilot projects and different methods and seen what works best and we'll incorporate that," she says. 

To make the farm happen, SPARC worked out a partnership with a handful of other groups, including the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota, Community Table Cooperative, Pig's Eye Urban Farm, and Holistic Health Farms.

The University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs contributed $10,000 to establish the farm, which has a $15,000 budget. Also, the Triscuit company provided supplies for a vegetable and flower demonstration garden, according to Sharkey.

The farm makes a huge difference in a neighborhood where there's no grocery store or farmers' market. "Our goal is to increase access to fresh produce," she says. "We've asked each grower to sell in the neighborhood as much as they can," and the farm is certified to participate in the WIC program, she adds.

With half-acre plots, the professional growers have been able to launch or expand their businesses, she says. One business owner even started a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program.  

Already, the growers have begun connecting with area restaurants and corner stores about providing fresh food. 

Later in the season a farmers' market will happen on-site, while each grower will have a produce stand, she says. Also, a you-pick farm program, which gives visitors the chance to pick food themselves, is in the works.

 
Source: Allison Sharkey, business development program manager, SPARC
Writer: Anna Pratt

A portion of the photography exhibit Lake Street USA, from prominent local artist Wing Young Huie, has recently found a new permanent home in the city's public services building downtown.

The black-and-white photos, which were taken between 1997 and 2000 along Lake Street and the diverse surrounding neighborhoods, catalog everyday events and everyday people--ice fishing, various forms of work, interesting hairdos, cultural and religious ceremonies, children, families, and more.

In the course of a decade, some places and faces have changed quite a bit. Going forward, the photos will become even more important as historical documents of the city, according to Mary Altman, a public arts administrator for the city. "What's interesting about it is that it's snapshots of Minneapolis in a particular time," she says.

The original exhibit, which had 675 images, once graced numerous storefront windows along a seven-mile stretch of Lake Street in Minneapolis. Photos were also displayed at one time at the Walker Art Center, according to Altman.

Until recently, this collection of 60 photos had been housed at the offices of the Harrington Company, a Minneapolis-based association management firm. A couple years ago the company approached the city about donating the works, she says.

The public services center seemed like a natural fit because it gets so much foot traffic. "Since the photos are of people from Minneapolis, we thought it would be cool to have images of the public [in the building]," she says, adding that the idea fit in with the arts commission's goals to "transform the government feeling of the building and to make it more friendly." 

The photos are for sale, with 20 percent of the proceeds to go to the renovation of Lake Street's historic Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, she says.  

Art in Public Places, the City of Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Arts Commission are co-sponsors of the show.

Source: Mary Altman, public arts administrator, city of Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

Last summer, St. Paul's East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC) started targeting local businesses as a part of its ongoing effort toward "Urban Greenewal."

ESNDC's sustainability coordinator, Sam Hanson, explains via email that the term refers to "re-visioning and redevelopment work that we have helped plan for the neighborhood because one of the core focuses is sustainability." 

Although sustainability has always been a priority for the group, it's moved to the top of its agenda in recent years, out of necessity. "Now that the national economic hardships have hit local residents and businesses, we know it is more important than ever to help people figure out ways to cut back on energy usage to save money," he says.

Hard data is just starting to trickle in, and ESNDC will work to quantify the impact this summer, but Hanson expects to see plenty of savings, with little up-front cost, as a result of a wide range of improvements to area businesses over the past year.

For example, as a part of a partnership with Energy Smart, Payne Avenue businesses, which ESNDC focused on for a "clustered impact," got concrete advice for how to become more energy-efficient with all kinds of do-it-yourself types of fixes.     

The Center for Energy and Environment stepped in with free lighting audits while Solarflow Energy, which assessed a handful of businesses, "determined the style of building found along Payne Ave combined with the location of the avenue itself made for great solar collection," he says.

ESNDC also has a forgivable loan program to help businesses retool for energy efficiency. In the case of Donald's store, which was already efficient, ESNDC helped pay for an engineer to visit the store and verify it met all Energy Star requirements, he says. 

"As we continue to develop programs and partnerships, there will be more and more options for community members to be active in pursuing green and sustainable practices," a situation he says is vital for a prosperous neighborhood.

 
Source: Sam Hanson, ESNDC
Writer: Anna Pratt

After seven years on East Hennepin Avenue, Wilde Roast Caf�, a popular neighborhood hangout, is preparing to reopen this week in a new spot that's only blocks away, along the Mississippi riverfront.

Wilde Roast closed temporarily on May 26, though the $300,000 build-out in St. Anthony Main's Riverplace has been ongoing for a few months, according to cafe co-owner Tom DeGree.

The cafe was recently forced to change locations when the former landlord didn't renew its lease. But in the end, Wilde Roast lucked out, DeGree says.

With 6,300 square feet, its new digs, which previously housed Picosa, Sophia, and Yvette restaurants, is three times bigger than the old space, according to DeGree. It has a full kitchen and a 45-seat patio, he adds.

Part of the interior will be a dining room with wait service while another section will be more informal, with a counter to order from, akin to a coffee shop. Additionally, a rent-able meeting room can accommodate sizable events, he says.

Between the physical changes and the expanded menu, which includes a burger bar, homemade ice cream and gelato, and various tap beers, "It'll be the 2.0, upgraded version [of Wilde Roast]."   

The new home will continue the cafe's look and feel, but not replicate it, he says.

For example, some familiar fixtures such as the cozy fireplace and other furnishings are making the move. But a striking new touch will be a one-of-a-kind art piece featuring a picture of a peacock that graces four interior columns--a way to pay homage to the late writer Oscar Wilde, for whom the cafe is named. The writer had an affinity for the colorful birds, DeGree explains. 

DeGree hopes that the regulars who've been coming to the place for years will continue to do so. "It'll be interesting to see how people take on the change," he says, adding that despite anticipated growing pains, "We're excited about it."  

Source: Tom DeGree, co-owner of Wilde Roast Caf�
Writer: Anna Pratt

The University District Alliance, a community group that works to address neighborhood-level issues in the areas surrounding the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus, hosted a recent forum about the district's housing demands.

The University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and the Urban Land Institute Minnesota cosponsored the event.

At the forum, people got a chance to learn about the findings of a district-wide housing market study, for which the alliance contracted with Minneapolis-based Maxfield Research, a real estate research and consulting firm, according to Kris Nelson, a CURA staffer who also presented at the event. Nelson serves on the alliance's housing committee.

The study, which incorporates U.S. Census statistics, shows that in keeping with the area's population boom in the period from 2000 to 2010, the next decade could bring an influx of another thousand households, including a mix of students, young professionals, and older adults and seniors, he says. 

He says the district is attractive because it's rich in amenities, including an historic character and plenty of cultural and educational opportunities. It's also centrally located near the Mississippi riverfront and downtown, with easy access to public transit.

But considering the area's high concentration of student renters and little home ownership, "There's a concern that neighborhoods are in danger of becoming destabilized," while off-campus student housing is often crowded and poorly managed, he says. 

To help counteract that, some community members have expressed interest in the possibility of active adult and senior housing in the district that would specifically target university alumni--a possibility that was also a trigger of the study, he says.
 
All in all, the study reinforces the fact that there needs to "be more diversity of housing and more sustainability in the long-term," with some higher-density townhouses or multistory houses, not just single-family homes, to meet the needs, he says. 

Source: Kris Nelson, CURA
Writer: Anna Pratt