Update on the Midway

The construction site is very busy at University and Hampden where the Platform Apartments are under construction.  This is going to be a great addition to the neighborhood - replacing two blighted buildings - turning the corner into a beautiful place to live.   A roof top patio will be a great amenity, as will the underground parking lot.   We are excited for our new neighbors to move in this fall.  St. Anthony Park is really growing - adding many new neighbors close to University.  Hopefully this development will bring a new restaurant!

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

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...

Over 100 years ago 2334 University was built as the horse barn for the horse-drawn streetcars running on University Avenue.  Today the Raymond LRT station is right in front of the building.    We recently took out the old ceiling tile in this suite and found we have really cool wood ceilings.  Now we just need to find a user for this awesome space and we can finish the suite!

  The Raymond Station Area in 1988      What an amazing difference!

I decided to walk out to the Raymond Station rail platform.  It is really looking good.  Some of the signs are installed and wiring is there for the ticket machines etc.  I think that it will be pretty easy to get out to the platform. This is looking west from the platform. This is looking at 2314 University from the platform.

Here's the view out the window at Midtown Commons 2324 University Avenue.  The Raymond Ave. station is really taking shape. We have a beautiful suite available overlooking the station - 3,000 sq. ft. with 5 private offices, a conference room, kitchen, store room, and lots of open work space.

Minnesota 2020, http://www.mn2020.org/   one of our tenants at Midtown Commons has put together a time lapse video of LRT progress on University Avenue from the  rooftop at 2324 University Avenue. This is pretty cool to watch.

So let's see...We are a thriving creative community, but it's been a while since we have celebrated that fact.  To celebrate the completion of light rail in our neighborhood, I think we should put together some creative artwork to showcase our thriving area and welcome the many new developments that have arrived. A sculpture in the grassy area of the Carleton Lofts A mural about reading for the Minnesota Literacy Council An interactive artwork for the Avalon school students A collaborative outdoor place for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits staff to sit Planters, banners, yarn bombing?  Who knows. Gets you thinking doesn't it?  Send me your ideas.

We're exciting to see another project in the University/Raymond neighborhood. The Chittenden & Eastman Building at 2402 University is being turned into 100 apartment units. Construction will begin around Labor Day with occupancy in fall 2012. This brings an additional $ 19 million dollars of investment to the corner! University and Raymond is booming!

Some neighbors in St. Anthony Park are pushing for a City plan that will tear up Raymond Ave. from University to Hampden in 2012 and re-do the streets. I have been campaigning against this plan for the following reasons: 1. The scope of the traffic calming has gone from changing a unsafe interscetions to re-paving the whole street. Now it's a plan spending over $ 1.5 million dollars. 2. It removes parking along Raymond. Haven't we been over this parking thing enough? LRT took away parking from the Raymond-University area. The City has not come up with any plans to replace it. Now the calming plan will remove over 40 spaces on Raymond. Seriously? 3. Businesses were not involved in the planning and people were not told that they would be assessed for part of the cost. Update will be assessed over $ 17,500!! 4. The timing of the plan is horrible. Raymond businesses are suffering from LRT construction this whole year - can they make it through another year of cl...

Construction has started along University Avenue in our neighborhood. This is the time to make sure you continue to support the local restaurants and shops along the Avenue while they deal with the construction. Let's all support each other and get through this next 3-4 months!!

Central Corridor LRT construction will begin March 2011. Update Company has been very proactive regarding theupcoming construction. We are attending numerous community meetings, adding our input on station area plans, reviewing artwork for the Raymond station and visioning sessions for preserving and strengthening the West Midway industrial area. We are active supporters of the University Avenue Business Association, who is fighting for all small businesses along University. Update Company's buildings are well prepared for construction and the loss of parking. But many businesses along the Avenue will lose almost all of their parking. We feel that the City of St. Paul and the Met Council have not adequately addressed the parking issue and the harm that parking loss will cause. City reports tell us to share parking, and they promise to invest in licence plate recognition technology to ticket those who park illegally. It's my guess that most of those ticketed will be employees a...

Should it be called Raymond Station? Since planning started, there has been a light rail station at Raymond Avenue. But outside of the Midway area, not many people know where Raymond Avenue is. Should we come up with a more unique name for our corner of the the West Midway? I suggest Mid-City Station .

Did you know that if a building owner wants to install a shower for a new tenant that it must pay $ 2100 to the Met Council for each shower? In addition when my brother Jim wanted to go down to the Met Council office he was told that they do not meet face to face with a developer. They have to talk via phone or email. He could not go over the plans in person to explain our development or ask questions. Makes you wonder if government is getting a little too big........

A CHALLENGE... I have a challenge for commercial property owners and real estate brokers along University Avenue: Let's set the stage for new development. In residential real estate one trend is "Staging" a house to make it appeal to potential buyers. Along University, many buildings are available for sale or lease. But many properties desperately need "staging". I feel the whole Avenue could use a little staging. Here are some photos of available properties. Residential brokers tell you that to sell a house, it needs curb appeal. Building owners need to step up to the plate and remove old awnings and painted signs in the windows. The old car dealerships should get rid of the foil bunting hanging in the lots and the Chevy/Buick logos. The City of St. Paul should enforce sign ordinances to prevent the"over signing" of buildings. And of course, weeds and trash should be picked up. All eyes will be on University as light rail construction starts. Let'...

Focus on Opportunities Too! Let's set aside the controversy on LRT loss of parking and MPR vibration lawsuits for a minute and look at LRT from another side - development opportunity. Over the last week I have shown Update Company's office buildings to an arts group, a charter school, a design firm, a nonprofit group, and a software company. What do they all have in common? They all want to be located on the Central Corridor LRT line. Business people may disagree on many factors regarding the Central Corridor, but there's one thing we can agree on: LRT is already bringing millions of dollars in new development to the Midway . Here are some examples: The Lyric apartments are near completion at the Raymond Station. Frogtown Square senior housing and retail has begun construction at the Dale Station. The New Victoria Theatre group is proposing the renovation of 825 University into a community music venue at the Victoria station. 700 Raymond is being developed into creative lof...

Light Rail is Coming - Midtown Commons is Ready For many years, we've heard about light rail - the possibilities and the potential disruptions - for our tenants and our company. When a big project like this comes, you can get involved or bury your head in the sand. We have chosen to get involved in the dialog and give our input into the upcoming project. Light rail will affect our five buildings at Midtown Commons 2314, 2324, 2334 University, 2300 Myrtle and 700 Raymond. The Raymond LRT Station will be built in front of our buildings. We don't know the timeline, but it will be built between 2011 and 2014. We will lose about 12 on street parking spaces in front of our buildings We will be assessed for streetscape improvements - estimated at over $ 30,000 The good news is this: We're ready for the rail and up to the challenge. We have maximized our parking lots and maintained a parking permit system that will help us manage the loss of on street spaces. We are continuing t...