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Mapping Prejudice" Context
It wasn’t until recently that the two parcel, 10 acre lot that sits directly at the intersection of Lake Street and
Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis has come into the public eye. Though the site has been part of plenty internal planning amongst the City of Minneapolis and neighborhood organizations, it was not until local and state media outlets
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started asking why Kmart disrupts the city grid at a major through-way in the heart of Minneapolis, Nicollet Avenue. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the proposed “Nicollet Lake Development District” of the 1970’s was desperate for funding after much of the expected development along the corridors fell through. Luckily, an up and coming discount retail store named Kmart, offered millions of dollars in needed funding to lease a future building, eventually shutting down any thoughtful movement north or south along Nicollet Avenue. From this, we get to the 10 acre impervious structure and parking lot that we see today. This was the beginning of the "Bigbox" era. Despite the City of Minneapolis buying out the Kmart lease in 2020 for $9.1 Million, there really is no indication what will happen with the site next. Most recently, the USPS signed a 24 month contract to lease the site in July of 2020. The site is currently acting as the post office for 2 adjacent neighborhoods, both of which had their own burned down during the 2020 George Floyd protests. Additionally, Covid-19 has shut down many of the local establishments forcing surviving restaurant to be takeout only. 1 block east of the site is Interstate 35W on the heels
of its 4.5 year $239M renovation. I have decided to take a three tiered
approach towards investigating the Kmart Site:
Future Speculation Supported By Community Based Research, Integration Of Existing Transportation Planning For The Area, And The Need For An Urban
Ecological Zone/Corridor. I believe that these three areas will not only deal with existing planning (transportation) but also acknowledge the surrounding community’s needs, and ensure a sustainable ecology for future generations.