MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Starting Monday, crews will be removing materials from inside the former Kmart building in south Minneapolis. According to a City of Minneapolis spokesperson, demolition of the building walls will then begin the week of Nov. 13.
City leaders symbolically took a sledgehammer to the site at the end of October. The demolition was originally set for the spring of 2024 but was fast-tracked after a fire broke out in the abandoned building on Oct. 20.
The New Nicollet Redevelopment Project will reopen Nicollet Avenue between Lake Street and Cecil Newman Lane.
It's good news for the Lai family, owners of Pho Tau Bay at 2837 Nicollet Ave. The Vietnamese noodle house sits at the edge of Nicollet on Eat Street.
Vins Lai said since the pandemic, they have watched the businesses around them close. According to Lai, business is down 50% compared to before the pandemic.
The family is hopeful the reconnection will bring new life to the area.
"I hope when this opens... a lot of customers know there's a restaurant here," Lai said.
The Kmart store was built in 1977 which led to the road being closed. Since then, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has described it as "one of the worst urban planning decisions ever made."
In 2020, the City of Minneapolis paid $9.1 million to buy out Kmart's lease which wasn't set to expire until 2053.
The city has three concepts for the public space and four ideas for Nicollet Avenue. The development also calls for affordable housing and commercial space. View the design concepts, here.
Road construction is expected to begin in 2025.
Addressing that timeline, Lai said while laughing, "That's okay. We waited a long time. We can wait."
The city of Minneapolis is gathering feedback from the community on the new roadway and public space design concepts for the project. Those interested in taking the online survey have until 9 a.m. Nov. 15 to submit their feedback.
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