Brasa Rotisserie’s fate on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue remains up in the air amid new development plans for a grocery store and apartments.

Chef/owner Alex Roberts said there’s still quite a bit of time to figure things out. He said he is currently in talks with Lunds & Byerlys officials and that there are no plans for the restaurant to move out anytime soon.

“We’re not sure (what will happen) yet. We have 10-year renewal rights, so we are working with Lunds on how to make things turn out positive for everyone,” Roberts said. “The proposed start date is 18 to 24 months away, so it’s just business at Brasa as usual. No matter what happens, we will keep Brasa and our staff thriving.”

Lunds & Byerlys spokesman Aaron Sorenson said the company is in discussions with Roberts and that it’s too early to tell what will happen with the restaurant.

“What I can tell you is we’re big fans of Alex Roberts and immensely impressed with his culinary talents and business acumen,” he said. “We’ve had some discussions with him and will continue to do (so) as we examine all potential options for his continued success.”

This week, Lunds & Byerlys officials presented designs for a five-level structure spanning half a block that would include a Lunds & Byerlys grocery store, apartments and underground parking in The North Face and Brasa spaces.

The North Face recently closed its Grand Avenue location as well as its Uptown Minneapolis store. The North Face space in St. Paul is owned by the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio and Lunds is under contract to purchase that property; the Brasa space is owned by Lunds & Byerlys.

Roberts opened his St. Paul restaurant, which serves Southern, Caribbean and Mexican fare, on June 2009 as a follow-up to the original location on East Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. Roberts, a James Beard Award winner, is also the chef/owner of Alma cafe, restaurant and boutique hotel in Minneapolis.