See more of the story

Construction has started on the MoZaic East office building in the Uptown area of Minneapolis.

Developers broke ground on the eight-story, 198,000 square-foot building last week. The Ackerberg Group is building the new office and retail complex at the site of a parking lot behind its MoZaic West office building off Fremont Avenue S. along the Midtown Greenway. The Opus Group is serving as general contractor.

"Demand and interest for quality office [space] in the Uptown market is extremely strong with, currently, little available space for larger users," Ackerberg chief executive Stuart Ackerberg said in a statement. "MoZaic West leased up very quickly and interest by tenants in this marketplace continues to grow."

Ackerberg decided to build the new MoZaic complex without a main tenant signed. CBRE is marketing the office project.

"With MoZaic West fully occupied within a year of completion, it's clear that companies want to be a part of the dynamic community Ackerberg has created in Uptown," Mark McCary, senior vice president with CBRE, said in a statement. "The next stage of the MoZaic campus will solidify the Uptown office market and complete the vision for an amenity-rich office community dedicated to sustainability, transit and place-making."