Josh Bloom used to work carryout at the Lunds & Byerlys in Highland Village Center "many, many, many years ago," as he told MyVillager. Today he and his father, Tim, run Bloom Commercial Real Estate, the firm now managing that same shopping center. The building where he once worked is about to become a gym and a swim school.
The grocery store moved west, into a new mixed-use building at Highland Bridge. That move left two unfinished ends on Ford Parkway. In the east, a 42,000-square-foot box sat empty. In the west, Highland Bridge still had no real entrance from the street. This fall, work is finishing at both ends at once, and neither is quite done. When you walk the stretch on Halloween weekend, you'll pass a new public square framed by empty storefronts, then an old grocery store with new tenants not yet open.
The box at the east end
Highland Village Center is getting its first major redo in more than 50 years. Bloom Commercial Real Estate took over after Ryan Companies' ground lease on the property ended. The firm now works with the owner, HVSC LLC, to bring in tenants. You can already see some of the work. The parking lot has been repaved and restriped, and the large pylon sign has been moved.
The L-shaped center has about 42,000 square feet where Lunds & Byerlys used to be, plus another 16,000 square feet in the strip of shops running west and north of it. Crunch Fitness is preparing to open in 32,000 square feet of the old grocery space. Foss Swim School will take the other 10,000 square feet, moving over from University Avenue. The Saint Paul Board of Zoning Appeals approved a larger sign for Crunch on July 20. Axios Twin Cities reported in August that both planned to open before the end of the year. Bring Me The News reported that Foss is aiming for late November at 2128 Ford Parkway, moving from 1166 University Ave. W.
A gym and a pool going into a former grocery store makes more sense once you see how little big space exists. Tim Bloom told MyVillager that large commercial spaces are scarce in the Twin Cities, and especially in Highland. The article cited a second-quarter Colliers report: only 145,200 square feet of new retail space had been finished across the whole region as of earlier this year, and retail construction had fallen every year for six years. Against that total, the old Lunds & Byerlys alone equals almost a third of everything the region built, all under one roof just off Ford Parkway.
The smaller storefronts are changing too. Chase Bank, Taco Libre and a beauty salon are coming in. The AT&T store is moving, and Postnet, a locally owned business, is staying. Talks are still going with Highland Popcorn, which employs young people with disabilities. According to the Blooms, service businesses, food and non-food retail are all being considered for the spaces still open.
The front door at the west end
The grocery store's new home was the start of Highland Bridge. The development's actual entrance on Ford Parkway opened only on September 29, 2026. That day's ribbon-cutting opened Civic Square, at the corner of Ford Parkway and Cretin Avenue, along with The Albert, the four-story apartment building beside it.
The square is built around two large friezes saved from the old Ford plant, set in a circle at its center. According to Ryan Companies' Sean Ryan, a fountain was once considered for that spot, and the friezes went there instead. From the square, a sidewalk runs southwest to a larger civic plaza and Highland Bridge's central water feature. Look at The Albert's east wall on your way in. Front columns from the plant's 1920s facade, designed by Detroit architect Albert Kahn, were rebuilt into it. That took about 75 large stones, some weighing up to 13,000 pounds, and crews cleaned them with pressurized water instead of chemicals to protect the stone.
The Pioneer Press noted that the opening came 101 years after the assembly plant opened and 15 years after it closed. The paper quoted Sean Ryan:
"The culmination of these two projects at the same time really is the opening of the entrance of Highland Bridge, and we're proud to finally be here today."
The shops are still to come. The same Pioneer Press story photographed the stone-framed retail space at The Albert sitting empty on September 30. Sources disagree on what sits west of the building. Local coverage describes four new retail buildings with about 23,000 square feet in total. Ryan Companies' announcement lists three stand-alone retail buildings with 13,500 square feet, plus a separate 13,000-square-foot building for Tierra Encantada. Tierra Encantada, a Spanish immersion daycare, is expected to open soon. In June, Ryan told the Pioneer Press that four other possible tenants had signed letters of intent. Their names haven't been made public.
Ford Parkway, end to end, as of late October 2026
| West end: Ford Parkway and Cretin | East end: Highland Village Center | |
|---|---|---|
| Opened this fall | Civic Square, The Albert | Repaved lot, moved pylon sign |
| Signed or announced | Tierra Encantada | Crunch Fitness, Foss Swim School, Chase Bank, Taco Libre, a beauty salon |
| Timing given | Tierra Encantada "expected to open soon" | Foss aiming for late November; Crunch and Foss before year-end |
| Still open questions | Ground-floor and retail-building tenants not yet named | Remaining spaces; talks with Highland Popcorn |
What holds steady between the two ends
Both ends are being rebuilt around older places that have stayed put. This year the Highland District Council's community spotlights featured Tiffany Sports Lounge, which Danny Montpetit started in 1971 and which the family has now run for 55 years. They also featured Joan's in the Park, which opened in September 2011 and is now in its 15th year. Newer arrivals have settled in too. Bricks & Minifigs at 2020B Ford Parkway opened on January 11, 2025.
Highland Bridge's parks have filled in the area behind the new gateway:
- Gateway Park, 2290 Ford Parkway: skateboard park, trail, picnic and game tables, open sunrise to 11 p.m.
- Uŋčí Makhá Park, 2230 Montreal Ave.: nature-based playground, dog park, hammock grove, two beach volleyball courts, a fitness lot and picnic shelters. Its restored creek runs through a bedrock ravine you can explore in drier weather. The ravine is designed to flood when it rains.
- Assembly Union Park, 875 Mount Curve Blvd.: pickleball and basketball courts, a playground and picnic tables, open sunrise to 11 p.m.
Saturday, October 31, on foot
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, the first weekend Civic Square is open for the holiday. Here's a route that covers both ends:
- Start in Highland Village at 10 a.m. According to MyVillager's October 14 district council roundup, the Highland Business Association is hosting trick-or-treating in Highland Village from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration and details are posted at highlandba.com.
- Walk west to Ford Parkway and Cretin. Stop at the two Ford friezes in Civic Square and the Albert Kahn stonework on The Albert's east wall.
- Follow the sidewalk southwest to the civic plaza and the central water feature. Then let the kids loose in the hammock grove or on the nature playground at Uŋčí Makhá Park.
- For a second round, head to Grand Avenue. The same MyVillager roundup lists the Summit Hill Association's Boo Bash, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with games, arts and crafts, and check-in at Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave.
Ten days later, on Tuesday, November 10, MyVillager reports that the Highland District Council and Move Minnesota are hosting an introduction to riding the A Line rapid bus. The group meets at the Ford Parkway and Woodlawn Avenue station and finishes at 7 p.m. at the Ford Parkway and Kenneth Avenue station. Space is limited, and registration is at movemn.org. Foss Swim School's late-November target is the next date on the east-end calendar. At the west end, the next milestone is a name on one of the empty storefronts at Ford and Cretin.
If you own a home near either end of Ford Parkway and want to know how this winter's openings could affect your plans, Regan & Hornig can walk through it with you. Schedule your private consultation.