In the last five years, we have built downtown up by adding hundreds of new housing units. Just within 100 feet of the Ren Box, there are three notable residential buildings being built now. But are we just adding units to get units on the tax rolls, or are we trying to create some sense of community? Will subsequent leaders have to go back and develop those amenities later, perhaps at greater expense and difficulty?
I do think that as part of a new and evolving neighborhood, the City has some obligation to help retain the best parts of the vision for the building. For the City, it should be a question of making sure we get something out of the investment we have already made. If through cooperation the building can be made to work in its current configuration, that would be absolutely terrific. If we need to take a new approach to the building, I think the community needs to identify what is important to be saved, and find a way to make the rest of the economics work. And I think the building has numerous key assets worth saving, that I believe mostly pay for themselves:
- The Loading Dock Theater, which has hosted some critically-acclaimed performances in the past several years.
- The Coffee Shop, and some of the common areas, which have provided significant spaces for community gatherings.
- Sibley Bike Depot
- There are several arts and creatively-oriented organizations that in the rest of building. These should be retained, reconcentrating them if necessary on a couple floors.
FOR DEVELOPING NEIGHBORHOODS DOWNTOWN, THIS IS *THE* TIME TO BE VISIONARY. If we are going to create quality public parks and public spaces, we need to invest now -- I may hit on a park investment issue sometime soon. If we are going to retain the key assets that we have invested in, we may need to invest a little bit extra on the front end, to get the long-term quality people expect particularly in St. Paul. We can't take the downtown housing boom for granted.
I know we can't preserve all amenities, but we can do better. Is our City's leadership -- the Mayor, City Council/HRA, Planning Commission -- up to the challenge? I hope so.
Bob Spaulding Downtown
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