April 10, 2024

A former commercial property downtown on Minnesota Avenue has been leveled to make way for a city road project.

The buildings at 317 and 331 N. Minnesota Ave. used to be the City Center Plaza and Car Wash on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Minnesota.

No tenants were operating there when the city acquired the buildings two years ago.

With demolition, the contractor also removed the retaining wall and is regrading the site to eliminate the need for a tall retaining wall adjacent to Minnesota Avenue.

“During the final design of phase two of Minnesota Avenue from Second to Seventh Street, surveys determined the need for right of way, temporary easements, and in addition, the retaining wall adjacent to Minnesota Avenue was in dire need of repairs,” city engineer Andy Berg said.

“The retaining wall maintenance/reconstruction was the responsibility of the adjacent property owner and from our estimates was quite costly to repair/reconstruct. The property had been listed for sale for a while. During our discussions with the property owner in 2022, we came to a settlement to purchase the property.”

There are no plans to sell the property as the city needs to complete the next phase of work on Minnesota Avenue and ensure that the final design right of way is accommodated.

The site work is scheduled to happen this spring and early summer. The stretch of Minnesota Avenue likely will be reconstructed in 2025 and/or 2026, Berg said.