In St. Paul, the $17 million redevelopment of the Renaissance Box
building is part of an "underground renaissance" in the Wacouta Commons
neighborhood, according to Matt Hodson, a spokesperson for
Aeon, the local nonprofit developer behind the project.
Aeon is converting a former shoe factory at 10th and Sibley streets into 70 affordable apartments.
The
seven-level Renaissance Box, an historically designated building that
dates back to 1914, will have a mix of housing that's targeted at people
with all different incomes, including efficiencies and one- and
two-bedroom apartments; 14 efficiencies will be dedicated to those
who've struggled with chronic homelessness, according to Hodson.
Among
its amenities, Renaissance Box, which will have a warehouse loft-style
feel, will offer tenants private storage, an exercise room, a community
space with a kitchen, a green roof, a shared patio, and an art space—in
collaboration with local arts incubator, Springboard for the Arts.
Sustainability
will be a theme running throughout the building. Plans are in the works
to achieve LEED certification, a national standard for green building, Hodson says.
Aeon has a goal to create new
industry models "to take ideals of sustainability and bring them to
affordable housing in a practical manner," he says.
To do so, Aeon is working on with the University of Minnesota's
Center for Sustainable Building Research and
Center for Energy and Environment (CEE).
The Line covered another Aeon development that's part of this pilot program
here.
Renaissance
Box, which Aeon purchased out of foreclosure in 2006, will help round
out the diversity of housing in the Wacouta Commons area.
A
decade ago, vacant buildings and surface parking lots characterized the
neighborhood. Today, "It has really become a thriving neighborhood with a
variety of housing options with everything from high-end condos to
affordable housing," he says. "That's what we're bringing and it helps
create a vibrant residential community.
Construction, which has been ongoing since August 2010, is expected to finish up by July 1, according to Hodson.
Source: Matt Hodson, Aeon, spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt