By Zev Radziwill
One of St. Anthony Park’s most familiar neighborhood institutions is preparing for a major transition.
At its May meeting, the St. Anthony Park Community Council (SAPCC) Land Use Committee hosted representatives from HealthPartners to hear their plans to redevelop the longtime Como Clinic site near Como Avenue and Eustis Street.
After nearly 70 years of service at its current location, the Como Clinic will eventually be replaced with a significantly larger facility offering expanded medical services.
HealthPartners Vice President of Real Estate, Planning and Construction Alan Kranzo outlined project timelines, design concepts and the vision for a larger new facility to be constructed just north of the current clinic site.
Construction is anticipated to begin this summer, with the new clinic expected to open in fall 2027. HealthPartners representatives said the existing clinic will remain open throughout construction.
According to HealthPartners, the future clinic will expand services available within the neighborhood, including primary care, urgent care, pediatrics, dentistry, cardiology, endocrinology, OB-GYN services, advanced CT and MRI capabilities and a new TRIA Orthopedics Clinic and Urgent Care.
The Como clinic holds a special place within the neighborhood and Minnesota health care history. Opened in 1957 as part of the former Group Health system, the clinic helped launch what would eventually become HealthPartners and has served generations of patients and families in St. Anthony Park and surrounding communities.
The HealthPartners presentation drew strong interest from neighbors and committee members, reflecting both the importance of the clinic within the community and the scale of the proposed redevelopment.
During the meeting, neighbors and committee members asked questions about traffic flow and access onto Como Avenue, pedestrian safety, landscaping, watershed impacts, sustainability features and how the proposed parking structure may interact with the surrounding neighborhood.
The biggest area of discussion centered on the parking structure, including its placement, visibility from nearby streets and how vehicles would move through the site. Early plans call for about 250 parking spaces, with structured parking incorporated into the redevelopment.
HealthPartners representatives noted that multiple traffic and access concepts had been explored during the design process. They also noted ongoing conversations with Lutheran Social Service regarding possible shared access coordination between nearby properties to help minimize traffic impacts and improve circulation in the area.
Meeting attendees also raised questions about future uses for the existing clinic site, which HealthPartners representatives said might eventually be sold for redevelopment after their new facility is completed.
Following the official presentation, committee members and neighbors continued a broader conversation about how the redevelopment could fit within the character of St. Anthony Park.
Community members discussed opportunities for public art, expanded green space, artistic bicycle racks and other neighborhood-oriented design elements. Several attendees also expressed interest in sustainable design features such as additional tree planting, dark-sky friendly lighting and the possibility of solar infrastructure as part of the redevelopment.
While District 12 committee members acknowledged the complexity involved in designing a large, modern medical facility, several neighbors said they wished there had been opportunities for earlier community engagement during the design process.
“The discussion reflected how much people care about this site and its future within the neighborhood,” said Allan Torstenson, co-chair of the District 12 Land Use Committee. “People recognize the importance of the clinic and want to make sure that a project of this scale fits thoughtfully into the surrounding community.”
Residents interested in following the project can attend future District 12 Land Use Committee meetings or visit sapcc.org for updates.
Zev Radziwill is executive director of the St. Anthony Park District 12 Community Council.