Nicollet-Lake - greater Kmart area

Calhoun-Isles, Cedar-Riverside, Longfellow, Nokomis, Phillips, Powderhorn, and Southwest
Mdcastle
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Lake & Nicollet Redevelopment (Kmart site)

Postby Mdcastle » June 3rd, 2020, 8:24 pm

What should go into this space that's both desirable to the neighborhood, desirable to the city and economically realistic for developers? Not trying to snark for once, just curious.

MattW
Rice Park
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Re: Lake & Nicollet Redevelopment (Kmart site)

Postby MattW » June 3rd, 2020, 10:06 pm

What should go into this space that's both desirable to the neighborhood, desirable to the city and economically realistic for developers? Not trying to snark for once, just curious.
That's the million-dollar question. I think it will need to have a significant amount of affordable & workforce housing. I'd love to see some sort of business incubator that is focused on the needs of the neighborhood.

thatchio
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Lake & Nicollet Redevelopment (Kmart site)

Postby thatchio » June 3rd, 2020, 10:42 pm

There are a lot of ways the site could be redeveloped. Something I've noodled on is having the city acquire the properties north of the Greenway between Blaisdell and First to 29th/Cecil Newman and create a new bridge, new Nicollet, and a terraced gateway between the Greenway and 29th and a housing project on between Cecil Newman and the Greenway. The SW side of the Greenway/Nicollet may be a better site for larger retail on a podium and market rate or workforce on the upper as I think it may be difficult to do affordable housing + big retail undertaking but the site is large and could be broken up to provide more diversity of buildings and uses, though ideally with a shared podium (difficult). Then do more community-oriented retail and affordable housing on the SE site - though that site is big enough potentially for two buildings.

A community-driven engagement process should really help scope the goals for the project, informing both the short and long term goals. For example, due to the size of the site, it may be difficult to marshal enough resources at one time to build multiple affordable housing buildings in one phase so maybe the community would prefer to phase the project over time and see every two years additional affordable housing buildings come online. Additionally, the community may have certain retail-related goals and the question will be raised about what type of entity is able to deliver on them. Sometimes, as an example, affordable housing developers have limitations on how much retail they can build due to source of funding issues. In those cases, it may inform where retail and affordable housing should be targeted within the larger site.

It's a really exciting opportunity to reshape that area that was poorly shaped decades ago. The question for practitioners is determining how to effectively engage the community, especially those typically excluded from public processes, as to ensure that the goals established will equitably benefit the community, and then, how to deliver on those goals by designing a selection process that results in a capable team that is committed to those goals and can build trust and partnership with the community.

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Tiller
Foshay Tower
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Re: Lake & Nicollet Redevelopment (Kmart site)

Postby Tiller » November 19th, 2020, 6:49 pm

Would anyone like to purchase a large Kmart "K" sign from the city of Minneapolis?

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=M ... ctid=16611

SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Lake & Nicollet Redevelopment (Kmart site)

Postby SurlyLHT » November 20th, 2020, 12:58 pm

The description made me laugh. I guess we had to brag. Maybe there should also be a plaque there for future generations to read?

"The 'K' sign was from the Lake Street Kmart and was often called the most financially successful Kmart in the country. "

TroyGBiv
US Bank Plaza
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Re: Lake & Nicollet Redevelopment (Kmart site)

Postby TroyGBiv » November 21st, 2020, 1:30 pm

I worked as an agency guy on Kmart 20 years ago... it was a profitable Kmart because there was not target or Walmart nearby... and they never spend a penny renovating or repairing the building... I’m glad it will be gone and the street will reopen.

uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Uptown-LynLake-Wedge - News & General Topics

Postby uptownbro » March 29th, 2021, 1:57 pm

Project for pride in living is partnering with wells fargo to redevelop the branch on Nicollet and lake that was damaged this past year. The new proposal will include the bank branch as well as affordable housing.

Blaisdell Greenway
Union Depot
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby Blaisdell Greenway » March 30th, 2021, 10:47 am

So... I'm on the most recent wedgelive podcast. The first 30 minutes are about caucuses but the second half is about random city topics, and I go on about using re-opening Nicollet as an opportunity to create a Nicollet Mall South and to save the amazing battleship mural on the back of the Kmart building.

https://anchor.fm/wedgelive/episodes/It ... air-ets3tg

Minneboy
US Bank Plaza
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby Minneboy » March 31st, 2021, 7:33 pm

I'm hoping that when they reopen Nicollet they help to make the entire Eat Street an all inclusive district, much like the Gaslamp District in San Diego. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslamp_Q ... _San_Diego

uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby uptownbro » October 26th, 2021, 6:47 pm

Post office at 31st and 1st has started construction. So hopefully this means they will be out of the Kmart by the end of 2022

Trademark
US Bank Plaza
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby Trademark » October 27th, 2021, 7:39 am

Post office at 31st and 1st has started construction. So hopefully this means they will be out of the Kmart by the end of 2022
The post office lease at Kmart has been extended. The soonest demolition can occur now is the end of 2023 or middle of 2024.

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NickP
Target Field
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby NickP » October 27th, 2021, 7:49 am

Does anyone have a link to the rebuilt post office plans?

minntransplant
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby minntransplant » October 27th, 2021, 8:13 am

Post office at 31st and 1st has started construction. So hopefully this means they will be out of the Kmart by the end of 2022
The post office lease at Kmart has been extended. The soonest demolition can occur now is the end of 2023 or middle of 2024.

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I haven't seen this particular lease, but it is common for USPS to have early out provisions. Hopefully it's a case of just planning through 2024 as a contingency, but the goal is actually to be moved into the reconstructed building in 2022-23.

uptownbro
Rice Park
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby uptownbro » October 27th, 2021, 8:27 am

They did extend it through the end of 2023. I find it hard to believe it will take over 12 months to build the new post office so hopefully that was just in case there were construction delays. There could be other logistic issues that requires the kmart space for the Minnehaha station one.

twincitizen
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby twincitizen » October 27th, 2021, 10:02 am

Things may work differently here due to the property being publicly-owned, but typically with private development, demolition of existing buildings does not happen until there is a fully approved redevelopment plan. Demolition of this huge building won't be cheap, nor will construction of 1,000+ feet of Nicollet Avenue (assuming the reconstruct would include everything between Lake and Cecil Newman, if not up to 28th). So the building demo could happen in advance of redevelopment if the city specifically budgets millions of dollars for the road project. But I think it's far more likely that street reconstruction here will be funded out of a TIF deal with whatever the eventual redevelopment will be, to avoid having to pay for that out of the general fund. Unless there's a huge public safety issue with people breaking into the building and/or living in it or whatever, I'd bet on the building remaining right up until road construction and redevelopment is ready to move forward in quick succession.

EOst
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby EOst » October 27th, 2021, 10:44 am

Reconnecting Nicollet will probably require a new bridge across the Greenway too, no? At minimum serious rehabilitation of the existing bridge will be required to meet basic standards, and I'd be surprised if it's in any less need of near-term replacement than every other bridge along there.

Blaisdell Greenway
Union Depot
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby Blaisdell Greenway » October 27th, 2021, 11:00 am

I remember reading years ago that CLIC put replacing the Nicollet bridge on a priorities list for something like 2021 or 2022. This was even before the city took control of the site. I don't know how that gets translated into an actual bridge replacement project for public works (do they do bridges or is that contracted to a DOT?).

minntransplant
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby minntransplant » October 27th, 2021, 12:03 pm

Reconnecting Nicollet will probably require a new bridge across the Greenway too, no? At minimum serious rehabilitation of the existing bridge will be required to meet basic standards, and I'd be surprised if it's in any less need of near-term replacement than every other bridge along there.
The City approved an RFP in May for "design services". This is what is said:

"In April of 2013, Olson & Nesvold Engineers (ONE) completed a preliminary engineering assessment of the Nicollet Ave Bridge over Minnehaha Creek on behalf of the city. The preliminary engineering assessment revealed deterioration throughout the bridge including deck, joints, sidewalk, spandrel columns and arches. A rehabilitation effort now will extend the life of the bridge and alleviate the cost of full reconstruction in the near future.

The Nicollet Ave Bridge was rehabilitated in 1973 and has retained historic significance because of its open spandrel arches and location in the Washburn Park Historic District. The open spandrel arches are of the original 1923 design by Kristoffer Olsen Oustad and remained intact through the 1973 rehabilitation.

Funding for construction has not been secured. Issuing an RFP for design services will assist Public Works with developing a full scope of work to seek potential funding. The final engineering services contract value shall be refined through the RFP process."

twincitizen
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby twincitizen » October 27th, 2021, 1:30 pm

^Different bridge - that's Nicollet over Minnehaha Creek. Luckily, the bridge over the greenway will be significantly less expensive than rehabbing that one!

RedDutch
Metrodome
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Re: Nicollet-Lake Area - to Kmart...and beyond!

Postby RedDutch » October 28th, 2021, 5:51 am

Its confusing why the city wouldn't issue a GLOBAL RFP and get some major players in here. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to put something really cool here!!! Why not get the ball rolling now?


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