housing

If they want the historic tax credit they better restore it to look like the picture! anything less would just be robbing the taxpayers...

Who the hell is going to pay 1200-1400 bucks a month for a box?? 500 square feet? Please know the housing market has changed & coming from the mortgage industry, homes are costing about the same or less with a garage, backyard, 3 bed 2 baths..SPACE..Even careers professionals like myself need room to entertain and have the option of having more space in case they must host or want an office, work out area anything...To me downtown Minneapolis is missing the mark! There are so many luxury condo's going up, its going to be the same thing that happened before.... all luxury, no lust..Bad idea 75% 1 bedrooms sir, trust in that..

Who would want to live at that location?

After years of living in a NW suburb, I would LOVE to live downtown. Being able to take the skyway to work; not have to drive on icy roads; access to public transportation; and being able to walk to bars, shops, restaurants, and the ballpark. What's not to love? As for the cost, monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment already exceeds $1,000 in my suburban neighborhood.

I suspect that the people who commented negatively are being led astray by the thought that, since these apartments don't fit THEIR current lifestyle, no one else could possibly find them attractive. When I was 24 and single, I rented a 550-s.f. efficiency apartment. I had no desire to spend my weekends mowing a lawn or cleaning rooms that I barely used. And even if I'd wanted a house, I didn't have enough money saved for a down payment (I suspect most recent college grads are in the same boat). 20-somethings who like to go out a lot will love renting in this building.

Considering the cost of car ownership can easily represent $10,000 of purchasing power a year, there's a lot of money to be saved by people who choose to live without a car for their day to day lifestyle (and it's easy enough to rent a car for <$50 a weekend if one needs to get out of town). There's a lot more expense to the suburban lifestyle than a mortgage payment. It's a great thing people can choose what they want for themselves.

Only families would be fool enough to live in the suburbs...sure you get a lot of space and a big garage, but the cost is HUGE in terms of time and convenience. When I owned a home all my time and money went into painting, mowing, shoveling and maintaining the monster. The rest of the time I was stuck in traffic. I now live in a 1100 square foot condo downtown and love it. Everything is either in my building or nearby.

Five years from now, the vacancy rate for apartments in Minneapolis will be 40%.