The Development Tracker Minneapolis

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The Development Tracker Minneapolis

We document what’s shaping Minneapolis’s built environment—from new restaurants and neighborhoods to major real estate developments and business activity.

BUILT FORESIGHT. Since 2014.

10/07/2026

Green + The Grain is opening its first flagship, and it’s keeping it downtown.

greenandthegrain is coming to the skyway level of U.S. Bancorp Center at 800 Nicollet Mall, with a grand opening planned for January 2027.

This will be its fifth downtown Minneapolis location, joining LaSalle Plaza, Baker Center, U.S. Bank Plaza and Forum 900.

The locally owned brand has had a busy year, opening in Rochester and launching its first franchise in Denver while exploring Chicago and other markets. For its first flagship, though, it’s investing in the downtown where it started with a food truck in 2014.

The team is calling this the next evolution of Green + The Grain, with more details on the space and menu still to come. We’ll be sure to share more details when available.

09/30/2026

The old Smith Foundry site is cleared. Now there’s a proposal for what could replace it.

Roers Companies wants to build nearly 200 apartments on the former foundry and Bituminous Roadways properties, beside the Midtown Greenway at Cedar Avenue and 28th Street.

The plans include homes with up to four bedrooms, a children’s play area, and an art studio and maker space for residents.

It’s still early. The proposal goes before the city’s planning commission committee on October 1 for feedback. Formal approvals would come later.

Swipe through to see what’s proposed. We’ve taken a closer look at the plans in our latest brief, linked in our bio.

09/20/2026

[MINNEAPOLIS, MN] Minneapolis Public Schools is planning a major, full-block redevelopment of the former Cooper School property.

The former school building has sat vacant since 2005, while much of the nearly 3.7-acre property remains open space. Now, the district is proposing to replace the building with a permanent home for Anishinabe Academy.

The $90 million to $105 million project would include a nearly 130,000-square-foot school serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. Anishinabe Academy currently shares space with Sullivan STEAM School, and the move would give the academy a campus of its own.

Designed by Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design and Cuningham, the curved building would wrap around a central outdoor gathering space. The design would carry the academy’s Indigenous-focused curriculum and Ojibwe and Dakota language programming into both the building and its outdoor spaces.

The project is still early and has not been approved. City feedback will help shape the design before formal applications are submitted.

Swipe through for a first look, then read the full Project Brief for a deeper breakdown of the current plans and project team. Link in bio.

09/18/2026

We’ve been playing detective on where Northeast’s new Italian steakhouse is opening. Now we know. 👀🍸

Bar Mario is headed to 24 University Ave NE, taking over the former Nashville Coop space.

The new concept from longtime Twin Cities beverage pro Brian Kunz is being described as a love letter to the steakhouses of Italy, with steak, Italian cooking and a strong beverage program all expected to shape the experience.

A recent fit-planning post tipped us off, and after a little digging, everything lined up with 24 University.

Current plans show 47 seats, including a bar, chef counter and banquette seating.

It’s a space we know well. Over the years, the roughly 3,000-square-foot restaurant has been home to JL Beers, STEPCHLD, Kizzo and, most recently, Nashville Coop.

Bar Mario is targeting a fall 2026 opening.

More details are expected as the buildout and opening plans come together.

09/16/2026

A familiar Linden Hills corner could be headed for a major change.

Van’s Service at 44th Street and Chowen Avenue, along with the property just to the south, is part of a new redevelopment proposal.

The plan calls for a four-story mixed-use building with housing above commercial space along 44th Street. Parking would be tucked inside, while the building would pull back as it gets closer to the surrounding homes.

It would be a noticeable change for this part of Linden Hills, where the 44th Street commercial strip quickly gives way to quieter residential blocks.

The proposal is still working its way through city review.

Read the full Project Brief on The Development Tracker.

09/10/2026

Okay, this is the CAVA update everyone has been waiting for. 👀

Minnesota’s first CAVA opens near the University of Minnesota on Wednesday, September 23rd at 622 Washington Avenue SE.

If CAVA is new to you, it’s fast-casual Mediterranean built around customizable bowls and pitas. But it’s the flavors and sheer number of combinations that have helped give CAVA such a following, with seasoned meats, grains, greens, tons of toppings and signature dips and sauces like Crazy Feta, harissa, hummus and skhug.

There’s a reason people have been asking us about this one.

We’ve been tracking CAVA’s move into Minnesota for a long time, from the first locations surfacing to plans, permits and construction. Now, after following the whole rollout, the first one is actually about to open.

And it won’t be the only one for long. CAVA already has several more Twin Cities locations in the works, including another Minneapolis location.

We’ve probably given you enough CAVA updates for a minute. We just had to see this one through. 😂

September 23rd. It’s finally happening.

09/04/2026

There’s more coming to Parcelle’s North Loop location than you might think.

Meet Parcelle Grocer.

It’s a brand-new concept for Parcelle, and the North Loop will be the first location to have it.

Alongside the café, Parcelle Grocer will offer a curated mix of organic pantry staples, snacks, dairy and eggs, seasonal produce, and health and beauty essentials.

The idea is simple: stop in for a smoothie and pick up a few things for the next couple of days while you’re there.

What ends up on the shelves will follow the same standards Parcelle uses in its kitchen, with a focus on organic and clean-label products.

And because the grocer and café are connected, ingredients can move between the two. Ripe bananas and avocados can go into smoothies, blueberries can become house-made jam, and food can be put to use instead of going to waste.

Swipe right for a video that goes deeper into Parcelle Grocer and what’s coming to the North Loop. →

📍 210 N First St | North Loop | Minneapolis, MN

ParcelleOrganics

09/01/2026

If you’ve spent much time in the North Loop, there’s a good chance you’ve wondered what’s happening with the vacant site at Washington Avenue N and N 1st Avenue.

For years, the answer was supposed to be a 27-story apartment tower.

Approved by Minneapolis in 2021, the project would have brought 427 apartments and roughly 6,000 square feet of commercial space to 25 Washington Avenue N. The former Knutson Building was demolished ahead of the redevelopment, but construction on the tower never began.

Now, that plan is officially off the table.

The property is back on the market, meaning any future redevelopment of the site would come through a new proposal.

Our latest Project Brief looks back at what was planned, what happened and where the site stands today.

If this corner were yours to rethink, what would you put here? Drop your idea in the comments.

🔗 Read the full Project Brief at the link in our bio.

08/28/2026

[MINNEAPOLIS, MN] We spend a lot of time telling you what’s being built. But we’ve always wanted a way to show you so much more.

That’s why we created TDT MONOGRAPHS, a new offering that takes us deeper into some of the most incredible places taking shape across the region.

And we knew the first one had to be special.

MONOGRAPH 001: Indígena by Owamni.

Set within the Guthrie Theater along the Mississippi River, Indígena brings together Indigenous foodways, art, design and gathering in a transformed space with a story that goes far beyond what you see when you walk through the door.

It’s exactly the kind of place that made us want to create MONOGRAPHS in the first place.

For 001, we go inside how Indígena came together, the ideas and people behind it, the thinking that shaped the space and the details that make it what it is today.

Because sometimes knowing what’s being built is only the beginning.

MONOGRAPHS give us room to get closer, understand more and tell the deeper stories behind the places shaping our region.

And we want everyone to be able to experience them.

Every TDT MONOGRAPH is completely free to read. No subscription required.

MONOGRAPH 001 · INDÍGENA BY OWAMNI
Read it now at the link in bio.

TDT MONOGRAPHS | Beyond development. Into meaning.

Indígena by Owamni

08/21/2026

BEVVIE Soda is coming to Minneapolis!

After opening its first location in Woodbury, BEVVIE is growing with a second location near the University of Minnesota. And now, we can finally share where.

BEVVIE will open on the ground floor of Accolade at 2630 University Ave SE.

The new shop will be the first retail tenant at Accolade, the recently completed student housing development along University Avenue. BEVVIE will take the far-right storefront, immediately next to Cajun House in the neighboring building.

If BEVVIE is new to you, think of it as a different take on the soda shop.

The menu is built around custom drinks that start with familiar favorites and go from there. Dirty sodas layer classic sodas with syrups, fruit purees, creams and fresh garnishes, while the menu also includes protein dirty sodas, energy drinks, water refreshers, dirty teas and plenty of ways to make each drink your own.

It’s colorful, customizable and a little unexpected, which is very much the point.

And Minneapolis isn’t the end of the story. BEVVIE is already looking at a third location, although no details are being shared just yet.

Keep an eye on Bevvie for the Minneapolis opening date, which will be announced soon.

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