The Heights… It’s Happening!

April 25, 2023 was a great day for housing in St. Paul. On that day, Sherman Associates announced its partnership with the Port Authority as lead developer for a $400M housing development at The Heights (former Hillcrest Golf Course). This is a great day because the plan is for 1000+ housing units on the East Side, for all ages and all incomes including workforce market-rate, affordable, and deeply affordable housing. This project will include a mix of housing options for sale and rent, focusing on the “missing middle” of young, large, multigenerational, and senior households. I’m loving this!
 
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The most visible partners also were at the announcement: Ramsey County, Mayor Carter and the City’s Planning and Economic Development leadership, JO Companies, and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. County Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong spoke the importance of new investments like this on the East Side, particularly as a vehicle for generational wealth-building. Mayor Carter was particularly inspiring, wrapping up his comments with:  “when our children decide where to live and plant their businesses, what will they be looking for? I think they will choose The Heights.”  JO Companies is owned and led by Johnny Opara, a developer of color who grew up in Saint Paul’s Rondo neighborhood. This is his 2nd housing project in his home town (the first is The Hollows, newly opened, near Railroad Island). And Sharon Sayles Belton, former Minneapolis Mayor, current executive at Thomson Reuters, and a Habitat Board member, spoke on behalf of the organization, ultimately sharing that this project would be the largest in their history.
 
The project will be under development through 2029. Stay tuned for more industrial development announcements at The Heights coming soon!
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See you in the trenches,
B