Clover Marketplace breaks ground in Chaska
Chaska Herald
October 17, 2006
By Mollee Francisco
On a blustery fall day, with snowflakes swirling all around, Central Community Housing Trust (CCHT) broke ground on its latest project, Clover [Field] Marketplace in Chaska's Clover Ridge neighborhood.
The groundbreaking ceremony on the residential/retail complex took place Thursday afternoon at the northeast corner of Hundertmark Rd. and Clover Ridge Dr.
"We see ourselves as a non-profit tool of the community," said CCHT President Alan Arthur. "You are lucky here. Chaska is an incredibly visionary city. They are not thinking of what they're going to be in 10 years, but 100."
Half of the 115-unit residential portion of the project will be devoted to affordable housing and will serve families earning half of the area's median income ($38,000 for a family of four).
Some of the units will also be rentals with rates ranging from $720 a month for a one-bedroom unit to $1,400 for a three-bedroom unit.
"We talk a lot about community in Chaska and it's not just talk," said Mayor Gary Van Eyll. "Affordable housing, that's very important to us."
"When we finish the Marketplace project, there will be more kids in the neighborhood," said Arthur. "That's what we're all about. That's what Chaska's all about."
In addition, Clover [Field] Marketplace will feature 10,000 square feet of retail space. That space is expected to be available by January 2008.
"This is one of the final blocks in this community, in this neighborhood," noted Van Eyll.
Clover [Field] Marketplace is the Minneapolis-based non-profit's first foray into suburban development but Arthur indicated plans for additional projects.
"In the future, half of our projects will be suburban," he said.
CCHT is still working on its final financing pieces for Clover [Field] Marketplace but is hopeful that it will soon be able to get construction equipment on the site.
The Chaska City Council approved preliminary plans for the project in late August.
 Learn more about Clover Field Marketplace
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