The Met Council has awarded nearly $10 million in grants for projects that promote efficient development, affordable housing, economic opportunities, and jobs. The grants are part of the Livable Communities program and help fund projects that include housing choices and advance goals of prosperity, living wages, and connections between where people live and need to go.
Recipient cities in this grant round include Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Edina, Maplewood, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul.
“These grants from the Livable Communities Fund encourage communities to take on projects that advance regional priorities, including connecting jobs, transit, services, and housing,” said Sarah Berke, senior manager of the Livable Communities program.
The program has been in place since the state created it in 1995. Berke says Livable Communities funds promote choices for residents with a range of incomes and demographic characteristics. The 2023 funding round includes projects that preserve and add affordable housing options in the region, as well as a business incubator and retail space.
“Housing that’s affordable is foundational to healthy people, families, communities, and the region,” said Berke.
2023 Livable Communities demonstration grant awards
New Generations LLC - 1500 69th Ave, Brooklyn Center: $1 million toward a mixed-use building with affordable housing for veterans and people experiencing homelessness and who may have physical and mental disabilities. The development will include commercial space, spaces focused on health and well-being, youth programming, and a youth-led coffee shop.
Little Earth of United Tribes, Minneapolis: $2 million toward much needed rehabilitation and preservation of the Little Earth affordable housing community. Little Earth is home to nearly 1,000 residents and has 38 different tribal affiliations.
Sabathani Family Housing, Minneapolis: $1,145,000 toward construction of a 71-unit affordable apartment building. The development will be located on Sabathani’s campus, which houses the community center and affordable senior apartment building.
2260 Bohland Avenue (Common Bond Ford Site II), Saint Paul: $575,000 toward a 60-unit senior development, the second of five affordable housing developments in the Highland Bridge development.
5780 Lincoln, Edina: $1.5 million toward an 89-unit affordable housing development, with some of the units committed for people experiencing homelessness and people with disabilities. Community engagement included the school district.
Gladstone Village 1, Maplewood: $1,150,000 toward a 65-unit mixed-income affordable rental housing development focused on families. The development will include amenities like community gathering and fitness spaces. Some of the units will be committed to housing for people with disabilities and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Innovation and Catalyst Center, Brooklyn Center: $600,000 toward redeveloping a strip mall/shopping center that will serve as a business incubation space with economic development programming. The project includes workforce training, the opportunity for wealth building, and support for businesses owned primarily by residents of color and immigrant business owners.
700 American, Bloomington: $1,793,250 toward 125 units of affordable housing for people 55 and older, including commercial space at a vacant corner at American Boulevard West and Lyndale Avenue South.
To be eligible and compete for Livable Communities funding, metro area cities must participate in the Livable Communities program. 75 cities and 1 township are participating in the Livable Communities program in 2023.