Nicollet-Lake - greater Kmart area

[TommyT]

Maybe, maybe not... I just read that Target is taking a 5.4 billion dollar loss with the Canada ordeal. That's gotta hurt someone where it hurts and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw them taking caution with any sort of expansion in the near future.

[acs]

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... -cuts.html

This already is affecting their US operations.

[nickmgray]

There's a big difference between expanding to a new market with low brand recognition and moving into the heart of cities with smaller stores. The issue with Canada is that they were competing in a new market with nearly zero brand recognition. yes, people will stop by a new store to check it out, but the main expense is opening new stores and building a brand. Target would have better success if they entered Canada by purchasing a local brand like Zellers which is Canada's equivalent of Target.

But Target Express is a whole different ball game. Target knows that the only real opportunity for growth in the US is in urban areas where they can't fit a larger store. CVS and Walgreens have actually been posting better numbers than Target the past few years, so it's a no-brainer to try to steal some of the market share that they have.

[mattaudio]

Target would have better success if they entered Canada by purchasing a local brand like Zellers which is Canada's equivalent of Target.

They did purchase Zellers, but then they rebranded them as Target.

[widin007]

There's a big difference between expanding to a new market with low brand recognition and moving into the heart of cities with smaller stores. The issue with Canada is that they were competing in a new market with nearly zero brand recognition. yes, people will stop by a new store to check it out, but the main expense is opening new stores and building a brand. Target would have better success if they entered Canada by purchasing a local brand like Zellers which is Canada's equivalent of Target.

Umm that's exactly what happened and it probably was a factor to why it was such a disaster. Target was way to aggressive and didn't have the means or a plan to keep up with 130 new stores in a year, many of them old Zellers.

[trkaiser]

Canadians love Target - brand recognition wasn't the problem.

[RailBaronYarr]

Page 4 has the re-opening of Nicollet information. Slated for 2020. http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 141965.pdf

[jw138]

Page 4 has the re-opening of Nicollet information. Slated for 2020.

Uhg... 2020 is a long ways to go...

[mattaudio]

So, that's part of the broader CLIC packets. It's ridiculous that the CLIC items are only in a massive PDF, not in a machine-readable format or Excel or something sortable.

[jw138]

Would suggesting the inclusion of a movie theater in whatever happens here be a faux pas? The site already has fairly good bus and biking transit options. By 2020 freeway access will be improved with additional ramps at Lake St, there'll be a BRT station at 35W & Lake, Blaisdell & 1st Ave will have protected bike lanes, there may be a streetcar running down Nicollet, and we might be talking about another one running down the Greenway. Seems like it has the potential to bring more people into the area that might not otherwise be there and give the redevelopment effort as a whole an even larger economic impact along Nicollet and Lake. With the downfall of Block E it would fill a void between the West End, Roseville, MoA, Southdale, and SLP theaters. The Landmark, Uptown, Riverview, and Parkway theaters don't really compete because they have slightly different target audiences. I'm not suggesting an "entertainment" complex or a sprawling suburban theater, just the addition of something a little different to a densely packed proposal that would bring more "outside" people to the area.

[Nathan]

http://whittieralliance.org/

The latest entry is about workshops that are going on to discuss the future of this area

[twincitizen]

For the love of god, please tell me someone from this forum went to the first workshop last Saturday.

[Wedgeguy]

For the love of god, please tell me someone from this forum went to the first workshop last Saturday.

Not living in Whittier I knew nothing about this. Yard work will have my attention this Saturday. But hopefully someone from here will make it tomorrow, the 10th, for the second meeting.

[woofner]

I would KILL to know what the "right questions" are:

https://www.facebook.com/events/778528125610068/

[FISHMANPET]

Hopefully they're a bit more grounded in reality than some of the community visions Phillips has had for the Roof Depot area.

[Condo_Dweller]

I stopped in last Saturday thinking it was going to be a forum on the opening of Nicollet. I left because it was a "visioning" exercise that seemed focused on how the neighborhood should look like. Well, the neighborhood looks good compared to 15-20 years ago. And now that the hipsters and affluent are moving in the "vision" seemed too focused on hip Euro/NYC concepts. Folks, this is a working class neighborhood that needs Nicollet reopened.

[Wedgeguy]

It does not really need deluxe apartments in the sky. But it does need retail lining Lake and Nicollet at the street. Any district parking can be tucked into the center of the block. There should be short residential close to the greenway, with a few 8-12 story apartment towers built closer to Lake street. This needs to be a commercial/residential area. They need to work to filling Nicollet south of 27th street. There are plenty of gaps in the urban fabric south of 26th street. They need to work a better way to tie in the greenway with the street above.

[jw138]

Taco Taxi was kicked out of the Kmart parking lot:

http://www.southwestjournal.com/news/bi ... ce-to-park

It now parks across the street in Champion's parking lot. On the search for a new Champion's tenant:

The owner of Champions, meanwhile, is taking time to carefully select the next tenant, according to real estate broker Peter Dugan. Dugan said he is still marketing the property.

“The owner, because he is aware it’s such a prime spot and such a desirable location, he’s being very selective with the potential user of the site,” he said.

So basically, nobody can afford what he's asking for at this point. With the redevelopment across the street not getting started for a couple years it seems likely it may stay vacant for a while.

[Nathan]

That could be really good news!

[Wedgeguy]

I'm all for that site to be a mixed use residential. Would have large enough floor plates and at the axis of current and future transportation lines. But doubt anyone would build until the Kmart site has started its transformation.