Nicollet Avenue set to reopen at Lake Street
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Now we just need some asphalt. Photo: Nick Halter/Axios
Nearly 50 years after one of the worst planning decisions in city history, Nicollet Avenue is slated to reopen at Lake Street next month.
Why it matters: The "Nicollet Wall," which was a Kmart store, severed a major commercial corridor in 1977, and city leaders have spent decades — and millions of dollars — trying to undo the blunder.
Driving the new (Nicollet): A city engineer confirmed that the street is tentatively planned to reopen Nov. 24 after two years of road construction and a Midtown Greenway bridge improvement.
- Metro Transit said at a meeting this week that its 18 bus route will no longer have to detour around the block when it makes quarterly service changes on Dec. 5.
Follow the money: It cost the city a whopping $22 million to acquire the land and to buy Kmart — at the time in bankruptcy — out of its sweetheart lease 33 years early.
Catch up quick: It's been a rough stretch for Eat Street businesses on the north side of the intersection.
- First there was civil unrest in 2020, followed by homeless encampments.
- Then, last winter, Operation Metro Surge brought a heavy dose of immigration enforcement to the block, where Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents.
What they're saying: Tammy Wong's Rainbow Chinese has been operating on Eat Street for nearly 40 years.
- She's excited about the end of construction and more access to the neighborhood, but said business owners remain concerned about the city's long-term plans for the Kmart site.
- "We're not quite sure what else they're developing in that area that will help us be more successful or stay in business."
What we're watching: How soon the city's vision for a remade corner comes to life.
- The City Council in April selected Trellis for the first phase of the overhaul.
- The developer pitched 119 affordable apartments but said the earliest construction could begin was 2028.
If you go: The Whittier and Lyndale neighborhood associations are holding a celebration of the upcoming reopening on Nov. 8, with music, food and dancing.