Neighbors at McDonough Homes may soon be looking out at a brand-new affordable housing complex across Jackson Street. Meeting as the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the St. Paul City Council on Wednesday granted tentative developer status to JB Vang and DC Commercial for a 60 to 80 unit affordable housing project in the North End. The roughly $22.3 million plan calls for a three-story building with a mix of one to four bedroom family units, about 100 surface and structured parking stalls, and a central courtyard that would feature an outdoor playground. Twelve apartments are slated to be reserved through HUD's Section 811 program for very low income residents with disabilities, and developers are targeting households at roughly 30%, 50% and 60% of area median income. The development team has been given 24 months to work through environmental review, design, financing and a stack of other approvals.
According to the City of Saint Paul HRA, the item appeared on the Housing and Redevelopment Authority agenda with the site listed as "0 Jackson St." The agenda and related staff reports spell out the 24 month tentative developer window, giving JB Vang and DC Commercial time to secure permits, entitlements and financing before anything goes vertical.
What's planned
Finance & Commerce reports that the proposal envisions a three story building with 60 to 80 units that mix workforce and family housing, with apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms. City site materials show a plan for roughly 100 parking stalls and on site amenities including a courtyard and an outdoor playground aimed at serving families.
Land, financing and the HUD set-aside
The land situation is a bit of a patchwork. Developers control portions of roughly 1.73 acres, while the St. Paul HRA holds about 0.67 acres between Jackson Street and Wheelock Drive that it picked up through tax forfeiture in 1994, according to reporting by the Pioneer Press. That same report pegs the total project cost at about $22.3 million and notes a commitment to reserve 12 units under HUD's Section 811 program for very low income residents with disabilities.
David Yang of DC Commercial told Finance & Commerce that the Jackson Street project is an opportunity for the firm to move into mission driven affordable housing. Ward 5 councilmember HwaJeong Kim has backed the higher bedroom counts and extra on site parking, pointing out that Jackson Street is slated for reconstruction that will wipe out some curbside spaces. Even with the tentative designation in hand, the project is not shovel ready yet. The developers will still need design approvals, firm financing commitments and any eligible state or federal housing credits before construction can officially get underway.
