Mixed-use development planned for long-vacant St. Paul Sears site
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The St. Paul nonprofit taking over the former Sears property a block from the State Capitol says it’s planning a mixed-use development for the site.
The Rondo Community Land Trust bought the 17-acre site for about $10 million, according to President and CEO Mikeya Griffin.
“This is a major milestone for the Rondo community,” Griffin said.
Griffin said the land trust is planning a community engagement process to talk with local residents and other stakeholders about what’s next for the site.
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“Still a lot that we’re working through, but we are excited about the direction and confident in what this site can become,” Griffin said. “This is an opportunity to create something that connects history, community and economic activity in a meaningful way.”
The Sears building has sat empty since the store closed in 2019. The land has changed hands several times since then.
The land trust bought the site from the nonprofit Asian Media Access, which held events on the property and had initiated a planning process for what to build there, but had not started development.
Griffin said she’s excited to see the new development reflect the neighborhood that used to be there. Before it was a Sears, the lot was part of the historic Rondo neighborhood, a majority Black community that boasted thousands of homes and businesses. Many were displaced when Interstate 94 was built through the neighborhood in the 1960s.
“It is an opportunity for us to return land to community-centered stewardship, and shaping the future of what district-level development can look like,” Griffin said.
She said this is the land trust’s largest acquisition to date.
