Cowboy Slims redevelopment revisions
Featured, Real Estate — By Thatcher Imboden on December 15, 2011 12:49 amCowboys Slims is still anticipated to be redeveloped into a six-story, retail/restaurant/apartment building. The 92 unit building will also have 23,800 square feet of retail/restaurant space along with 212 parking stalls. The project is located between Lagoon Avenue and Lake Street on the east side of Girard Avenue.
Clark Gassen is now working with BKV Group on the designs of the project, now named City Walk. Their team presented to the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association Zoning & Planning Committee and Board tonight.
The proposed City Walk building in Uptown Minneapolis will rise six stories on the current Cowboy Slim's site.
The building will feature 92 units on five floors and include a mixture of efficiencies to three bedroom units. Some units will be two levels. That is a slight increase in units compared with previous renditions (80 units) and a slightly different unit mix.
The plans still include removing the parking lane on Girard Avenue and replacing it with a linear plaza with landscaping, seating, and art. The restaurants would cap each corner at Lagoon as well as at Lake. In between will be retail space facing Girard. Each restaurant will be recessed into the building at the corner to create “large porches.”
Ingress to the site will be off of both Lagoon and Lake towards the center of the block. Egress will be onto Lagoon. The 212 parking stalls will require a parking variance for the commercial uses, as they are required 18 for the retail and 142 for the restaurants, while only 105 is being allocated to the commercial uses. That was a source of discussion at the neighborhood meeting, as some committee members were concerned about the long term impact if parking variances are granted at this time because it’s believed that enough public parking is available but later on is not.
The site plan for City Walk in Uptown Minneapolis features ground floor restaurant space at each corner with recessed "porches" for dining. Retail will line the central part of the block facing Girard Avenue.
The neighborhood group committee and board voted to support the project.
Thatcher Imboden
How cities work and change, how they are the product of their inhabitants and outside forces, and the resulting livability keep me thinking and dreaming about the future. I work in urban real estate development, am Past President of an Uptown business organization, grew up in Uptown, was on an Uptown neighborhood association Board, and am an Uptown and Lyn-Lake historian.
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15 Comments
Just want to clarify that the parking discussion was the only negative comment but it wasn’t enough to keep those concerned about it from voting to support the project. (Edit: one person did not support the project)
Thatcher, I’m curious if you have any input on why 6 stories seems to be the new standard for mixed-use developments around Uptown? Is there a maximum height for this area in the zoning code? If so, how did Mozaic get around that issue? If we don’t allow for anything taller, I’m afraid Uptown is going to look very uniform with all of these buildings of such similar height and configuration.
Matt, it’s because 6 stories is about the tallest you can build with wood construction. Usually in that situation you would have a ground floor of concrete and then five stories of wood. In addition, right around 8 stories, you go to high rise construction which adds a lot of cost to the construction through different code requirements.
You are right that we may end up with some uniformity, but that may not be bad. Paris has a lot of uniformity and people love it. And realistically, it will only be the east side of Uptown between Girard and Emerson that will be like that since most of the core Uptown area (Hennepin-Lake) probably won’t change that much.
Thatcher
You are correct but Parisienne don’t use these cheap 15 year lasting material on new buildings.
Even the city of Woodbury have a material ordinance on new building. It’s not my building but whole Uptown looks so cheap.
Any clarification on the start date?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there a giant ramp half a block from here and another massive ramp under construction half a block the other direction? District rather than parking available for each establishment is preferrable in my mind.
The core of Uptown WILL change “That much” it already has and will continue to do so.
Bad Move
If this development proceeds, the Uptown neighborhood and Minneapolis planning department need to make sure (and insist!) they use high quality materials for the facade (i.e no concrete board). The BKV design for Lake and Knox apartments is horrendous. It looks very cheap and will not age well at all.
John
Few of us need to get together to make this movement going… If there is a lawyer to volunteer, that might help as well. Maybe we should start a petition?
I think if the planning department and neighborhood groups were more vocal about the importance of high quality design the developer would respond to that. I think “The Walkway” has potential to be an great addition to Uptown. It will help connect the heart of Uptown to the greenway and soften the impact of the scale of “The Mozaic”. The rendering suggests an exciting scuptural form for the building, with a strong street level presence that will enhance the pedestrian experience. If the building uses high quality materials in its design it will be a huge asset to the neighborhood. Let’s cross our fingers!
Exciteing sculptural form?!?!?! You mean the same sculptural form that is relicated excatly in every single new loft/condo/apartment development for the last ten years?!?!? Take a look at ANY new development – from EXcelsion on Grand to 3100 Lake Street – they all look the same!!!!
I am SO sick of every single sare tract of land being turned into some new luxury apartment/condo/loft junk.
…and The Mozaic!?!?! A seven story parking ramp??? Where paray tell is the actual retail in that fricking monstrosity???
Let me put this in no uncertain terms: Uptown sucks now. Period.
Are you suggesting that there are generational trends in architecture? You may be on to something there!
Does anyone know which company they are working with to lease the retail space?
I think it is Clark Gassen at this point
Believe he has someone he’s very interested in (wink)