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