MINNEAPOLIS — The Students' Cooperative building near the University of Minnesota campus plans to reopen this school year pending renovations and a Health Department inspection, about 15 months after fights and shootings led the city to shut down the property in June 2022.
Details about the Co-op's potential reopening have emerged more publicly this month, following the Minneapolis City Council's approval last week of new licensing restrictions. According to a city spokesperson, the Co-op has paid a license renewal fee but cannot welcome tenants until it gains proper permits and passes inspection.
The Students' Co-op, a longtime affordable housing provider and shared living space, is not technically located on university property or affiliated with the school. However, the building sits in the middle of Fraternity Row and became a major source of concern last year among university leaders, parents and students due to a string of violent incidents. One video captured by neighbors showed a large fight spilling into University Avenue; in another instance, a 15-year-old was shot.
Tate Machacek, who lives in a fraternity house on University Avenue, said he's surprised that the Co-op is attempting to reopen so quickly.
"I feel like we haven't really had time to process what happened last year or heal from what happened last year. It's a lot going on. We don't really like it, that's for sure," Machacek said. "That one-year stretch where all that junk was going on, guys were scared to go outside; guys were scared to walk to the Rec."
Co-op leaders blame last year's violence on the pandemic. After students moved out, they say new occupants without leases started to move in, many of whom "faced a history of housing insecurity, marginalized by interlocking systems of systemic racism and economic inequality." While a newly created alumni board helped to transfer some of the occupants to alternate housing, they say they ultimately started eviction proceedings lasting until early June 2022.
According to documents posted on the Co-op's website, any new tenant this year will need to sign a lease promising not to engage in "acts of violence" including "the unlawful discharge of firearms, prostitution, criminal street gang activity," and "intimidation."
Under the new stipulations passed by the Minneapolis City Council, the Co-op must conduct criminal background checks on tenants and will be subject to an MPD security review. Furthermore, 75 percent of the Co-op's tenants must be college students, and nobody without a lease will be able to live at the property for more than one week per month.
James Farnsworth, a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, said in an interview that he's hopeful the new rules will help curb the violence.
"I think what happened last year was totally unacceptable, not just for the immediate surrounding neighbors but for the entire campus community," Farnsworth said. "I know through casual conversation, there have been alumni of the Co-op who have been active in trying to right the ship... I just hope they have a strong emphasis on safety and security."
Myron Frans, the university's senior vice president for finance and pperations, told the Board of Regents last week that University of Minnesota Police have "paid close attention to the progress of the property as it has been under construction and is on alert for any potential issues that may come up." Although UMPD plays an assisting role in neighborhoods adjacent to campus, the Minneapolis Police Department has main jurisdiction over the Co-op property.
The timeline for the Co-op's reopening is not clear. On Thursday afternoon, crews could be seen renovating the back interior of the property, and a large board still covers the front door of the Co-op.
Despite the strict regulations passed by the City Council, neighbors such as Tate Machacek remain skeptical about the building.
"I feel like everyone on this row has those stipulations," Machacek said, "and the fact they didn't follow them when everyone else was last year, I don't know why I would believe they would do it again."
However, he's willing to give the Co-op a second chance.
"We already had one meeting with the Co-op, us neighbors. I think we need to keep that dialogue going," Machacek said. "Hopefully, the new people moving in will be much better. They really have no choice."
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: