In the Neighborhood and at Home

The Star Tribune reported today that the Mill District redevelopment project by Schafer Richardson got the shaft last night. Mill District towers are ground down.

The primary beef, it seems, is that the residential towers closer to the beautiful (snerk) Metal Matic foundry will be too tall and diminish the showcase that is now the A Mill. This grates on me because:

1. The A Mill is falling down and if they don't do something with it quick, it'll go the way of the banner church.
2. The Neighborhood Association worked really hard with the developer to make sure that the towers were in proportion and offered adequate river access instead of being flat buildings that blocked the river from the residents.
3. No one seemed to care about this when LaRive and The Pinacle were built.
4. I actually l ike the way the project looks (see picture below.)



It seems like we keep running into the same problem with new developments on this side of the river. Everyone seems hung up on brick. They want to make it look like the whole neighborhood is historic instead of showcasing a few beautiful buildings in an elaborate setting. Personally, I feel that if you mimic the historic architecture too much, you diminish what is old for what is new.

Which is not to say that I have any love lost for my yucky old kitchen that is gone. It's not done, but it's better!