Development News

Two historic hotels in downtown St. Paul, both of which have survived all kinds of ups and downs through the years, are undergoing major renovations.

John Rupp, who heads the locally based Commonwealth Properties, is behind both projects. First, the 1917-built Hotel 340, which Rupp recently opened as a boutique hotel with extended-stay units, will expand this fall from 37 rooms to 57.

The St. Paul Athletic Club will occupy 70,000 square feet in the building, which he says "makes it even more special."

Cherrywood floors, restoration hardware-like furnishings, kitchenettes and an English renaissance-style lobby characterize the old-fashioned Hotel 340, which is the city's first new hotel since 1980, according to Rupp. 

One of the few boutique types in the east metro, he says it's "competitive with the major hotels in town."  

Similarly, the Lowry Hotel, which dates to 1927, will be remodeled with a 40-unit boutique hotel next year. It will also have extended-stay units, he says.

In the 1960s, the hotel had been converted into apartments, he says. But a beautiful two-story lobby is reminiscent of the building's old days, he says.

As a part of the plan W.A. Frost & Company will run a rooftop restaurant above the hotel, he says.

Although Rupp says he's not able to discuss the cost of either project, he says they're being privately financed. 

In his view, there's a big market for these kinds of hotels in the area. "A lot of people come to town to go to the Xcel Center and conventions, for business and tourism," he says, adding that as independently run hotels, they "can have unique and quirky personalities, yet still compete with others."


Source: John Rupp, Commonwealth Properties
Writer: Anna Pratt

A local developer is re-imagining a century-old vacant building in Minneapolis's Stevens Square neighborhood as a $19.5 million apartment complex.

Dubbed the Dunwoody Apartments, the plan is a welcome change in direction for the building that once housed the Abbott Hospital.

In recent years the building has been a magnet for crime, according to developer Swami Palanisami, who heads Palanisami and Associates, the consulting engineering firm that's leading the charge.

Palanisami's proposal entails a complete revamping of the four-story building to make way for 123 studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments. Of those, 25 will be set aside as affordable, something the neighborhood has a big demand for, he says. Retail businesses will also occupy the first floor.

New kitchens, plus common laundry and exercise rooms are a part of the plan, he says.

A centralized heating and cooling system will be installed, along with other mechanical and electrical upgrades. The building's brick exterior and balcony will also be restored.

Additionally, underground and above-ground parking at the Dunwoody Apartments will help free up space on the street, he says.

Already, related city zoning changes and accompanying remodeling plans have been approved, says Palanisami, who is in the process of putting together project financing, which includes various historic tax credits, plus a combination of local and federal government support.

Previously, Palanisami had considered other plans for the building, which is in close proximity to downtown, but those didn't advance once the recession hit, he says.

The apartment proposal is more viable. "It makes good sense not to throw away an old building, but to restore it," he says. "It'll fit in well with the nearby neighborhood."

He hopes to start the renovation later this summer.

Source: Swami Palanisami, developer  
Writer: Anna Pratt

In planning for the future redevelopment of the St. Paul Ford plant, where cars have long been manufactured, the city is working with the company and other community stakeholders and consultants to explore various sustainable design possibilities for the site.

Ford Motor Co. will shut down the plant this fall and put the 160-acre property that overlooks the Mississippi River on the market next year, according to Merritt Clapp-Smith, a senior planner for the city's planning and economic development department.

Although there are no concrete plans yet for the site, or a developer, the city is working on the issue now because it wants to see a design that can "operate in a way that's efficient and cost-effective and better for the environment and health of residents," she says.

As such, the city is prioritizing energy efficiency, conservation practices, stormwater management, and multimodal transportation options and minimizing carbon dioxide emissions at the site, she says. 

Those priorities are partly the result of a couple reports that outline numerous green design options and stormwater management solutions that are posted online here and here.

Various city staffers and consultants presented the reports in a public meeting with the Ford Site Planning Task Force earlier this month.

An in-progress environmental assessment of the site along with a consultant study of environmental and traffic impacts related to different redevelopment scenarios will also inform any redevelopment proposals, she says.

All of this information will help the task force, which has been working on the issue since 2007, to recommend a redevelopment framework for the site to the city, she says.
     
Source: Merritt Clapp-Smith, senior planner, St. Paul Planning and Economic Development
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul is over halfway to its fundraising goal of $35 million for a new concert hall and related endowment fund.

Plans are underway to expand its McKnight Theatre, which is separate from the 1,900-seat Music Theater.

Under the plan, the McKnight will go from a 315-seat proscenium arch-style theater to a 1,100-seat arena stage configuration, according to Patricia Mitchell, its president and CEO.

Audiences will wrap all around the platform in the new "purpose-built" concert hall, she explains.

The face-to-face views "change the way people listen to music," while the acoustics will have "great natural sound," she says.

A related endowment fund will help underwrite the use of the new McKnight by each of the Ordway arts partners, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, and Schubert Club, which share space at the Ordway.

As it is, the two stages are fully booked, she says. Last year, only 23 dates went unfilled, and those were Mondays, which are traditionally "dark" or off days. 

A larger concert hall will help ease scheduling headaches and allow for more specific programming with longer runs, she says. Some professional music groups that don't have a permanent home will "have a first-class venue available to them." 

It'll also accommodate more audiences, including greater numbers of schoolchildren. With another 125,000 people coming downtown every year, she adds, the place will be an economic boon for the city. "The impact on the restaurants and parking is huge," she says.

Although the theater design is still in progress, she's pleased with how it's shaping up.

The space will blend in with the nearby Rice Park, "one of the most beautiful urban squares anywhere," she says, adding, "It's important to maintain the character and feeling of that." 

Construction could start as early as next spring, depending on the project's financing coming together. 

"I think it's a wonderful solution to a longstanding problem," for the four arts partners, while it's also a "tremendous benefit to the community at large," she says.

Source: Patricia A. Mitchell, president and CEO, Ordway
Writer: Anna Pratt

At the May 17 heritage preservation awards ceremonies in Minneapolis and St. Paul, honors went to various endeavors, ranging from a sunroom to an apartment building, in which pains were taken to respect the past. 

Minneapolis sponsors of the longstanding awards include Preserve Minneapolis, Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission and the Minneapolis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, while separately in St. Paul, the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission and Saint Paul Chapter of the American Institute of Architects are behind the awards, according to information from both cities. 

Tammy Lindberg, a spokesperson for Preserve Minneapolis, explains that when sifting through the submissions, the jury looks for "What best exemplifies really great work" that's "improving the heritage and culture of Minneapolis.

Criteria included quality of design, architecture, workmanship, and materials as well as the positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood and community, according to a prepared statement from the city of Minneapolis.

One example that stood out for the Minneapolis jury was the restoration of a sunroom at a single-family home at 2720 Ewing Avenue South. "The homeowner took the time to find the [home's] original drawings to understand how the sunroom was once," working to closely match that design while making it functional for the family. 

Restoration of the distinctive fence at Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery at 2945 Cedar Ave. S. has been sensitive to its past, while Hangar, Ackerman Hall at 110 Union Street S.E. is a "great reuse project," she says.

In a different kind of project, the community came together, with the help of the Old Highland Neighborhood Association in Near North, to update a self-guided walking tour of an area that has nearly 100 significant properties.

In St. Paul, the Saint Paul Union Depot, the James J. Hill House, and the Minnesota Building, among others, received similar awards.

Overall, she says, "These projects go above and beyond, with careful details that are sympathetic to the original building and landscape."

Source: Tammy Lindberg, events coordinator, Preserve Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

The 1906-built Folwell Hall on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus is wrapping up a $34.5 million renovation.

Folwell Hall, which has the most classroom space of any building on the East Bank of campus, is slated to reopen this August, in time for the fall semester that begins Sept. 6, according to university spokesperson Kelly O'Brien.

Soon, the departments that relocated when the building closed in June 2010, including Asian Languages and Literatures; French and Italian; German, Scandinavian and Dutch; and Spanish and Portuguese, will settle back in.

The current preservation work links up with the 2007 exterior preservation in an effort to extend the building's lifetime another 50 to 100 years, Folwell "will be reinvigorated from the top to bottom, inside and out," O'Brien says.

Inside the building, historic attributes such as the yellow- and gray-shaded Italian marble on the first floor, wrought-iron stair railings, fireplaces, and elaborate woodwork have been painstakingly renovated. "All of that has been removed and cleaned up and put back in place," she says.

The classrooms, many of which have been consolidated to be more flexible, will be equipped with cutting-edge technologies to keep pace with new learning opportunities. Students will connect with foreign-language learners in other countries "so they can practice each others' languages with native speakers."

Classrooms will also display foreign-language news and other programming. "It helps connect students with the world and immerse them in foreign culture and languages," she says.

Additionally, the classrooms will be much quieter than they used to be, without the jet engine-sized air conditioners that language students once had to suffer through, she says.

Mechanical and electrical systems and the windows have been upgraded to be more efficient. Accessibility was also a priority; a connection to the Gopher Way tunnel system was added to help out in this area, as well, she says.

Source: Kelly O'Brien, University of Minnesota spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt  

This week the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) district is celebrating its energy strides thanks to the new 5kW solar arrays that are up and running at four local schools.

The systems were showcased this week with a rooftop tour at Pillsbury Elementary School in Northeast Minneapolis, where a solar display is highly visible, plus a demonstration of related curriculum.

Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. schools got solar arrays through a $1.2 million "Solar Schools" grant from several donors, according to Clyde Kane, who is the MPS assistant director of facilities and manager of design and construction.

"Solar Schools" funders include Walmart, NEED, and the Foundation for Environmental Education.  

Pillsbury, South High School, Seward Montessori, and Floyd B. Olson Middle School installed the solar arrays in November 2010, though the celebration was postponed until the weather improved, he says.

District officials chose the recipient schools based on their science focus, while also striving to represent several quadrants of the city, he says.

Besides the environmental and financial benefits, the solar arrays are a teaching tool. As a part of the program, 30 Minneapolis teachers from the participating schools were trained on the related curriculum that helps students understand how solar energy works, he says.

Through the curriculum's interactive components, students can monitor their school's energy savings and even check on its progress alongside othe  schools across the nation.

Pillsbury's data for example, is posted online, which links to other Solar Schools.

Since the beginning of the year, Pillsbury has saved $1,317 in electricity costs, according to Kane. It's also reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 4,773 pounds, the website shows.

Altogether the four MPS schools have saved $5,491 since January, he says.     

Source: Clyde Kane, assistant director of facilities and manager of design and construction, Minneapolis Public Schools
Writer: Anna Pratt
 


 

By the end of the year, a mixed-use development could replace the former Jaguar car dealership on Hennepin Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis, which has been vacant since 2007. 

Ryan Cos. is working with the Excelsior Group, a real estate company, to redevelop the site with market-rate apartments and retail spaces.  

Tony Barranco, a retail development director for Ryan Cos., says the details are still coming together, including the project's scale, cost, and design.

He expects a design will be out within a couple months while the project could break ground by winter. Between now and then, however, "There's a lot of work to do," he says, adding, "We'll have to get active quick."

Previously, the North Vancouver, British Columbia-based Milliken Development Group, had proposed condos for the site, but, amid the economic downturn, the property was returned to the bank, according to the Star Tribune.

Though the plan is still being fleshed out, the building could have up to 225 units, while the parking ramp on the block could be preserved, the Star Tribune reports.

Like the plans that came before it, the project will probably include a grocery store, Barranco says.

Ryan Cos. realizes that this is a prominent downtown intersection that "we want to treat...with a significant amount of character," he says.

Already, the company has gotten plenty of positive feedback on the project, which helps meet a demand for multifamily housing in the downtown area. These days, "There's a lot of focus on urban living and being transit-oriented and...close to entertainment [outlets]," all of which the project will capitalize on.

Additionally, the development links the area to the North Loop area and Mississippi riverfront. All in all, "We're confident and excited to bring vitality back to the block," he says.

Source: Tony Barranco, retail development director, Ryan Cos.
Writer: Anna Pratt

In St. Paul, the $17 million redevelopment of the Renaissance Box building is part of an "underground renaissance" in the Wacouta Commons neighborhood, according to Matt Hodson, a spokesperson for Aeon, the local nonprofit developer behind the project.

Aeon is converting a former shoe factory at 10th and Sibley streets into 70 affordable apartments.

The seven-level Renaissance Box, an historically designated building that dates back to 1914, will have a mix of housing that's targeted at people with all different incomes, including efficiencies and one- and two-bedroom apartments; 14 efficiencies will be dedicated to those who've struggled with chronic homelessness, according to Hodson.

Among its amenities, Renaissance Box, which will have a warehouse loft-style feel, will offer tenants private storage, an exercise room, a community space with a kitchen, a green roof, a shared patio, and an art space�in collaboration with local arts incubator, Springboard for the Arts.

Sustainability will be a theme running throughout the building. Plans are in the works to achieve LEED certification, a national standard for green building, Hodson says.

Aeon has a goal to create new industry models "to take ideals of sustainability and bring them to affordable housing in a practical manner," he says.

To do so, Aeon is working on with the University of Minnesota's Center for Sustainable Building Research and Center for Energy and Environment (CEE). The Line covered another Aeon development that's part of this pilot program here.

Renaissance Box, which Aeon purchased out of foreclosure in 2006, will help round out the diversity of housing in the Wacouta Commons area.

A decade ago, vacant buildings and surface parking lots characterized the neighborhood. Today, "It has really become a thriving neighborhood with a variety of housing options with everything from high-end condos to affordable housing," he says. "That's what we're bringing and it helps create a vibrant residential community.   

Construction, which has been ongoing since August 2010, is expected to finish up by July 1, according to Hodson.
   
Source: Matt Hodson, Aeon, spokesperson 
Writer: Anna Pratt

The St. Paul-based Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP), a nonprofit organization that preserves and creates affordable housing, last week received $750,000 from the federal government to help carry out a new "place-based" community assistance program.    

MHP was chosen through a competitive process, along with a dozen other organizations nationwide to work with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s recently formed arm, OneCPD, which refers to its Office of Community Planning and Development.  

Although the details of the new program are still coming together, MHP executive director Chip Halbach explains that the consortium will probably be on hand to help HUD in a more consistent way than it has in the past.

Previously, HUD hired the housing organization for specific needs, helping to revise an organization's property management practices or meet income-tracking requirements. "There are specific chunks of work we would come in and do," he says, adding, "This points to a different approach."  

Basically, HUD is going for a more broadly based integrated community development style, while MHP's focus will be on the Upper Midwest, according to MHP information.

Halbach says he's excited about HUD's new direction. In his view, "There's a lot of potential for what could be done."

As a part of this new initiative, HUD has pulled together various agencies that can lend different types of expertise, including affordable housing, business and community planning, economic development, infrastructure planning, construction management, sustainable design and natural resource protection, and market research, among other things, according to MHP information.  

Other local organizations that are a part of this effort that MHP is leading includes the following: Bonestroo Inc., the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers, and Affordable Housing Connections, Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Great Lakes Capital Fund in Michigan and Seattle's Sound Thinking.


Source: Chip Halbach, executive director, Minnesota Housing Partnership
Writer: Anna Pratt

The city of Minneapolis is trying to gauge whether there might be any interest in redeveloping the historic Grain Belt brewery office building and a nearby empty lot at 1215 and 1219 Marshall St. in Northeast.

Last week the city sent out a request for proposals (RFP) for the site, which is part of what an "Above the Falls" study describes as an architectural and cultural landmark along the Upper River, and which the city is offering to package together or as two separate parcels.  

This portion of the brewery complex is among the last to be developed, according to city information. The brewery houses various architectural offices, Park Board facilities, and a public library branch, while the nearby lot has long been vacant, according to city information.

The city is appealing for a neighborhood- and pedestrian-friendly mixed-use housing development for the entire site or a portion of it, and renovation of the existing office, but it's open to other kinds of ideas as well, according to a prepared statement from the city.

Wes Butler, a staff person for the city's Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) division, says the city is picking up where another developer left off about a decade ago. With the economy easing up, "We thought it would be a good time to remarket it now, to see if there's any interest in the original vision for a housing site," he says.

In the 24-page RFP, which emphasizes the site's nearness to the city's central business district and strong transportation connections, the empty lot is listed for $1.4 million and the brewery office is priced at $50,000. 

Proposals should involve "a varied yet cohesive mix of land uses complementing and enhancing the historic character of the brewery complex," possibly including commercial services, residential, recreational, arts-related, and light industrial uses, according to the RFP. 

City staff and the neighborhood group will review the proposals, which have an Aug. 1 deadline, before they go before the City Council in the fall, the RFP states.

In 1989 the city restored the brewery, which had declined since it closed in the 1970s. Read more about its history here. 

The brewery's historic status adds character to the site, and an extra challenge. Such features as the footings from the old Orth brewery, which preceded Grain Belt, need some sort of historical interpretation at the site, he says. "It makes it a unique spot with some challenges," he adds.  
 
Source: Wes Butler, staffer, city of Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

HUGE Improv, an improvisational actors troupe that originated at the Brave New Workshop's comedy theater in 2005, has taken its company to the next level with a new permanent home in Minneapolis's Uptown area.

Until the group opened its doors in December 2010 at 30th and Lyndale Avenue South, it had to compete for time and attention at various venues throughout the week, according to Butch Roy, who leads HUGE Improv.  

After working to build up the weekly "Improv-a-go-go" program at the Brave New Workshop, showcasing various troupes, and an improv festival that's now in its fifth year, the group decided to go for a place of its own. "You can only grow so big before you have to risk it and make the big change," he says, adding, "There was a lot of enthusiasm for long-form improv and then came the decision to make the leap."  

Now, HUGE Improv is able to share its stage with many other performers, often hosting multiple shows daily.

But the nonprofit group, which is entirely volunteer-driven, is still fundraising for improvements to its all-black-painted theater, which, in traditional style, has just a slightly elevated stage and 100 seats on one level, according to Roy. Previously a retail space, the 4,000 square feet also includes a backstage area and a lobby, while the bar is still in progress (along with the accompanying beer and wine license), he says.

Altogether, the completed aspects of the build-out totaled $26,000, according to Roy. Earlier on, the group was quoted $67,000 for the work, but HUGE Improv was able to make up the difference with lots of donations and volunteer time, on everything from paint to drapes, he says.

The locally based Shelter Architecture even contributed design services, which was a big help. However, HUGE Improv still needs financial support to offset its construction costs, he says.  

Like many other businesses and organizations, HUGE Improv went through a rough period during the recession, where it incurred a lot of debt. Instead of getting bogged down by that, though, "We try to stay focused on the sense of play that makes it fun," he says, adding, "We want to be ourselves with the audience."  

Source: Butch Roy, president, HUGE Improv
Writer: Anna Pratt

Bloomington-based Doran Cos. is planning a 375-unit apartment complex for a vacant parcel of land close to the Pillsbury A Mill in Minneapolis. The project, which is going by the name Mill & Main for now, will be split into two phases, according to Kelly Doran, a principal of the company.

Previously, another developer had unsuccessfully proposed condos for the site.

Doran says his company has a contract to purchase the property, which has gone through foreclosure stages. Separately, another developer, Dominium in Plymouth, is putting together a 200-unit apartment project on a different portion of the site, Finance and Commerce reports.  

Mill & Main will be market-rate apartments with plenty of amenities, he says. The complex will have a mix of two-story townhomes, studios and one- and two-bedroom units, with features such as fireplaces, stainless steel appliances, and granite counters.

There'll also be swimming pools and billiard rooms plus aerobics, Pilates and exercise rooms, and underground parking, he says.

To blend into the neighborhood, the building's fa�ade will have a mix of masonry, brick, and stone, along with large windows and balconies.  

Doran hopes the necessary city approvals will come through in time to start construction this fall. If all goes as planned the project's first phase, including 185 units, will be ready by the spring of 2013.  

Recent market studies show a demand for more apartments around the downtown core, according to Doran. "We anticipate a broad base of renters transitioning," which he says includes empty nesters who want to move to an urban area, those who want to rent before buying a home,  and people who are relocating for jobs, staying in the area temporarily, or working downtown.

The condo conversion wave of the past has also contributed to the demand for apartments, he says.

Doran says he couldn't disclose the project's cost.


Source: Kelly Doran, principal, Doran Cos.
Writer: Anna Pratt

Despite a challenging economy, St. Paul's Park Square Theatre has continued to flourish. 

As proof of that, the theater is currently fundraising for a $4.2 million project that involves renovations to its existing facility and the addition of a smaller, thrust-style stage in the historic Hamm building.   

Michael-Jon Pease, director of operations and external relations, says the theater has been growing steadily over the past decade. So far, the theater is about 75 percent of the way to its fundraising goal. Recently, it reported that $350,000 came in from the St. Paul Foundation, while the F. R. Bigelow Foundation gave another $200,000 and $50,000 came by way of individual gifts, according to a Broadway World story.
 
When the theater reaches its financial goal, it'll start construction on the new stage, which will be adjacent to the existing 350-seat proscenium-arch-type auditorium.  

Renovations in the existing space, which have already been completed, were geared around patron comfort and safety, he says. For example, the former seats were replaced with ones that provide better lumbar support. The stage also inched up a bit, and the lighting equipment was upgraded.

All in all, it'll be more energy efficient while also providing for more artistic flexibility. "It bumps up the whole experience several notches," Pease says.      

The 150-to-200-seat thrust will "feel like a younger, more contemporary social space," with people seated on three sides of the stage, not just one. It'll enable the theater to more effectively stage shows that are suited to that kind of intimate configuration, Pease says. "We'll be able to do more types of shows for more types of audiences."  

Further, Park Square will double its number of shows, and employ 60 percent more artists. As a result, it'll also grow its audience from 55,000 to 86,000 a year, in part with the help of other arts organizations it's working with to schedule late-night events in the space, such as cabarets, readings, and more.  

About $1 million raised through its Next Stage Campaign, as it's calling the fundraising effort, will provide a cushion when the new stage is up and running. Pease is optimistic that the fundraising component will be wrapped up by December 2011. At that point, the theater will announce its construction time line. "We want to be very purposeful to grow the organization, make it stronger, and redefine its value," he says.     


Source: Michael-Jon Pease, director of operations and external relations, Park Square Theater
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