Belt Line Study

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BELT LINE COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
A Case Study in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area

by

JOHN R. BORCHERT

November, 1960

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover Page
Credits
Table of Contents
Index of Maps And Graphs
Index of Tables
Index of Photographs
Appendix

Abstract
   Review of Findings and Conclusions ........................ 2
Belt Line Commercial-Industrial Development .................. 9
  1. The Old Belt Line-Minnesota T.H. 100 .................... 12
     The Development of Commercial and Industrial Land ....... 12
     The Pattern of Development .............................. 24
  2. Shopping Center Uses and Residential Growth ............. 24
  3. Highway Oriented Business Uses and Traffic Volume ....... 29
  4. Concentration of Retail and Service Establishments
    Near Major Highway Intersections ......................... 32
     Timing of Belt Line Highway Construction ................ 34
  5. Zoning Policy ........................................... 35
  6. Manufacturing-Warehousing and Accessibility ............. 41
  7. Summary of Location Patterns ............................ 49
     The Character of Development ............................ 50
  8. The Diminishing Area of Potential Industrial Land ....... 58
  9. The New Belt Line T.H. (I.R.) 494 ....................... 68
     Projected Land Uses ..................................... 69
       Retail and Service Uses ............................... 69
       Manufacturing and Warehousing ......................... 70
     Probable Sites and Locations ............................ 72
       Evaluation of Sites ................................... 72
       Evaluation of Locations ............................... 76
       Probable Development .................................. 79

 

MAPS AND GRAPHS

Figure
    1. The Present and Projected Belt Line Highways ................... 10
    2. Highways and Railways in the Western Quadrant of the
      Twin Cities ..................................................... 13
    3. The Belt Lines with Reference to the Advancing Urban Frontier .. 14
 4-14. Development of Commercial-Industrial Land Uses ................. 18-23
15-17. Development of Shopping Center-Type Land Uses .................. 26-28
   18. Commercial-Industrial Land Uses Related to Traffic Volume ...... 31
   26. The Relationship Between Industrial Development and
      Distance from the Minneapolis CBD ............................... 47
   30. Past and Projected Growth of Developed Acreage for Industrial
      Uses in the T. H. 100 Study Strip ............................... 59
   34. Potential Demand for Land for Retail and Service Uses
      in T. H. (I. R. ) 494 Study Strip ............................... 66
   35. Potential Demand for Land for Industrial Uses in
      T.H. (I.R.) 494 Study Strip ..................................... 67
   36. Existing and Potential Areas for Commercial and Industrial
      Development in the T. H. (I. R.) 494 Study Strip ............... 77

 

TABLES

 1. Annual Additions to Commercial and Industrial Acreage in the
   Old Belt Line Strip ..................................................... 17
 2. Acreage of Shopping Center Uses Per Square Mile, in the Study
   Strip, in Segments of Different Dwelling-Unit Densities ................. 29
 3. Traffic Volume and Acreage of Major Land Uses, Segments of
   the Belt Line Adjoining Seven Major Highway Intersections ............... 30
 4. Retail and Service Establishments ...................................... 33
 5. Number of Manufacturing and Warehousing Establishments in
   Relation to Distance from Major Highway and Railway Line, 1959 .......... 44
 6. Acreage of Manufacturing and Warehousing Uses in Relation to
   Distance from Major Highway and Railway Line, 1959 ...................... 45
 7. Relationship Between Manufacturing and Warehousing Acreage
   and Distance from Minneapolis CBD ....................................... 46
 8. Per Cent of Each Building Improvement Occupied by Various
   Major Uses .............................................................. 52
 9. Per Cent of Each Major Use Housed by Various Classes
   of Buildings ............................................................ 52
10. Average Acreage of Establishments Which Appeared in Study
   Strip in Different Time Intervals by Major Uses ......................... 53
11. Comparison of Pre-World War II and Recent Manufacturing and
   Warehousing Development in Study Strip .................................. 54
12. The Past and Projected Demand for Warehousing and Manufacturing
   Land in the T. H. 100 Study Strip ....................................... 60
13. The Past and Projected Demand for Commercial and Residential
   Land in the T. H. (I. R.) 494 Study Strip ............................... 71
14. Acreage of Grid Squares Readily Suitable for Small-Scale Development
   of Manufacturing and Warehousing Uses, T. H. (I. R.) 494 ................ 72
15. Acreage of Grid Square Readily Suitable for Medium-Scale Development
   of Manufacturing and Warehousing Uses, T. H. (I. R.) 494 ................ 73
16. Acreage of Grid Squares Readily Suitable for Large-Scale
   Manufacturing and Warehousing Development, T. H. (I. R.) 494 ............ 74
17. Acreage of Open Land in Grid Squares with Potential for
   Retail and Service Uses ................................................. 75

 

PHOTOGRAPHS

Figure
 19. Aerial view southward along T.H. 100, from Excelsior Avenue
    (T.H. 169 and T.H. 212), through older residential and commercial
    areas in St. Louis Park, 1940 ..................................... 36
 20. Aerial view of same portion of Highway 100 study strip, 1959 ..... 37
21A. Commercial Development along "Miracle Mile" in St. Louis
    Park where urban growth preceded highway construction ............. 38
 21. Current redevelopment from housing to new office building
    in the section of St. Louis Park in which urban growth preceded
    highway construction .............................................. 39
 22. View of high-value residential district along the Belt Line in the
    village of Edina .................................................. 39
 23. Aerial view of undeveloped land in T.H. 100 study strip northward
    from T.H. 55 in Golden Valley, 1940 ............................... 42
 24. Aerial view of same portion of T.H. 100 study strip, 1959,
    illustrating development in an area where highway construction
    preceded urban growth ............................................. 43
 25. Commercial strip development along T.H. 100 in an area of late
    establishment of zoning and setback regulations ................... 47
 27. Examples of commercial and industrial establishments in
    Building Class III ................................................ 56
 28. Examples of commercial or industrial establishments in
    Building Class I .................................................. 57
 29. Examples of commercial and industrial establishments in
    Building Class II ............................. ....................58
 31. An example of land which this report excludes from the "potential
    commercial-industrial" class because of poor drainage conditions,
    east side of T.H. 100 south of 70th Street (see map, Figure 3).
 32. Land too rough for industrial or commercial development,
    Golden Valley ..................................................... 62
 33. An example of open land which this report excludes from the
    "potential commercial-industrial" class because of the adjacent,
    actively-building residential area shown in the picture,
    Golden Valley ..................................................... 63
 37. Aerial view of the T.H. (I.R.) 494 study strip northward from
    T.H. 12 showing the largest area of level or gently-rolling, open
    land nearest the Minneapolis CBD .................................. 78
 38. Aerial view of the T.H. (I.R.) 494 study strip in the vicinity of
    the intersection with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (Peoria
    line) and the Milwaukee Railroad. Rough terrain may be expected to
    inhibit commercial or industrial development in this area ........  79
 39. Aerial view of typical open land along the southern portion of
    T.H. (I.R.) 494 study strip. It is probable that little, if any, of
    this land will be in demand for purposes other than residential ... 80


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