The Shakopee Economic Development Authority acquired the rights to the first floor commercial area of River City Centre in mid-2022.  Since that time, the EDA approved retaining RSP Architects as designers and Kraus Anderson as Construction Manager as Agent to evaluate the building and to design necessary improvements.

Staff presented concepts to the EDA and has moved forward with final designs based on feedback.

The final designs include replacing all storefronts and doors, removing existing awnings and replacing them with a metal canopy, installing a permanent, lighted sign band on the front and back, removing dead trees and landscaping in the parking lot and replacing those materials with salt-tolerant materials and installing new street lights in the rear and along First Avenue.  The street lights match those already installed on Lewis Street, Shakopee Flats and The Deco.  

Water infiltration was also identified as an issue along the entire First Avenue area.  The engineers have designed a Silva Cell System to capture storm water to be filtered into the tree roots.  The same system was installed at the Lewis Street Parking Lot and those trees are doing very well and the storm water issues there were mitigated.

Kraus Anderson, acting as the city's Construction Manager as Agent will bid the entire project out and bring back the individual bids to the EDA at its March meeting for potential award.

Construction is expected to begin in April and be completed in August. The project will be constructed in two phases to minimize interruptions downtown.  

Staff will be meeting with tenants and the downtown business community to coordinate construction.