2800 E. Lake Street Property Donated to Nonprofit Seward Redesign

U.S. Bank to donate Minneapolis branch property to Seward Redesign for re-development 

The 2800 E. Lake Street property will be redeveloped for housing, commercial and outdoor retail use and  arts and cultural spaces 

MINNEAPOLIS (November 23, 2021) – U.S. Bank announced today that it intends to donate its branch property  located at 2800 E. Lake Street to nonprofit community development corporation Seward Redesign. Seward Redesign will partner with 4RM+ULA, an architectural design firm, to redevelop the property into up to four sub-divided parcels to include affordable housing, commercial and outdoor retail spaces, nonprofit services and arts and cultural destinations. The partnership with 4RM+ULA represents an innovative model that will focus on design and aesthetics, community  input and activation and will be inclusive of multiple people of color partners.  

“In response to the civil unrest that followed the death of George Floyd, our communities invested significant effort to  first stabilize, and now rebuild Lake Street in a more equitable fashion,” said Taylor Smrikárova, project leader from  Seward Redesign. “Our team is intently committed to ensuring that the U.S. Bank property is lifted up as a  demonstration site for wealth creation for communities of color. When this shared vision is achieved, the result will be  that each parcel will be owned by BIPOC-led businesses or community organizations.” 

Seward Redesign recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary and is the only community development corporation with  an exclusive focus in the Seward and greater Longfellow neighborhoods of South Minneapolis. 4RM+ULA is a  nationally renowned, award winning firm with an extensive portfolio in the Twin Cities.  

“We are both humbled and honored to be awarded the opportunity to help facilitate this innovative process,” said  James Garrett, Jr., partner at 4RM+ULA. “Our goal is to create a new model for equitable development and  demonstrate new ways in whicharchitects can engage and partner with community.” 

Foundational to the winning proposal submitted by Seward Redesign and 4RM+ULA were strategic partnerships with  both Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) and National Native American Boarding School Healing  Coalition (NABS). Both CLUES and NABS have been invited to own and co-develop specific site parcels. Preliminary  project concepts include:  

• An intensive community engagement and activation process to ensure broad and diverse participation.  • Creative interim uses and site activation strategies including pop-up retail facilities, public art installations,  and community events/gathering spaces. 

• CLUES ownership to ensure long-term service to Latino communities in South Minneapolis inclusive of  affordable housing, client services and arts & technology center 

• NABS ownership inclusive of a national center for truth and healing, affordable housing and retail  locations. 

• A development owned and operated by 4RM+ULA inclusive of affordable housing and commercial/retail spaces. 

• The opportunity for an additional people of color developer/owner to co-develop a remaining land parcel. 

“After listening and learning alongside community partners through an extensive RFP process, we are excited to  announce our plan to donate this property to Seward Redesign,” said Reba Dominski, chief social responsibility officer  for U.S. Bank. “We were looking for a community-focused developer who was aligned with our commitment to racial  equity throughout the entire property donation process – in the interim and after the redevelopment of the location.  Seward Redesign knows and understands the Seward and Longfellow neighborhoods deeply and will bring strong  relationships, credibility to navigate community engagement and technical capacity to the project.” 

The development will be consistent with community input and will include a combination of affordable housing,  commercial and retail locations and outdoor community spaces. Seward Redesign and 4RM+ULA are exploring a  range of interim uses for the property to engage the neighborhood through arts and culture, while also creatively 

soliciting community feedback regarding permanent uses for the site. A community engagement process will begin in  the next couple of months. 

Less than a mile from the Lake Street site, Seward Redesign is nearing completion of the construction of the Seward  Commons masterplan, a transit-oriented, mixed-use, mixed-income, multi-phase redevelopment. The future  masterplan for the redevelopment of the Lake Street property will be part of a larger vision for equitable development  within the Seward/Longfellow neighborhoods.  

The Lake Street property was damaged during the civil unrest in May 2020. Shortly thereafter, U.S. Bank set-up a  mobile banking unit in the parking lot that will continue to provide banking services to the community on-site until it completes its redevelopment of a former commercial building at 3600 E. Lake Street in 2022. U.S. Bank is also  building a new branch location at 919 E. Lake Street set to open in 2022.  

To learn more about Seward Redesign, visit redesigninc.org. To learn more about 4RM+ULA, visit www.4rmula.com