US BANK TO REBUILD E LAKE STREET LOCATION

Plans were approved this week for a site that was destroyed during the riots in response to the murder of George Floyd.

US Bank received approvals to construct a new branch on a site that was previously home to one of their Lake Street branches that was destroyed during the civil unrest in May 2020. The site, which is located at 919 E Lake Street, was so severely damaged during the riots that the building ultimately needed to be demolished in its entirety.

US Bank plans to construct a new bank branch on the site that will centralize their banking operations in order to best serve the surrounding communities.

The new Lake Street location will be the first site to feature their brand-new flagship design. The new building will span 5,938 square feet and will include six drive-through lanes, the latest prototype design elements and the latest company technology. In addition, the building will also include a 24-hour accessible community room that can be used by both bank customers and community groups.

Designed by RSP Architects, the new building will be positioned at the NE corner of E Lake Street and 10^th Avenue S. The new building will be clad in limestone, brick, metal paneling and glazing.

A surface parking lot will be included on site with space for 28 vehicles, a reduction from the 36 spaces that were previously on site. The reduction of parking spaces will allow for more landscaping to occur on the site. Vehicle access will be consolidated to a single curb cut located along Elliot Avenue with vehicles exiting to 10^th Avenue S.

Now, you might be asking yourself, “didn’t Minneapolis ban drive throughs with the 2040 Plan?”

Yes, the city did in late December. However, with the recent application, US Bank has noted that the rebuilding efforts were already planned by then and is asking to essentially be “grandfathered” into a clause allowing for drive throughs.

Another reason is that US Bank technically had 180 days since the date of destruction to rebuild the building and total site in the same configuration as originally constructed. However, the company decided to take additional time in order to make changes to the building that will benefit the community such as orientating the structure towards E Lake Street and designing the building and its functions in a way that better serves the community.

US Bank plans to reopen in early 2022 at 919 E Lake Street.