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Hutchinson EDA outlines downtown surge: $20M Landing, Jorgensson demolition and Festival Street plan
Summary
The Hutchinson Economic Development Authority reported progress on downtown redevelopment: The Landing (an $20 million, 81‑unit project) is under construction, demolition of the Hotel Jorgensson is slated for March with a state demolition grant helping costs, and a phased Festival Street pedestrian project and parking wayfinding are planned.
Miles Seold, Hutchinson economic development director, said the EDA’s top downtown priorities in 2025 included finishing The Landing and preparing for demolition of the Hotel Jorgensson.
The Landing, a multi‑story apartment project led by Granite City Real Estate of St. Cloud, reached construction after a public RFP and developer selection process. Seold said it is an 81‑unit, $20 million project and that framing and roof work are already in place; the EDA expects the building to be complete this fall.
On the Jorgensson site, Seold said hazardous‑material abatement has been completed or is nearly complete and the EDA will file an intent‑to‑demolish notice with the State of Minnesota, which triggers a 10‑day waiting period before physical demolition. He said the contractor will erect fencing and coordinate with the Minnesota Department of Transportation on a traffic management plan; Washington Avenue, the alley behind the building and parking in front on Main Street will be closed at times for safety. Seold also said the project team secured a state grant of about $150,000 toward demolition and expects the redevelopment to be a roughly $12 million, ~40‑room hotel in future phases.
Seold described complementary downtown improvements: a Festival Street schematic for First Avenue Southeast near Library Square, with a first phase that would add new light poles and string lights over the street, and a downtown parking wayfinding plan that would install larger ~9‑foot signs to help visitors locate public lots. He said Festival Street will be built in phases and the EDA hopes to complete phase one in 2026–27.
The EDA has supported downtown building owners through small grants and loans: six sign and awning grants totaling over $10,000, five facade matching grants totaling more than $27,000, and two commercial rehabilitation loans totaling $97,000. Those investments, Seold said, are part of a broader strategy to make downtown more attractive to residents and visitors.
The EDA director concluded that downtown remains a multi‑year effort: "redevelopment efforts on this particular property have been going on since the 1980s," he said, and the agency will continue to coordinate financing, development agreements and phased public improvements.
Next steps: demolition scheduling for the Jorgensson, phased engineering and design work for Festival Street and finalizing wayfinding fabrication and installation contracts.
