Community Corner

(SLIDESHOW) A Guided Tour of the Park Nicollet Project

Klodt detailed its plans for Eighth Avenue.

(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.

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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. The Park Nicollet project is the first step toward making that vision a reality.

Hopkins 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. 

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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.


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