Council awards nearly $7 million in Livable Communities grants

Funds promote mixed land use, connections between work and home, and access to transit and other amenities

Contact: Bonnie Kollodge
651.602.1357

ST. PAUL—Dec. 23, 2008—Senior housing in Apple Valley, a City Center on the site of a former dairy in Norwood Young America, and mixed-use, transit-oriented development along Central Corridor are among the projects approved for Livable Communities funding this month by the Metropolitan Council.

The Council approved nearly $7 million in funding for 12 projects in the region in eight communities, including Apple Valley, Centerville, Chaska, Forest Lake, Minneapolis, Norwood Young America, St. Paul and White Bear Lake. The grants help fund elements of projects that promote mixed-use and demonstrate land uses that connect housing, jobs and services, including transit.

The Council received 20 applications for funding totaling nearly $17.5 million. The projects are reviewed and evaluated by the Livable Communities Advisory Committee, which recommends projects for funding to the full Metropolitan Council.

“These are projects that support housing and commercial development in mixed-use neighborhoods, traditional downtowns and along transit corridors,” said Council Chair Peter Bell. “Increasingly, we’re seeing cities incorporate sustainable elements in these development projects, including in this funding round, elements like pervious pavement, geothermal energy, and innovative stormwater management solutions.

The Livable Communities grants will help local government recipients with land acquisition and demolition, new street connections, a public parking structure, stormwater improvements and other needed infrastructure.

Projects awarded funding:

Cobblestone Senior Housing, Apple Valley--$556,834 for land acquisition, helping the city to include senior rental housing in its planned Cobblestone Lake development. The developer is Dakota County’s Community Development Agency, which has been highly successful at creating affordable senior housing. The development will be designed to provide access to transit, area businesses and a public trail that encircles a nearby lake.

Redevelopment of Block 8, Centerville--$763,100 to help with site acquisition for a city development project that incorporates senior housing and retail space in the city’s downtown. The redevelopment will serve as a model for redevelopment of the city’s entire downtown, promote mixed land uses, facilitate investment, intensify land use, stabilize nearby neighborhoods and provide access to a nearby Metro Transit park-and- ride facility.

The Landing, Chaska--$240,636 to help with the construction of a trail connection, stormwater improvements and soil correction for The Landing, a housing community for seniors near the city’s downtown. The site will include connections to downtown that will integrate The Landing into the community and provide access to transit and other local amenities, including restaurants, library, parks, medical facilities and shopping. The Landing is located in one of the last available redevelopment sites in downtown Chaska, and is part of the city’s efforts to provide housing and other development that is mixed-use, viable and walkable.

Forest Oak Apartments, Forest Lake--$500,000 for land acquisition to help the city develop an apartment housing community for low- and moderate-income residents. The housing is part of the city’s 620-acre, mixed-use Headwaters development, which will include a variety of housing options, office and retail space, a county service center and library, transit station, parks and a large community recreation facility. The development will incorporate stormwater management and design features that reduce runoff.

Salem Redevelopment, Minneapolis--$850,000 to help acquire the Salem English Lutheran church property at 28th and Lyndale Avenue South. A portion of the existing building, an addition, will be demolished to provide for housing and commercial development. However, the original 1904 church will be renovated and preserved for its historical significance and continued use as a place of worship. A new four-story building will be built next to the church and used for affordable rental housing and commercial space. The project demonstrates re-use of excess property in an urban setting and the use of geothermal energy on a small site. The housing units may convert to ownership, depending on the market.

Bystrom Brothers/Franklin Station, Minneapolis—$550,000 to help complete the purchase of right-of-way needed to realign East 22nd Street, which will promote development in the vicinity of the Franklin station on the Hiawatha line. Re-routing East 22nd Street is an essential first step in the redevelopment of the area and improving traffic patterns at the intersection of Franklin, Minnehaha and Cedar Avenues. Development at the site will follow a green development master plan, incorporating sustainable design elements.

Jackson Street Northeast Artist Affordable Housing, Minneapolis--$408,977 for infrastructure to support a new housing development where artists can live and work in the heart of the northeast Minneapolis arts district. The development would promote higher density land use, replace blighted rental housing, and serve as a model for redeveloping sites on the back side of blocks located adjacent to transit and major commercial corridors. The building will include 43 condominiums, with 18 units affordable to low-income residents, and a large arts production building.

Creekside Commons, Minneapolis--$211,764 to assist the city with infrastructure needs and improvements to facilitate Creekside Commons, a planned affordable housing development in a higher-income neighborhood that would provide good access to transit and other amenities. The building will be located on excess parking owned by Mayflower Church. The project and partnership serve as a model for re-use of excess property. The development will include three- and four-bedroom units, which are in demand and difficult to finance.

Oak Grove Dairy Redevelopment, Norwood Young America--$708,153 to help with site work and street reconstruction at the site of the city’s unique City Center, a mixed-use building that will include senior housing, new city offices, library, and sheriff’s office. The extension of Reform Street to Highway 212 will serve as a catalyst for future development. The redevelopment is on the site of the former Oak Grove Dairy in the city’s downtown.

Schmidt Brewery, St. Paul—$575,000 to help the city rebuild Oneida Street between West 7th and James Streets as a means to create a smaller block pattern and promote a new pedestrian-friendly urban village and new private development. The development will serve as a model for reusing industrial land for mixed-use development, including affordable housing and potentially, live-work housing. Oneida street will serve as the “front door” to the city’s planned development at the brewery site.

2700 the Avenue, St. Paul--$250,000 to help the city with stormwater management improvements and utilities at a mixed-use office and retail development on University Avenue. The development will include office space above a grocery story and other retail near Highway 280 and will serve as the “gateway” to St. Paul. The development adds jobs and retail to a primarily residential area, creating connections between housing, jobs and transit, intensifies the land use and is in close proximity to transit and a future light-rail station, serving as a model for new development along the Central light rail corridor.

Boat Works Square, White Bear Lake--$1,385,036 to help construct a parking structure with a green roof that facilitates stormwater management. The ramp is part of a mixed-use development on the site of the former Johnson Boat Works and will feature a restaurant, retail or commercial space, office and public space, including a public plaza, with much of the development designed to incorporate and showcase the lake and the area’s rich sailing heritage. The development is the result of a unique public-private partnership that will include both public and private uses, while the city retains ownership of the land.

More than 100 metro-area communities participate in the Livable Communities program and are therefore eligible to complete for funding.

The Livable Communities program also allocates funds for affordable housing and brownfield clean up for redevelopment. Since the program was established in 1995, the Council has awarded more than $186 million to participating communities, leveraging several billion dollars in private and other public investment.

The Metropolitan Council is the regional planning organization for the seven-county Twin Cities area. The Council runs the regional bus and light rail system, collects and treats wastewater, coordinates regional water resources, plans regional parks and administers funds that provide housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals and families. The Council board is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the governor.

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