Latitude 45 retail space is fully leased during construction; Ryan Burnet signs restaurant lease

The retail space is now fully leased at Latitude 45, the high-end apartment building still under construction on Washington Av. downtown Minneapolis.

The 10,000 square feet of ground-level retail will be split into two businesses: a destination restaurant and massage spa.

Restauranteur Ryan Burnet will fill more than 6,000 square feet at the corner of 3rd and Washinton avenues with what he hopes is an "approachable destination" restaurant.

The developer, Alatus, announced in March that Burnet -- who has seen success in the Minneapolis restaurant scene with Bar La Grassa, Burch Steakhouse & Pizza and Barrio Tequila Bar -- had signed a letter of intent to open a new concept at Latitude 45.

Burnet, who officially signed the lease two weeks ago, said the concept is still being fleshed out, but there are certain segments of the dining scene he hopes to capture with this new restaurant.

"I want people who live in the building to feel comfortable coming down in their sweatpants for a beer on Saturday night with people in business suits at a table nearby," Burnet said.

There is no shortage of quality restaurants in Minneapolis, but Burnet wants this to be a staple for the extended neighborhood.

To do this, he said, "the bar will have a lack of pretense and that will be reflected in the cost structure as well."

Massage Envy will occupy more than 4,000 square feet at the other corner, 4th and Washington avenues, fitting the lifestyle of the building's likely clientele. The Star Tribune reported in March that Alatus was targeting empty-nesters and "aspirational" young professionals.

Andrea Christenson of Cassidy Turley brokered the deals. This is the only downtown residential building to pre-lease all of its retail space while still under construction, she said.

"People will want to live in this building just knowing there's a Ryan Burnet restaurant downstairs," Christenson said. "We really think that being near the river, in that neighborhood and being skyway connected is the perfect storm."