City Council Approves New Development Plans For Former Kmart And Nicollet Ave
MINNEAPOLS (WCCO) -- The Minneapolis City Council approved Friday the next steps for the former Kmart and new Nicollet project.
The city plans to construct a new Nicollet Avenue, which will connect Nicollet Avenue South of Lake Street to Nicollet north of the Midtown Greenway and develop the remaining acreage into a mixed-use walkable district, according to a release.
The 10 acres of land formerly home to the Kmart store in south Minneapolis, has been a top city priority for decades, said the release.
The broad project goals include:
- Reconnecting people and places.
- Building safe, equitable and sustainable transportation networks.
- Building for who is there.
- Designing space to live, work, shop and play here.
- Designing safe and healthy communities.
According to the release, the public engagement framework will be carried out in three phases. The first phase will start in early 2022 and focus on "creating open dialogues with community members who live, work, shop and visit the area."
The second phase will focus on "a public space plan and Nicollet Avenue layout plan," which will be approved by the city council. Lastly, the third phase of engagement will discuss future developments in the area.
"As the City embarks on making this project a reality, this engagement plan reflects our priorities to prevent displacement and to support affordable housing, safe and equitable transportation and climate justice. This is an important step and reflects decades of work from city staff, community members and elected leaders," said City Council President Lisa Bender.
