Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Plans for a major multi-use development in the heart of downtown Rochester's Historic District is on the agenda next week for the city's Heritage Preservation Commission.

The developer, 311 Broadway Development LLC, is proposing a project that would encompass the current buildings from 309 through 317 South Broadway, which have all been designated by the City Council as parts of the Downtown Commercial Historic District. The application lists Hal Henderson as the owner of some of the properties as well as the lead developer.

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According to the commission's agenda, the proposal calls for the complete demolition of the former FJ Paine Company Building. The document says it would be replaced by a glass elevator tower along South Broadway. The proposal also calls for demolishing the adjacent properties at 311-313 and 315- 317 Broadway, although the front facades would be maintained.

Much of the space abutting South Broadway would be used for a gymnasium. The commission agenda also indicates the proposed project also calls for a 12 story tower behind the historic facades that would include spaces for retail, higher education uses, student housing, and market rate housing.

City staff is asking members of the Historic Preservation Commission to deny a "certificate of appropriateness" for the project because it does not meet standards for the treatment of designated landmark properties and requires demolition. The commission is also being asked to deny a request by the developer to remove the historic landmark designation for the properties, which would eliminate the Heritage Preservation Commission's authority to review proposals for the affected parcels.

READ MORE: Rochester Rejects Changes to Stretch of Broadway Buildings

This is the second time the proposed project has come before the Heritage Preservation Commission. When it was presented in 2023, the proposal called for the complete demolition of all of the historic buildings without retaining the front facades. It was rejected by the commission in a decision that was later backed by the Rochester City Council on a 6-1 vote.