A Chicago developer planning to build a giant apartment, hotel, grocery and retail complex near the University of Minnesota met with a Minneapolis Planning Commission committee Thursday to refine its proposal before formally submitting it.
The hulking project would fill an entire city block at 2929 University Av. SE., across from the Prospect Park light-rail station near the Minneapolis-St. Paul border.
The 2.9-acre property sits at the elbow of the Green Line's curve, just three blocks away from Surly Brewing Co.'s wildly successful new taphouse and restaurant. It's the latest in a string of apartment and hotel proposals for the burgeoning neighborhood.
CA Ventures is proposing a single building divided into two sections at six stories and 15 stories. The plan calls for a 120-room hotel, Fresh Thyme grocery store, 412-stall parking structure and lot, liquor store, restaurant and 258 apartment units (or 440 beds, in student-housing parlance).
Its latest renderings, which list Richfield-based Tushie Montgomery Architects as lead on the design, show a simplified color palette from earlier images. There would also be improvements to the street landscaping through the addition of trees and green space.
The project would require demolition of several structures, including offices, a fitness club, auto body repair shop and coffee shop.
