Any questions should go to jmason@plymouthfoundation.org
Jenny Mason
Congregational Partnership Organizer
Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 130
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-871-0890
1. PRESENTATION TO TNA BOARD ON MAY 20, 2007
I’m Lee Blons, the Executive Director of Plymouth Church
Neighborhood Foundation. Thank you all for coming to learn more
about our proposed development.
I will begin the presentation and tell you a little bit about our
organization; and then the Reverend Sarah Campbell from
Mayflower Church will speak about their commitment to creating
workforce housing; and Bart Nelson, Principal Architect from
UrbanWorks will review the proposed site plan; and then I will finish
the presentation with some information on rents, management, and
tenant selection.
Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation was created in 1999 by
members of Plymouth Church, which is located at Franklin and
Nicollet. Although we’ve been around only 7 years, we’ve
accomplished a lot in a short time and have become recognized by
the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the City of Minneapolis
as a well run and effective housing organization.
Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation has completed 3
developments ourselves and facilitated the development of another
new project- for a total of 122 units.
We also have under development four more projects – two of which
will be completed this year and two more next year. It can take 2 or
3 years to complete an affordable housing development.
Although as an organization, we are relatively new – we have a very
experienced staff and Board. I have been working in this field for
twenty plus years and Matt Crellin, our Housing Development
Project Manager has been doing real estate development for some
twenty plus years as well. Matt Crellin has developed 350 units of
new construction housing in his last job before joining us three years
ago.
We have heard from some of you about your concerns about property
values dropping and crime increasing. No one wants that in their
neighborhood. We want you to be reassured that this is not going to
happen. There have been lots of studies done which are on the
handout but I’d rather tell you about our own experience in the
Stevens Square neighborhood.
Let me tell you about another housing development of ours – Lydia
Apartments. When we first proposed this 40 unit apartment building
in the Stevens Square neighborhood 6 years ago, some neighborhood
people were also concerned about property values and crime. This
development, Lydia Apartments, was not a workforce housing
development but supportive housing for chronically homeless men
and women- a very challenging target population.
Since Lydia Apartments has been open for 3 1⁄2 years, property values
have not dropped. In fact, hundreds of condo units have been
developed or are being developed within 7 blocks of Lydia. Some of
these units have sold for over $300,000.
Crime has not been a problem. We’ve had no complaints about
Lydia, despite housing one of the most challenging populations in the
city. And that’s because of management and services. If a tenant
doesn’t follow the rules, they are asked to leave.
Since Lydia is open, we work very closely with the neighborhood
association. We have tenants who’ve volunteered with the
neighborhood association; working on the block patrol, the annual
garage sale and in the community garden.
We now have a great relationship with the neighborhood association,
that goes beyond just Lydia. The Foundation just acquired another
rent subsidized apartment building in the neighborhood. The
proposal for us to preserve this low income housing and set aside
20% of the units for homeless people who are coming from the
streets or shelters was supported unanimously by the Stevens Square
neighborhood association- including those who had been the most
vocal opponents of Lydia.
And SSCO has voted to give us $240,000 of their NRP funds for
another housing development in their neighborhood.
We have demonstrated that well managed and maintained rental
housing is an asset to any neighborhood.
Before I move on, let me make sure everyone understands the
purpose of the meeting.
The Foundation will be applying to the City of Minneapolis for
public funding support for this development. As a part of that
process, the City asks us to seek review by the neighborhood
association of land use and design issues. The Tangletown Board
asked us to invite the whole neighborhood to learn about the
development and to answer any questions. We will be asking the
Tangletown Board to provide any comments on land use and design
by the end of June for our application to the City on July 6th.
Separate from our funding applications, we will go through the same
process as any other developer in seeking city approval for the
development, which will include rezoning and site plan review.
Amanda Arnold from the City Planning Department is here tonight to
answer any questions about that city process. We have not initiated
that process yet but it should begin shortly.
With the public funding that we receive, you can be assured of a
quality housing development. All of our architectural plans are
reviewed by a second architect at the Minnesota Housing Finance
Agency as well as by a city construction specialist. During the
construction phase, the property will be inspected for quality before
release of funds. And then once the property is being operated, we
are inspected annually by our funders to ensure that proper
maintenance is being conducted. We are required to deposit reserves
for future capital expenses to ensure long term viability of the
property.
We are a non-profit owner that is committed to making a
contribution to the community – we are committed to the residents,
to the neighbors and to our partners in the faith community.
We were excited to be selected by Mayflower Church to work
collaboratively with them to design a wonderful workforce housing
development for the community.
Thank you, Bart-
VISION
Let me tell you a little more of the details of the housing itself. (If
you want to follow along it’s on the back of the handout)
We are proposing 40 units. Our focus is on families- we will be
creating 20 - 2 bedroom units and 15- 3 & 4 bedroom units.
However, we wanted to have some intergenerational mix so we have
a few one bedroom units so that seniors or young adults can be a part
of the community as well.
31 of the units will be workforce housing- meaning targeted at
incomes of working people. The rents will range from $558 for a
one bedroom unit up to $970 for a 3 bedroom unit.
There are maximum income limits on the units depending on family
size. For a family of four at 40% area median income, it would be
$31,400. For a family of four at 50% area median income, it would
be $39,250.
So who might live here – a single mom working as a vet assistant
can rent a two bedroom apartment for $665 a month. A school
counselor and a stay at home mom can rent a 3 bedroom unit for
$970 for their family.
The rents stay the same regardless of the income of the family. So if
someone loses their job and can’t pay the rent, they will have to
move. The rent doesn’t go down with their decreasing income.
And the opposite is true as well. If someone’s income goes up, they
don’t lose their apartment. So getting a better job isn’t a penalty.
They can stay in the unit and perhaps save for homeownership or
college education for their children.
There are some families though that can’t afford even $970 a month
for a 3 bedroom unit. 92% of large low income families in our city
don’t have decent affordable housing. So we are seeking rent
subsidy for 8 of the units from the Minneapolis Public Housing
Authority.
In rent subsidized units, rents are based on a family’s actual income.
So a newly arriving refugee family might only have $12,000 a year
in income and they would pay roughly 30% of their income around
$300 a month - but over the next few years as they learn English,
they might make $30,000 a year and their rent would go up to $750.
If someone got ill and couldn’t work, the rent would drop
accordingly so they don’t lose their housing. Although these units
are for lower income families, they too go through the tenant
screening process.
We believe that integrating 20% of rent subsidized housing into a
larger workforce housing in a middle class neighborhood is not a
concentration of poverty but a great model of economic and racial
integration that will benefit all.
We also have one additional unit that we refer to as our “transitional
unit”. Mayflower has been providing emergency housing for refugee
families in collaboration with the Minnesota Council of Churches for
the past 7 years. This is a unique gift to the community that allows
large families to have a place to stay while MCC finds them
permanent housing- families usually stay for around 3 months.
The Foundation does not do our own property management- We hire
professional firms to do that. For this project, we are planning to use
Perennial Management- the same management firm that is used at
The Boulevard and whom we use at two of our properties. The owner
has over 25 years experience in the field and they were
recommended to us by Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The
rent subsidized units will be managed by MPHA in collaboration
with our management company.
We do do screening of tenants. I always think about Martin Luther
King’s speech where he says he hopes his children will be judged on
the content of their character and not the color of their skin. And
that’s what we do. People are judged on their character- we look at
their rental history, at their credit history and screen for a criminal
background. This will be quality housing with quality tenants.
Once our tenants move in, we will have a neighborhood open house
so that you can come and meet your new neighbors. It’s our
experience that problems can be solved when people get to know
each other. We will welcome your presence and participation in the
building if you are interested. We will provide you with the phone
number to the property management agent and of course, to the
church and to ourselves. We are glad to set up a committee with the
immediate neighbors to meet regularly the first year to resolve any
concerns that might arise. There will also be security cameras both
inside and outside of the building. So if there are problems, we will
know exactly what happened.
As I end, I ask for you to open your hearts and your minds to the
community around you. Think about your child care provider, the
aide in your child’s classroom, the cashier at Lunds. There are lots
of decent upstanding people in our community who make less than
$40,000 that deserve a nice place to raise their family.
My guess is that many of you came from families that had less
money than you do. My father was the first in his family to graduate
from high school – the GI bill put him through college and made us a
middle class family. On my husband’s side, his father was the first
child born in this country – his grandparents never spoke good
English. My husband and his brothers were the first generation to go
to college.
I ask you to put aside your fears and believe in your hope for a better
world – to believe in a safe and healthy community for all. That
sharing with others the good things that we have, doesn’t diminish
what we have but enriches it.
2. Information about the Project
July 2007
CREEKSIDE COMMONS
WORKFORCE HOUSING PROPOSAL
Affordable Workforce Housing
The new housing development will provide affordable housing for a mix of incomes and
family sizes. It will have a maximum of 40 units. Our current design consists of 15 three and four
bedroom units, 20 two bedroom units, and 5 one bedroom units. Rents for the workforce housing
units will range from around $500 to $1000 per month. We have secured rental assistance for 8 units
to serve very low income families, as well as 1 unit to continue to provide emergency housing for
newly arriving refugee families.
Community Collaborative
This housing development is an exciting new collaborative effort created by the donation of
land by Mayflower Church to Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation, a non-profit housing
organization. This housing will replace the existing single-family home, which Mayflower has
provided to newly arriving refugee families for the past 8 years.
Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation is an experienced housing developer which will
develop attractive, high-quality housing, with professional property management. Mayflower Church
will remain involved in the project through participation in the governing board, and through hands-on
volunteer programming.
Green Design along transit corridor
Although still in a conceptual stage, the housing development will be developed to meet the
“Green Communities” standard. This pedestrian friendly design will include underground parking,
sustainable materials, “healthy living” paints and adhesives, and energy efficient lighting and
appliances. The development will reduce the amount of land used for surface parking by better
utilizing the church parking lot.
Community Amenities/Volunteer Opportunities
The housing development will include numerous community amenities, including a
community room, a computer resource room, a patio, and playground. Possible volunteer
opportunities for church members or neighbors will include English Language Learner classes for
refugee and immigrant families, homework tutoring for children, holiday parties, and summer picnics.
Neighborhood Location
The development will be located at the corner of 54th and Stevens Avenue on the north end of
the Mayflower Church property in the Tangletown neighborhood. The new development fits in well
to its location, adjacent to an existing three-story apartment building on the west, the Stevens/35W
ramp on the east, and the church parking lot to the south. A number of other multi-family
developments on 54th Street have co-existed with the single family homes to the north for decades.
With Minnehaha Creek flowing through it, the Tangletown neighborhood is a wonderful
South Minneapolis neighborhood for families. On the other side of the freeway, Pearl Park and
Diamond Lake are just a few blocks away from the housing. The neighborhood schools of southwest
Minneapolis are very well regarded. The new housing is just one block from a strong and vital
neighborhood retail area at Nicollet and Diamond Lake Road. In addition, there is a larger
neighborhood retail center with a grocery store at 54th & Lyndale. Located near major bus transit lines
along Stevens Avenue, Diamond Lake and Nicollet Avenues, residents will also be able to easily
access employment and shopping throughout the city.
For more information, please contact Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation 612-871-0890.
3. Concept site plan
4. Elevation
5. New Neighbors
