Celebrating Innovative and Pioneering Projects at the AHC Annual Conference
Affordable Housing Connections welcomed project owners, compliance managers, senior-level site and property staff, as well as Suballocator and PJ staff to Wilder Center on December 7th, 2023. James Haggar, M State Partners, Libby Murphy, Minnesota Housing Partnership, Jennifer Bergman, Minnesota Housing, Tara Beard, City of Saint Paul, and Amy Geisler, City of Minneapolis spoke about the billions for housing coming from recent legislation. Roundtable discussions about struggles and successes connected attendees, who found common ground and commiseration. Renee Dickinson, Compliance Manager – Multifamily, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, Jennifer Arens and Heather Gondreau, Affordable Housing Connections previewed compliance in 2024. The day closed with a celebration of innovative and pioneering projects.
Honoring Project Innovation
LIHTC and HOME
Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung Supportive Housing
Saint Paul
Mino Oski Ain Dah Yung, which means “good new home” in Ojibwe, is a supportive housing development in St Paul.
This development provides 42 units of permanent housing, with on-site supportive services, for American Indian youth ages 18-24 who have experienced homelessness.
Amber Apartments
Minneapolis
Dominium’s latest development in the City of Woodbury provides spacious 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom apartments and townhomes to residents seeking high quality homes without paying a premium.
A collaboration between WCCDA (100% LIHTC, 235 units) and The City of Woodbury (HOME for 4 units) made it possible to develop larger 3- and 4-bedroom units (as well as 1- and 2-bedroom units) with some units renting at 50% limits.
It’s an example of local and county jurisdictions cooperating to make affordable housing available to a wide range of incomes with a variety of unit sizes and types in a prime east metro location.
PERIS Hill
Minneapolis
Peris Hill is an intentional housing community in Minneapolis that supports and empowers young people who have experienced foster care to develop and thrive. Its goal is to interrupt the foster care to homelessness pipeline through an environment of supported autonomy and interconnected independence.
Soul Apartments
Saint Paul
Soul Apartments, located at the intersection of Robert Street and Plato Boulevard in the City’s West Side, will add much-needed deeply affordable housing for St Paul residents and families.
This project will provide 178 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom apartments, attracting both individuals and families. 20% of the units will be set aside for households at or below 30% of AMI with the remaining units eligible for households earning no more than 60% AMI.
Soul will comply with St Paul’s Sustainable Building Policy and intends to pursue Enterprise Green Communities and Energy Star certifications. There will be energy and water saving measures in and around the building, as well as solar panels on the roof to offset electricity costs.
Stonehouse Square
Minneapolis
In 1895 Catholic nuns began construction of the buildings now known as Stonehouse Square. For eighty years the Little Sisters of the Poor used these buildings to provide a home for indigent elderly in Northeast Minneapolis.
CommonBond Communities purchased Stonehouse Square in 2019 to preserve 19 subsidized units in an increasingly pricey neighborhood.
Stryker Senior Housing
Saint Paul & Ramsey County
Stryker Senior in St Paul will provide 57 units of affordable rental housing for seniors 55 and older, with 75% of the units targeted for households at 30% AMI. An additional 14 units are targeted to households at or below 50% AMI.
This project combines St Paul HOME funds with Ramsey County ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, which makes the 30% restriction possible. This is another example of collaboration between local and county jurisdictions.
The Verdant
Saint Paul
Developed by Sherman Associates, Verdant is one of the newest additions to the West Side Flats neighborhood across from downtown St. Paul. The brick and panel apartment looks like many other new apartment developments around the Twin Cities — except it’s not.
Verdant is the region’s second development to follow “Passive House” principles, which focus on energy efficiency through design and construction approaches that produce airtight buildings that minimize heat loss.
