The locally based
Doran Companies plan to build an 11-story student-housing development near the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus.
The 211-unit apartment building, which has been dubbed The Bridges, is slated for a property on University Avenue near Interstate 35W and Dinkytown.
In the past, the empty lot housed a fast-food restaurant, though it was torn down long ago, according to John Wodele, a spokesperson for Doran Companies.
Doran has built several student-housing complexes near the university, including Sydney Hall, the Dinkydome, and the 412 Lofts. The Bridges is larger than the other developments, in part because “The neighborhood was looking for a gateway project into Marcy-Holmes, because it comes right off 35W,” he says.
The lot affords “some of the keenest views of the metro area, downtown Minneapolis, the Mississippi River, and the surrounding areas of the university,” he says. Its location, amenities, and height help make it a “desirable property” for students, he says.
Through its other holdings, the company has found that “this premier-type housing leased to students has worked well,” he says. The Bridges gives students one more option for living near the campus, he adds.
Building plans for the apartment building call for a fitness room, library-like study areas, community rooms, and more.
More broadly, the development will help add to the density of the neighborhood, which in turn will “enhance the economic activity in the area,” he says. Wodele adds that the building will be a landmark that’s “built to last,” with more of a floral and tree environment than similar developments tend to have.
Construction will likely start this spring, while the building will open to tenants in August of 2014.
Source: John Wodele, spokesperson, Doran Companies
Writer: Anna Pratt