Minneapolis’ Lake Street Kmart is gone. Here’s what could come next.

A city website offers renderings, and a public open house will be held to offer visions for reconnecting Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 1, 2024 at 1:00PM
Demolition was underway at the site of the former Kmart on Lake Street on Nov. 15 in Minneapolis. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The city of Minneapolis is offering a first look at what could be ahead for the former Kmart site near Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue S.

Renderings and ideas for the site, long considered an urban planning blunder, are now posted online. Nothing is set in stone, and the city is asking what people think.

A public open house on what the city has dubbed the “New Nicollet Redevelopment” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Abyssinia Cultural Center, 322 W. Lake St., a few blocks west of the 10-acre site.

At the core of the city’s vision is reconnecting Nicollet between Lake and Cecil Newman Lane. In the late 1970s, Nicollet was bisected to build the Kmart — a decision many in the city came to regret. Planners want to see the area developed as a high-density, mixed-use area, with access for pedestrians and cyclists and public amenities that could range from a public performance stage to a sports court.

The details — How many lanes of traffic? Where will bike routes go? — are laid out in some of the renderings on the city’s website that will be displayed at the open house.

The city demolished the Kmart store in November after it caught fire, but plans to raze and redevelop the site had been underway since 2020, when the city bought out Kmart’s lease.

While redevelopment of the site is still a long way off — perhaps not until 2027 — much of the public infrastructure is on a shorter timeline. The city hopes to break ground on reconnecting Nicollet next year. Following public comments, the City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey are expected to finalize a plan.

A February 2024 rendering shows one possibility for Nicolet Avenue South on the site of the former Kmart in Minneapolis.
A February rendering shows one possibility for Nicollet Avenue S. on the site of the former Kmart in Minneapolis.
about the writer

about the writer

Dave Orrick

Minneapolis City Hall reporter

Dave Orrick covers Minneapolis city government for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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