Part of the scrutiny on Mithun’s proposed building and others before it has to do with the visibility of the lot’s location. A building there would face the city’s main drag, at the intersection of Water and Lake streets. It’s near the Commons, a 13-acre park next to Lake Minnetonka, and across the street from the Port of Excelsior’s public docks and charter cruises.
The lot at 10 Water St. in Excelsior has been empty for 15 years. (Rebecca Villagracia/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
An outdoor public “porch” with seating facing the lake is part of the new proposal, in addition to the brick building’s 40 or so apartments above restaurant and retail space.
Restoring the theater would be the biggest public benefit, Mithun said. The proposed building would encompass the site of the Excelsior Dock Cinema, and construction would demolish part of the theater but preserve its second-story auditorium.
St. Paul-based FilmNorth plans to show movies four days a week there, with the remaining three days available as a venue for community gatherings and presentations. Mithun plans to attach a classic marquee to the front of the building, replacing the current flat sign.
Without the project, Mithun said, the theater would be unusable, partly because of water damage. He also said small independent theaters have struggled since the pandemic with competition from streaming services.
Other community benefits, per Mithun, include $500,000 toward local projects. Those include the porch plan for the building as well as water main repairs, stormwater treatment, public restrooms, an improved pedestrian crossing to the Port of Excelsior, fireworks and street-beautification projects like holiday lights and boulevard tree plantings.