From the Twin Cities Pioneer Press - Midway Shopping Center demolition could be days away; no clear timeline for redevelopment
From the Twin Cities Pioneer Press l By FREDERICK MELO
Damaged by rioters in May 2020, the Midway Shopping Center could face a demolition crew in the coming days, according to a St. Paul city official and the firm tapped to redevelop the site.
The city on May 19 mailed orders to take down 18 or more commercial storefronts within the largely vacant shopping center, requesting compliance by June 18.
“I do think you’ll see some movement on the Midway site,” St. Paul Planning and Economic Development Director Nicolle Goodman said in a recent interview. “You’ll definitely see some movement there very soon.”
Master developer M.A. Mortenson Co. of Golden Valley indicated Wednesday that demolition could be days away, though permits have yet to be finalized. In a statement, the firm hinted at redevelopment of the site but offered no specific timeline.
“As the master developer of the United Village at Midway in St. Paul, Mortenson is working with both SMR (Architects) and the city of St. Paul, and expects a permit to be issued within the next few days for the demolition of the vacant structures located at University Avenue and Pascal Street,” Senior Vice President Bob Solfelt said. “Mortenson will be serving as the general contractor for the demolition work estimated to be completed within eight weeks once permits are issued.”
DAMAGED IN RIOTS
Since the riots that consumed the Midway following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents and business owners have wondered when the many empty and damaged storefronts within the Midway Shopping Center on University Avenue will be either occupied or demolished.
Allianz Field opened next door in April 2019 with room for 19,000 fans, but the riots halted hopes that the Major League Soccer stadium would spur fresh real estate development in the surrounding properties.
Residents have long been promised that the soccer stadium would help seed an elaborate redevelopment of the strip mall and adjoining property in a 35-acre “super block.” The only progress so far, beyond the stadium itself, has been the cancellation of commercial leases.
“There’s a great deal of frustration about what has happened, or not happened, at the site over the last six years, despite tremendous resources and energy volunteered by countless community members to try and shape a plan for development,” said Mike Reynolds, co-president of the Hamline-Midway Coalition, a neighborhood district council.
Mortenson’s renderings unveiled in April 2020 envisioned two towers of housing and retail at the site, among other retail and office development. The towers were to include 234 housing units and 16,000 square feet of retail on top of 148,000 square feet of parking, but the latest statement from Mortenson gave no indication when construction might move forward.
Solfelt said “Mortenson is confident in the future of the Midway neighborhood and we believe that its redevelopment can create opportunities and places that celebrate the incredible community spirit and culture of St. Paul. We will continue to help put the key pieces in place as the owner works with the city to move the project forward.”