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(SLIDESHOW) A Guided Tour of the Park Nicollet Project

Klodt detailed its plans for Eighth Avenue.

By James Warden
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June 29, 2011

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Planners envision Eighth Avenue as a “pedestrian seductive” corridor that will entice riders into the downtown from the light rail station planned for Excelsior Boulevard. This artist's rendering offers one vision of the proposed light rail station and the Eighth Avenue gateway to downtown. City of Hopkins

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Planners envision Eighth Avenue as a “pedestrian seductive” corridor that will entice riders into the downtown from the light rail station planned for Excelsior Boulevard. This artist's rendering offers one vision of the proposed light rail station and the Eighth Avenue gateway to downtown.

Credit City of Hopkins

This corridor contains five key properties with potential for development: 1) The Park Nicollet site, 2) the Johnson Building or south site, 3) The Elk’s Lodge, 4) a city-owned parking site and 5) the Lutheran Digest building.

Credit Klodt Inc.

Hopkins acquired the Park Nicollet site after the hospital closed several clinics in the area in 2009. It then put out a request for proposals to develop the site. In April, Hopkins chose Minneapolis-based Klodt as the developer.

Credit James Warden

But other properties have proved much harder to develop. The Johnson Building is one of the most important sites because of its potential to be an attractive gateway into the Eighth Avenue corridor. But the financials have so far not worked out for any development, although Kersten Elverum said she just pitched the property as a potential hotel site to a company Tuesday.

Credit James Warden

The Elks Lodge is more immediately relevant to the Klodt project because it is adjacent to the Park Nicollet site. Yet the financials haven’t added up any better there. Developer John Bell explained that he’s paying about $10,000 for each apartment unit that the Park Nicollet site will have. But that rate would give the Elks just $300,000 for the 30-unit apartment that could be developed on that site. That’s too little for the organization to replace the building, particularly in a prime spot like downtown Hopkins.

Credit James Warden

The Lutheran Digest building also offers opportunities for development, but Klodt is less concerned about this site because it sits on Ninth Avenue instead of the higher-priority Eighth Avenue. Bell said he’s deliberately moving forward on the Park Nicollet site first in order to gain leverage over the Lutheran Digest owner, who wants more for the building that Klodt wants to pay. Bell thinks the owner will be more willing to sell when he sees the Eighth Avenue can happen even without his site. As it stands, Bell estimates that there’s only a 30 percent chance Klodt can acquire the building.

Credit James Warden

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(For a detailed look at the Park Nicollet project, click through the slideshow above.)

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Planning is underway for the upcoming development on the old Park Nicollet site at Eighth Avenue and First Street.

Planners envision Eighth Avenue as a “pedestrian seductive” corridor that will entice riders into the downtown from the light rail station planned for Excelsior Boulevard. The Park Nicollet project is the first step toward making that vision a reality.

Hopkins chose Minneapolis-based Klodt Inc. for the project. John Bell, the company’s vice president of construction, and Dave Clark, chief executive of architecture firm WCL Associates, walked the City Council and Zoning and Planning Commission through a rough draft of the project Tuesday.

There’s a slight chance construction could start as early as the spring of 2012. But Bell expects ground breaking to take place in spring 2013, with completion in the spring of 2014.

That’s not as fast as some council members would like. But City Planner Nancy Anderson said she’ll ensure the city handles the details swiftly.

“We can run it through quick,” she said.

“But at the same time, I want to do it right,” Mayor Gene Maxwell answered.

Related Topics: Development

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