The Blueprint

A team led by Lupe Development Partners and Wall Cos. wants to bring more than 100 units of affordable senior housing to a triangular parking area near the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, the latest version of a yearslong effort to redevelop the site.

On Thursday, the Minneapolis Planning Commission Committee of the Whole reviewed plans for the five-story, 104-unit building at 600 Main St. SE. The project would require a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning and other approvals.

Jess Olstad, a city spokesperson, said in an email that the committee took no formal action.

“The next step for the project team will be to conduct public engagement around their potential comprehensive plan amendment, and to prepare their land use applications for submittal,” Olstad said.

Steve Minn, vice president and chief financial manager of Lupe Development, said Friday that the project received “very positive feedback” from the committee.

“We’re just going to proceed with the rest of our application, which will be in the next week or so,” said Minn, who added that the proposed location is a “perfect site for housing” and that “senior housing is a need.”

A comprehensive plan amendment would require Metropolitan Council review. If the approval process goes well and financing comes together next year, the project could break ground in 2028, Minn said.

A 58-space “principal parking facility” currently occupies the 37,401-square-foot development site, which is framed by Sixth Avenue Southeast, Main Street Southeast, and a railroad property, according to a city staff report.

The project would primarily offer one-bedroom units, though the mix would also include some two-bedroom dwellings and efficiencies. Thirty-nine stalls of underground parking are also planned.

Located near the Stone Arch Bridge trailhead in the Mississippi River Critical Area Overlay District, the project would be “compatible with the surrounding neighborhood architecture,” according to a narrative submitted on behalf of the developer.

The plan includes site improvements such as structured parking and pedestrian spaces, and a new public trail, which would connect to existing Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board trails in Father Hennepin Bluffs Park.

According to the developer’s narrative, the project “represents a reinvestment in a privately owned, undeveloped parcel that is not used for park purposes and is not planned for acquisition.”

The project would align the property’s “land use, built form, and Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Overlay District designations with the surrounding urban context and applicable regulatory framework,” the narrative states.

Wall Cos. and Lupe Development Partners, doing business as Bluff Street Development, have long wanted to redevelop 600 Main St. SE. In 2023, the developers pitched a plan for 80 affordable housing units on the site.

The developers’ history with the site goes back as far as 2009, when they proposed separate plans for a 98-unit and a 79-unit apartment project, as previously reported. In 2010, Bluff Street sued the city after the City Council rejected the plans. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2011.

When development efforts first started, the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area rules and regulations had not been defined, and “there was a lot of angst in the community” about what those regulations would be, Minn said.

Those regulations are now “well defined,” clearing the way for development, he said.

Minneapolis leaders agree the next police chief is a critical choice, but it remains unclear whether the mayor and City Council can align on a candidate.

Mayor Jacob Frey declined an interview on the topic after announcing the hiring process and timeline earlier in the week. But 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke with City Council Member and Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee Chair Jason Chavez and Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, the prior Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee Chair.

All agree the police chief is one of the most important roles in Minneapolis.

Asked what it would take to get enough members on board with a candidate so that they can be confirmed, Council Member Vetaw said, “I think we’re figuring some of those things out, but what I hear from all council members is someone who’s strong on reform and wants to actually get reforms done right.”

Vetaw added that the next permanent chief should also have a strong record on slowing overspending.

“We need somebody who’s really going to reel that in and handle our money with care. I think those are two things that I hear from all of my colleagues,” she said.

Brian O’Hara resigns as Minneapolis police chief after report shows he interfered with investigation into his conduct

Asked the same question, Council Member Chavez agreed on key candidate criteria, but he expressed less confidence in the hiring process.

“Well, I mean, I’ve cleared out — I’ve laid out some of the things that I would like to see in a candidate,” Chavez said. “And then I want us to feel included in this process, so they can hear our feedback, and I want there to be robust community engagement. I don’t think that it’s oppositional to this plan. I guess my only thing is I want to make sure that all 13 members are included in this process.”

“I really care about community engagement, I really care about the criteria, and I want to make sure that the police chief that comes into Minneapolis is strongly committed to police accountability,” he continued.

“People want transparency and accountability. They want someone who can speak to the community, and it’s truthful,” Vetaw said.

“Like, we’re all looking for the same kind of leader.”

The question comes as Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, as the head of the department overseeing MPD and nominated by Mayor Frey in April, remains without enough City Council votes to be reappointed. Vetaw supports Barnette, while Chavez does not.

Vetaw said the lack of agreement over Commissioner Barnette is not an omen for the process of hiring a new MPD chief.

“I don’t believe that what’s happening with the commissioner is a direct reflection on the process for searching for a new chief. I think this council certainly separates those two,” she said.

“Do I want to move fast? Absolutely not. I want to move at a pace where we get the best person for the job … and I think we all want that. This is one of the most important roles in the city of Minneapolis.”

Chavez said he hopes the process leads to a chief he can support.

Asked if he believes he’ll be able to put his vote behind the candidate ultimately nominated by the mayor at the end of the process, Chavez said, “I would hope so.”

“And I want to be able to vote for a chief,” he continued. “I just think that we have to make sure that there’s a robust process that includes all council members, and that ensures that the voices of our community are not being left out.”

Former Chief Brian O’Hara was unanimously confirmed in 2022, though the council had a few different members at the time.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Mayor Frey said, “Mayor Frey has been very clear that the search for a new police chief will be a collaborative process that includes community, City staff, and Council Members.” 

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will continue tracking the selection process, including its cost to taxpayers.

Minneapolis City Council members approved a five-month pause on new data center development Thursday.

The moratorium does not apply to smaller data centers located downtown that are less than 350,000 square feet.

The Minneapolis City Council voted to temporarily halt new data center projects while city staff study regulations and examine concerns about environmental impacts, energy use and public safety.

The vote comes as opposition to data center projects has surfaced in communities across Minnesota.

In Elk River, Minnesota, this week, the city’s planning commission recommended against a proposal that would pave the way for a data center, despite the fact advocates said the project could generate an estimated $800,000 in additional revenue.

In Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, a packed city council meeting erupted in boos after officials delayed a final vote on a proposed data center. The vote is now scheduled for Friday.

The issue has drawn strong opinions in Minneapolis.

At a Minneapolis committee meeting last week, a vocal majority spoke out in favor of the pause. Labor groups highlighted the construction jobs data centers can provide, while residents raised concerns about neighborhood impacts and whether the facilities would benefit local communities.

Councilmember Soren Stevenson said residents throughout Minneapolis have been clear in their opposition to additional data center development.

“My constituents and people from across this city are so, so clear that they don’t want data centers at all,” Stevenson said.

Supporters of the moratorium said the temporary pause will give city officials time to study the industry and develop regulations before additional projects move forward.

Council Member Aurin Chowdhury argued that data centers have had disproportionate impacts.

“That industry has shown over and over again negative impacts, especially in communities of color and communities that have been impacted by environmental injustice,” Chowdhury said.

Opponents of the pause warned the move could discourage future investment in Minneapolis and send the wrong message to businesses considering projects in the city.

Councilmember Linea Palmisano said the moratorium could undermine efforts to attract economic development at a time when residents are facing higher property taxes.

“We send a message to the business community that they aren’t important or supported by this council,” Palmisano said. “We send the message that we don’t want their investment.”

The measure now heads to Mayor Jacob Frey, who plans to spend the next several days reviewing the ordinance before deciding whether to sign it, a spokesperson said.