How Do You Think The Cold Storage Site Should Be Used?

The Cold Storage site on Blake Road is a prime piece of real estate. It’s big. It’s in an area the city aims to improve, near amenities such as parks and the Minnehaha Creek. And its owner, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, promises to be a close partner in redevelopment efforts.

officials want to ensure all that potential isn’t squandered. So members of the City Council, Zoning and Planning Commission, Park Board and watershed district met Tuesday to discuss what should happen on the 17-acre site.

Teams first brainstormed general goals for the site. The group as a whole then picked the top three goals. Afterward, they threw out ideas for what types of projects would meet those goals and—just as importantly—what projects would not.

The results of the discussion are listed below. Planners will use the ideas as they market test possibilities and recruit developers in the three years before the current occupants’ leases expire.

“It’s the start of a conversation that will evolve over time,” said Kersten Elverum, director of economic development and planning.

But the discussion doesn’t begin and end with local officials. Patch wants to hear what you hope the site will bring to the community. What goals should have the highest priority? What types of development should Hopkins try to attract? What should the city avoid?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Top goals for the site:

• Catalyze redevelopment beyond the site itself.
• Create living-wage jobs through small business development.
• Be a destination that attracts people from around the region.

Other goals identified:

• Provide neighborhood-serving retail.
• Enhance the tax base.
• Integrate development with the creek, parks and other green space.

Possible uses that meet those goals:

• Sharable office space that brings together the brightest minds
• Urban or global market
• Senior housing, specifically active seniors
• Business incubator
• Education site
• Commons area that brings people together
• Corporate campus
• The
• A curling rink

Uses that are off the table

• A station platform for the Southwest Light Rail Transit line
• A park and ride ramp for the Southwest LRT
• Big-box retail
• Fast food

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