The Metropolitan Council, on Jan. 9, awarded nearly $4.4 million in grants that promote redevelopment and economic opportunity in the region.
The grants are part of the Council’s Livable Communities program, a voluntary, incentive-based approach to helping communities achieve their regional and local goals. A majority of these grants will help clean up contaminated sites for future development; one grant was awarded for contamination investigation.
Funds were awarded to 5 cities for 12 projects, including:
- Senior living in Bloomington
- A hotel in Minneapolis
- Affordable apartments in Roseville
- A business center in Saint Paul
The grant awards this funding round will help clean up 38 acres, create or retain more than 1,200 full-time jobs, increase the net tax base by nearly $7 million, help to produce and preserve more than 1,100 homes, including more than 200 affordable homes, and encourage millions more in private investment.
The Council received 17 applications for cleanup funding in this grant round, totaling $6.5 million in funding requests.
Contamination cleanup grants:
Senior Living and Daycare Facility, Bloomington: $192,900 for environmental investigation and disposal of contaminated soil and soil replacement on a seven-acre site that previously housed a commercial fitness center. Plans call for development of 186 homes for senior residents, including independent and assisted living, as well as some memory care housing, and a daycare business.
Bessemer at Seward Commons, Minneapolis: $302,800 for environmental investigation, asbestos abatement and disposal of contaminated soil at a 1.2-acre warehouse site. Development plans include 121 market-rate apartment homes.
Calhoun Towers Building C, Minneapolis: $426,800 for soil remediation on a portion of a 4.6-acre site that was part of a former historic unpermitted dump. The property will be developed into 100 market-rate and 25 affordable apartment homes.
Gateway Northeast, Minneapolis: $60,500 for soil remediation on 1.2 acres that includes residential and retail property. The site will be developed into 50 market-rate apartment homes, 75 affordable apartment homes and 13,500 square feet of commercial space.
Rand Tower, Minneapolis: $583,200 for asbestos and lead-based paint abatement on a 0.3-acre site. The existing building will be renovated into a 266-unit hotel, with 5,000 square feet of commercial/retail space.
RBC Gateway, Minneapolis: $781,200 for disposal of contaminated soil on a 1.7-acre parking lot that was previously home to a hotel, gas station and dry-cleaning business. The site will be developed into a 36-story mixed-use tower with a 240-unit hotel, 20 market-rate condominiums, 590,000 square feet of office space, and 9,100 square feet of retail space.
Robbinsdale Apartments, Robbinsdale: $250,000 for environmental investigation and assessment, asbestos abatement and disposal of contaminated soil at a 2.7-acre site that includes a commercial building and surface parking. Development will include 197 market-rate apartment homes.
Edison Apartments, Roseville: $633,000 for environmental investigation and soil remediation on a vacant 9.2-acre site. The property will be developed into 91 market-rate apartment homes and 118 affordable apartment homes with supportive services.
Fairview Business Center, Saint Paul: $441,600 for asbestos abatement at a 10.8-acre site that housed industrial buildings previously used for manufacturing, printing and warehousing. The buildings will be renovated into 76,000 square feet of office space and 204,000 square feet of industrial space.
Northwest University Dale, Saint Paul: $233,700 for soil vapor sampling, asbestos abatement and soil remediation at a 1.1-acre site that was used for a variety of commercial purposes. Plans call for development of 40 affordable apartment homes, 6,100 square feet of commercial incubator space and 15,300 square feet of office space.
Raymond Station, Saint Paul: $483,900 for asbestos abatement and disposal of contaminated soil at a one-acre site that once housed a gas station, auto repair business, car dealership and other uses. The site will be developed into 154 market-rate “micro” apartment homes and 9,000 square feet of commercial space.
Contamination Investigation Grant:
PIK Redevelopment, Roseville: $50,000 for environmental assessment and development of a Response Action Plan on a 12.5-acre site that housed a trucking terminal. Plans call for development of 367 market-rate apartment homes and about 39,000 square feet of commercial retail space.
Livable Communities program helps create prosperity
Since the Livable Communities program became law in 1995, the Council has made 501 brownfield investigation and cleanup grant awards totaling $137 million. The awards are helping to leverage billions of dollars in private investment, create and maintain 44,000 jobs and clean up more than 2,000 acres of contaminated properties.
To be eligible and compete for Livable Communities funding, metro area cities must participate in the Livable Communities program. More than 90 metro area communities participate in the program, which provides funding for:
- Affordable housing
- Development that promotes mixed-use and connected land uses linking housing, jobs, and services
- Brownfield or polluted-site cleanup
- Transit-oriented development