Minneapolis to host open house to discuss future of former Lake Street Kmart

MINNEAPOLIS — The City of Minneapolis will soon be taking the next steps to address an eyesore that’s cutting off traffic from downtown to south Minneapolis.

In the 1970s, the Kmart was built in the intersection of Lake and Nicollet.

“By blocking off Nicollet Avenue, it really disconnected the neighborhood,” Principal City Planner, Adrienne Bockheim said. “You know, Nicollet Avenue used to be a direct connection to downtown for south Minneapolis. And it really cut people off from different resources in the area.”

Since the store closed in 2020, the City of Minneapolis, which bought the land, has been looking to its past to determine its future.

“Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue, historically, had been large commercial corridors and supported a number of businesses and communities throughout the years,” Senior Transportation Planner, Kelsey Fogt, said. “This project will reconnect those streets and open up some more opportunities for for uses along the street.”

On Tuesday, the city will host an open house at the site for the public to see different concepts for the street and land around it, which will eventually include commercial space and affordable housing.

Although construction won’t start until 2025, the plans are already creating excitement among residents.

“I think it would be great to extend Nicollet through that way,” Cory Saba said. “It’s a really nice street with a lot of nice restaurants and a lot of good, local businesses, down especially on the south end.”

“It’s a once in a generation opportunity to have input on what happens here,” Bockheim said.

The open house will take place in the Kmart parking lot between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

If you can’t make it, the city is also showing the concepts online with a survey for feedback. Click here to learn more.