A major housing play is on the table for St. Paul's West Side, where a local developer wants the city's Housing and Redevelopment Authority to name it the tentative developer for The Livingston, a proposed two-building complex that could bring roughly 300 new apartments to South Robert Street.
If it gets built, the project would stand out for something the Twin Cities has not exactly been cranking out lately: a large share of family-sized units.
The plan calls for two five-story buildings at 137–149 S. Robert St. with about 300 apartments, broken out as 81 two-bedroom units, 157 three-bedroom units and 62 four-bedroom units. Most of the homes would be aimed at households earning up to 60% of area median income, with roughly 10% reserved for those at 30% AMI. The developer is estimating total development costs near $117 million and says the project would include underground and surface parking, about 15,000 square feet of outdoor green space, a basketball court and a playground, as reported by Pioneer Press.
Developer and track record
The Livingston would be led by St. Louis Park-based Reuter Walton, a regional developer behind numerous Twin Cities housing projects. The firm's portfolio lists several large multifamily developments, including the 243-unit Morrow Apartments.
According to the developer, Reuter Walton has entered purchase agreements for adjacent parcels and would use the tentative-developer window to assemble financing, pursue permits and secure required easements.
Site history and local reaction
The proposed site covers parcels long known locally as the "fox lot," land the city's HRA bought in the 1990s and where two deteriorating buildings were demolished in 1997. The Soul Apartments sit across the street from the site.
Local leaders have zeroed in on the family-focused mix. "The large size of those units is really impressive and we don't see that number of three bedrooms often," Rebecca Noecker told the Pioneer Press. The developer has said design work is still in progress and that it will continue conversations with the West Side community organization as plans move ahead.
Next steps
The Housing and Redevelopment Authority is listed on the city's calendar for an April 1 meeting, the next formal chance for the board, with the council acting as the HRA, to consider tentative-developer status.
If the HRA grants that status, the designation typically gives a developer a set window to secure site control, conduct environmental cleanup, request zoning changes and line up financing before a final sale or development agreement is approved. Similar tentative-developer actions and timelines are laid out in past HRA resolutions on the city's Legistar site and calendar.
