Minneapolis 40-story condo tower proposal is delayed by petition
April 8, 2016 at 2:56AM
Alatus LLC's plans include a 37-level tower, including a mechanical penthouse level topped with a decorative parapet, that would sit on top of the four-level podium. The project calls for 207 for-sale condominiums and 6,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space on a quarter-block site that is now home to the Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel at 200 Central Av. SE. and the St. Anthony Commercial Club at 113 2nd St. SE. The site is on the edge of the Marcy Holmes neighborhood, but is adjacent to the Nicollet Island-East Bank neighborhood.
The project would also include 333 parking spaces and retail space on most of the Central Avenue frontage, with the main residential entrance lobby on the south side of the ground floor of the building facing 2nd Street.
In a report before the meeting, the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development recommended that the HPC allow the demolition of the Washburn-McReavy building and issue a certificate of appropriateness for the 40-story building that would be subject to several conditions:
The site is within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District. A petition filed with the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) by a group called the Neighbors for East Bank Livability, cited several concerns about the project, including the impact that the height of the building might have on nearby buildings, which include the neighboring historic Pillsbury Library Building and the Ard Godfrey House, which is the oldest wood-framed house in Minneapolis.
The project follows a failed attempt by another developer to build a 29-story rental apartment building that would replace the Nye's Polonaise Room on a half-block site about two blocks away.
What's next for the Alatus proposal? On Tuesday, the EQB conveyed the petition for the environmental assesment worksheet (EAW) to the city's planning department, which will make a recommendation to the city's zoning and planning committee, which is expected to discuss the issue at is meeting on April 21.
A staff report included the latest site plans and detailed renderings by ESG Architects, including a new design for a sleek "cap" on the top of the tower.
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