Democracy Center design work gets $429K boost

Minneapolis file 2026-01117, before the Minneapolis City Council. Still to be decided as of 2026-10-15.

Latest action: Scheduled by City Council

What it does

Design work advances for Minneapolis Democracy Center The city is adding $429,000 to pay architects for more detailed design and engineering work on the new democracy center building.

The bigger picture

Project moves closer to construction phase More detailed architectural plans now mean the project is moving forward toward actual building, which could create construction jobs and add a civic space downtown.

What to watch

Total project cost grows; full budget unclear This is the second increase to the architect contract; the final size and cost of the democracy center building itself remain unknown at this stage.

Official summary

Authorizing an increase to contract COM0009495 with LSE Architects, Inc. in the amount of $429,000for a total amount not to exceed $1,300,500, for additional professional architectural and engineering services associated with the Minneapolis Democracy Center project.

Read the official record for 2026-01117

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