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This great condo has the old world charm of Crocus Hill and the easy-breezy lifestyle of being downtown. Sitting at the foot of Irvine Hill, this one bedroom corner-unit condo features a private and quiet balcony overlooking Irvine Hill. For more pictures, visit 311 Pleasant Avenue #314 – Irvine Hill Condominiums, St Paul From now, until the end of June, HomePath (Fannie Mae) is paying up to 3.5% of the purchase price towards your closing costs if you purchase one of their (bank-owned) homes. There’s currently three condos downtown that that are owned by Fannie Mae and one more hitting the market. There is a caveat however, you must owner occupy the property to get the closing cost assistance. Also, for the new one coming on, they implement a “First Look” initiative, basically means it’s hands-off to investor buyers for the first 15 days on market. If a owner-occupier doesn’t snatch it up, it becomes fair game. The one coming to market, could be an interesting deal if it’s priced right. It’s a loft w/rooftop deck in a newly converted warehouse.
After Minneapolis’s beating last night and the complete devastation in Joplin, MO the myth of urban areas being untouchable has been shattered. It reminds me a bit of the Mother’s Day storm of 2003 that hit Downtown St Paul with 70+MPH winds. Windows blown out and debris everywhere. When severe storms hit in a dense area, seeking shelter is so important. There’s just so much that can get picked and thrown around. Never mind glass shards falling from 30 stories above, I’ve seen patio furniture get airborne and flung from their perch high above. The last place you want to be is on the street. I’ve watched storms roll in, from what I felt was the safety of my balcony, but I’m pretty sure that’s a horrible place to be. From news reports rolling out of Joplin, the hospital took a direct hit, and they’re saying someone was sucked out of the building after the windows blew out. It might be a smart time to have a plan if you live in an urban fortress. Moving to an interior, windowless room, or even the building’s stairwell is probably a wise idea. I know a lot of downtown dwellers that feel they live in buildings which can’t be harmed. It’s only a matter of time until we’re tested. I hope the word can spread that we’re not as safe as we think we are. On August 20th, 1904 a severe weather outbreak that did massive damage to Downtown. Damage estimates at the time were nearly $2 Million, or in today’s money $43 million in damage. During this storm, St Paul also managed to snag the state record for the highest sustained wind speeds, clocking in at 110MPH and gusts up to 180MPH! Can you imagine if Downtown was hit with a similar storm today? Let’s all make an oath to have a plan for severe weather that doesn’t involve watching from the balcony… Also, if you haven’t already, make a donation to the Red Cross. There’s been a lot of devastation this year and they could sure use your help.
Currently, there’s a loft listed in downtown at $55 a square foot! It had originally sold $179 a square foot in 2003. for If you’d like more information about this property, shoot me an email at HotList@stphr.com. This will sell quickly, so you don’t have a lot of time on it. Remember, when buying from banks – CASH is king.
The little, lovable Inn on the Mississippi River needs your help. It was a rough winter for Covington Inn Bed & Breakfast. Between frozen pipes in the Winter, and the incredible flooding this Spring, they had to cancel a lot of reservations. Add on top they needed a tug to safer waters, they lost about 3 months of revenue. To help a great local business, friends of Covington Inn are having a benefit for them on June 3rd from 6pm to 10pm at the C.S.P.S. Hall, above the Glockenspiel. It should be a good time, with music, food & beverages, live and silent auctions, Hammerschlaggen, and more! The goal is to raise enough money to pay off the loans required to move the boat, loss of income, and more expenses to keep them afloat (sorry I had to). $25 suggested donation in advance and $30 suggested donation at the door. Once the relief website is complete, I’ll update this post with a web link.
When the City wants to see a project completed, nothing will stand in its way! The Farmers Market Flats (or whatever name it’s going by now) has been a glimmer in the City’s eye for a LONG time. It’s gone though a few developers, and finally the City just took the reigns. Once going to be eco-friendly condominiums, this project will now be an apartment building with a fantastic view of the outdoor market, and just steps from the LRT stop at Union Depot. From my understanding, the project MUST be completed by the end of the year, and judging by their pace of construction, that shouldn’t be a problem. The interesting part is who will be managing the building once complete – Alatus. If that name rings a bell, you can pat yourself on the back for being a good blog reader. That’s the developer for the Penfield development (more on that for another day).
A little late to the draw on this, but here it is. Lowertown Pet Supply & Grooming is set to open in about a month’s time. I’ll be honest and say that I never thought I’d see the day where this space was actually leased! It’s a very small space, but the visibility off of East 7th is fantastic! The owner of this business must really be in tune to the neighborhood, since there’s a million dogs running around Lowertown at any given minute, it was really an untapped demographic in my opinion. The two nearest parks, both have areas specifically built for dogs, and not to mention the new off-leash area near MarketHouse Condominiums. I imagine this new business will do amazing as soon as the doors are open for business.
Not as glamorous as being imploded or being stricken down by the wrath of a wrecking ball, but the Pedro Building is finally coming down – brick by brick. I’m not entirely sure as to why they chose this method of demolition. Maybe there was some environmental issues to deal with? At any rate, the building is coming down to make way for a City Park. Originally called Fitzgerald Park (after the name of the neighborhood), this new park will likely carry th moniker Pedro Park in honor of the tremendous gift the Pedro family gave St Paul. At some point, the name of the neighborhood will have to change as well. Back story on the Fitzgerald Park name… Back in 2002-2003, during some long range city planning, it was determined that this area of Downtown was amenity poor. The Science Museum had recently moved to their new location near the river, and it was thought no one would take on their old home. The thought was to demo the building that is now the home to McNally Smith College of Music. That building happens to be across the street from the Fitzgerald Theater, so naming the park Fitzgerald Park, just kind of made sense. Once McNally started to really take off, kicking them out in favor of a park didn’t make a lot of sense, so the search for a new block began. Enter the Penfield development. When the police department built their new headquarters on the other side of Downtown, the city put the land out for bid. Alatus (developer for the Penfield) stepped in and began neighborhood discussions on what the future development could look like. After a few ideas, everyone agreed a single condo tower on the old headquarters and a park across the street was the best and most viable option. Fast forward a few years, and a housing bubble and here we are. The Penfield is still trying to nail down their financing, but the park is closer to a reality than ever before. I can’t help think that a full city block park would help their chances of being a viable development too. Pedro Park would also have a very positive effect on the condos around that area. The Rossmor, The Pointe, City Walk would all surround the park. Produce Exchange, Fitzgerald Condos, and Gallery Tower would all benefit in my opinion as well. I can only imagine that the condos around or with views of the new park will appreciate at a higher rate than comparable units outside of this micro-neighborhood and that will lead to increased tax base for the City.
It’s not a shocker that we’re expecting a flood this Spring with the crazy amount of snow we received, but it’s how bad the flooding could be that has people worried. Latest estimate I heard put the flooding on par with the record year of 1965 (still not the all-time high from 1963 though). The ’65 flood was the one that finally did the “Little Italy” neighborhood, or the Levy. The neighborhood was razed and it became an industrial dumping ground for many, many years. What does this have to do with the flooding this year? Well the Upper Landing Development along the river, is where the Levy used to be! When work was being performed on the site, tons (and I mean tons) of earth was brought in to elevate the site. The parking deck of the developments sit above the 100 year flood mark, and housing above the 500 year. In addition, the parking was designed (at least that’s what I was told at the time) to accept a flood and take minimal damage. This could be the year it’s put to the test. If the water does hit the ’65 year mark, it’s going to cause some disturbances to the residents at Upper Landing. Water & Sewer service will be shut off if the water gets too high, and I’m assuming that goes for the electrical service too. I’ll try to get some details as to what happens at what crest level to add to this post in the coming days…
You heard it here first folks, I’m opening a new restaurant in downtown. With my years of nosey rumor reporting about restaurant happenings in downtown st paul over the years, I felt it was time to have my own kitchen! And what’s lacking in downtown as far as restaurants go? A Middle Eastern restaurant of course! I will likely need to change my name to better match the style of place I’m opening, so I’ll be changing my name to Brad. Close enough to Bud so that people are still familiar with me, but enough to know this is an authentic Arabic restaurant. I mean, there’s no place you can get authentic lamb in downtown (Kurdish doesn’t count) and that’s Bull Sheep. I’ve already got a vendor lined up to supply me with grass fed, free range lamb (true story I do). I’ve got a killer recipe for Hummus and my home-made pita bread is killer. Now, I still need to find a location. Ideally, I’d find a space that has a large outdoor area for seating in the summer. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to enjoy your favorite lamb dish, while also smoking a hookah? You don’t need to answer that, of course it would! The name… There’s a recurring theme in restaurant names in downtown as of late, so it was only fitting that it was called Bull Sheep – actually, it’s the only logical name left. There’s already a Black Dog Coffee & Wine, Bulldog Lowertown, and now Black Sheep Pizza. Grand Opening for Bull Sheep in St Paul? April 1st |
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