Loring Park

Nicollet Avenue Development
Loring Park residents should also know more in 2007 on the potential development of an empty city-owned block at 15th Street and Nicollet Avenue. Hatt says the city solicited input from CLPC in creating request-for-proposal guidelines. On the table are four different mixed-use proposals:

-29-story combination luxury hotel/artist studio space
-Apartment of market-rate and affordable units
-Nonprofit office space and community center combined with housing for people with HIV/AIDS
-Housing complex that would offer home ownership opportunities at affordable rates

Hatt’s committee was excited and impressed by the quality of all the proposals. The HIV housing and the hotel/artist studio space projects have gotten especially positive feedback from the community so far, she says, noting that there will be more citizen, business, and city input before a project is chosen. Hatt says the level of input the city expected from residents was wonderful.

“If we allow market forces alone to shape our development, we won’t see a wide spectrum of housing options that keep Loring Park a place where everybody can come in,” she says.

Hometown Grocery
Although the promised Lunds at 12th Street and Hennepin was still in planning when this issue went to press, no one is more excited about it than Goodman, who will live next door and plans to drop by every morning “in my PJs” for her newspaper and muffin. Goodman has been one of many downtown residents advocating for years for a grocery store to come downtown.

“These things happen because of really committed people in our community,” Goodman says. “Architects, developers, designers, real estate investment trusts, pension funds, community developers, neighborhood associations. Everyone is so interconnected and focused on working together really well.”