If you haven’t figured this out by now, I’m interested in how and why things change in our cities. Uptown has been the location of most of my analysis and has greatly shaped my perceptions of change. But I do get around a fair amount and love to meet with people in other cities to ask them about why their community is the way it is.
When I was in Portland, OR in 2010, one of the urban development surprises was that they had a lot of smaller-scale newer buildings in their neighborhood business districts and corridors. Some of these areas would be similar to say a busier Bryant Avenue but less traffic than Lyndale south of Lake. Buildings that were engaging to walk by, that were pretty, and smaller in scale so that they were more in context to their surroundings.
New construction on Portland’s Eastside. I believe this is Burnside, which was like a slightly quieter Lake Street. Photo from 2010.
This style of development is difficult to do here from conversations I’ve had with colleagues in the real estate industry. Partially because land is expensive, smaller buildings still need a lot of the same infrastructure like sprinklers and elevators, and underground parking. And unlike Portland, Minneapolis is generally a little more affordable (ie. rents aren’t high enough generally to support it) and there is more sprawl here. That said, we have seen tremendous apartment growth with much higher rents, so perhaps these developments are more viable today than they were 3 to 5 years ago.
Below are a series of photos from various places I’ve visited that show what I’m calling smaller infill development.
Why am I sharing these with you?
I accept the assumptions that urban living will continue to be attractive to more and more people over the next 20+ years, that we do not currently have a large enough supply of urban housing stock to accommodate growing demand, and that there will continue to be demand for housing in neighborhood locations like Uptown.
What I thus interpret is that Uptown will continue to see a growing demand for housing, which will drive up rents and house prices and therefore continue to create pressure for more housing to get built in Uptown. The core of Uptown has a number of sites left that seem ripe for redevelopment (Calhoun Square’s vacant lot, Cheapo, Arbys, McDonalds, Sons of Norway lot, etc). But many of those sites are more likely to be redeveloped as larger infill projects due to high land costs.
I believe we will see some pressure, though not a lot in any short- to mid-term period, on housing creation on Hennepin Avenue south of 31st Street, on Bryant Avenue south of Lake Street, on 31st Street, and along Lyndale Avenue and Hennepin Avenue between Franklin and 28th. Most of these projects would likely be very small in scale relative to what is currently being developed.
Thus, I wanted to take a look through the files at what some smaller (though there are projects that can be even smaller than this, like townhomes) projects look like and reflect on what we should set as expectations.
This newer building on the north edge of Encinitas, CA is comprised of four individual buildings with small storefronts on the ground floor and housing above. Photo from 2013.
A building in Coronado, CA that has ground floor retail and its upper floors set back. This was in a neighborhood location on a smaller street that had some retail use along it. When walking adjacent the building, the upper floors disappeared from view and felt “human scale.” Photo from 2007.
These townhomes are located in the Stapleton project in Denver, CO that replaced Stapleton airport with a major new neighborhood. This walkable neighborhood had larger apartments and retail surrounding an urban park with townhomes and then houses radiating from there. Photo from 2012.
This three-story building on Mississippi Avenue in Portland, OR stepped back the upper floor and used a different cladding to create a nice look and maintain an attractive scale to surrounding buildings. The street itself was very similar to Bryant Avenue in traffic flow and scale, but had slightly more retail density. Walking around the neighborhood, I felt like I was in the 36th & Bryant and 34th & Lyndale area but just arranged differently. Photo from 2010.
Another project along Mississippi Street in Portland, OR. The building was clad in wood (probably not very viable in Minnesota) and had retail on the ground floor. This was the core of the business district along the street. Photo from 2012.
We made it up to Alberta Street’s monthly event where the streets close and people hang out, bands play, artists are out, and just a general goofiness is out in full force. The building behind was rather small but new. The project fit very well into this smaller commercial corridor that was a mix of housing and retail uses. Reminded me of a slightly denser 38th Street. Photo from 2010.
This small building was integrated into a smaller commercial district in SE Portland, perhaps Sellwood or nearby, in an area that had a mix of housing and retail. Photo from 2010.
This four-story infill project is on Portland’s Eastside, I believe on Belmont. Photo from 2010. I could see projects like this on Hennepin and Lyndale north of 28th.
A small infill project in Santa Monica, CA. Photo from 2007.
A newer building in the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, WA. Photo from 2010.
A photo from Vancouver, BC showing a newer building with an upper floor stepped back at the top. This was on a commercial corridor similar in scale to Grand Avenue in St. Paul. Photo from 2010.
Now after viewing all of this, please don’t take it as a suggestion that we NEED to go knocking down buildings to construct new. I have a deep appreciation for history, but I also recognize the benefits of growth and the consequences of not growing if demand keeps growing. So there is a very delicate balance that needs to exist between preserving our heritage and the character of our communities with environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and affordability.
What I’d argue is that as we grow and as growth starts to migrate to the smaller commercial corridors in Minneapolis and Uptown, then we need to ensure the expectations are right to ensure compatibility and to ensure we have an enjoyable place to live in and travel by.
Those walking by this grocery store in Portland, OR, can stop and smell the roses or stop and buy the roses.
In a neighborhood location, these small-scale retail uses were set back from the sidewalk with a landscaping buffer and a small patio space. The housing above provided a partial overhang, which created an engaging experience. Photo from 2013.
A new retail/housing building along Mississippi Avenue in Portland, OR. Photo from 2010.
Plants line the sidewalk edge and climb a building in Portland, OR. While this building lacks doors on this facade, it has lots of windows and greenery to engage the public. Photo from 2010.
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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