New facility in
South Minneapolis will be one of six replacing downtown Century Plaza
by Tesha M. Christensen
Imagine a Hennepin County Service Center conveniently located
in your neighborhood. Now add retail businesses and offices next to it along
Lake Street. Place a green roof above a 100-space parking area.
Situate multi-story apartment buildings, some with units that
walk out directly to the street and others that overlook the lightrail station
along Hiawatha. They have balconies and terraces. Inner courtyards provide
space for gardens and gatherings. Rain gardens and green roofs are sprinkled
throughout the development, designed to help with stormwater management (while
exceeding those standards). Underground parking is available for the
apartments. A bike trail follows the lightrail tracks.
Add in a one-third-acre area set aside for the farmer’s
market and urban park, one that includes a stage area for outdoor concerts as
well as indoor bathrooms. Envision a 6 a.m. yoga class filling the park.
These are all pieces of
the current proposal for the 6.4-acre site at Lake and Hiawatha. It’s very
similar to an earlier plan for the site, except that the county building is the
anchor for the L & H Station Development rather than Minneapolis School’s
adult basic education program.
LOCAL MEETING WELL
ATTENDED
Local residents learned about the plan during a public
meeting on Thursday night, April 3 held at the Brown Building, the facility
owned by the Minneapolis School District that currently sits on the property.
The entire parcel at 2225 E. Lake St. is owned by the school district, and the
district and county are negotiating for the sale of the land. The cost is
estimated at between $7-9 million.
“It’s nice to see a packed house for such an important
project,” stated Corcoran Neighborhood Organization Land Use Committee Chair
Philip Koski.
“How can we make buildings that aren’t the same old?” asked
City Council member Alondra Cano. “This project is about people and
collaborations.”
“We couldn’t be more excited about this development,” said
Don Sabre of Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department.
Putting together a 100,000-square-foot county facility,
retail, mixed-use housing and a farmer’s market is a magical formula, according
to developer Jack Boarman of BKV Group. “It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
The current plan varies slightly from the one presented four
years ago. Instead of the school district anchoring the site, a county social
services building will. This six-story building will run along Lake St. and 22nd
Ave., which will give the school district several years to vacate the Brown.
The shift also allows the farmer’s market area to be one-third larger, making
it more like an urban park.
Phase one on the northwest side includes 125 housing units,
retail and office and the 100,000-square foot county facility. There will be
between 3 to 4 phases in all, spread out over several years, as developers are
sensitive to the needs of the school district.
“It’s all about you. It’s all about us. It’s all about
community,” said Boarman.
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| Commissioner Peter McLaughlin |
1 IN 5 RESIDENTS USE SOCIAL
SERVICES
The county facility will be “a one-stop experience for folks
to get their needs met,” according to Sabre. It will be similar to one in
Brooklyn Park that opened in October 2012 and the Bloomington location that
opened in February 2014.
The county is decentralizing its services and intends to open
four more several social service hubs throughout Hennepin County, including
this new one in south Minneapolis and others in Hopkins, north Minneapolis, and
downtown Minneapolis. It plans to close its large downtown Century Plaza
building in 2015.
“The beauty of this hub is the great transit access on Lake
and Hiawatha,” observed Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin.
Sabre pointed out that 1 in 5 south Minneapolis residents use
the services provided by his department. “We serve Corcoran neighbors,” Sabre
stated. “We want to do a better job.”
He expects 950 people to be in and out of the county building
a day. They will have just under 300 employees, whose hours are staggered.
450 HOUSING UNITS
There will be a mix of 450 housing units in this development,
with both affordable housing and market rate options, that house between
600-800 people. There will be smaller units of 550 square feet with one
bedroom, and also larger units with four bedrooms for families. Taller
apartment buildings will sit near the lightrail line, while townhouse units
will ring the edge near existing single-family homes.
Meeting attendees asked questions about parking. Some
expressed concern that there be enough while others envisioned a development
that didn’t support cars, and pushed for a pedestrian boulevard.
Boarman acknowledged that parking must be supplied within the
development, and not push out into the streets or neighborhood. He pointed out
that a parking and traffic study will be done soon to study the area, taking
into account traffic at the YWCA across the street.
Sabre pointed out that county employees are encouraged to use
public transit and given discounts on a metro card.
Currently, the Met Council rents space for a Park-and-Ride
lot at the site. The future of the lot for commuter parking has not yet been
determined.
ABE AND TRANSITION PLUS
Currently, the building on the site is used for the school
district’s adult basic education program, and its Transitions Plus program for
ages 18-21 with disabilities is supposed to move into the building in 2015.
Richard Doty of the Minneapolis School District noted that
the district is considering several options for where the ABE and Transitions
Plus programs will be moved.
Several people spoke out in support of keeping the programs
there.
“The school district wants to be a part of where we go with
this,” stated Robert Doty of the Minneapolis School District.
Last year the district rejected an $83 million multi-use
development plan for the parcel because the cost to replace the Brown Building
was more than it was willing to pay.
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