Update on the Midway

This is one of my favorite murals by artist Chuck U. It's painted on 2290 Wycliff, close to my office. The Creative Enterprise Zone did a great job with the mural fest!  It makes the neighborhood feel more vibrant. So much is happening here, but sometimes we fly under the radar. I've always felt that the people in the Creative Enterprise Zone knew we had a lot going on, but now we have visual proof!    It will be fun to see what the CEZ comes up with next. 

Yesterday they poured the concrete for the third floor.  Today is concrete for the second floor!

It's pretty exciting when you see all the new developments pinned to this map!   We are pleased that the two new housing developments and two office buildings will bring many new jobs and residents to our neighborhood.    Sunrise Banks will build a beautiful office building, I'm sure.   Their bank on Como Avenue is very pretty and sustainable development too.   With their building and our development at 661 LaSalle, there will be over 150 new workers in the neighborhood every day.    The new new apartments on University will bring hundreds of residents  to the area as well.   We need the mix of both to support our restaurants and shops in the  Raymond/University area. Welcome to the Creative Enterprise Zone!   We Make it Here!    And people want to be here.

Sometimes its hard to believe the transformation we have made, even when we worked on it ! Here's a photo from around 1980 when we first purchased the building at 2325 Endicott St.   We removed the addition that was on the right, later we put windows back in the blocked up openings.   In 2013 the Urban Growler did the rest.

My tenants at 970 Raymond and 2380 Wycliff will be excited to hear that the City of St. Paul will be adding improvements to Hampden Park in 2016.  The park will get some added landscaping, benches and a plaza on the Hampden/Raymond corner.  This will be a great place to eat lunch or just take a quick stroll.

661 LaSalle - A First Look at the New Building !! We are excited to post the architect's rendering of the proposed building at 661 LaSalle St.   We have submitted plans for site plan review and hopefully the City will approve the project. It will be 3 stories, roughly 7,000 sq. ft. of office space per floor.  If all goes as planned we will be able to start digging in June 2015 and finish construction in early 2016.   

FINALLY !!   We just finished tearing down the last of the little garage that was left on the property.  Now we are ready to begin work on our new project !!   I think the neighborhood is ready for a new office building.

This might be your last week to enjoy Foxy Falafel out on the sidewalk  at 791 Raymond Avenue .  They have been a great addition to our neighborhood and a favorite stop for lunch.   This is the falafel salad with strawberry basil water.  YUM !!   I enjoy their cute storefront and great plants too.  It's always clean and cute.  You can follow them on Twitter to find out about their food truck locations. www.foxyfalafel.com

Looking east Why is it so fun to watch the big excavators?  I like this photo of one taking a big "bite" out of the last bit of the building that is still standing.   The operators can smash the wall of a building or pick up a small item - It is a real skill.   Bolander and Sons is doing the demoiltion for us and I can't believe how fast the building came down .  Now we can really stat working on putting together plans for our new building.  

Salon George  856 Raymond Ave. Salon George has the most beautiful storefront flowers in the Creative Enterprise Zone.   Every year they have different plantings and each year they are amazing.   Inside the salon, you will find a beautiful peaceful setting too.   I love the renovated building and the unique art they display.   They offer hair, make-up, nail and many spa services.   Located just a few blocks north of University on Raymond Ave. www.salongeorgestpaul.com

I'm excited to join the board of the St. Anthony Park Community Foundation this fall.  And what a time to join this group!  At the 15th anniversary celebration last Friday, executive director Jon Schumacher  announced that our endowment has reached over one million dollars.  The foundation uses the endowment to support schools, the arts and other groups that help to make St. Anthony Park one of the best neighborhoods in the twin cities.   The well attended celebration was held at the Urban Growler, who were great hosts for our event. The Urban Growler

700 Raymond really looks pretty on a summer day like today.  The rain garden area is growing great and the plants are doing well.   The potted flowers really add a pop of color.

I applied for a Knight Foundation  Green Line Grant yesterday to improve the corner of La Salle and University.    I think the corner is dull, uninviting and needs more landscaping.   I'm hoping they agree with me and grant me some funding to improve the corner.   It definitely needs Something! !   Trees, more brick piers, signs, art, bike racks, flowers. Almost anything would help. We need to work to make the Raymond Station area inviting and interesting.

Okay it doesn't look like much and frankly, we are going to tear it down, but we are buying a new property: This is 661 LaSalle, just one block from the Raymond Station. We are exited to start planning our next project.  Looks like we can fit a 14,000 to 20,000 sq. ft. office building on this site. The site is adjacent to the Foundry on Raymond and our 2300 Myrtle Avenue building, so we can really develop almost the whole block.  Pretty exciting!

This video makes some good points regarding trends we are seeing along the Green Line.  When competing for great workers, we need to make our office spaces attractive to younger workers. Millennials  really value being on public transit .  Companies that want to attract these young workers should keep transit in mind when selecting a location for their office.   Maybe it's because this generation has seen the headaches of my generation - the expense of long commutes, not only with high gas prices but endless hours spent in the car.  They also value an open work space with many ways to connect and work.   I believe they are driving the co-working trend.   Younger workers don't want to feel tied to a desk. Computers and phones with cords are not tying them down.  The last thing young workers want is their father's bland old cubicle or an 8 x 10 office with no personality.  What if the break room was more like a bar?  What if they...

Check out this great video the Midway Monitor did of Update Company. It's fun to share our history and I think they did a great job of showing off our buildings. The Monitor Visits Update Company

Making New Friends :  I am excited that we have a new tenant moving into Midtown Commons.  In Site Architects will be moving into our building in the next month from their current location in Minneapolis. The Creative Enterprise Zone is a perfect place for them to be. http://www.insitearchitect.com/ Keeping the Old:   We are pleased to report that we have a number of tenants that renewed their leases this month: All Parks Alliance for Change Midwest Financial Search Alt-Kie Computer Consultants Total Music Systems

2014 is going to be a positive year.  As I talk to people in our creative enterprise zone and the Midway business community I get a definite feeling of optimism.   Here are some things I feel are going to be great in 2014: The Green Line will open in the summer.  I think we will see lots of people using LRT and finding it convenient to use .Development will continue to grow along University Ave. as people will want to locate close by.  Craft brewing will continue to grow.  Urban Growler will open in the spring, Surly will work on its new campus.  St. Paul will start to catch up with Minneapolis's head start. Collaborative working will expand.  I sense a real interest in social innovation by working collaboratively.  I think there's  potential for new ideas and partnerships to come from new ways of working. I think we will see some of that happen in the creative enterprise zone. The Raymond station area will continue to grow as...

BANG! BREWERY is making progress on their new building on Capp Road.  It looks too short right now, but I hear they put the roof part on, then it gets moved up and they add more to the sides.  Both the building and the beer will be made in a sustainable manner.  We're excited for our new neighbors.