Graves Hospitality plans to build a luxury, nine-unit condominium building at the corner of W. 31st Street and Holmes Avenue in south Minneapolis. The proposed six-story building would take the place of an early 1900s duplex and a parking lot next to the popular Lucia's Restaurant, and it would have a ground-floor, sit-down restaurant without outdoor seating, according to Ben Graves.

The quarter-acre property sold in March for $1 million and is in a prime location just a block from Hennepin Avenue and only about six blocks to Lake Calhoun. Graves Hospitality and Collage Architects recently submitted their plans for the project to the East Calhoun Community Organization for input before filing a formal application with the city of Minneapolis. The restaurant and condos will be developed and owned by Jim Graves of Graves Hospitality; sale prices have yet to be set.

To make the project work, Graves has made several requests:

  • Rezoning of the property from multifamily residential to commercial to allow for the mixed-use building.
  • A variance for building height of 80 feet (from the allowable height of 56 feet).
  • Variance for side-yard setback of 5 feet (from the allowable setback of 13 feet) on the north side.

The project comes after thousands of rental apartments have been built in Uptown, but no significant condominium construction. There's a small, boutique project underway on nearby Lake Street. And in nearby Linden Hills, plans to build another upscale condo building that would replace the Famous Dave's Restaurant were recently scrapped