How has Minneapolis changed in the past 2 years? (Bloomington, Lynd: apartments, loft)

[yoyoma02]

The last week of July marks the anniversary I moved out of Minneapolis to California.

I made the move 2 years ago, in July 2010. Unfortunately, I haven't really been back much since.

How has Minneapolis and the Twin Cities changed in the past 2 years? What are the major differences within the vibe, people, places, and things that Minneapolis has to offer that it didn't 2 years ago?

[Ghengis]

it's gotten warmer

[uptown_urbanist]

Can't remember when Nice Ride opened, but that might have been two years ago. That's been a very visible change. Also, Uptown has a ton of buildings that have gone up in the past two years, and the new (long time in coming) Mozaic building, stage 1 (behind the Lagoon Theater), is up, along with a nice new pedestrian bridge across the Greenway. LRT construction keeps plugging along. (and I am back in CA as of this summer, but in very recent months it definitely seems like the weather is the main difference! Glad we were able to make the move before the brutal heat wave hit.)

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Here are a few I can think of off the top of my head:

-The "Surly Law" was passed in the last couple years and there has been a recent explosion of microbreweries and taphouses.

-With the opening of Target Field there has been some development in the area near the stadium with various restaurants and bars opening.

-The few tenants Block E had left in the 2 years. The entire building is now empty besides the movie theater, Kieran's and The Shout House.

-The Central Corridor light rail has spent the last 2 years in construction and appears to be nearing completion in some parts but still a disaster zone in others (U of M West Bank for instance).

-A devastating tornado went through North Minneapolis and heavily damaged and destroyed hundreds of homes last summer. This is still in the process of being cleaned up.

-There is a big hotel being added onto the south end of the Mall of America.

-Nothing has been built yet but a deal has been made to build a new Vikings stadium next to the Metrodome.

[Minnesota Spring]

The population increased by 56,975 people and the permafrost came out of the ground and the ice bergs in Lake Calhoun are gone!

[Glenfield]

Dedicated bike lanes painted everywhere in Minneapolis.

[yoyoma02]

This is all great info. I lived near LynLake for years, it's nice to know that complex is finally done!

I left the week the Nice Ride opened. Do people actually take advantage of that program?

What is the plan with the bike lanes when there is ice and snow covering them? Seems light a nightmare in the winter months.

What are the best new bars in the city that has opened since summer 2010?

[uptown_urbanist]

Yes, people do take advantage of Nice Ride. I'm not in Minneapolis this summer (and don't know if the number of riders went down in all of the heat!), but before that I was very impressed with how many Nice Ride bikes I saw in use.

There was some problem with the paint on the Bryant Ave bike lane. I think they were fading faster than expected. But the bike lanes themselves are in the street, so it's not an issue for winter, as the streets are plowed anyway.

In Lyn-Lake the new Greenleaf building opened last year (I think last fall); that's the new mixed-use building next to Salem English Lutheran Church (the new building replaced the church's modern addition). Haven't been inside, but it looks good from the outside. Lyndale UCC sold their building (that's the one right across from Bryant Square) and moved in with Salem and one other church to share their building. A new church (New Wine, I think) moved into Lyndale's space, and was, I believe, doing a lot of renovations to the space.

Work is also really moving along on the Buzza Building (old Lehmann Center) as they convert into affordable loft apartments (Greenleaf is affordable, too, which is nice). I think Buzza is set to open up this fall. And not sure when this happened, but there's now a huge CVS in that little strip mall that sits adjacent to the building on the corner of Lake and Dupont.

The other big Lyndale buzz (and contoversy) is the proposed Trader Joe's. City liquor laws restrict placement, and they've zeroed in on the one spot in Uptown/Lyn-Lake where they can fit a store and still be able to sell booze. Unfortunately it means the demolition of some older buildings to make room for it (another casualty of outdated blue laws, but I'll save that rant for another time...).

[dravogadro]

Originally Posted by yoyoma02

What is the plan with the bike lanes when there is ice and snow covering them? Seems light a nightmare in the winter months.

In case you didn't know, Bloomington has the largest US bicycle parts distributor. Therefore, their design team is intimately aware of the issues Minnesota cyclists face. Hence:

The Moonlander (one of many fat bike options)


Studded Tires:


What more do you need? Riding in the snow is fun, no matter what you ride.

[yoyoma02]

Originally Posted by dravogadro

In case you didn't know, Bloomington has the largest US bicycle parts distributor. Therefore, their design team is intimately aware of the issues Minnesota cyclists face. Hence:

The Moonlander (one of many fat bike options)


Studded Tires:


What more do you need? Riding in the snow is fun, no matter what you ride.

That is insane!