urbanMSP

New 5 story apartment building with ground floor grocery proposed to replace Bergan's Supervalu on Cedar: http://minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/pub ... 217798.pdf

Lots of parking, but still a major improvement.

Love this grocery + housing trend.

Me too - I'm hoping the Uptown Cub will see the light sooner rather than later.

It is a lot of parking, but I'm encouraged in this case that some of it is surface - leaves room to redevelop those lots with separate small buildings in the future.

Maybe soon some financier finds a way to make restaurant + housing, or coffee/bagel + housing, or bike shop + housing pencil out.

Interesting that they put the parking above the grocery store, not below it. Must be because of the high water table in this area?

Yes, part of this property is marked on federal flood maps. Very excited for this.

This is super clever use of that space and I dig it very much.

Adding housing is great, as are the windows on Cedar Ave. Then moving an entrance to the corner and adding seating is nice.

But other than that, what is it doing to engage the street? It’s still a long block to walk past on Cedar. It would be nice if they had a couple micro retail shops with doors facing Cedar (maybe south of the stairs to the parking).

And there’s no entrance to the grocery on Longfellow, just more blank walls, even if there is a bike graphic.

{edit}
They’ve added housing, doubled the building footprint, and removed a lot of parking that probably went unused. So they’re dealing with today’s reality. But is this really planned for the future?

This is so much better than what's there that I'm even having trouble coming up with small critiques. But it would be even better with another story.

Adding housing is great, as are the windows on Cedar Ave. Then moving an entrance to the corner and adding seating is nice.

But other than that, what is it doing to engage the street? It’s still a long block to walk past on Cedar. It would be nice if they had a couple micro retail shops with doors facing Cedar (maybe south of the stairs to the parking).

And there’s no entrance to the grocery on Longfellow, just more blank walls, even if there is a bike graphic.

{edit}
They’ve added housing, doubled the building footprint, and removed a lot of parking that probably went unused. So they’re dealing with today’s reality. But is this really planned for the future?

I know we all enjoy critiquing projects, but complaining that it doesn't have a second entrance on the side of the building that faces the golf course maintenance lot seems petty. Second entrances for grocery stores cause major headaches for internal layout. They managed it at the Northeast Lunds, but in that case it serves major foot traffic, not an unused back street.

This project is nothing but wonderful compared to the current situation. And in some distant future where they don't need parking, they can develop surface lots or even convert the second floor to more residential.

I wish there was a way for this project to have another storefront or two facing Cedar. Any ideas for that?

This seems too weird for Bergan's Supervalue. I suspect that if this actually goes through, it'll be rebranded Cub.

The proposal for the 4700 block of Cedar was at the Planning Commission Committee of the Whole. Tweets about it here: https://twitter.com/ajm6792/status/1111379650901508096

Contrary to the first tweet, turned out to maybe the 5-7 non participant observers there.

I'd really like to see this projected connected to pedestrian improvements in the area, which the developer seemed to have some interest in (both talking to the commission and overheard conversation afterward), although I don't know who would pay for them or if we could agree on what they are. Commissioner Kronzer mentioned the possibility of a median forcing right in/right out on Cedar, and the developer said there's no way that would for for the grocer. I think we should insist on it.

Different neighborhoods, I guess, but the NE Lunds parking lot connects to one-way 4th St, which is pretty much the same thing, and they're doing fine.

From Nextdoor, CM Andrew Johnson on the Bergans/47th and Cedar Ave development

Andrew Johnson, Howe·Edited 20m ago
Council Member Andrew Johnson here. I want to make sure you all have accurate information on this proposal and the land use process.

It is my understanding that the Bergan family decided to privately sell this site to a new owner. That new owner is interested in building a five-story mixed-use building that will include a grocery store (the grocery store brand has not yet been publicly announced). There will be an upcoming community meeting hosted by the Standish-Ericsson Neighborhood Association (SENA) on this proposal, but a date has not been set yet.

Because of Federal and State laws (including the Constitution), property rights in our nation are strong. Therefore, the new owners have a right to build on their land. This does not mean they can build whatever they want, but given the current zoning, they are allowed, as a right, to build a multi-story mixed-use building. This has nothing to do with the 2040 Plan, as the zoning code has not yet been updated after the 2040 Plans passage. It's worth noting that even if the zoning code had been updated by now as a result of the 2040 Plan, it wouldn't substantially change the scale or height of what is allowable on this parcel.

Regarding the proposed five stories, the current zoning for this site allows five stories in height with conditions (what is known as a conditional use permit). Whether to grant the conditional use permit (and any other land use questions) will be decided through a quasi-judicial proceeding involving the Planning Commission. They legally have a narrow scope when considering these matters; in other words, given that it involves property rights, it is NOT a popularity contest and must be decided via a careful weighing of laws, code, policies, precedent, etc. Unless decisions by the Planning Commission are appealed, they will not come before the City Council. (Note: Because of the quasi-judicial nature of land use decisions, I am not allowed to weigh-in on this proposal, as it may come before the Council where I would then be acting essentially as a judge.)

The proposal includes apartments which the developer intends to rent at market rate. Once the 2040 Plan is codified, it will require some affordability in every project (a policy known as Inclusionary Zoning), but given that it is not yet codified (and the interim IZ policy is narrow in scope), this project will not be required to make a percentage of units "affordable" at <60% of the Area Median Income.

The City's Public Works Department is requiring the developers to conduct a traffic study. The results will be used to require changes to the design or layout to mitigate impacts.

For those interested in learning more and sharing their opinions, the next step is to show up at the community meeting. The best way to know when it gets scheduled is to connect with SENA either via their Facebook page or website. You can also call or email them as well. Once the owners submit their final land use application, it will then trigger the formal process where notification is sent out to nearby residents, a public hearing will be set before the Planning Commission, and City planning staff will analyze all the land use questions and compile a report with recommendations for the Commission. If you have any additional questions about this process, email me at: [email protected]

The proposal for the 4700 block of Cedar was at the Planning Commission Committee of the Whole. Tweets about it here: https://twitter.com/ajm6792/status/1111379650901508096

Anyone else going to the developer meeting this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.? It sounds like the proposed tenant will be announced at the meeting.

Anyone else going to the developer meeting this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.? It sounds like the proposed tenant will be announced at the meeting.

Planning to go.

Noko project developer meeting at 6:30 tonight:
https://www.facebook.com/events/342941323244576

Lund's is the tenant for Noko at the Cedar+Minnehaha Parkway node. Lots of interesting facts from the project.

Lunds plans grocery store for Bergan's site redevelopment near Lake Nokomis
*LOCKED*

Most info is already known or has been discussed. One tidbit that's new:
Johnson said that developer High Street Residential, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Trammell Crow, hopes to break ground on the project this December. After about 16 months of construction, the store and the apartment would open in April 2021.