Construction has begun on “The Neighborhood”, an affordable housing project in Mankato, Minnesota. The project, which will be one of the largest in Mankato history, was chosen in a statewide competition for funding for new affordable housing development. Following the failure of a previous developer’s efforts to obtain state funding for affordable housing on the 5.1-acre lot, Kansas-based Cohen-Esrey proposed a new strategy, dividing the ambitious project into two phases that would be submitted to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency in two different years. A year ago, the government granted funds for the four-story, 48-unit Sinclair Flats residential project. Construction of Sinclair Flats, as well as a row of nine townhouses dubbed “Main Street Townhomes” in line with the Sinclair Lewis motif, is set to begin in late March or early April. Except for ten, all of those apartments will be aimed at low-income employees and their families.
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A year ago, the government granted funds for the four-story, 48-unit Sinclair Flats residential project. Construction of Sinclair Flats, as well as a row of nine townhouses dubbed “Main Street Townhomes” in line with the Sinclair Lewis motif, is set to begin in late March or early April. Except for ten, all of those apartments will be aimed at low-income employees and their families. “On that property, we’ll have 110-plus affordable housing units, as well as the reconstruction of an almost-blighted land. Just a starting point for the rebuilding of downtown Mankato, “Brian Sweeney of the Cohen-Esrey Development Group said.
More on The Neighborhood project in Mankato Minnesota
The Neighborhood will be one of Mankato’s largest affordable-housing initiatives. Rosa Place Apartments, a two-phase development near Rosa Parks Elementary School, already has a 60-unit building finished in 2019, with another 51-unit structure under construction. The seven-story Orness Plaza, built-in 1971, comprises 101 flats, the majority of which are dedicated for the elderly and individuals with disabilities. Walnut Tower, a nine-story affordable housing structure in downtown Mankato, was built in 1977.
