It's going to be an interesting night at the Minneapolis City Planning Commission's Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday. Developers will be releasing a bevy of interesting new details on three high-profile housing developments planned for in and around downtown.

  • One of the juciest tidbits that will be discussed is the expansion of a previously discussed plan for a high-rise residential tower. Bob Lux and the team at Alatus will present plans to build a 40-story residential tower at the corner of Central Ave and 2nd St SE across the river from downtown Minneapolis. Original plans called for a 25-30-story tower. This one calls for a tower with about 325 "residential units" (Lux hasn't committed to apartments or condominiums) adjacent to the existing St. Anthony parking ramp. The existing Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home and St. Anthony Athletic Club would be demolished. An earlier plan called for retaining part of the Washburn-McReavy building and relocating it elsewhere on the site.
  • Curt Gunsbury and Robb Miller, the folks who brought you 7West and the Soltva apartments are whipping up plans for a 24-unit luxury condominium building next to the Garr Scott Lofts building at 602-606 N 1st St in the North Loop. Because the project is within the St. Anthony Falls and Warehouse historic districts and would require demolition of two buildings, the project requires feedback from the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) and the City Planning Commission (CPC). The 8-story building would have two levels of underground parking and would be only the second condominium building in Minneapolis to break ground. The project is being called the 602 Condominiums and would require a handful of conditional use permits and variances, including permission to increase the height of the building from 6 stories (84 feet) to 8 stories (90 feet).
  • Sherman and Associates is moving forward on its plans for the second phase of a project that was originally proposed in 2006. Instead of building a 103-unit condo building as originally proposed, Sherman plans to build a 122-unit, 12-story luxury apartment building with three levels of underground parking on the block bounded by Washington Avenue and 2nd Street South between 9th and 10th Avenues South next to the 64- unit Zenith condominium building and the Aloft Hotel.