Chipping in to support the early stages of local development, the Metropolitan Council recently shelled out over a million dollars in grants to help seven projects in various cities across the Twin Cities metro area get off the ground. This financial boost, part of the Livable Communities Act predevelopment grants, is aimed at backing the initial tasks that need to be tackled before the actual construction kicks in. According to the Met Council, this includes essential groundwork like community engagement, design workshops, and financial analysis — the kind of stuff that Lisa Barajas, director of the Met Council’s Community Development division, says helps projects to "move forward successfully."
The spread covers a range of projects slated to address multiple goals of the Livable Communities program, such as affordable housing, creation of living wage jobs, and boosting equitable development outcomes. In Blaine, for example, $56,500 is going towards assessing the replacement needs for roughly 190 out of 851 manufactured homes, ensuring they remain affordable for current residents. Minneapolis will see $150,000 go both to the design and market studies for 40 affordable apartments with supportive services in Remnant and another $150,000 for The Resolute, a tenant-owned commercial space intertwined with affordable living units.
Other projects like the East Side Tennis & Community Center in Saint Paul received $100,000 to work up concept designs for a community hub, complete with park space and a workforce program aimed at BIPOC youth. The City of Saint Paul’s Hamm’s Brewery Redevelopment will morph a former beer-making bastion into 89 affordable apartments, peppered with spaces for artists to create and showcase their work, plus 30,000 square feet of commercial space for entrepreneurs.
What’s also worth noting is the Met Council isn’t just throwing money at building things. They’re also investing in the policy side of progress, granting the City of Hugo $50,000 to overthink their residential standards and policies, including higher-density housing discussions. This is all part of the council’s longer-term ethos of facilitating development that is not only physically groundbreaking but also innovatively sustainable and inclusive. Participating in the Livable Communities program, which has been injecting funds into efforts since 1995, is a prerequisite for cities eyeing this helpful pot of money. This year, the program boasts 77 participant cities, each strategizing to make their locales more amenable to a prosperous and economically robust future.
