Doran Companies Buys Part of Uptown’s Seven Points Site for $3 Million, Proposes 228 Apartments

Purchase advances a long-running redevelopment plan at one of Minneapolis’ most prominent retail corners

Doran Companies has acquired a portion of the Seven Points property in Uptown for about $3 million and is moving forward with plans for a 228-unit apartment building on the site. The project area is part of the retail complex historically known as Calhoun Square and sits near the Hennepin Avenue and West Lake Street corridor, one of the city’s busiest commercial intersections.

The proposed building is planned as a five-story apartment development that would replace several former retail spaces tied to the southern portion of the complex. The site plan would retain the broader Seven Points center while reconfiguring the property to accommodate new housing and updated circulation, including how residents and visitors enter the mall and adjoining spaces.

City review and approvals: planning action in July 2025, followed by further city steps

Municipal land-use review advanced in summer 2025. On July 21, 2025, the Minneapolis City Planning Commission acted on an application to amend an existing planned unit development framework to allow the 228-unit residential addition at Seven Points. City materials describe the project as a mixed-use redevelopment connected to the shopping center’s planned configuration and zoning standards.

In subsequent city actions in 2025, the project was positioned to receive public assistance tied to affordability requirements. City communications described an Inclusionary Zoning Tax Increment Financing plan under which 20% of the 228 units would be income-restricted at 50% of area median income (AMI). City proceedings also referenced city oversight related to contracting expectations for projects receiving public support.

Design changes and a recurring debate: what belongs on Hennepin Avenue

Project revisions submitted in 2025 reflect a design choice that drew close neighborhood and city scrutiny: the Hennepin Avenue frontage for this phase is largely planned for residential building functions—such as a lobby and resident amenities—rather than new street-facing retail. Supporters and critics have framed the question differently, but the underlying issue has been consistent: whether additional ground-floor commercial space is necessary at this location or whether the existing Seven Points retail supply satisfies that role.

The project’s retail question has centered on whether new storefronts are required for this building frontage or whether the broader mall context provides sufficient commercial space.

What the project proposes

• Approximately 228 rental apartments in a five-story building integrated into the Seven Points redevelopment area.
• Demolition of select former retail spaces on the south portion of the complex to make way for new construction.
• An affordability component described by the city as 20% of units restricted at 50% AMI through an inclusionary-zoning financing plan.
• Continued city review tied to site planning, zoning compliance, and public-assistance conditions.

The acquisition and the prior city actions together place the project on a clearer path toward construction, though timing will depend on final permitting, financing execution, and remaining administrative steps. For Uptown, the proposal represents a significant housing investment at a location that has long functioned as both a commercial destination and a flashpoint in debates about how to re-balance retail, streetscape activity, and new residential density.