Lyndale Avenue redo rattles local businesses
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
South Lyndale Avenue's reconstruction is still two years away, but anxiety is already running high for businesses on the Minneapolis corridor.
Why it matters: A major disruption like this could prompt more business closures that would add to the growing number of vacancies. In fact, the threat of two years or more of construction already has.
What they're saying: Lago Tacos, after 10 years near the Lake Street intersection, will close in May, when its lease ends.
- Owner Tom Ferris told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal that the construction project would deal a major blow to foot traffic and parking.
State of play: It's been a rough five-year stretch on the independent business-filled corridor, LynLake Business Association co-chair and Balance Fitness Studio owner Morgan Lazier told Axios.
- First, there was the pandemic, then the destruction of Lake Street following the killing of George Floyd, followed by a rise in crime and three years of construction on nearby Hennepin Avenue, which several business owners say has kept people away from the area.
Zoom in: Long-running businesses Iron Door Pub, Herkimer, Muddy Waters and Top Shelf have closed since 2020. But there have also been some wins in the neighborhood with the addition of restaurants Wrecktangle Pizza, sports bar Beckett's and the newest and buzziest, Jade Dynasty.
- Still, Lazier said, several high-profile buildings and businesses along the corridor are for sale, which she sees as troubling.
- "It's basically (going to be) a decade (of struggles) if this road construction happens," Lazier said. "Nobody can survive that."
The big picture: Business owners and neighbors are watching closely to see which of three designs Hennepin County chooses for the new street, which will be overhauled from Franklin Avenue to 31st Street. A decision is expected in the next month.
- Transit, biking and pedestrian advocates are pushing for what Hennepin County calls the Orange option, which involves a transit lane and a two-way bike lane, though they would like them to be extended farther than just certain stretches of Lyndale.
- Flower Bar owner Andrea Corbin said all three designs include medians that will slow traffic and make it hard for motorists to access businesses on the other side of the street. She said they will also pinch traffic between 24th Street and Franklin, which is susceptible to backups.
The other side: Transit advocacy organization Move Minnesota executive director MJ Carpio told Axios that the medians make crossing the street safer for pedestrians and that while the redesign could cause backups for cars, it will speed transit service.
- "We're trying to get people to use more of the active transportation infrastructure and public transit," she said.
The bottom line: Some are asking for the county to delay the project to see how the Hennepin Avenue redesign plays out and to give Lyndale businesses a reprieve.
- "We can't handle any more of this," Corbin said. "Uptown is going to be a desolate ghost town and take years to bring it back. You can't fire up one corridor and then fire up another corridor and expect things to be OK."