Wisconsin based North Central Group proposes to build two hotels along Cuming between 12th and 14th (the lot with the sculptures). North Central already owns the Hilton Garden Inn.
The hotels would be a Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn with 110 and 150 rooms respectively.
Construction of at least one of the four- to five-story hotels would
begin in mid-2006
Cool! I hope we start to hear other announcements made for north DT soon. I still don't see why we need another suburban campus DT. (As mentioned in another part of the article) I would rather see it out west. Almost. Yay for the hotels though.
Let's hope the planning board steers these along in a direction consistent with the North Downtown study. Set these structures right up against Cuming please.
The article mentioned that the hotels would be from 5-6 stories, this seems to be turning into the standard height for buildings in North Downtown. Much better than the study suggested 2-3!
Great news for North Downtown! hopefully there will be more to come!!!!
Yeah, the biggest thing I'm worried about is the design. It better be contextual and urban.
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
Lewis Mumford, The Highway and the City, 1963
If the hotels are right on Cuming its going to be the beginnings of a great look and feel. Like others have said, the design is really going to be crucial to really make it work in the neighborhood.
Boy, did this catch me by surprise!! But some of it now makes sense. Last week, in the North Downtown thread, I mentioned that the hotel plans by the investors in InPlay seemed dead, then the very next day I found out it was "in negotiation". This hotel is planned for the property behind InPlay, not where the two announced today are to be located. The reasons it is in negotiations, I am told is twofold. There is still some negotiation on the land involved, and the investors lost the rights for the Hampton Inn franchise, and were looked at other options. Guess they lost the rights to Hampton Inn, since North Central Group has plans for two Hilton franchises.
It is great to see an announcement that isn't recycling an old factory into manufacturing or storage. The height sounds good, and it will be great to have 260 hotel guests only a block away from InPlay, as well as a block away from the independent movie theatre and the Slowdown project. This could help fill some of the retail bays at Slowdown as well.
It would also be great if the double hotel announcement causes other interested parties to get projects moving before all the good properties are gone.
I'm still wondering what will happen with the new UP daycare center. I mean who is going to want a sprawling daycare in the middle of an urban entertainment district?
I'm glad to see the 5 and 6 stories tall, I'm a little concerned that these aren't tall enough. I thinking Cuming street is too wide for these building to give to the pedestrian scale. If these are put right up against Cuming it would be better.
I was wondering, if all the streets are too wide. I don't know if the pedestrian scale will be there. Think about what makes the OM feel so comfortable. It's because you aren't over powered by the width of the streets. Very narrow, very slow, very safe. ND's streets just don't lend themselves to this. Hopefully as North Downtown develops it will start to feel a little better.(sorry if that was a rant)
Jay... the UP childcare center as well as the steam heat plant across the street to the east are both in the North Downtown vision rendering.
As for Cuming and pedestrian traffic, 10th Street doesn't seem particularly daunting... I don't think Cuming need be either. Of course most of the streets in this area aren't nearly as wide as Cuming.
..
