November 18 Update
Renovation at LNPK Grocery is moving forward! After revising our construction plan to meet the “change of use” requirements for the building, the City has now issued us a building permit and renovations have begun.
For years, Lincoln Park residents have shared with us their hopes for more fresh foods and groceries in the neighborhood. In 2024, we received grants from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture that finally allowed us to respond to that need and begin business planning for the development of a grocery store in Lincoln Park. We put together detailed plans with architects and hired a construction company. At the future grocery store site, otherwise known as the old Eco3 office at 2014 W Superior St, we replaced the leaking roof, tore out the old water-stained ceiling, and removed the non-functioning HVAC system.
We were off to a great start. Then we hit a snag—a few of them actually. Because the building’s use is changing from office to retail, we need to bring the building up to modern code. This has caused an increased scope of work, a gap in our funding, and longer permitting timeframes. We have our contractor on board and are estimating a 75-day final build-out once we receive the permit from the City. We had originally hoped to open the store in early summer 2025, and we are working through these construction delays with an eye towards early 2026, anticipating receiving the building permit this month (fingers crossed).
Even though our visible actions have slowed, our determination remains strong, and we continue to work behind the scenes. We are seeing a path to restart renovations in the near future, and that keeps us going. While we can’t commit to a specific opening date, please know that we are working on it as we have a deeply ingrained desire to fulfill this part of our mission for the community.
Stay tuned for more information about LNPK Grocery. Check out the LNPK webpage, sign up for the newsletter, and follow the store on Facebook and Instagram!