Development News

When the TLS/KVA team of landscape architects and designers strolled a 5.5-mile stretch of the Mississippi River starting at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis and heading north, they climbed over fences to get a better view of the landscape. It almost got them arrested for trespassing. 

TLS/KVA is a partnership between the Berkeley-based Tom Leader Studio and Kennedy & Violich Architecture from Boston.

Sheila Kennedy, one of the team members leading the charge, says too much of the river is off the beaten track. "We felt the river edge is where people should be," adding, "It's so difficult to get there now."   

TLS/KVA, which has a partnership with nine local firms, was announced as the winner of the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition on Feb. 10. The contest, jointly held by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Parks Foundation, Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota College of Design, solicited proposals from four finalist teams from across the globe.

TLS/KVA stood out for its proposal, titled RiverFIRST, which focuses on water, health, mobility and green economy.

The goals were to re-establish the parks as an economic engine for development and make the river�one of the three great rivers of the world�a connector, not a divider, and reorient the city around that focus, according to contest project manager Mary DeLaittre.    

Whether it's about rediscovering the Northside Wetlands or establishing floating "habitat islands" that happen to be formed from recycled water bottles, "RiverFIRST design initiatives function at multiple scales to link larger natural, social, civic, and economic ecologies and raise citizen awareness about the impacts of consumer choices on the Upper Mississippi River," a prepared statement reads.  

TLS/KVA will be awarded a riverfront parks commission, the details of which will be determined over the course of a four-month transitional phase.

 
Source: Sheila Kennedy, KVA, Mary DeLaittre, Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition  
Writer: Anna Pratt

As a part of an initiative this month at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities called Conservation Madness, eight residence halls will compete against one another to see who can save the most on energy and waste. 

Some students even camped out on Monday, Feb. 7, in front of the school's Coffman Union building to make a point of going "off the electrical grid." 

The contest is a joint effort of the facilities management and residential life housing departments plus several student groups, according to Jim Green, who is the assistant director for energy management at the university.

Whichever residence hall scores the most points earns a college basketball national championship party in April, according to contest information. 

In some ways the contest mirrors an earlier city-led neighborhood-by-neighborhood competition, he says. 

While the effort will help the university cut costs, "The real payoff is the awareness of the things that people can do to save energy on campus and elsewhere," says Green.

One student who is helping to organize the activities is Chelsey Shoup, a sophomore who lives in Comstock Hall on the East Bank.

She's majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in management. In her spare time, she's active with a couple of clubs on campus, the Active Energy Club and the Energy Efficiency Student Alliance (which is a coalition involving the school's Active Energy Club, Minnesota Public Research Interest Group, Eco Watch, and Green Biz).  

Echoing Green, she says the contest is a good chance to educate her peers.

By their actions and promotional activities, including approaching students on campus they're "just hoping to raise awareness of the small, everyday choices that students can make to save energy," she says, adding, "small changes to their lifestyle that will make a big difference."

Source: Jim Green, assistant director for energy management at the University of Minnesota, Chelsey Shoup, University of Minnesota and its Active Energy Club and Energy Efficiency Student Alliance
Writer: Anna Pratt

In the coming months, 600 Ramsey County employees will relocate from the Government Center West building on Kellogg Boulevard in St. Paul to downtown's Metro Square.

Jolly Mangine, the director of property management for Ramsey County, says the county wanted to move away from the riverfront. "We believe there's a higher and better use for riverfront development," he says.  

Plus, the Government Center West building, which dates back to 1895, is "old and in need of repair," he says. "It was time to vacate and get it up for development."  

The county began work on the $19 million project, which includes the cost of purchasing Metro Square, in January.

Metro Square's renovation will unfold in several phases. For one thing, its vertical transportation systems, including elevators and escalators, need to be upgraded.

The plan also calls for "tenant improvements," dealing with the carpet, walls, ceilings and mechanical systems.

The work will be staggered, allowing for workers to move in on one floor while construction somewhere else in the building continues, he explains.    

State workers who were already based in the 400,000-square-foot Metro Square building will remain. They'll take up about 120,000 square feet while the county plans to use 190,000 square feet, according to Mangine.

In this kind of joint governmental building, housing both county and state departments, "there's quite a bit of synergy," he says.  

Mangine stressed the environmental benefits.

Metro Square, which was formerly a department store, allows for the county to use less space, "which lends to lots of efficiency," he says.

Having the opportunity to redesign the space is a huge plus. "We're able to reduce our inefficiency by 15 to 20 percent," he says.   

Heating and ventilation systems will be state-of-the-art for air quality and energy conservation. Newer systems in general, he says, are more efficient, easier to track and manage, and lead to better air quality, he says, adding that all in all, the building will "be quite green."

                                                                                                            
Source: Jolly Mangine, director for Property Management for Ramsey County  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Some longtime residents of the Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul hope to turn a 13-acre vacant lot into a garden and urban farm.

They're envisioning recreational spaces, nature trails, vegetable gardens, picnic areas, and more on the sloping piece of land that has long  served as a sledding hill for community members. 

Patricia Ohmans, a longtime Frogtown resident, says the idea came up a couple of years ago, informally, in a conversation among neighbors about improving the area.

She says that city and U.S. Census data reveals that Frogtown is the neighborhood with the least amount of green space in the city.

Considering that green space is "one of the social determinants of health," she says, "Our neighborhood has been given short shrift."

They're hoping to collaborate with the Wilder Foundation to acquire the property, which the longstanding nonprofit health and human services organization owns. 

Wilder has been forced to sell off some of its property in the economic downturn, she explains.  

Recently the garden advocates drafted a 43-page plan of action, outlining their next steps to make their dream a reality. 

"We're imploring the foundation to hold off on putting this parcel on the market," she says. "We're asking if it would consider a collaboration with neighbors for a funding package that would benefit the foundation and community." 

The idea has garnered plenty of public support, with nearly 200 people showing up for a December community meeting on the topic, according to Ohmans. They've also collected a number of letters of support from elected officials. 

"We think there's a higher good to be served and we think," she says. "It's a very respected old institution in St. Paul and it has done a lot of good over the years. Their slogan is 'Here for Good,' and we hope they mean it." 


Source: Patricia Ohmans, Frogtown Gardens activist
Writer: Anna Pratt

A $45 million mixed-use development from the locally based Ackerberg Group will help meet the demand for both parking and office space in Minneapolis' Uptown area.

The 10-story Mozaic development recently broke ground, the company announced in a prepared statement.

Mozaic includes a parking garage that will have 436 parking stalls and 120 surface parking stalls on floors two through seven.

On the top three floors will be 65,000 square feet of "class A" office space, which will help provide more daytime jobs, according to Thatcher Imboden, a company spokesperson.

"We think there's a huge untapped market for office space in Uptown," he says.

The 13,000-square-foot ground level will house restaurant and retail outlets.   

Also part of the development is a public plaza plus a new pedestrian and bike bridge on Girard Avenue that will lead to the Midtown Greenway. "We feel it's a critical connection to Uptown," he says, adding that this aspect of the project was made possible through Hennepin County transit-oriented development dollars.      

Being set back away from the street, the glassy, stepped-back structure will feel more like a mid-rise building, he says, adding that a green wall that will be covered in vines and acrylic panels alongside the parking area "helps soften the building."      

It'll have open floor plans, large floor plates, and "unprecedented views" of downtown, nearby lakes and South Minneapolis.

Funding for the project comes from the Ackerberg Group and MidCountry Bank, and through Recovery Zone Facility Bonds issued by the city, according to company information.

Mozaic will be open by January 2012.

In the future another 100,000 to 150,000 square feet of commercial, residential or mixed-use space could be added. "I think people will be happy with the results," he says.  

     
Source: Thatcher Imboden, Ackerberg Group
Writer: Anna Pratt     





   

Right now, oslund.and.assoc., a local landscape architecture firm, is collecting input both in person and online about what the redesign of Peavey Plaza should entail. This week the firm, which the city hired, led a visioning session with members of the public at Orchestra Hall.  
 
Peavey Plaza is an amphitheater and fountain on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The 1975 concrete plaza, which New York landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg designed, is frequently used for outdoor concerts in the warmer months. But its mechanical system is giving out while other areas are also showing signs of wear and tear. 

Oslund.and.assoc. is taking the time to find out about how people use the plaza and what they like and dislike about it, explains Tadd Kreun, a landscape architect at the firm who is working on the project. At this early stage, he says, "It would be premature to form design concepts until we know the pulse of the community and the users." 

Some parts of the plaza could be left intact, or it could get a whole new look.

In March the firm will come back with some design alternatives at an open house. Final designs will come out in the summer while the groundbreaking is slated for spring 2012.

Kreun says the firm, which also designed Gold Medal Park alongside the Guthrie Theater, and Target Field's Target Plaza, has had Peavey Plaza on its radar for a couple years. "Peavey Plaza is obviously a huge iconic space in downtown Minneapolis," he says. "It's a great opportunity to work on a marquee space."  

The plaza is being updated in conjunction with the $40 million expansion of the neighboring Orchestra Hall. But the $5 million or $6 million plaza project will require some fundraising, according to Kreun.

One of the firm's partners, New York-based HR&A Advisors, is looking at ways to make it sustainable economically or "help self-fund itself," he says. 

Source: Tadd Kreun, landscape architect, oslund.and.assoc.  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Bloomington-based United Properties has a $40 million plan to turn the historic Ford Center in the Warehouse District downtown Minneapolis into an exemplar of sustainability.   

The 1913 building, once a vertical assembly plant for the Ford Motor Company, "will be the crown jewel of the Warehouse District, setting the new standard for renovated historic office properties in the Twin Cities," a prepared statement reads.

Bill Katter, senior vice president with United Properties, says the company's goal is to go for "silver" status through the LEED certification program, which is a high mark from the national standard for green building.   

It helps that the building is so close to the light rail transit line with several more trains to come, he says.

The group is planning to install high-efficiency mechanical systems and implement water conservation strategies, while taking advantage of regional materials, according to Katter. Its windowline, the building's "most significant and distinguishing characteristic," according to the prepared statement, will be restored and not sent to landfill, he says.  
Additionally, the 5th Street entrance will be reminiscent of the original, while the lower level will have 25 parking spaces plus a fitness center, Finance and Commerce reports.  

HGA Architects, which will do the design work on the project, is moving from a building a few blocks away into the Ford Center, where it will take up about 80,000 square feet of the 270,000 square feet total.

Jason Sandquist, a brokerage associate at Adam Commercial who writes about the Minneapolis real estate market on the group's blog, Positive Absorption, makes the point that the building's renovation can be seen as "one of the first economic impacts that the new Twins ballpark has brought to the area," following several years of a slowdown in development.

Source: Bill Katter, United Properties
Writer: Anna Pratt

Coming up with inspiring visions for reconnecting the city of Minneapolis to the Mississippi River--one of three great rivers in the world--is no easy task, but that's just what the contestants in the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition set out to do.

The four finalist teams, which were chosen in November, are competing for a commission to redesign 220 acres of parkland along the Mississippi, starting near the Stone Arch Bridge and pushing the city's northern boundary.  

They presented their plans to an audience of over 400 people at the Walker Art Center last week, while another 200 viewers watched online. A winner will be announced Feb. 10.  

Mary deLaittre, the contest's project manager, who is also the founder and principal of Groundwork City Building, says each design was impressive.

For starters, the New York City-based Ken Smith Workshop's plan "clearly walked people along the river," she says, adding, "That was the strongest element. It gave a clear concept of the parks along the river." 

Boston's Stoss Landscape Urbanism had a clear understanding that "we need to reclaim and redefine the river quickly," while the firm also recognized the importance of marketing and branding the endeavor in unique ways.

Likewise, TLS/KVA out of Berkeley, Calif., "distinguished themselves with an innovative, comprehensive and integrated approach," that included a considerable amount of community engagement.

The group touched on topics such as health, mobility and green economy, educating people about consumer impacts on the river.

Last, Turenscape team members who come from Beijing, China, "really outdid themselves with a quality video that looks at the river over 50 years." 

Although each team was paid $30,000, deLaittre says, individually the teams put in another $250,000 in time, expertise and production--hard work that will have lasting value. 

Video footage of their presentations can be seen on the project website, where there's also a form for submitting feedback.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Minneapolis Parks Foundation cosponsored the contest along with creative partners, the Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota College of Design.
 

Source: Mary deLaittre, project manager, Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition and founder and principal for Groundwork City Building 
Writer: Anna Pratt

As a part of the 25th annual Search for Shelter Charrette through the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a group of architects and designers will come up with design solutions to address various affordable housing and homelessness issues. 

The workshop at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, which goes from Feb. 11 to 13, is the only one of its kind throughout the AIA network, according to event information.

Jacquelyn Peck, a Minnesota AIA representative, explains that about 50 volunteer architects, landscape and interior designers, and students who turn out for the weekend will break into eight-person teams. The teams are then individually assigned to a handful of different projects. 

Nonprofit organizations apply to participate in the event through a competitive process, she says.  

The event includes opening remarks from Minnesota chapter president Steve Fiskum, a panel discussion with area housing experts, and presentations from the selected nonprofits. 

Afterward, teams meet with nonprofits to go over more details. They spend the day visiting sites, developing designs, and creating accompanying images. To help the nonprofits get going on the projects, "We give them a weekend of intense design, with boards and images," Peck says.

She describes the event as a springboard to "get [nonprofits'] ideas down into something tangible so they can talk about it and educate others with."

On Sunday at noon, the teams present their work as part of a program that's open to the public.     
 
Past projects have centered on everything from connecting scattered affordable housing sites to remodeling homeless-shelter lobbies.

One project that has been a success, starting off at the design charrette in 2008, is the revamped facility for YouthLink, which provides services to homeless youth. "They took images and got funding to do the remodeling and addition work," Peck says, adding, that the facility re-opened a few months ago.  


Source: Jacquelyn Peck, representative of the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects
Writer: Anna Pratt

Through a $243 million renovation that has long been in the works, the historic St. Paul Union Depot will become a multimodal transit hub, providing access to the region, Milwaukee, Chicago, and beyond.

The project broke ground on Jan. 18.

St. Paul policy director Nancy Homans says it'll be a center of transportation activity akin to transit hubs in New York City and Washington, D.C. "It's a strong element of the regional economy."     

Amtrak, metro area buses and express buses, the Central Corridor Light Rail line, and pedestrian and bicycle traffic will run through the depot. Greyhound and Jefferson bus lines might also come into play, according to city information.

It harks back to the 1881 depot's early days, when it was known as the transportation center of the Upper Midwest and the gateway to the Northwest, according to historical information from Ramsey County Regional Rail.

Financing for the renovation comes from a combination of county, state, and federal funds, including $50 million from the last federal transportation bill and $35 million in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to city information.

Ramsey County is studying what kind of activity should go on there to make it more than a pass-through. After all, Homans explains, "It's an economic center, in and of itself."     
 
As the region grows and develops over the next several decades, having more people taking advantage of public transit will lead to less congestion. "Businesses today say there's a congestion tax," with trucks sitting in traffic.

The project represents a shift away from highway building, which she characterized as a drag on the economy. "It frees up the resources that would be put into roads and highways and draws it to the center," she says. "It's much more efficient for the long term."

A more efficient system can "set a pattern of activity to save the planet and support the economic prosperity of the region."  

Trains last ran at the depot 40 years ago. It was mothballed and then part of it was used by the U.S. Postal Service. Eventually the county acquired it for the transit project.

"It's a very cool building," she says, adding that the renovation will make it a "wonderful asset."

The renovation project is planned to wrap up in 2012.

Source: Nancy Homans
Writer: Anna Pratt

The state's largest affordable-housing complex will soon undergo a considerable rehab.

Funding for a project to revamp Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood closed on Jan. 5 while construction could begin next month.  

The modernist 11-building campus, which renowned architect Ralph Rapson designed in the 1970s, has 4,440 residents, plus a charter school, grocery store, and tenant resource center, according to city information.

Matt Goldstein, who works in the city's housing division, says that getting the finances lined up is a huge accomplishment on its own. 

A complicated $132 million deal restructures the property's debt and finances a $62 million renovation that includes $7 million for site and common-area improvements, according to city information.

Notably, 88 percent of the project's funding comes from private sources, he says.   

Goldstein explains that the rehab comes out of necessity. The heating and cooling system had started to go, which could leave a whole building without heat. As such, "The vast majority of work is being done behind the walls," he says.  

Otherwise, the building could become uninhabitable and would "create an amazing burden on shelters and other available housing stock," he says, adding that there is no money to acquire the property and tear down the building.   
 
For the city, the bottom line is about extending the building's lifespan and "enhancing the quality of life for these residents," he says. "The comprehensive nature of the renovation does that."  

Other goals of the project are to increase safety on the campus, improve energy efficiency, and better provide for pedestrians and bicycles. The city also pushed for a workforce plan that creates 200 construction jobs, with 90 spots reserved for neighborhood residents.

Goldstein is hopeful about the project's potential impact on the area.

The renovation is aligned with several other projects, Goldstein explains. The nearby Cedars, also a large affordable-housing complex, will soon be revamped, while planning for the neighborhood's Central Corridor Light Rail stop is underway, along with additional streetscape improvements.   

It's part of a conscientious effort to make the developments work together. "The Riverside Plaza project isn't happening in a vacuum," says Goldstein.

Source: Matt Goldstein, Housing Division for Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

Last month the Twin Cities branch of LISC, which mobilizes corporate, government, and philanthropic support for local community development organizations, announced it was giving out $705,000 to a handful of local nonprofits to grow what it calls Financial Opportunity Centers. (LISC is a sponsor of The Line.)

The Twin Cities recipients include CommonBond Communities, Communidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio, Emerge Community Development, Lutheran Social Services, and Project for Pride in Living, according to information from Twin Cities LISC.

The financial opportunity centers take a bundled approach with financial coaching, employment, and training that goes beyond job placement, according to Andriana Abariotes, who is the Twin Cities LISC executive director.

Two of the nation's 33 Financial Opportunity Centers were piloted in the Twin Cities in 2007 through the East Side Lutheran Services and the Project for Pride in Living. 

"It's not about the basic need of a job but issues of budgeting and financial aspirations," such as owning a house or starting a business, she says.  

Someone who already has a job but wants to find a career path out of an entry-level job could come to one of the centers to get help. Staffers also work to ensure that people are taking advantage of various kinds of government assistance that they may qualify for, such as low-income tax credits and food stamps.   

On the other end, "It's an opportunity for trusted community organizations to work in a longer-term way" with people with whom they've already built relationships, she says, adding that the centers will track results. 

Nearly half of the grant money comes from the federal Social Innovation Fund that directs public and private funds to "expand effective community solutions related to economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development and school support," according to a prepared statement from the organization.

Funds will begin to trickle in next month while the program officially launches in April, according to Abariotes.   


Source: Andriana Abariotes, Twin Cities LISC executive director
Writer: Anna Pratt

Minnetonka-headquartered Opus Development Corp. will soon begin construction on a high-end, 120-unit student apartment complex near the University of Minnesota at Washington Avenue Southeast and Southeast Ontario Street in Minneapolis.

The Stadium Village Flats will be within walking distance to the east and west bank sides of campus, Dinkytown, and the forthcoming Central Corridor light rail train that's planned to run down Washington Avenue Southeast by 2013, according to Dave Menke, a senior vice president and general manager at Opus.

"We consider it to be the best location down at the edge of campus," he says. 

The $30 million building's units, which have a range of one to four bedrooms, will come fully furnished and will boast upscale finishes, according to company information. There will be two levels of underground parking and street-level retail, most of which CVS Pharmacy will occupy, he adds.

Inside will be student lounges, business and fitness centers, and Internet access throughout--while an eye-catching glass feature will run down the exterior on the northwest corner of the building, where Oak Street and Washington Avenue Southeast intersect.   

A couple of existing buildings that housed the longtime Harvard Market and additional commercial space and a parking lot will be demolished at the end of February, with construction beginning in March.

Initially the development involved the Oak Street Cinema and was to have twice as many units, the Minnesota Daily reported earlier, but it has been scaled down since then, due to economic factors.   

The flats will be ready in August 2012. "It'll be a first-class student housing project, he says, adding,  "There's a strong demand from the students." 

Source: Dave Menke, senior vice president and general manager for Opus Development Corp.
Writer: Anna Pratt

St. Paul city officials, community members, and other stakeholders are mulling over ideas to help preserve, restore, and improve Indian Mounds Regional Park. A 20-member task force will present plans at an open house this week. 

The century-old Indian Mounds Regional Park, in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, is a segment of the Battle Creek Regional Park, according to city information.

Indian Mounds Park has a history as a sacred Indian burial ground going back 2,000 years, starting with the Hopewell culture. Later the area was sacred to the Dakota Indians. Only six of at least 37 original mounds still exist today.

The park hasn't been updated much since the 1970s, according to parks spokesperson Brad Meyer.  

Meyer says the planning process dovetails with a larger visioning effort that's underway, including the Great River Park Plan, which is about making the St. Paul riverfront more natural, more urban, and more connected, project materials state.  

The Great River plan will outline where the city's parks will be in 25 years, Meyer says. In the future,Indian Mounds Park could have volleyball and bocce ball courts, gateway features, and a garden, for instance.

Other ideas are for a dog park, tennis courts, exercise stations, and a revamped amphitheater, according to project materials. Some mounds may be relocated, while native plantings would help restore the prairie.  

The core idea is that Indian Mounds is a destination park, with a lot of potential for becoming a unique place, Meyer says, adding that it's "a significant step into the future of what could be another premium park."  
    
The plan will move to the City Council in February before heading to the Metropolitan Council.
 

Source: Brad Meyer, St. Paul parks public information officer
Writer: Anna Pratt

Over the past 30 years, the St. Anthony Falls Historic District in Minneapolis, which testifies to the city's origin in milling and trade and includes the Mississippi River's main waterfall, has seen marked changes.

Developments have sprung up and ideas about preservation have evolved. No longer is restoration simply about saving and reusing buildings or properties, while there's more information about the area's history now than there was only a few decades ago.  

Accordingly, the historic district's 1980 design guidelines have gotten out of date. They're limited in that they only address "architectural standards for new building construction based on a series of discrete sub-districts" and don't account for the falls and the river and other landscape features, plus archaeology and industrial uses, according to city information.   

In response, the city is calling for professional services to help get new guidelines in place that are in keeping with the times and take a more holistic view of the area.  

Brian Schaffer, a senior city planner for Minneapolis, explains via email that the new design guidelines will provide a framework to evaluate alterations and new construction within the district, which is historic according to local, state, and federal standards.

The guidelines will help "evaluate and review project proposals such as the restoration of the falls or the construction of new buildings," he says, citing several projects underway along the riverfront, including a proposal to reinterpret the falls on the river's eastern edge. As they come up, "proposed projects would have to comply with the regulations developed in the new design guidelines," he says.


Source: Brian Schaffer, senior city planner for Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt