Uptown redevelopment brings back street-level retail debate
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Rendering: Courtesy of Kaas Wilson Architects, via city of Minneapolis
Long-anticipated plans to redevelop part of the Seven Points mall in Uptown are reigniting the debate about whether cities should require ground-floor retail in certain areas.
Why it matters: Uptown has been struggling in recent years, but a plan by Bloomington-based developer Doran Companies to build 228 apartments (a portion of which must be affordable, per city zoning) in the heart of the Minneapolis neighborhood is a good sign.
Yes, but: Not everyone likes the proposal the Minneapolis Planning Commission approved last month, with some arguing it's bland and suburban-looking.
- Molly Reichert, an architecture professor who lives in Southwest Minneapolis, unsuccessfully appealed a July Planning Commission decision, arguing that the proposal to demolish the former Kitchen Window and CB2 spaces violates city zoning code requiring ground-floor retail space along Hennepin Avenue.
- Reichert told Axios she has studied and analyzed urbanism in Minneapolis and Barcelona and found that ground-floor retail is what creates "lively, livable cities" and makes residents feel safe.
The big picture: This debate over ground-level retail has been happening in cities around the country. It started when the rise of e-commerce reduced the demand for certain types of retailers.
The intrigue: Michael Lander, who has previously developed buildings in Uptown, published his own plan for how he would redevelop the property — with small-scale retail along Hennepin. Neighbors printed postcards of that plan next to the Doran plans and dropped them on doorsteps.
The other side: Several business owners rallied behind the Doran plan, arguing that an investment of that size would help with a neighborhood turnaround.
- Uptown Association president Andrea Corbin, speaking to a city committee, called Lander's plan "a sham," noting there's no funding for such a proposal.
- "What I am hearing from these businesses — these are all local small businesses — is that they want some momentum. They want some show of investment," said Eddie Landenberger, a commercial real estate broker who is handling leasing for Seven Points Uptown.
A city committee last week sided with Doran Companies, agreeing that since the new apartment building was part of the broader Seven Points mall, it already has ground-floor retail.
- The mall, even after the redevelopment, would have 173,000 square feet of retail, though the general manager told the city it's 65% vacant and will lose one of its last tenants when LA Fitness leaves this week.
- The ground-floor space along Hennepin would instead have a bike room, tenant lounge and fitness center.
- Doran CEO Anne Behrendt told Axios that space would be flexible and could be swapped out for retail if there's a market for it.
The bottom line: Behrendt said financing for the project is lined up, and she said construction could begin "quickly."