Four firms vie to develop library site
Central Community Housing Trust, Gregory Real Estate Co., Lander Group and Legacy Management & Development are making pitches to develop the site in the Uptown neighborhood.
Finance & Commerce
February 17, 2005
By Burl Gilyard
Four development teams have submitted proposals to the city to redevelop the site of the Walker Community Library, 2880 Hennepin Ave. S., in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.
All of the proposals call for housing on the site, which would also include a new 17,000- square-foot library on the first floor of the project. Two of the plans call for market-rate, for-sale condos, while the other two proposals call for rental apartments with a mix of affordable and market-rate units. All of the proposals include various configurations of underground parking.
Minneapolis-based nonprofit developer Central Community Housing Trust has proposed a $15.29 million project that would include 66 rental units of "workforce housing," a mix of affordable and market-rate units. The project would include seven rooftop terrace-level apartments on the fifth level. CCHT is teamed with Minneapolis-based KKE Architects.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for affordable housing; it's a transit-rich site," said Alan Arthur, CCHT president. "Our foundation mission is to provide affordable housing."
Minneapolis-based Gregory Real Estate Co., or GRECO, has proposed 52 units of for-sale housing in a five-story structure. Per the proposal, the condos would average $325,000. The total project budget of the proposal is $23 million.
The GRECO proposal projects the estimated tax value of the project at $19 million. Minneapolis-based Boarman Kroos Vogel Group Inc. — The BKV Group — is the architect for the team. GRECO is headed by Arnie Gregory.
Minneapolis-based Lander Group has proposed two different plans: a four-story structure and an eight-story project. The four-story plan would cost $16.34 million; the taller project would cost $23.32 million.
"If an eight-story building was to be considered, one of the advantages is that it mines money for the benefit of the library," said Michael Lander, president of the Lander Group. "We think there's an opportunity to create a great new library, to bring natural light and visibility, to engage the library with the green space on the north end of the mall there. … We see a lot of benefits that can come from a project like this."
The Lander proposal identifies three architectural firms on the project team: a library architect (Minneapolis-based Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle Ltd.), a housing architect (Minneapolis-based Elness Swenson Graham Architects) and a landscape architect (Minneapolis-based Close Associates).
The Lander project also calls for a small amount of retail space (1,400 square feet) on the ground level, ideally for a coffee shop. The taller Lander proposal would require a zoning variance to exceed the 56-foot height limit for the site.
(The three proposals from other developers all propose five-story structures. The original request for proposals stated that current zoning would limit the structure to four stories.)
Edina-based Legacy Management & Development Corp. is proposing 52 units of "workforce housing" rental apartments: 40 percent affordable and 60 percent market rate. The Legacy pitch is the least expensive project of the batch, with a project budget of $10.08 million. Legacy has also teamed with The BKV Group.
Legacy Management & Development is something of an unusual entity: a for-profit firm that specializes in affordable housing. Archie Givens Jr. is the CEO of the firm.
"I think that whole Uptown area is very exciting," he said. "We felt that the library should have a more prominent presence on that corner. We've got some very similar experience because we're working on a similar project in St. Paul."
Legacy Management is developing a 98-unit housing project connected to a 31,000-square- foot branch library at the corner of University Avenue and Dale Street in St. Paul.
"I'm hoping we sit pretty well because of our experience," said Givens.
A fifth submission was deemed "non-responsive" to the request for proposals.
There have been tensions between the Minneapolis City Council and the Library Board over the project. City officials have been touting redevelopment of the site, while library officials have been wary, noting that there is no dedicated funding source to pay for the new library. The financing of the library — about $5 million of the project costs — remains the biggest question mark for the project.
The Walker Community Library Joint Task Force will meet next Wednesday, when it is expected to recommend a developer. Under the timeline outlined in the original RFP, final action on exclusive development rights needs to be taken by the Minneapolis City Council and the Minneapolis Public Library Board by March 31.
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