Affordable Housing : Development News

The $8.5 million Greenleaf apartments, which started construction late last year, will bring a new affordable-housing option to Minneapolis's Whittier neighborhood.

Construction of the 63-unit apartment building, which also includes 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space, will probably continue through the end of the year, according to Jesse Osendorf, the project coordinator for Brighton Lyndale Development LLC.  

The building "should blend in nicely with the neighborhood," as it combines plenty of stone and brick, mirroring other nearby developments, while the use of metal adds a sleek, modern touch, he says.

Greenleaf residents will have access to an underground parking garage, while additional off-street spots will be available on Lyndale.

Brighton is still on the lookout for businesses to fill the retail spaces. A restaurant is one possibility, he says, adding that the group wants to attract local independent businesses that can "carve out [their] own niche" in the space.  

Previously, the lot housed part of the Salem English Lutheran Church and accompanying parking, he says.

When the church sold the lot to Brighton and moved to co-habitate elsewhere with another congregation, Salem was able to begin rehabbing the original structure, which had been vacant for several years, he says.  

Based on the number of calls that Brighton is getting from people who are interested in the development, coupled with the success of some of its similar projects like the St. Anthony Mills Apartments near downtown Minneapolis (where there's a waiting list to move in), "these affordable units definitely seem to be in demand," says Osendorf.

Source: Jesse Osendorf, Brighton Development Corporation
Writer: Anna Pratt

Artspace Projects, Inc. is in the middle of putting together the funding for a $15 million development to go on a parcel near the Guthrie Theater, on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis.

The project, which has been dubbed ArtCube, includes 45 affordable live/work studios for artists; it's similar to another Artspace project in Northeast, called the Jac Flats (which The Line wrote about here), according to Heidi Kurtze, the group's property development director. 

The five-story building will have 8,000 square feet of commercial space, while 20,000 square feet will be devoted to an arts incubator for the larger community, though the details are still being fleshed out, Kurtze says.

A portion of the incubator, from which the development gets the "cube" part of its name, could be devoted to a gallery and offices, plus an artist residency program she says, citing some possible uses for the space.

To figure out the "best and highest use of space," the group will carry on a community engagement process over the next several months. "We're having a number of conversations with nearby arts organizations that are in need of more space," she says.

Also being explored is the idea of an urban farm to go on the building's rooftop--one that could have some kind of connection to the Mill City Farmers Market, Kurtze says.  

On April 5 the City Council's community development committee deemed the project one of 10 city development priorities for transit-oriented design funds this year from Hennepin County, according to city information. ArtCube, which applied for a $500,000 grant from the county, is well connected to a couple of nearby stops for the Hiawatha Light Rail line. 

In addition to the county funds, the group intends to apply for grants from the city and Metropolitan Council.

Depending on when the financing comes through, Artspace could start construction next year on the L-shaped development, which is adjacent to the future headquarters of the American Academy of Neurology.  

Source: Heidi Kurtze, director of property development for Artspace Projects Inc.
Writer: Anna Pratt 

The historic Pioneer-Endicott buildings in downtown St. Paul, which have been vacant for some time, are entering a new era.

St. Paul-based Pak Properties recently closed on the property, according to city spokesperson Janelle Tummel.  

The project, for which the cost is still unknown, will be divided into two phases, she says. Phase one includes the development of 55 rental units, some of which will be affordable, plus two floors of commercial space, according to Tummel.

Although Pak Properties is the developer, the city is the pass-through for $661,100 in environmental cleanup funds from the Metropolitan Council, money that will go specifically to asbestos and lead-based-paint abatement, according to Tummel.

Following a couple months of cleanup, construction and leasing activities will take place, and then the "hope is to begin working on occupying the residential units," though the time line is vague at this point, she says.

Tummel says the early proposal includes a green roof, energy-efficient lighting, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.

Both buildings stand out for historic reasons. The 1889 Pioneer building, which was the city's first skyscraper with 16 stories, originally housed the Pioneer Press, according to Finance and Commerce. Endicott, which is attached to the Pioneer building, encompasses two structures that date back to 1890, it reports.  

"The city is supportive of reusing this vacant historic treasure in downtown St. Paul," Tummel says. "It'll bring in new residents and it'll create new vibrancy in an area that's already starting to be transformed," which is a trend that she says will continue with the development of the Central Corridor Light Rail line to connect Minneapolis and St. Paul.  

Source: Janelle Tummel, St. Paul spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Northeast Community Development Corporation initiated a proposal for the Jac Flats condos some years ago, but it was shelved due to market troubles.

Now, it could come back in a new form.

Artspace Projects, Inc., a Minneapolis-based nonprofit real estate developer that's working with the community development corporation, has adapted the project for 35 affordable live/work apartments for artists, according to Artspace project manager Andrew Commers.   

The $9.3 million four-story apartment building will be constructed on the same lot, at Jackson Street Northeast and 18 ½ Avenue Northeast, and it retains many of the same ideas, including the artist focus.   

"All units will be for low-income artists and their families," Commers says, explaining that some units will be reserved for those making 30 to 60 percent of the area median income.    

The apartments will have high ceilings and big windows that allow for plenty of natural light, which he says is ideal for artists who'll work in the space.

Tenants will decide what to do with a 2,500-square-foot communal space, which could be used as a studio, gallery, or classroom. "It'll depend on their interests and energy," he says.     

The flats will also have underground parking, while a portion of greenspace on the property could become a sculpture park.

As a whole, the project will blend in with the neighborhood, in terms of height and contours, he says.

Several noteworthy project funders are Wells Fargo, LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), a sponsor of The Line, and the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation (GMHC), he says.

Additionally, the city awarded $50,000 in federal low-income tax credits to the development. It's a small allocation but it demonstrates early support for the project, he says, and will give it a competitive edge in the next application process.   

Right now Artspace is pursuing affordable-housing subordinate funds from the city, county, and state,  he says.

If those applications line up, it'll position the project to be fully funded and may allow for construction to start in early 2012, he says. Then, following 18 months of construction, the Jac Flats could be ready for leasing in June 2013.


Source: Andrew Commers, Artspace, project manager  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Seward Redesign, a neighborhood nonprofit developer, is taking steps to make "phase two" of its proposed Seward Commons a reality at the industrial four-acre site that was formerly home to the Bystrom Brothers machine shop, between Minnehaha and Cedar avenues south on 22nd Street in Minneapolis.

Seward Commons, which has long been in planning stages, is a sustainable transit-oriented housing development, according to project information. The development process has been divided into a couple of phases that separately deal with housing for the "persistent mentally ill" and seniors.   

"Phase two" specifically relates to 60 units of senior housing in the complex, which Seward Redesign associate director Katya Piling says is in high demand from the area's aging population. "People love the neighborhood and want to stay here," she says.

To make it happen, Seward Redesign is considering the possibility of teaming up with CommonBond Communities, another local nonprofit developer that already has a presence in the neighborhood at the Seward Towers. The possibility will be presented at a Seward Neighborhood Group committee meeting on April 12.  

The details of such a collaboration need to be worked out to meet the requirements of a Housing and Urban Development funding application, for which the deadline is coming up, she says.

For the 40 units of supportive housing, plus administrative offices, dining, and health and wellness facilities that are a part of "phase one," the group's partner is Touchstone Mental Health.

Seward Redesign acquired the land, which has nine buildings on the premises, in June 2009. Since the beginning, the community has been looped into the master-planning effort, which goes back even before then.  

Ultimately, Seward Redesign wants to transform the off-the-beaten-path industrial area into a lively link to the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. Already the group has taken pains to open up access to pedestrians along a trail near the line, which means people don't have to cross busy, four-lane Cedar Avenue to get to the Franklin Street LRT Station.

In the future, Seward Redesign hopes to create a well-lit path that "provides a more direct, flat way to reach the station," Piling says.  

The group has put a lot of thought into environmental issues. On the site, Seward Redesign plans to implement cutting-edge stormwater-management practices. Already, the existing parking lot has become an urban farm, which could be expanded to the development's rooftop. "We want to integrate agriculture into the development in the long-term," she says.   


Source: Katya Pilling, Associate Director, Seward Redesign     
Writer: Anna Pratt

In the past, the corner of University and Dale avenues in St. Paul was known as the "Red Light District," according to city spokesperson Janelle Tummel.

It's come a long way since then, thanks to the community pulling together to make the $13.5 million Frogtown Square development a go, she says.

U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Shaun Donovan, U.S. Representatives Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison, Deputy Mayor Paul Williams and City Council member Melvin Carter III, attended the development's March 4 grand opening.

The project was made possible with $6.4 million in HUD financing plus over $4 million in grants and loans from the city to buy and build on the land parcel, according to project information.

The glassy four-story building has 50 one-bedroom apartments that are geared toward seniors. They have special features such as walk-in showers and easy-to-reach pull-cord alarms to accommodate seniors' needs, according to Tummel.

All of the units, known as the Kings Crossing Apartments, filled up within 24 hours of becoming available and there's a long waiting list, according to Tummel. It goes to show that "It's definitely meeting a need in the area," she says.

The building also includes community spaces, a business center, eating areas, and first-floor retail, she says.

Best Wireless, Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant, Global Market, Grooming House, Just Church'n it Fashions, Rondo Coffee Café and Subway fill the retail spaces.  

It's highly energy-efficient and pedestrian-friendly, with accessibility to and from the future Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line, Tummel says.

About the development, which was 15 years in the making, Secretary Donovan is quoted in a prepared statement, saying, "[Its] innovative approach of combining small businesses and affordable housing is exactly the type of smart planning the country needs to continue winning the future towards economic prosperity."

Episcopal Homes, Inc., owns and manages the apartments while Northeast Dale-University (NEDU), a group of community developers, is responsible for the 11,700 square feet of commercial space, according to project information.

Project partners include the Metropolitan Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Ramsey County, Bigelow Foundation and Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).


Source: Janelle Tummel, spokesperson for the city of St. Paul
Writer: Anna Pratt  

Dominium Development and Acquisition has a plan to secure historic status for the old Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company complex in St. Paul's West End area and to convert it into affordable live/work spaces for artists.

Different parts of the brewery were built starting in the early 1900s and into the 1940s as the brewing process changed over time, according to Owen Metz, a spokesperson from Dominium.

The group wants to redevelop the brew and bottle house into 220 apartments, including a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and common spaces, according to Metz, who adds that the purchase of those buildings is still in progress.

In a kind of partnership, the Fort Road Federation community developer will separately buy the office building and keg house, which will also be a part of the historic district, where a combination of offices, restaurants, and retail is planned to go, he says.

Both ideas were discussed at a community meeting in mid-February, during which the process of achieving historic designation was laid out.

Metz says Dominium plans to bring back the historic appearance of the brick buildings that have sat vacant in recent years, though the project's cost is unknown at this time. "We're early on in the design process. Nothing is pinned down yet," he says.   

The group is "trying to keep the spaces open," loft-style, while some artifacts from the brewing company's old days, such as pieces of tanks and other equipment may be displayed throughout the apartment buildings, he says.

A waiting list to get into another one of Dominium's buildings, the Carleton Artist Lofts on University Avenue in St. Paul, which has a similar concept, tells him there's a strong demand for such a project, he says.

Also, the area has plenty of galleries, which, he says will "help drive the demand and make it a destination," adding, "It's geared toward people with similar backgrounds and lifestyles and work."  


Source: Owen Metz, Dominium Development and Acquisition, LLC
Writer: Anna Pratt

Through a $28 million adaptive reuse project that began several years ago, the historic Minnesota Building in downtown St. Paul has found a new life as an affordable-housing complex.  

Local politicians celebrated its grand opening last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the 13-story art deco building.

The building, which opened in 1929 as commercial office space but has been vacant since 2006, now features 137 units of affordable housing. It includes a mix of studio apartments and one- and two-bedroom units, along with 8,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, according to project information.

As a part of a partnership with the local Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 10 units are dedicated for long-term homeless households. Wilder is providing support services for those tenants.

Additionally, the building has a lounge, business resource center, community and fitness rooms, and storage space, project materials state.

Many of the original details, such as the molding, marble and brass fixtures, have been kept intact, while fancy elevator doors were reconstructed to match the originals. Heating and cooling systems, plumbing, roofs, windows and elevators have all been upgraded.    

Sand Companies, Inc., which led the project that started in 2009, will house its metro-area offices in the building.

City spokesperson Janelle Tummel says the building fits into the city's comprehensive plan to fill vacant commercial spaces with a mix of affordable and market-rate housing. "This is a great example of a long-term planning process coming to life," she says.

She hopes it'll attract new businesses and residents to the area.

Among its selling points, "it has some of the greatest views of the river downtown," she says, adding that it's connected to the skyway system, light rail transit, and other downtown amenities. "It's another example of how we're growing and thriving."  

Source: Janelle Tummel, St. Paul spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt

It took several years to overcome the challenges of securing funding for a $16 million renovation at Nicollet Towers in downtown Minneapolis, but work on the project finally got started early this year.

The 1970s-built Nicollet Towers has 306 affordable apartments, including many that are geared for families and seniors, according to Jim Bettendorf, the housing director for the nonprofit Volunteers of America Minnesota office, which is in charge of the complex.

Through the years, Nicollet Towers was starting to show its age but getting the funding to rehab it took a special effort, he explains.

With the economic downturn in 2008, "There was no money," he says. "It took quite awhile to get to this point."  

In the end, a number of local and national players stepped up to help put together a unique funding package to make it happen. The result is "a huge project for people who live there and focus groups we serve," he says.  

Construction on the campus, which includes a couple of 20-story and 12-story towers and a ring of townhomes, will take about a year and a half, and residents will stay in the building during the work.

As a part of the project, windows, heating and cooling systems, and elevators will be modernized. The roof and exterior brick will also be replaced, while kitchens and bathrooms in 100 units will also be updated.

Nineteen units will be reserved for people who've struggled with long-term homelessness, making it "one of the larger commitments to homelessness prevention" in the area, he says, acknowledging a $2 million state grant to end homelessness that made it possible.

St. Stephen's Human Services, which has an office in the complex, will provide social services to the new residents.  

"We'll work to provide social services to get [those tenants] into permanent housing," he says, explaining that its program's focus on helping families makes it unique. "Shelters tend to help singles."  

Additionally, rent for tower tenants is subsidized through Section 8, meaning that residents pay a fraction of their income for rent, Bettendorf explains.  


Source: Jim Bettendorf, the housing director for the nonprofit Volunteers of America local office
Writer: Anna Pratt

Following an intense weekend of information-gathering and design, six local nonprofits are armed with concrete materials to start making redevelopment and remodeling projects a reality.

The Search for Shelter Charrette through the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is an annual workshop that offers up pro bono design labor to local nonprofit agencies working in affordable housing and homelessness.   
 
This year's event, which ran Feb. 11-13 at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, attracted 42 volunteer architects, landscape and interior designers, and students, who split into six teams, according to Jacquelyn Peck, a Minnesota AIA representative. 

Participating nonprofits, which were selected through a competitive process, this year included the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, Selby Avenue Action Coalition, Emma Norton Services, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, Families Moving Forward, and Woodland Hills Church.
 
One team worked on a plan for the Emma Norton facility downtown St. Paul, according to Peck.

Some volunteers studied the possibility of building out a coffee shop on the shelter's ground floor.  

They walked around the area to assess the potential market for a new coffee shop. Nearby were clinics and businesses, but there wasn't much in the way of restaurants or food services, she says.

Besides filling a business niche, an in-house coffee shop could be a source of revenue for Emma Norton while providing jobs for women staying at the shelter, she explains.  
 
Another couple of teams brainstormed ways to improve some blocks along Selby Avenue between Dale and Lexington avenues in St. Paul. As a part of a project for the Selby Avenue Coalition, they came up with a jazz theme that ties into an annual festival that could have "more of a year-round presence through art or images or music studios."
 
Both teams "captured the spirit of the street through design and research," Peck says.  
   
For the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, a roomful of mattresses on the floor was reconfigured with bunk beds that give people more personal space, including storage cabinets. Keeping sightlines clear while also providing a secure place for people's belongings was important, she explains.    
 
She says the volunteers received plenty of praise from the nonprofits and "they're excited to take the next step."
 
Likewise, the vast majority of volunteers responded positively, saying they would do it again. "I think it was a good event for the volunteers as well as the agencies," Peck says. 

Source: Jacquelyn Peck, AIA-Minnesota representative
Writer: Anna Pratt 
 

As a part of the 25th annual Search for Shelter Charrette through the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a group of architects and designers will come up with design solutions to address various affordable housing and homelessness issues. 

The workshop at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, which goes from Feb. 11 to 13, is the only one of its kind throughout the AIA network, according to event information.

Jacquelyn Peck, a Minnesota AIA representative, explains that about 50 volunteer architects, landscape and interior designers, and students who turn out for the weekend will break into eight-person teams. The teams are then individually assigned to a handful of different projects. 

Nonprofit organizations apply to participate in the event through a competitive process, she says.  

The event includes opening remarks from Minnesota chapter president Steve Fiskum, a panel discussion with area housing experts, and presentations from the selected nonprofits. 

Afterward, teams meet with nonprofits to go over more details. They spend the day visiting sites, developing designs, and creating accompanying images. To help the nonprofits get going on the projects, "We give them a weekend of intense design, with boards and images," Peck says.

She describes the event as a springboard to "get [nonprofits'] ideas down into something tangible so they can talk about it and educate others with."

On Sunday at noon, the teams present their work as part of a program that's open to the public.     
 
Past projects have centered on everything from connecting scattered affordable housing sites to remodeling homeless-shelter lobbies.

One project that has been a success, starting off at the design charrette in 2008, is the revamped facility for YouthLink, which provides services to homeless youth. "They took images and got funding to do the remodeling and addition work," Peck says, adding, that the facility re-opened a few months ago.  


Source: Jacquelyn Peck, representative of the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects
Writer: Anna Pratt

The state's largest affordable-housing complex will soon undergo a considerable rehab.

Funding for a project to revamp Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood closed on Jan. 5 while construction could begin next month.  

The modernist 11-building campus, which renowned architect Ralph Rapson designed in the 1970s, has 4,440 residents, plus a charter school, grocery store, and tenant resource center, according to city information.

Matt Goldstein, who works in the city's housing division, says that getting the finances lined up is a huge accomplishment on its own. 

A complicated $132 million deal restructures the property's debt and finances a $62 million renovation that includes $7 million for site and common-area improvements, according to city information.

Notably, 88 percent of the project's funding comes from private sources, he says.   

Goldstein explains that the rehab comes out of necessity. The heating and cooling system had started to go, which could leave a whole building without heat. As such, "The vast majority of work is being done behind the walls," he says.  

Otherwise, the building could become uninhabitable and would "create an amazing burden on shelters and other available housing stock," he says, adding that there is no money to acquire the property and tear down the building.   
 
For the city, the bottom line is about extending the building's lifespan and "enhancing the quality of life for these residents," he says. "The comprehensive nature of the renovation does that."  

Other goals of the project are to increase safety on the campus, improve energy efficiency, and better provide for pedestrians and bicycles. The city also pushed for a workforce plan that creates 200 construction jobs, with 90 spots reserved for neighborhood residents.

Goldstein is hopeful about the project's potential impact on the area.

The renovation is aligned with several other projects, Goldstein explains. The nearby Cedars, also a large affordable-housing complex, will soon be revamped, while planning for the neighborhood's Central Corridor Light Rail stop is underway, along with additional streetscape improvements.   

It's part of a conscientious effort to make the developments work together. "The Riverside Plaza project isn't happening in a vacuum," says Goldstein.

Source: Matt Goldstein, Housing Division for Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

St. Paul-based Everwood Development plans to bring workforce housing to a longtime office and classroom building at 7th and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, a move it believes will help re-energize the area.

Forty-five studio and two-bedroom apartments will go into the eight-story building, while the International Education Center for international adults, the current tenant, will stay on the first three floors. 

Over the last several years the old-fashioned building has been 70 percent vacant, according to Elizabeth Flannery, a project partner at Everwood.  

Workforce housing "would actually help that whole area," she says. "We think we need more of it in downtown Minneapolis. We think it's important to increase residential density," with housing opportunities at all levels.

In some ways, the redevelopment will pay homage to its early days.

The $9.5 million City Place Lofts takes its name from the engraved words "City Place," which can be seen above the original entrance of the 1921 building, Flannery says.

The building, which formerly housed the Lincoln National Bank and has long been used for office space and classrooms, was referred to in a book dating back to the early twentieth century as the "Gateway to the Land of Plenty, " according to company information.

Everwood will pursue historic status for the building, she says, adding that the company hopes to leverage state and federal historic tax credits.

Part of the plan is to bring back its original entrance on Hennepin for the lofts. "It adds to the historical integrity of a property," she says.  

"It's a beautiful building," she says, adding that it ripe for conversion, with many built-in amenities including nine-foot ceilings and a terrazzo floor that has been hidden under layers of tile and carpet.

Its 550-square-foot to 800-square-foot studio and two-bedroom apartments, which will be offered at 30 to 40 percent of average rent, will cater to those who work downtown and want to live in the area, she says. "It'll be a high-quality product," she says. "We want it to be a place where people want to live."  

Flannery says the company hopes to start construction after it closes on the building early this summer.

Source: Elizabeth Flannery, Everwood Development project partner  
Writer: Anna Pratt

HOME Line, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit tenant advocacy organization that has a hotline offering free legal advice to renters, recently set out to collect more information about the results of its work.

Fortunately, the organization had kept tabs on things going back to 1992.

HOME Line housing attorney Samuel Spaid worked with a University of Minnesota statistician, Craig Rolling, to analyze data from a sampling of only about 10 percent of callers, who most frequently described difficulties related to home repairs, evictions, security deposits, foreclosures, and breaking leases. The hotline gets about 11,000 calls a year. 

They learned the organization had helped many more people save money and avoid eviction than they had previously imagined. "We were massively under-reporting the impact of services," says Spaid. "It changed the way we look at what we're doing."   

They presented their findings at a housing forum last month from the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota. 

Through a mathematical formula that accounted for calls similar to the sample population, they discovered that through the years HOME Line has been instrumental in landing $5.4 million in security deposit money and $10 million in rent abatements while preventing 8,700 evictions. The old figures hardly came close; the organization previously reported $500,000 saved in security deposits and $740,000 in rent abatements and 2,851 prevented evictions.

For renters in buildings that were being foreclosed on--a growing problem--the number-crunching indicates that tenants who stayed put after the 6-month redemption period collectively saved $4.19 million from 2006 to 2010.  

Many renters don't know that they can linger in a building undergoing foreclosure, often for up to nine months, Spaid explains. During that time, renters usually pay little or no rent. "The fact that they were able to recoup some losses was surprising," he says.    

Eighty percent of tenants who followed through on HOME Line's suggestions got repairs made. In fact, half of the people who merely sent landlords a form letter got some money back. Those who didn't take their advice got no money back.   

Overall, renters have saved $15.4 million by following through on HOME Line's advice, compared to the $1.2 million it put out there before. 

The information puts the organization in a good position for giving advice going forward. "We're able to tell what likely outcomes are and say, 'this is what someone should do and why,'" he says.


Source: Samuel Spaid, Housing Attorney at HOME Line
Writer: Anna Pratt

Urban Homeworks, a faith-based organization in North Minneapolis that rehabs and builds scattered, small, multi-unit and single-family housing, will turn Lovell Square into affordable housing once again.

The vacant Lovell Square complex includes nine buildings, some of which are 100 years old--others date back to the 1960s and 1990s--at 11th and Irving avenues north in the city's Near North neighborhood, according to Ben Post, an associate director at Urban Homeworks.

As a part of the $1.78 million project, Urban Homeworks plans to rehab six of the nine buildings, including 18 units that range from 1 to 3 bedrooms. "Even though it's a challenge, we thought it'd be cheaper than losing them and starting over," he says, adding that the other three buildings will be demolished.   

In the 1990s the buildings were substantially rehabbed, he says. Since then, however, they've fallen into disrepair as problems with mold, asbestos, lead paint, and other things have gotten out of hand. "It's a sad story," he says. "[The buildings] all went through a big investment and renovation but they deteriorated due to a lack of maintenance."

City officials approached the organization a year ago about redeveloping the properties. "They were beginning the foreclosure process and were trying to figure out solutions [for the buildings]," he says.

After checking out the development, he says, Urban Homeworks agreed to take it on. "We've been able to bring back a lot of rough buildings from foreclosure," including vacant, boarded-up, and condemned buildings, "so we were less intimidated than others."
 
Funding for the project comes from the city's federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Minnesota Public Housing Authority and Hennepin County, according to Post.    

Urban Homeworks will soon close on the property, he says, and the group aims to start construction in April. 

Source: Ben Post, associate director, Urban Homeworks
Writer: Anna Pratt