The University of Minnesota will begin construction on a 12-acre redevelopment project known as Minnesota Innovation Exchange (MIX) in Stadium Village starting in 2025 and ending in 2029. 

Businesses in the area will be replaced with student housing, a research center and office space in light of the project.

The redevelopment plan is a collaborative project with the University of Minnesota Foundation of Real Estate Advisors and M.A. Mortenson Co. The construction from 2025 to 2029 will be the first of three stages, according to the MIX website.

Phase one will go from Huron Boulevard to Oak Street in Minneapolis. This means restaurants like Burger King, Hong Kong Noodles and Caribou Coffee will be shut down. 

Phase one will create two buildings. One of the buildings is mixed-use between housing and life science research, while the other building’s purpose is still in development, according to University of Minnesota Foundation Real Estate Advisors Managing Director Paul Macissa. 

While the idea of new housing and buildings is good for students at the University, Jillian Sexton, a third-year student, said she will miss the restaurants near Stadium Village. 

“I live further down in the Dinkytown area,” Sexton said. “When my dad was at the U, he used to go to Stub and Herbs, that would be really unfortunate.”

If it goes further as planned, other buildings at risk of being taken down include Val-U, MyBurger, Test Kitchen, and Stubs and Herbs, according to MIX’s website. 

The foundation is letting the businesses finish out their leases before construction begins, Macissa added. 

Macissa said the project was always designed to work closely with organizations outside the University.

“Our vision has always been to partner with the private sector,” Marissa said. 

Macissa said the project will give students more opportunities to work with professionals and gain research experience. 

“Whether it’s a student-led startup company or research with a U of M researcher or somebody on the private sector side that does similar work, [this] is an opportunity that we’re trying to cultivate and incubate with this project,” Macissa said. 

University Interim President Jeff Ettinger said in a statement to The Minnesota Daily the redevelopment plan will create more opportunities for students on the East Bank.

“The University is thrilled to partner with its foundation to ensure this space not only serves the needs of faculty and students but also the potential for the future health science campus as well as the wider needs of our industry and government partners,” Ettinger said in the statement.

The other two stages will extend the previous construction one block west to Oak Street and from West Avenue and Delaware Street north and south, according to MIX’s website. As part of those stages, the University will build a clinical campus east of Superblock and another project east of Huntington Bank Stadium. Stage two will begin construction in 2030 and finish in 2035. Stage three will begin construction in 2035 and finish in 2040.

Oluwatomisin Ajayi, a second-year student, said adding more student housing will hopefully lower housing costs for students. 

“I feel like it would definitely be sad to lose them, but in terms of getting new housing I think it would be better for us to have cheaper housing choices than restaurants,” Ajayi said.