Development News

In conjunction with the coming Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line that will link Minneapolis and St. Paul, a new $4.3 million tunnel is needed to accommodate foot traffic near the state capitol at University Avenue North.

The tunnel will add to an extensive subterranean tunnel system throughout the capitol complex in St. Paul that was constructed in various stages between 1913 and 1984, according to Jim Schwartz, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Administration.

The tunnels protect pedestrians from the elements while providing easy access to and from various buildings on the campus.

Recently the department sent out a request for proposals with a March 16 deadline for design and engineering work on the tunnel. Schwartz says the state agency will bring its funding request to the state legislature in 2012.   

The reason for a tunnel, here, he says, has to do with the siting of the light rail line at this juncture. It'll block off street-level crossing on University Avenue North.

"There'll be a wall to the north of the capitol, on the south side of University," he says. "In addition to the fact that trains will be going back and forth, it'll eliminate the pedestrian crossing at grade [on University Avenue North]," with the nearest crossing down the road on Rice Street.  

The tunnel, which will connect the campus's north and south ends, will be nearly 30 feet wide, he explains. It'll be adjacent to a smaller existing tunnel that will be used for utilities.       

One requirement is that the tunnel be done in keeping with the capitol building's historic status, he says.


Source: Jim Schwartz, spokesperson, Minnesota Department of Administration
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Metropolitan Council is asking the public for a "catchy and clever" name for the area's new regional transit system, which includes light rail and bus rapid transit routes, some of which are still in early development stages.

Although there are no specific rules for the name game, Arlene McCarthy, who is the director of Metropolitan Transportation Services, says it needs to allude to the "premium service here in the Twin Cities."

The system she's referencing includes the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit line, the planned Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line and bus rapid transit along I-35W South, Cedar Avenue and "other high-demand corridors in the future," according to a prepared statement.

These routes are set apart from other public transportation modes because they offer frequent, all-day service, predictable arrival times, special lanes, and enhanced vehicles and stations, she says.  

McCarthy says the council wants to hear about what kinds of ideas resonate with people, adding that the Minnesota Wild hockey team underwent a similar christening process some years ago.

One example of a transit-specific name is in San Francisco, where there's BART, or Bay Area Rapid Transit. But another approach might be to look at the region more broadly, without using an acronym, she says.  

Additionally, because the branding is about the public, she says, "we want the public to identify with the system name," she says. "Who better to ask than those who use the system?"

The deadline for submissions is March 18 and the council is accepting them on its website, via email, regular mail, phone, and fax.

A group of marketing and communications specialists from various government offices, businesses, and chambers of commerce will sift through submissions in May and June, she says.
 
Source: Arlene McCarthy, director, Metropolitan Transportation Services
Writer: Anna Pratt

The local nonprofit organization Nice Ride Minnesota recently announced that it's collected $1.78 million to deliver 50 new bike-sharing stations to Minneapolis and St. Paul as a part of its "phase two" plan.

The program got going last June with 700 bikes between 65 stations throughout Minneapolis, according to program information. Over 100,000 trips were taken in its first season.  

Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which was a phase-one sponsor, has released $500,000 of the $1.5 million it promised on the condition that others match it, according to Nice Ride information.

Transit for Livable Communities (TLC), which funnels federal dollars to local walking and biking initiatives through the Bike Walk Twin Cities program, was also a phase-one sponsor. It gave $1 million this time around. 

The Central Corridor Funders Collaborative contributed $250,000, while another $30,000 came from Macalester College's High Winds Fund.

Bike-sharing stations can currently be found in and around downtown Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota campus, and Uptown, according to Nice Ride information.

North Minneapolis is already slated to get eight new stations, while others are planned for University Avenue in St. Paul, although exact sites are still being pinpointed, according to Nice Ride executive director Bill Dossett.  

The goal is to get 130 stations, Dossett says, adding, "This is a good start." 

In the placement of bike stations, Nice Ride is striving for regional equity, while also trying to make them convenient for workplaces and transit connections--paying close attention to where the public wants to have them.

This year the program will do a lot of low-income outreach. The idea is to "make it easy for a lot of people to use bikes," he says.

Many stations are scheduled to open around April 1, depending on the weather, he says.   

In Minneapolis, Denver and Washington, D.C., all of which have implemented similar bike-sharing programs, "The result has been immediate," he says. "All three have had very good success."

Source: Bill Dossett, executive director, Nice Ride Minnesota
Writer: Anna Pratt

Dominium Development and Acquisition has a plan to secure historic status for the old Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company complex in St. Paul's West End area and to convert it into affordable live/work spaces for artists.

Different parts of the brewery were built starting in the early 1900s and into the 1940s as the brewing process changed over time, according to Owen Metz, a spokesperson from Dominium.

The group wants to redevelop the brew and bottle house into 220 apartments, including a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and common spaces, according to Metz, who adds that the purchase of those buildings is still in progress.

In a kind of partnership, the Fort Road Federation community developer will separately buy the office building and keg house, which will also be a part of the historic district, where a combination of offices, restaurants, and retail is planned to go, he says.

Both ideas were discussed at a community meeting in mid-February, during which the process of achieving historic designation was laid out.

Metz says Dominium plans to bring back the historic appearance of the brick buildings that have sat vacant in recent years, though the project's cost is unknown at this time. "We're early on in the design process. Nothing is pinned down yet," he says.   

The group is "trying to keep the spaces open," loft-style, while some artifacts from the brewing company's old days, such as pieces of tanks and other equipment may be displayed throughout the apartment buildings, he says.

A waiting list to get into another one of Dominium's buildings, the Carleton Artist Lofts on University Avenue in St. Paul, which has a similar concept, tells him there's a strong demand for such a project, he says.

Also, the area has plenty of galleries, which, he says will "help drive the demand and make it a destination," adding, "It's geared toward people with similar backgrounds and lifestyles and work."  


Source: Owen Metz, Dominium Development and Acquisition, LLC
Writer: Anna Pratt

Some local business leaders are pushing for a new central park in downtown Minneapolis that would connect with the Mississippi River.

David Wilson, a managing director at Accenture's Minneapolis office, who presented the concept to the city's park board on Feb. 16, says that the group, which includes many business leaders from the Downtown Improvement District plus other downtowners, hopes to make the area a more "stroll-able, pedestrian-friendly green core."

The multifaceted plan, which is still in conceptual stages, involves a new park north of the Central Library that would link with the neighboring Cancer Survivors Park.

Linear components would stretch from the light rail stop at 5th Street and Marquette Avenue to Hennepin Avenue and head east, forming a green corridor that leads into a park near the riverfront.

The three-phase project will probably take 10 years to fulfill, with the earliest stage to acquire and develop property near the library costing $8 to $10 million, he says.

However, it's a much-needed amenity. While there's plenty of green space across the city, "there's a greater demand for green space"  downtown, especially with 35,000 downtown residents. 

In his view, the central park could be a place for a city Christmas tree or menorah, block parties, skating, and other activities that would encourage people to "get more connected with street life."     

Wilson says that interest and passion for investing in outdoor green spaces and parks has gone from low to extremely high over just the past few years, with projects such as the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition and the revamping of Peavey Plaza. 

On top of that, Nicollet Mall is due for a renovation in the near future while the park plan is being rolled into the Downtown Improvement District strategic plan for 2025.

Wilson says he and others are realizing that "this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the face of downtown."

Source: David Wilson, Accenture managing director in Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

Through a $28 million adaptive reuse project that began several years ago, the historic Minnesota Building in downtown St. Paul has found a new life as an affordable-housing complex.  

Local politicians celebrated its grand opening last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the 13-story art deco building.

The building, which opened in 1929 as commercial office space but has been vacant since 2006, now features 137 units of affordable housing. It includes a mix of studio apartments and one- and two-bedroom units, along with 8,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, according to project information.

As a part of a partnership with the local Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 10 units are dedicated for long-term homeless households. Wilder is providing support services for those tenants.

Additionally, the building has a lounge, business resource center, community and fitness rooms, and storage space, project materials state.

Many of the original details, such as the molding, marble and brass fixtures, have been kept intact, while fancy elevator doors were reconstructed to match the originals. Heating and cooling systems, plumbing, roofs, windows and elevators have all been upgraded.    

Sand Companies, Inc., which led the project that started in 2009, will house its metro-area offices in the building.

City spokesperson Janelle Tummel says the building fits into the city's comprehensive plan to fill vacant commercial spaces with a mix of affordable and market-rate housing. "This is a great example of a long-term planning process coming to life," she says.

She hopes it'll attract new businesses and residents to the area.

Among its selling points, "it has some of the greatest views of the river downtown," she says, adding that it's connected to the skyway system, light rail transit, and other downtown amenities. "It's another example of how we're growing and thriving."  

Source: Janelle Tummel, St. Paul spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt

It took several years to overcome the challenges of securing funding for a $16 million renovation at Nicollet Towers in downtown Minneapolis, but work on the project finally got started early this year.

The 1970s-built Nicollet Towers has 306 affordable apartments, including many that are geared for families and seniors, according to Jim Bettendorf, the housing director for the nonprofit Volunteers of America Minnesota office, which is in charge of the complex.

Through the years, Nicollet Towers was starting to show its age but getting the funding to rehab it took a special effort, he explains.

With the economic downturn in 2008, "There was no money," he says. "It took quite awhile to get to this point."  

In the end, a number of local and national players stepped up to help put together a unique funding package to make it happen. The result is "a huge project for people who live there and focus groups we serve," he says.  

Construction on the campus, which includes a couple of 20-story and 12-story towers and a ring of townhomes, will take about a year and a half, and residents will stay in the building during the work.

As a part of the project, windows, heating and cooling systems, and elevators will be modernized. The roof and exterior brick will also be replaced, while kitchens and bathrooms in 100 units will also be updated.

Nineteen units will be reserved for people who've struggled with long-term homelessness, making it "one of the larger commitments to homelessness prevention" in the area, he says, acknowledging a $2 million state grant to end homelessness that made it possible.

St. Stephen's Human Services, which has an office in the complex, will provide social services to the new residents.  

"We'll work to provide social services to get [those tenants] into permanent housing," he says, explaining that its program's focus on helping families makes it unique. "Shelters tend to help singles."  

Additionally, rent for tower tenants is subsidized through Section 8, meaning that residents pay a fraction of their income for rent, Bettendorf explains.  


Source: Jim Bettendorf, the housing director for the nonprofit Volunteers of America local office
Writer: Anna Pratt

The University of Minnesota is lobbying during this year's state legislative session for funding for a new $83 million nanotechnology and physics lab on its Minneapolis campus.

Gov. Mark Dayton has made it a priority in his bonding bill this year, following in the footsteps of former Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Last year the legislature ended up dedicating $4 million for planning for the lab, according to Steven Crouch, who is the dean of the university's College of Science and Technology.

Even though it's not officially a bonding year, some university officials hope the funding will come through. "If funding was available through the session we could start construction this summer," Crouch says. "It's ready to go."

He says the lab will allow the university to expand its research capabilities in the nano science and engineering areas.

The university's plan includes 40 new research laboratories that would accommodate 200 faculty, graduate students, and visiting researchers, according to project information. It would also have 43,000-square-feet for physics labs and support space with 15,000 square feet devoted specifically to nanotechnology.   

Crouch says a couple examples of everyday products that were developed through nanotechnology include fast drying, extra-durable paints and machine tools that are "tougher and harder."  

A new 5,000-square-foot "clean room," where conditions such as dust, temperature, humidity, and vibrations are tightly controlled, would enable the university to work with soft and biological materials, providing opportunities for collaboration with medical school researchers.

"We're talking about working with living cells and materials that help for targeting drug delivery, including ways to deliver vaccines and stave off infections and tumors," says Crouch, adding that nanotech is about "manipulating matter at the molecular level."

Its existing 20-year-old "clean room" is restricted to work with hard materials.

Additionally, the lab will help attract top talent to the school and help it secure research dollars.  

"This is an important thing for keeping Minnesota in the innovation hunt with other states around the country," he says. "We're optimistic and very enthusiastic about the prospects."


Source: Steven Crouch, dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Technology.
Writer: Anna Pratt

Last weekend a couple of local sports teams opted for wind energy to power their games on Feb. 19 and 20 at downtown St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center.

The Minnesota Swarm and Minnesota Wild are the first to take advantage of Xcel's Windsource Events program at the arena, according to Jim Ibister, vice president of facility administration for the Minnesota Wild and general manager of Saint Paul RiverCentre.

Windsource, which both venues began offering last fall, delivers energy from 20 wind farms across the state, making it one of the largest programs of its kind nationwide, according to Xcel information.

The program helps groups join its efforts for sustainability. "It's something that people are willing to pay more for," though it's surprisingly affordable, he says.

"Windsource is delivered to the [energy] grid," he says. "It's very simple for the client," which "makes it an easy choice to make."

More and more businesses are seeking out such programs at rental venues. "We're finding more and more people are making choices based on sustainability efforts," he says. "It's a way to have a greener event."  

Windsource is one of several sustainability initiatives underway at the multiple-building campus. The centers jointly have a plan to increase energy efficiency by 20 percent and shrink its carbon footprint by 80 percent within three years.

In the fall of 2009, the centers initiated a plan to dramatically reduce waste, which Ibister describes as its "most public and most interactive" initiative.      

More recently, the RiverCentre started installing a large solar thermal array on its rooftop as yet another way to reduce its carbon footprint.  

It's trying to get the programs to be part of the culture and language at the venues, with as much involvement from workers and visitors as possible early on. "[If] you make it difficult to fail" it can lead to bigger steps, Ibister says.  

Source: Jim Ibister, vice president for facilities administration for the Minnesota Wild
Writer: Anna Pratt  

Community members can help inform artistic designs that will go into each Central Corridor light rail station.

The Metropolitan Council is asking for input from the public about what defines the locale for each light rail station.  

Coming up next is a community meeting on March 1, to get feedback on the area surrounding the planned Western Avenue station in St. Paul. The Metropolitan Council has been holding meetings on a station-by-station basis. People can also comment online.

Early design concepts will be presented in the coming weeks, according to council information.  

Construction of the 11-mile Central Corridor, which will connect the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis, starts in March. The line is planned to open in 2014.  

Laura Baenen, a spokesperson for the project, says the council wants to hear from people about the area's heritage, culture, and history, or, "something significant to the area, what it's known for."

The community's input will be "food for thought in the creative process," she says.  

For example, in a public meeting earlier this month about the Victoria Street station, the Rondo neighborhood's historic ties to the railroads and silent movies came up.

Ice castles are being worked into the 10th Street station design, paying homage to long-ago ice palaces, Baenen says, and the oak trees near the Fairview Avenue stop will show up through some kind of an oak-and-acorn motif.  

Creative ideas will be integrated into the station design from the beginning, unlike many projects in which artist-designed pavers or handrails are added as decorations. Art "won't be an afterthought," says Baenen. "It won't be attached later."

Whatever the form, it needs to stand up to the elements. "We want it to be both functional and durable," she says.

Source: Laura Baenen, Central Corridor spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt

To learn more about its past, the city of Minneapolis is undergoing something called an historic survey to assess properties, themes, and development patterns.

The survey will shed light on properties that may have some historic significance, explains Brian Schaffer, who works for the city's preservation and design office.

A property may be significant for its connection to one or more of eight contexts, including everything from commerce to residential development. 

City officials are relying in part on anecdotes from the public through a series of community meetings this month that focus on certain areas of Camden, Northeast, University, Central, Near North, and Southwest Minneapolis. There's also an online survey.

The survey builds on earlier work that began in the 1970s, when the city first tallied its historic properties. At the same time, a local heritage preservation commission formed. "It led to a lot of the historic designations we have now," including historic landmarks and districts, he says.

In the 1990s, the city circled back to its historic survey work. It was then that it decided to embark on a more thorough survey, he explains.

The city started the re-survey process in 2001. In a way, the process has retraced the city's development, as city officials have shifted their focus from the central core, gradually moving out from there.   

In comparison with the city's earliest historic survey, "We know a lot more about historic properties," he says, adding, "The field of preservation has changed too."

Today, the survey more broadly includes historic landscapes and cultural and ethnic group resources, according to a prepared statement. 

Depending on what they find, some potentially historic properties might need further research or analysis. This is a "first-blush review," he says.

The results will help the city make informed decisions about the significance and protection of historic resources and develop goals and strategies for preservation and more generally, neighborhood planning, a prepared statement reads.

"It'll help us learn more about the oral history and social history that may not be well documented," Schaffer says. "It helps us focus our research."       

Source: Brian Schaffer, Minneapolis preservation and design official
Writer: Anna Pratt 

Following an intense weekend of information-gathering and design, six local nonprofits are armed with concrete materials to start making redevelopment and remodeling projects a reality.

The Search for Shelter Charrette through the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is an annual workshop that offers up pro bono design labor to local nonprofit agencies working in affordable housing and homelessness.   
 
This year's event, which ran Feb. 11-13 at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, attracted 42 volunteer architects, landscape and interior designers, and students, who split into six teams, according to Jacquelyn Peck, a Minnesota AIA representative. 

Participating nonprofits, which were selected through a competitive process, this year included the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, Selby Avenue Action Coalition, Emma Norton Services, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, Families Moving Forward, and Woodland Hills Church.
 
One team worked on a plan for the Emma Norton facility downtown St. Paul, according to Peck.

Some volunteers studied the possibility of building out a coffee shop on the shelter's ground floor.  

They walked around the area to assess the potential market for a new coffee shop. Nearby were clinics and businesses, but there wasn't much in the way of restaurants or food services, she says.

Besides filling a business niche, an in-house coffee shop could be a source of revenue for Emma Norton while providing jobs for women staying at the shelter, she explains.  
 
Another couple of teams brainstormed ways to improve some blocks along Selby Avenue between Dale and Lexington avenues in St. Paul. As a part of a project for the Selby Avenue Coalition, they came up with a jazz theme that ties into an annual festival that could have "more of a year-round presence through art or images or music studios."
 
Both teams "captured the spirit of the street through design and research," Peck says.  
   
For the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, a roomful of mattresses on the floor was reconfigured with bunk beds that give people more personal space, including storage cabinets. Keeping sightlines clear while also providing a secure place for people's belongings was important, she explains.    
 
She says the volunteers received plenty of praise from the nonprofits and "they're excited to take the next step."
 
Likewise, the vast majority of volunteers responded positively, saying they would do it again. "I think it was a good event for the volunteers as well as the agencies," Peck says. 

Source: Jacquelyn Peck, AIA-Minnesota representative
Writer: Anna Pratt 
 

The trade magazine Architecture Minnesota is holding a video contest about the winter-proof skyways that wind around both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.

People are being asked to put together a short film that captures their reactions to the uniquely Midwest-styled footbridges, explains Architecture Minnesota editor Chris Hudson. Anyone can apply to the contest, which has a Feb. 25 deadline.

The video contest is a way for the print magazine to "invite a wider sample of thoughts about the built environment," explains Hudson.

While not everyone can write architectural criticism, which the magazine publishes, many people can put together a two-to-four-minute video with whatever equipment is on hand, that "captures their experience of architecture." He says the skyways are a good subject for discussing the built environment because reactions to them are so mixed.  
For example, some architects say they take away from the life of the street. "Draining people from the sidewalks," he says, "they say they kill street life." But others find convenience and comfort in the skyways. For them it's a major plus to be inside a safe skyway and not on the street, especially when it's cold. The skyways also afford unique "small aerial" views of the street.  

On March 7-18 entries will be on the website for people to vote on. A $1,000 prize will be awarded to the jury's winner during a presentation on March 31 at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis while several honorable mention recipients will get $500. Additionally, online voters, combined with the audience at the Walker, will pick a viewers' choice award winner, who will also receive $1,000.

The magazine hopes it strikes up an ongoing public dialogue about the built environment. "I think it's a good exercise," Hudson says, adding, "It's a way to reach out to new readers."   

"We hope we get surprising perspectives on the skyway," he says. "We're getting a lot of enthusiasm from a wide array of people."

Source: Chris Hudson, Architecture Minnesota editor
Writer: Anna Pratt

A project to restore the native prairie of the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom, which is an 18-acre forest and land area within the century-old Como Park in St. Paul, starts this week with a $218,000 grant from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.  

Conservation Corps Minnesota volunteers are being trained to use tools for removing nonnative and invasive species. The effort will span several months.  

Brad Meyer, a spokesperson for St. Paul, explains, "If you go back 100 years you wouldn't see a lot of development that's happened in Como Park," he says. "You'd see a lot of prairie grass, open space and native plants."    

The grant will also help extend educational opportunities within the open-air classroom.

He says the woodland classroom has a curriculum related to the plants, birds and trails. People can actually reserve the open-air "classroom" to do bird surveys or learn about invasive species, for instance. "It's more than just going into the woods and teaching a class."

Como Park Senior High School is one of the primary users of the program that started in 2006. The high school had wanted to teach environmental education within a natural setting.  

The project is a collaboration of community volunteers, local schools, and City of St. Paul Department of Parks and Recreation, according to project information posted online. They formed a committee that got to work on developing a vision and mission, along with a master plan for the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom.

"It's a great thing, with such a sense of ownership for residents in the park," Meyer says, adding that the group has done much of the legwork to make the plan a reality. The grant will go "to make the park what it could be," or "one big stop for outdoor environmental education in St. Paul."    

Source: Brad Meyer, spokesperson for city of St. Paul  
Writer: Anna Pratt
 

The historic Northrop building, which hosts various performing arts, concerts, academic ceremonies, and civic events on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus, is undergoing a major retooling of its function and form.

The $80.8 million revitalization project that the Board of Regents approved on Feb. 11 represents much more than a renovation, explains Steven Rosenstone, who serves as the university's vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs.

In 2006 the university took steps to stabilize and restore the 1929 building's exterior, which factors into the total cost, according to Rosenstone.

For too long, the Northrop has been on borrowed time, he says. He refers to a 2005 report that states, "No aspect of the building is without issue." It has problems with its heating and electrical systems, air flow, drinking water, elevators and more, he explains.

Rather than just fixing the building, which would be more expensive, "The idea was, let's rethink it to be a more vital and valuable resource to the university and Minnesota," he says. "It has to work for the 21st century in a way it doesn't right now."    

Where in the past the university only used the place 51 days a year, mainly at night, it'll be used to house several programs including the University Honors Program, Institute for Advanced Study, and Innovation by Design. Additionally, it'll provide for collaboration and study, with a global conference center, premium seminar and meeting rooms and a caf�, according to university information.  

Memorial Auditorium will be completely restored and become a "vastly superior performance space," seating 2,800 people, which is down from 4,800.

A team of historic preservationists that includes designers and architects are behind the project, including some people who led the restoration of several other old buildings on campus.

The building, which will soon be under construction, is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2013. "It'll be a very thoughtful design" for a  "spectacular building."    
 

Source: Steven Rosenstone, vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs at the University of Minnesota
Writer: Anna Pratt