A plan for a 48-unit market-rate apartment building will replace the
condo project that was supposed to go in at 46th and 46th in South
Minneapolis.
The condos had been put on pause in 2007 due to tough market conditions, according to Don Gerberding, a principal of
Master Properties, which is part of the development team.
Following
discussions with the Longfellow neighborhood group about how to
proceed, "the message I got was to wait and do something of quality
rather than something that's not but that happens quickly," he says,
adding, "We've been able to achieve that."
Master Properties has teamed up with the
Lander Group of Minneapolis and the St. Paul-based
At Home Apartments, which were successful with the nearby West River Commons mixed-use project.
At
Home will take on the 46th and 46th development as a "portfolio
project," meaning that it will own and manage the site, which will help
ensure quality, he says.
The four-story apartment building
will use the same footprint as the previous condo project, for which the
footings and foundation are already in place on the half-acre lot.
"It'll be a box of the same volume," says Gerberding, while the fourth floor will be
recessed. "It reduces the perceived size of the building from the
street."
On the side that faces 46th Avenue, the building will
have the look of row houses, with individual entrances and yards. Raised
patios will characterize the side that fronts 46th Street. "There will
be two different feels to this building, depending on which side you're
facing."
At this prominent corner, which is on a major transit corridor, the developers are trying to be as progressive as possible,
with sustainable, transit-oriented features such as free transit passes
and a rentable Hourcar for tenants. "It could impact the decision [for a
tenant] on whether to have a car," he says.
"We're using all of the sustainable products that we can to be energy- and environmentally-efficient," he says.
The group hopes to begin construction in the fall.
Source: Don Gerberding, principal, Master Properties
Writer: Anna Pratt