222 Hennepin

Location: 222 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
Nominated by: Ryan Companies US, Inc.

The 222 Hennepin project, located on the corner of Washington and Hennepin Avenues in Minneapolis, MN is a 2.54 acre site covering a full city block that formerly contained the vacant Downtown Jaguar auto dealership. The property had been vacant since 2007 and had multiple failed redevelopment attempts when Ryan signed the purchase agreement in 2011. Ryan’s vision and goal; build a luxury residential apartment building, re-using the existing four-story, 350-stall 60-year-old parking ramp and bring in a national grocery retailer to anchor the first floor of the building.

Environmental investigation conducted by Ryan revealed what could be presumed from just looking at the vacant site: the site had environmental issues, namely, the soil was contaminated and the building contained asbestos, lead, and other regulated materials. In order to develop the site and reuse the 4 story parking ramp, it had to be cleaned up. Ryan, as a General Contractor and Developer, hired Liesch Associates, Inc. as its environmental consultant to begin the process.

Excavation to 15 feet below grade all the way around the site was required to expand the subgrade level of the existing parking ramp located in the middle of the site. This would later become the new parking area for the grocery store. Remediation included excavation fo over 46,000 tons of soil impacted with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act metals (RCRA), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and petroleum compounds across the property at varying depths. The removal of numerous buried foundations and two unknown underground storage tanks (USTs) also occurred during excavation activities. Asbestos containing floor tile and mastic, ceiling tile, Transite panels, window glazing, fire doors, caulking, adhesives, pipe insulation, and roofing materials, lead based paint, PCB caulking and 1259 tons of PCB impacted concrete all had to be abated from the building prior to demolition of the former showroom and renovation of the parking ramp. The upper floors of the ramp would become parking for the apartment residents. The four sides of the ramp would become the location of two interconnected 6-story residential buildings.

The resulting redevelopment, 222 Hennepin, features 286 upscale market-rate apartments and the first Whole Foods Market in downtown Minneapolis. The final product is a LEED Silver Certified, amenity-rich building including dramatic skyline and river views. The project fills the entire block, creating a pedestrian friendly and lively urban experience on all sides of the project, complete with a significant tree-lined expansion along Hennepin Avenue.

222 Hennepin has revitalized the North Loop neighborhood and surrounding downtown community by cleaning up a contaminated site and replacing a dilapidated vacant former automotive building with a Whole Foods Market and a fully leased, signature residential apartment building. 222 Hennepin has set the tone for additional redevelopment further south on Hennepin, and further west on Washington and the excitement in the area today is evident as you walk or drive by the remarkable project that has been constructed.

Project Financing:

Private capital
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Metropolitan Council

Project Partners:

Ryan Companies US, Inc.
The Excelsior Group
Whole Foods Market
City of Minneapolis
City of Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development Agency
City of Minneapolis Environmental Services
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Metropolitan Council
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Liesch Associates, Inc.