Blue Line's Hiawatha corridor is red hot for development

It’s been 14 years since trains started running on the Blue Line, and the South Minneapolis corridor is starting to look like government officials hoped it would.

There’s nearly $300 million worth of development and 1,000 units of housing either under construction or in the pipeline along the 5-mile stretch of the Blue Line between Lake Street and Fort Snelling. 

That’s not to mention some retail momentum, as Venn Brewing Co. opened near the 46th Street Station in December and a new urban-format Cub Foods will open next summer.

Norman Bjornnes Jr. knows the Blue Line well. He’s developed two apartment projects since the beginning of the line, Oaks Hiawatha Station at 4540 Snelling Ave. in 2004 and Oaks Station Place near the 46th Street Station in 2012. 

Both of those buildings have remained between 95 percent and 100 percent full for their lifetimes, he said. After five years, his Oaks Station Place development landed Venn Brewing on its ground floor, which had been vacant. 

For more information visit: 46th & Hiawatha

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