I am happy that Sherman responded here Dave. I have been involved with the development at Nicollet and Lake for quite some time. Sherman came to the Whittier Alliance before they determined the design for the project at Nicollet and Lake. They have been open to changes and suggestions and were very good at interpreting the issues we brought forward.
Many people in Whittier want a good grocery store with reasonable prices. They also want a low cost retailer like a K-Mart, Walmart, or Target. The K-Mart store on Lake and Nicollet is one of the ten most profitable in Minnesota. There is a demand for that level of retailer there. It is not a corner for a Nieman Marcus or Ralph Lauren store. The neighborhood also made it clear that the big boxy look sucked. I thought DJR's (Sherman Architects) idea of flanking the big box with micro commercial spaces was fabulous. I certainly didn't interpret that they were doing this to "fool" us. I think we get the best of both worlds. Let's face it, the ability to do low-cost grocery and low-cost retail is in the volume. Big volume requires big box. If you can soften the blow by flanking the big box with smaller yet vital commercial space then we all win. The residents get a lot of choice, the neighborhood gets an economic development tool (especially for immigrants who want to start a business), we get some jobs and the end result is that Nicollet and Lake will be a thriving place that looks a whole lot better. My experience with Sherman has been very positive. O.K. I don't like that they got dragged into the 35W expansion battle, but, that's another story. I don't think I am the only person that's a Sherman fan. They are also doing a development project on the other end of Lake. The reports I get from those neighborhoods is that they too are excited by the Sherman proposal. Just wanted to share my thoughts on the issue. Have a happy Veterans Day and thanks to all those veterans who put your lives on the line to defend our freedom. I am posted out. Barb Lickness/Whittier ===== "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos http://launch.yahoo.com/u2 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
