Affordable Housing : Development News

Already, the Little Earth of United Tribes Homeownership Initiative is turning around part of Minneapolis’s East Phillips neighborhood.

As its name suggests, the initiative helps members of the Little Earth community get to the point of homeownership.

Only a handful of years ago, the American Indian-targeted affordable housing Little Earth was considered dangerous and undesirable, says City Council member Gary Schiff.

Today, Little Earth has a waiting list of 100 people. “It’s a significant sign of success for the organization,” he says.   

In some ways, this relates to the homeownership initiative, which got its start a few years ago, he says.

At the time, Little Earth began working with the city to reduce crime in the area.  

Little Earth took a zero-tolerance attitude towards crime, evicting problem tenants. Then it partnered with the city to buy up the nearby rental housing on what's referred to as the E.M. Stately blocks, where drug-dealing and gang activity were still an issue. That's where the homeownership initiative, which involves rehabbing or constructing seven new single-family homes, comes into play.

The housing is like an extension of Little Earth, while providing for the possibility of homeownership--the first initiative like this in the city to target American Indians. “It’s an economic development and anti-crime strategy,” he says, adding that crime is way down.  

The program, which includes everything from the new homes to job assistance, creates an economic ladder for those who want to live in the area, but who don’t qualify for low-income housing at Little Earth, he says.   

One of the homes is being rehabbed right now, while another four are under construction. The houses are planned to be ready by wintertime.  

“The number of residents paying market-rate rents is really fascinating,” he says, adding, “People want to live there and be a part of the Native American community.”

Schiff is finding that word is spreading. People at Little Earth are taking classes to become homeowners and establish a good credit record. “It’s gotten people excited at Little Earth to realize it’s building an economically diverse community,” he says.

The City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT), Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP), Woodlands Bank, the city, and the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation (GMHC) collaborated to acquire the lots.

“It’s one of several housing projects that reflect a renaissance for East Phillips and the American Indian community,” he says, adding that the community continues to grow for the second decade in a row.    

Source: Gary Schiff, Minneapolis City Council member
Writer: Anna Pratt

For the City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT), the North Side is beginning to feel like home.
 
Over the years, the organization, which provides affordable homeownership opportunities, had been looking to expand beyond its 400-square-foot space at the similarly housing-focused PRG, Inc. in South Minneapolis, according to Jeff Washburne, who leads CLCLT.
 
From the outset, the trust sought a North Side presence “based on recent historical challenges that have confronted North Minneapolis, and ability to locate close as possible to the majority of the population identified within the CLCLT mission,” according to trust materials.
 
The Minnesota Nonprofits Assistance Fund offered a vacant, boarded-up two-story building on Glenwood Avenue, which the trust jumped at. In the past, the building had housed a barber shop, a travel agency, and social services and apartment units, he says.
 
The organization acquired the 2,000-square-foot building in August 2010. It moved in earlier this summer. “We felt it was a great fit, a good location, and a good neighborhood,” he says, adding that work is still ongoing in the building.
 
Washburne sees it as an up-and-coming area. “It’s one of those corridors a lot of people don’t know about but if you drive down it you can see the potential of it,” he says, adding that International Market Square and a number of design firms are nearby.  
 
To make way for the trust the building was gutted, while the mechanical systems and roof were replaced.

It's unique for a land trust to own a commercial building, according to trust information. 
 
Much of the $300,000 project was done pro bono; the assistance fund and the city chipped in $160,000 combined, while, besides $90,000 in capital funding, the trust received $50,000 in pro bono commitments, according to trust materials.  
 
Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd., a local architecture firm, donated services to rehab and build out the building. Oppenheimer, Wolff, and Donnelly provided legal services, while the Andersen Corporation Foundation donated windows and the Valspar Foundation gave paint, according to the trust.   
 
Plant donations are still needed for the landscaping.
 
Today, the building includes a number of offices and conference rooms and a community meeting space, along with a kitchen. In the future, another small nonprofit organization could rent space in the building, he says.   
 
Already the trust has partnered with the Harrison neighborhood on several initiatives. “By locating there, it creates opportunities to connect with people and let people know we want to invest in the community,” Washburne says.    
 
The trust is in a good position to the plant the seed of homeownership in an area where this can be a challenge. “We’re a resource for residents to buy homes here and across the city,” he says. “It’ll spur more opportunities locally than there otherwise would be.”
 
 
Source: Jeff Washburne, Executive Director, City of Lakes Community Land Trust
Writer: Anna Pratt
 
 

A vintage building in St. Paul’s Merriam Park neighborhood, which at one point was scheduled to be demolished, is getting a second chance.

It’ll become a transitional housing facility for adults who’ve struggled with chemical dependency.

Transition Homes Corp., which runs a program along those lines at the nearby Foundation House, plans to bring its services to the Merriam Park building following its renovation.

It’s a positive change for the 1880s building, which went through foreclosure stages in recent years, according to Mike Blair, who manages Foundation House.

At one point the city planned to tear down the building, which has sat vacant for 12 years. However, “The city was able to get a waiver on it due to its historic nature,” he says.

A Pioneer Press story details the three-level building’s distinctive features, including its "polygonal shape, the elliptical arches over its windows and the castle battlement-like notches of its parapet.”

Transition Homes Corp., which is still negotiating the building’s purchase, will put in an outpatient office and a 25-unit “board and lodge facility” for men.  

The building, which now is an empty shell, will get a new kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, lounge, and more, he says.

Right now, the group is waiting for the various approvals it needs to get going on the project, which the Pioneer Press reports will total $1 million.

Blair says that the development is a good use of the space. It’ll serve people who are “homeless by definition, with no job, no assets, no income,” and who are becoming sober.

"We try to offer a foundation for recovery," he says.

That involves finding jobs and permanent housing, he says.  

If all goes as planned, the place could open as early as this fall.

Source: Mike Blair, manager, Foundation House
Writer: Anna Pratt

“Homes for All,” a documentary from Twin Cities Public Television (TPT), showcases several Twin Cities affordable housing projects that go above and beyond.

The documentary, which was sponsored in part by the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers, Minnesota Housing Partnership, and the Community Land Trust Coalition, will air on TPT on Feb. 19.  

It focuses on three different public- and private- sector developments that vary in size, including Hope Communities apartments in Minneapolis, Quarry View townhomes in Apple Valley, and Forest Ridge Townhomes in Forest Lake.  

Chip Halbach, executive director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership, explains that the documentary was put together to “give the general public a more in-depth understanding of what affordable housing is.”

The documentary profiles some residents of the developments behind the scenes, showing what their homes look like and how they fit into the community.

In each of these cases, the developments are “designed to contribute to the community,” he says.  

For example, Hope Communities, a 173-unit apartment complex at Franklin and Portland avenues in Minneapolis's Phillips neighborhood, has helped turn around a blighted area.

Besides stabilizing home life for its residents, the building, which was developed jointly by Minneapolis-based Hope Community and nearby Aeon, hosts various youth programs. “It goes beyond just making it safer,” Halbach says. “It’s a community-organizing vehicle” that has sparked revitalization elsewhere in the neighborhood as well.  

Although there's more work to be done in the neighborhood, “It all adds up to something that’s a real positive force in the Phillips neighborhood," he says.

In the documentary, a number of housing experts also “provide context for why the public should be interested in these affordable housing investments,” he adds.  

Source: Chip Halbach, executive director, Minnesota Housing Partnership
Writer: Anna Pratt

The $45 million Currie Park Lofts will turn around a vacant, blighted property in Minneapolis’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.

It’ll also bring much-needed affordable housing to the area, according to developer Bianca Fine, who leads Fine Associates.

The six-story development will have 260 mixed-income apartments between floors two through six--with room to accommodate large families--while a cultural center, adult and child daycare, and a neighborhood grocer will share the first-floor retail space.

Right now, besides some limited parking, there’s a single-family home on the site that has an interesting history as a brewpub, and which the company is looking into the possibility of moving, she says.

One of the biggest advantages of the project's location is its proximity to the light rail transit lines, bus stops, and bicycle amenities. It’s also within walking distance of several large institutions, including the University of Minnesota, and downtown’s business district.

As such, “It’s a true transit-oriented development,” which helps fulfill city and neighborhood goals for the area.

Visually, Currie Park Lofts will blend into the neighborhood with a brick, glass and metal exterior, along with a pedestrian-scale design and landscaping. “Many different colors and finishes and textures will make it look like several different small buildings,” Fine explains.

Further, the design incorporates a number of balconies, which means “a lot of eyes on the street," and there'll also be green spaces and recreational areas.

Fine Associates has been working on the project since 2005, and that has “given us a lot of time to figure out how to do it best,” Fine says. “The more we got to know the neighborhood, the more we got to understand its needs,” and respond to them, which, she adds is key for its long-term success.  

In the next 20 years, projections show the need for housing in the neighborhood is likely to increase dramatically, according to Fine. “The neighborhood needs an engine of economic improvement,” she says, adding that the project will be “strongly integrated.”

Construction of the lofts could begin as early as this fall.

Source: Bianca Fine, Fine Associates
Writer: Anna Pratt

To gauge  interest in a couple of its redevelopment projects, Plymouth-based Dominium Development and Acquisition hosted a community meeting on Jan. 9 at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis.

Dominium plans to convert two historic sites--the old Jacob Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul and Pillsbury ‘A’ Mill in Minneapolis--into artist live/work spaces. (See The Line’s stories here and here.)

With the help of PLACE, a nonprofit agency that specializes in this kind of housing, Dominium has created an online survey to get additional input.

The survey asks people to weigh in on everything from possible rent prices to amenities, to help shape the common spaces and individual units in both developments.

Owen Metz, a senior development associate at Dominium, says that the company wants to “assess the market, to see what interest there is from the arts community,” adding, “We want to find out what their motivations are for living there.”

Dominium is hoping to hear from 10,000 area artists. “We’ll use the feedback to guide and drive some of the decisions moving forward, as we design units and common spaces,” which will allow for flexibility in the design, he says.

He adds that the company is reaching out to artists working in many different media.  

Depending on the survey’s results, a photography studio, for example, could be incorporated into one or both of the housing projects.  

Whatever the reaction is, “We’ll take it to heart and try to accommodate it as much as we can,” he says.

Source: Owen Metz, senior development associate, Dominium Development
Writer: Anna Pratt

Central Exchange, a mixed-use development that's planned for St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood, will help turn around a site that has long been rundown.

Historically, the neighborhood as a whole has been under-invested in when compared with other parts of the city, according to Craig Johnson, who is the project manager for developer Model Cities.

Model Cities, which is based just a block-and-a-half away from the University Avenue site, wants to be a part of its improvement, he emphasizes.

For the project, the organization has acquired four vacant commercial properties that he describes as an “eyesore on the avenue.” It has often attracted vandalism, he says.  

Johnson says that the development will provide a boost to the area. “It’ll help make the area more attractive,” as opposed to somewhere that one would merely drive through.

Two of the buildings on the properties have been torn down, while the city will soon demolish the remaining couple of structures, he says.

Model Cities may also acquire another adjacent property, for which it’s trying to secure financing.

Central Exchange will have ground-floor commercial space along with a couple of stories of housing.

Altogether, there’ll be 30 to 45 units of mixed-income housing. Depending on its final footprint, the project could cost anywhere from $9.5 million to $13 million, according to Johnson.

The commercial spaces will be “oriented towards nonprofits, educational institutions or small businesses,” with an eye on what’s “useful to the community,” he says.

Model Cities is planning to install green roofs that will allow for urban gardening and stormwater management, as well.

The complex will alternately rise up one and three stories in different areas, to help break it up, visually. “If we built this as one big building it might have a more imposing feeling,” he says.

The coming Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line helped make the development possible. As such, “We see this project as a part of something bigger that’s going to really help the community.”

Construction at the site is scheduled to finish up in the spring of 2014.

Source: Craig Johnson, project manager, Model Cities
Writer: Anna Pratt

After years of being underused, the 1907 Lehmann Center in Minneapolis's Uptown area will be converted by the Plymouth-based Dominium Development & Acquisition into a 136-unit affordable housing development.

The $30 million complex, which has been dubbed the Buzza Lofts, will have a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments along with studios, according to Chris Barnes, who is a vice president and project manager at Dominium.

Following a wide variety of uses, the building most recently belonged to the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Considering that the building is historically designated through the National Register of Historic Places, “We’ll need to mesh it with historic profiles,” Barnes says.  

Many of the internal walls will be demolished so that the developer can start with a clean floor plate. “Once the demolition is completed, we’ll lay out the apartments in the grid,” he says.  

The building will also have a leasing office, a fitness center, and a lounge.

For the most part, its creamy white exterior will remain the same, though the roof will be replaced and new window openings will be made, Barnes explains.

Dominium hopes to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), in the high-ranking silver category, for the building. As just one example of the eco-friendly amenities being planned, a former parking lot will become a landscaped green space, with benches, tables, and a fireplace. “It’s unusual for an urban development to have that much green space,” he says.

Another one of its major green initiatives relates to stormwater management on the site.

Barnes is optimistic about the project, which will probably be ready by the end of the year.

On the whole, the rental market in Minneapolis is doing well, Barnes says. “Uptown as a sub-market is among the more desirable areas. Folks of all income levels want to live in that neighborhood.”


Source: Chris Barnes, vice president and project manager, Dominium Development
Writer: Anna Pratt

As a part of a recently announced federal plan, a handful of buildings at the Upper Post of Fort Snelling in Minneapolis will take on new life.

St. Paul’s CommonBond Communities is working with Sand Companies in St. Cloud on a $10.2 million project to redevelop the buildings into housing for homeless vets. 

It's one of 25 sites that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reusing to create 3,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for veterans around the country, according to VA information.

Another 1,000 units could be announced by the VA in the coming weeks.

The Upper Post buildings, which have long stood vacant or served as storage space, will be turned into 58 apartments, including a mix of one-bedrooms, efficiencies, and three-bedroom units, according to Andew Michaelson, senior housing development manager for CommonBond.  

Buildings will be rehabbed according to historic guidelines, while a combination of historic and low-income tax credits will help fund the project, he says.

Further, all kinds of supportive services will be located on-site. “’[They will] address the needs of the population,” he says, adding that the aid is focused not just upon homelessness but “whatever else they’re going through.”   

In general, more needs to be done to eliminate homelessness among vets, he says.

He says that the project will also benefit the surrounding community by helping to preserve a significant landmark. “These buildings are in increasing states of deterioration. We want to prevent further deterioration.”  

The buildings have a lot of potential he says, and lately, there’s been “more interest in doing things on the campus with the resource of this existing stock of buildings.”

Although the project’s timeline depends on the condition of the buildings, he says that construction could start as early as the end of 2012.

Source: Andrew Michaelson, senior housing development manager, CommonBond Communities
Writer: Anna Pratt

RS Eden, a local nonprofit developer, plans to convert a 1900-vintage building in Minneapolis's Downtown East neighborhood into an $18 million affordable apartment complex.

Attached to the existing four-story building will be a five-story building, where a parking lot now stands, according to RS Eden president Dan Cain.

Construction of the development, called Emanuel Housing, is to begin in February 2012.

The project takes its name from the late Scotty Emanuel, a former RS Eden employee. “He was a long-term, committed role model to young people coming out of poverty,” he says.

The 101 units will include mainly efficiencies, with six one-bedroom apartments. It’ll be affordable, with some market-rate apartments in the mix, Cain says.

A certain amount of space will be designated for military veterans and those who’ve had problems with chronic homelessness or chemical abuse.

However, the building will be open to anyone who is interested in sober living, Cain adds.  

Also in the building will be supportive services and community and retail space, while its previous owner, the Council on Crime and Justice, will stay put in the building.  

Part of the property could be turned into a green space.

The building is close to the light rail and the downtown area, which means convenient access to jobs.

More broadly, the development is a balance to the nearby high-end housing along the Mississippi riverfront. “Any community needs a mix of housing to be healthy,” Cain says.

It’s something that was lost in the 1960s and 70s when many buildings were torn down, he says. “This is an attempt to revitalize the whole Downtown East neighborhood."

Although RS Eden can’t do it single-handedly, he says, “We hope we can go a long way towards motivating that kind of change.”

In the future, the whole corridor between Washington Avenue and the Metrodome “will be much more pedestrian-friendly and vibrant than it is now.”

Source: Dan Cain, president, RS Eden
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Pillsbury 'A' Mill in Minneapolis, which once belonged to the world's largest flour-milling complex, represents a key part of the city's growth along the Mississippi River.

But in recent years, the mill, part of which dates to 1881, went through foreclosure after a redevelopment proposal from another developer fell through.

Afterward, it wound up on a list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places," created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

But Plymouth-based Dominium Development has an $80-million plan to reverse the trend. It plans to convert a handful of buildings on the campus into a 240-unit affordable artist live/work complex, according to Owen Metz, a senior development associate with the company.

Separately, Doran Cos. in Minneapolis is planning a 375-unit housing development for another portion of the Pillsbury site. Read The Line story here.

Although Dominium is still working out the details of the building and land agreements, this "is the first project of its scale, in terms of affordable artist live/work housing," he says. "We're trying to have different little nooks that cater to artists, with studios as well," he says.

Dominium has a similar project underway at Jacob Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul, which The Line covered here.  "We're trying to play off of what's already been done and what we've learned," says Metz.      

Although much of the design work is still in an early phase at Pillsbury, Metz says that the iconic grain elevators, which contribute to its historic significance, will stay intact--purely for aesthetic reasons. 

The group is talking with the neighborhood group, city officials, and other stakeholders to get input and leverage some of the work that's already been done on the site. "We're trying to streamline the process a little bit but also get feedback," which Metz says is especially important for such a landmark.

Some of the building's structural issues need to be addressed before too much gets hammered out. "Nothing's in stone yet," he says. "We're considering various uses for the space. We want to make sure it fronts well at Main Street."    

He hopes it'll bring a unique vitality to the area, while also building on the existing community in Northeast, he says. "We feel that financially, it's a good investment and that it'll be a success and be able to fill up quickly," he says.

In an area where many of the housing options are higher-end, "It gives people the opportunity to live that close to downtown, with those views, at an affordable level," he says.

Source: Owen Metz, Dominium Development
Writer: Anna Pratt

A local developer is re-imagining a century-old vacant building in Minneapolis's Stevens Square neighborhood as a $19.5 million apartment complex.

Dubbed the Dunwoody Apartments, the plan is a welcome change in direction for the building that once housed the Abbott Hospital.

In recent years the building has been a magnet for crime, according to developer Swami Palanisami, who heads Palanisami and Associates, the consulting engineering firm that's leading the charge.

Palanisami's proposal entails a complete revamping of the four-story building to make way for 123 studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments. Of those, 25 will be set aside as affordable, something the neighborhood has a big demand for, he says. Retail businesses will also occupy the first floor.

New kitchens, plus common laundry and exercise rooms are a part of the plan, he says.

A centralized heating and cooling system will be installed, along with other mechanical and electrical upgrades. The building's brick exterior and balcony will also be restored.

Additionally, underground and above-ground parking at the Dunwoody Apartments will help free up space on the street, he says.

Already, related city zoning changes and accompanying remodeling plans have been approved, says Palanisami, who is in the process of putting together project financing, which includes various historic tax credits, plus a combination of local and federal government support.

Previously, Palanisami had considered other plans for the building, which is in close proximity to downtown, but those didn't advance once the recession hit, he says.

The apartment proposal is more viable. "It makes good sense not to throw away an old building, but to restore it," he says. "It'll fit in well with the nearby neighborhood."

He hopes to start the renovation later this summer.

Source: Swami Palanisami, developer  
Writer: Anna Pratt

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

The St. Paul-based Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP), a nonprofit organization that preserves and creates affordable housing, last week received $750,000 from the federal government to help carry out a new "place-based" community assistance program.    

MHP was chosen through a competitive process, along with a dozen other organizations nationwide to work with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s recently formed arm, OneCPD, which refers to its Office of Community Planning and Development.  

Although the details of the new program are still coming together, MHP executive director Chip Halbach explains that the consortium will probably be on hand to help HUD in a more consistent way than it has in the past.

Previously, HUD hired the housing organization for specific needs, helping to revise an organization's property management practices or meet income-tracking requirements. "There are specific chunks of work we would come in and do," he says, adding, "This points to a different approach."  

Basically, HUD is going for a more broadly based integrated community development style, while MHP's focus will be on the Upper Midwest, according to MHP information.

Halbach says he's excited about HUD's new direction. In his view, "There's a lot of potential for what could be done."

As a part of this new initiative, HUD has pulled together various agencies that can lend different types of expertise, including affordable housing, business and community planning, economic development, infrastructure planning, construction management, sustainable design and natural resource protection, and market research, among other things, according to MHP information.  

Other local organizations that are a part of this effort that MHP is leading includes the following: Bonestroo Inc., the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers, and Affordable Housing Connections, Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Great Lakes Capital Fund in Michigan and Seattle's Sound Thinking.


Source: Chip Halbach, executive director, Minnesota Housing Partnership
Writer: Anna Pratt

The $9.5 million Nicollet Square development at 3700 Nicollet Avenue, which takes an innovative approach to housing homeless youth, is hosting an open house on May 5, with building tours, speakers, and more.

It's one way to thank Nicollet Square's supporters and celebrate its accomplishments to date, according to Lee Blons, who leads the Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation, which developed the building.

Nicollet Square has 42 studio apartments that are targeted at young adults, ages 16-21, who are transitioning from homelessness or foster homes, Blons explains.

Since Nicollet Square opened its doors in December 2010, tenants have been moving in and the place is likely to be full by June, according to Blons.  

The foundation partnered with several other local groups on the project, including Common Bond Housing, HIRED and YouthLink, allowing it to provide personalized attention to tenants. "It's about an integrated comprehensive approach to housing, with on-site supportive services and employment," she says.  

For starters, its unique "Work Fast" program immediately connects people with jobs that have subsidized wages. "In a tough economy it helps break through some barriers to employment," she says.

This way, tenants are able to start paying rent right away. At Nicollet Square, rent is set at a low rate in the beginning and it gradually increases through time, to help tenants eventually ease into a more typical housing environment.  

As for other amenities, Nicollet Square has community, computer, and fitness rooms, while the backyard is equipped for grilling and picnics. The building has additional "little features to build community among the residents," she says.  

For the still-empty retail space, which can be configured for one tenant or several, Blons said the foundation is open to various possibilities. A restaurant, coffee shop, or offices could go into the space. "We'd love to have a business that was interested in having young people [from the building] if it needed entry-level employees."

Though she's proud of the project, she stresses the need for ongoing support. With 2,500 homeless young adults across the state, she says, "We hope to end homelessness but we have a long ways to go."

Source: Lee Blons, Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation
Writer: Anna Pratt

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

An $80 million redevelopment proposal for the 6.5-acre parcel at Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue in South Minneapolis, where the building that formerly housed the Brown Institute sits, emphasizes the popular Midtown Farmers Market and other nearby amenities, including light rail transit and the YWCA.

The current building, which is owned by the Minneapolis Public Schools, would be torn down. Whether the school district might still have offices or classrooms in the complex is up in the air, according to Jack Boarman, a senior partner with the BKV Group Architects.

The local architecture firm is collaborating on the project with a handful of partners that fall under the umbrella of L&H Development. Theirs was the only response to a request for proposals from the public schools and city, which had a Nov. 1 deadline.   

Under the proposal, a mix of affordable, senior, and market-rate housing units, along with street-level retail and office space, would be scattered throughout a series of three to five buildings.

It's an area that has mainly single-family homes, according to Boarman, who adds that the proposed variety of housing would open it up for residents of all income levels. 

Boarman says the team tried to be sensitive to the Corcoran neighborhood's goals for the area, creating a walkable place that will serve residents and the broader community.

For starters, "People can move through the development into what we're calling the Farmers Market Plaza," he says, adding that the buildings would be configured around a series of courtyards, with sidewalks and a boulevard leading to the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit line.
 
Sustainability is top of mind, he says, and easy access to the train encourages residents to go car-free.

In the coming weeks, the proposal will go before a city committee and the neighborhood group, with Minneapolis Public Schools making a decision on the matter sometime in December.

Source: Jack Boarman, senior partner at BKV Group Architects 
Writer: Anna Pratt

A home that's reasonably priced, safe, and sustainable should be within reach for anyone.

That's the statement that brought together more than 800 attendees, from high-ranking public officials to low-income residents, at the Nov. 8 "Homes for All" conference at the St. Paul RiverCentre.

Among the event's highlights was a keynote speech by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, a how-to workshop about making changes for the greener around the house, and an audiovisual exhibit featuring an oral history of homelessness.  

Emmy-Award-winning actor and vocalist T. Mychael Rambo led a  breakout session, while representatives from more than 40 housing, health, and financial organizations were on hand, as were U.S. representatives Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum and senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar.

Chip Halbach, the executive director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership, says that he and other advocates hope the get-together will influence housing policy for the better, especially as the state's political leadership turns over and the legislative session nears.

"It's important to get people energized and thinking about what the state can do come January," Halbach says. His goal is to lay the groundwork for various housing-related bill proposals that will be introduced this session, and which he says deserve special attention in a budget-cycle year,

The challenges are many. Homelessness has spiked in the recession, and this has produced all kinds of side effects, he explains. "We have a situation where more people are losing homes and renters are paying a higher percentage of their income for housing." Recent U.S. census figures show that one in eight families in Minnesota are facing severe housing situations, he says.

There may be greater need and fewer resources these days, but he insists, "It's moral issues that are at stake."

Source: Chip Halbach, executive director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership
Writer: Anna Pratt

Minnesota's population became much more diverse from 1970 to 2000, but over that time most of the people working in development in communities of color had one thing in common: They were white.

People from within those communities could use a leg up to join and diversify the local professional-development ranks. That was the impetus behind a yearlong training program that Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) began in 1997. Since then 110 developers have graduated from the Careership program, with as many as three-quarters going on to work in the field of community development.

This year, 12 people are taking part in the program; as many as 70 apply annually. They earn a stipend $12,000 while putting in 15 hours each week at a sponsoring organizatio --usually a nonprofit but sometimes a government agency or a for-profit developer. There, and at monthly seminars and consultations with an executive coach, they learn the ropes of building community through development work.

For about 35 percent of the participants, that development work is the bricks-and-mortar sort, says senior program officer Barbara Jeanetta. Housing and commercial development has remained a core activity for students and graduates of the program. But people from communities of color and immigrant groups understood that "it was not just about physical development," Jeanetta says. "They innately knew it was much more integrated." That means that many work on building more intangible kinds of community assets--employee training, youth development, and home-buying, for example.

Careership is especially helpful for people who lack a college degree and have "spotty" work records due to time spent caring for a parent or child, Jeanetta says. These people often don't have a professional network, but they start to build one over their year at the Careership program.

Source: Barbara Jeanetta, LISC
Writer: Chris Steller

"Brick House" was the nickname for Memorial Stadium, the predecessor at the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus to TCF Bank Stadium, the new home of the Golden Gophers football team.

Now an actual house near the stadium--wooden, not brick--has been renovated by the University District Alliance, a community organization formed in the stadium's wake to strengthen ties between the university and surrounding neighborhoods. It's the first of three houses located in target areas near the new stadium to hit the real estate market after purchase and renovation by the Alliance.

When Minnesota legislators approved state funds for construction of TCF Bank Stadium, they were also motivated to mitigate negative impacts of the mammoth campus on adjacent residential areas. A special aim was encouraging home ownership in neighborhoods where the pace of conversion from family to student rental housing has accelerated in recent years.

The Alliance--made up of resident associations in three neighborhoods of Southeast Minneapolis, the university, and the City of Minneapolis--decided that renovating houses for sale to new resident-owners was the best way of spending the bulk of $750,000 the state allocated to demonstrate how local projects could keep campus-area neighborhoods stable and sustainable.

"Initially there was the hope to at least break even, but that's not going to happen," says James De Sota, Southeast Como Improvement Association coordinator, whose group pushed the Alliance to use green building materials and methods in the renovation work.  Still, he says, efforts at cooperation by local groups, the university and city government are off to a "nice start."

Source: James De Sota, Southeast Como Improvement Association
Writer: Chris Steller

A turnaround at the St. Paul crossroads known as UniDale has been 25 years in the making, and 2010 looks to be a big year for progress there. A new mixed-use development, Frogtown Square-Kings Crossing Apartments, will mark a significant milestone in the transformation of an intersection that is due to host a major stop on the Central Corridor light-rail transit line.

The intersection of University Avenue and Dale Street was at one time notorious as the site of an adult-entertainment complex known as The Notorious Faust Theater (yes, that was the business' full and official name). The Faust gave up the ghost in 1995; standing on that site now is the new Rondo Community Outreach Library, in a building with housing above.

Kitty-corner from the library is the Frogtown Square site. The deal for the new building closed May 31, allowing construction to begin the next day. Frogtown Square will have 11,000 square feet of commercial space at street level. Kings Crossing Apartments will contain about 48 units of affordable rental housing for senior citizens on the upper three floors.

Meyer Construction, a minority-owned firm, is the general contractor for the $13 million project, which is a joint effort of four community development corporations (CDCs) and Episcopal Homes.

What might light-rail riders see at Frogtown Square's retail level? "At one point, we talked about a hat store," says Patty Lilledahl, who directs business development and finance for the City of St. Paul--a "perfect fit," if it happens, for the building's residents.

Source: Patty Lilledahl, City of St. Paul Planning and Economic Development
Writer: Chris Steller

A group of designers who call themselves the What!Worx Collaboration have won a design competition for artist housing on Minneapolis' North Side by taking a collage approach -- both to the design and to how they worked.

That's appropriate, because the Bearden Place townhouses are meant to honor 20th-century artist Romare Bearden, who used collage to depict and comment on contemporary life, particularly for African-Americans.

The competition, sponsored by the City of Minneapolis and the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, was also a way to stir up ideas for regenerating neighborhoods hit hard by the foreclosure crisis (pdf).

The site, at Sheridan and Plymouth avenues, is in the Willard-Hay neighborhood, one of two in Minneapolis still seeing foreclosures in double digits each month. Citywide, the foreclosure rate fell in 2009 but has been creeping up again this year. City government has been battling back on a number of fronts – including the Bearden Place design competition.

Ira A. Keer, an interior architect, started What!Worx in 2007 with other design professionals from major firms who found themselves on their own as the recession took hold in their industries. "Our combined portfolios opened doors," Keer says. The group's ad-hoc business structure could respond flexibly as opportunities arose.

What!Worx's Tim Heitman, a graphic and environmental designer, said the team's 1,600-square-foot live/work spaces (pdf) were among the most generous of the 38 submitted designs. The exteriors, Heitman says, have a color collage's "sense of articulation and individuality."

Negotiations to build the project are underway.

Source: Ira A. Keer, Tim Heitman, What!Worx Collaborative Design
Writer: Chris Steller