A WHOLE LOT OF NEW RETAIL SPACE IS COMING TO THE NORTH LOOP

Work has begun on a new mixed-use project, part of a larger mixed-use project, in Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood that will eventually bring 40,000 square feet of new retail space to the neighborhood.

Located at 128 Second Street N, the site of what was recently a block wide parking lot, the new six story building will consist of not only retail space, but also apartments on the upper floors.

THE NEXT SPOT FOR YOUR RETAIL OBSESSION

If you like to shop or eat, this place will most likely have you covered in the future.

On the ground floor of the building there will be five retail spaces totaling 22,670 sqf of space which is a little more than the amount of retail space found in the neighboring 222 Hennepin mixed-use project (which is home to Whole Foods).

One of the ground floor retail spaces is shown as a rather large space anchoring the corner of Second Street N and First Avenue N. Could that space be the future home of West Elm?

While West Elm will be constructing a hotel down the block, the company specifically stated that the store would not be located within the hotel, but rather within close proximity to the hotel.

Now, we're not one to start rumors, however the amount of space included in that one retail space looks, along with it's neighboring retail space, to be around 12,000-15,000 square feet. News broke last year that West Elm is planning a location in the North Loop and if our research proves to be correct, the average West Elm location looks to be about 13,300 square feet... making this space a perfect candidate.

UNIQUE DESIGN

The overall design of the building, which was created by Snow Kreilich Architects, features a few unique things.

The first is a a central courtyard that serves as a unique entry point for the two underground parking levels that will hold 182 parking spaces. It will eventually tie into the courtyard of the other commercial project being built on this block. The courtyard will add another active use on the ground floor of the building, something that will be a perfect fit for the North Loop.

The exterior of the project will be entirely cladded in a dark grey brick. What will be unique about this cladding is the formations in which the brick will be run over the facade. In addition, the use brick for an entire cladding of a building will make this project fit right in to the history of the North Loop.

Another design aspect that is different for this building compared to others recently constructed in the neighborhood is that it will include inset balconies. This means that the entire front of the building will be on one seamless plane without anything architectural details jutting out besides the canopies of the retail spaces found on the ground floor.

RESIDENTIAL ASPECT

In addition to the ground floor retail, the project will also be home to 156 apartments on floors two through six including studios, 1 bedroom apartments, 2 bedroom apartments, and a few two story lofts overlooking the shared courtyard.

Residential amenities will include multiple outdoor spaces, a fitness center, ground floor lobby, and more.

The project is expected to be completed in Fall 2019.