Project for Pride in Living

For Immediate Release
August 24, 2009

A Block party on brand new block celebrates the reintegration of an iconic industrial site into its Minneapolis neighborhood and the creation of 90 units of in-demand housing.

To celebrate the completion of the Van Cleve Commons development, the developers and residents will host an outdoor party on the brand new street that connects the development’s two award-winning rental buildings.

DATE: September 10, 2009, 4-6 PM
Brook Avenue SE & 12th Avenue SE, Minneapolis

The new construction and reconfiguration of the area are part of a long-term project begun in 2004 to reintegrate the former Bunge grain elevator into the residential community near 13th Avenue Southeast and Como Avenue in Minneapolis.

Celebration hosts are Project for Pride in Living (PPL) and Cabrini Partners, developers of Brook Commons and Charlotte Commons, which feature 85 units of supportive housing, along with residents of the buildings and Habitat for Humanity Twin Cities, which built five townhomes on the 3.5-acre site.

Elements of this unique development:

The Como neighborhood sought to reintegrate the site into the residential community, but preserve the Bunge tower, a landmark in the neighborhood that had become an attractive nuisance after being left vacant for a number of years.

Van Cleve Commons development design reflects input from several meetings with Southeast Como Improvement Association and preserves the historic head house and grain storage towers.

The site was rezoned to an Industrial Overlay District (ILOD). Changes to the existing infrastructure included building roads and adding sewer and water connections. Several variances were required.

Charlotte and Brook Commons, along with the Habitat townhomes occupy a portion of the 3.5 -acre site. As the economy improves, further development of the iconic towers will continue.

Van Cleve Commons wins 2007 Top Project Award, and Best in Real Estate for Multifamily Development or Redevelopment, 2008 & 2009

Brook and Charlotte commons were developed by PPL, in partnership with supportive service provider Cabrini Partnership, and designed by UrbanWorks Architecture LLC. It project was awarded Top Project by Finance and Commerce in 2007, and each building received a Best in Real Estate Award by Twin Cities Business Journal, in their completed year.

Charlotte Commons, with three floors and 35 units was completed in April, 2008. Brook Commons, a 50-unit, four-story building, was finished in July 2009. As sister buildings, both are finished with masonry block and stucco, and provide elevator and internal stairwells for access to units. Underground parking includes 82 spaces.
The 83,620-square-foot Brook is about 20,000 square feet larger than Charlotte, which sits closer to the rest of the neighborhood and nearby Van Cleve Park.

The buildings are managed by PPL and are currently occupied. Twenty units house long-term homeless individuals served by Cabrini Partnership. PPL provides a variety of self-sufficiency services to the remaining residents.

Sustainable materials and a fresh housing design present a model approach to community building. Physical amenities support gatherings, socializing, and meetings to encourage the development of a sense of community.

Living Green
This project restores a vacant, blighted, grayfield site located in a residential neighborhood.
Charlotte and Brook Commons qualified for Minnesota Green Communities funds by having increased energy efficiency at least 30% above the required code, the use of durable and certified sustainable building products and the creation of healthy environments for building occupants.

Some of the “green” highlights of this development include:
• Use of at least 50% certified sustainable wood on rough framing and millwork. (PPL has set a goal of using 100% of FSC Certified Forest Wood Products if budget permits.)
• Use passive solar techniques including planting of mature trees and utilizing a shading overhang above the first and second story windows on the south facing side of the building.
• Use of Panasonic fans connected to a humidistat for energy efficiency and air quality control.
• Energy Star appliances.
• Use of dust reducing flooring materials on the interior of units.

Furthering the State’s goal to end long-term homelessness
Van Cleve commons and the Habitat for Humanity townhomes help to further Minnesota Housing’s strategic goals of Ending Long-term Homelessness and Increasing Housing Choices for Low and Moderate Income Workers. Given the high demand for supportive housing and affordable low- income housing, units were pre-leased one year prior to completion.

Cost to live in apartments:

• Twenty units are for single individuals with incomes at 30% of the area median or below.
• Individuals who have experienced long-term homelessness shall pay no more than 1/3rd of their income for rent.
• In the remaining 65 units, rents are set to be affordable to families making 50% of area median or below.

Design features to serve individuals who have experienced long term homelessness

• Individual units for each resident encourage independence.
• Buildings and landscaping have a “non-institutional” feel.
• On site location of Cabrini staff.
• Employment Resource Center offering one-on-one counseling and small group classes for clients preparing for or seeking employment.
• Proximity of public transportation.

Design features suitable for the families with low and moderate incomes:
• Underground parking.
• Onsite playground
• Multiple bedrooms and sufficient living space for families with children.
• Community room for children’s programs and community-building activities.
• Onsite self-sufficiency programming, provided by PPL

About the Bunge Grain Elevator site and surrounding land uses.

The triangular property is located in the Como neighborhood of Minneapolis, within 13th Avenue Southeast (on the east), the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad tracks (on the southwest) and the backyards of the homes and apartments (on the north).

The parcel was formerly occupied by the Bunge Corporation, housed a grain elevator, grain storage towers, and office space. The site was vacant for three years.

The buildings considered significant as neighborhood landmarks are the head house, a rectilinear vertical structure for distributing the grain, and the grain storage towers that run parallel to the railroad. These buildings were preserved, the remaining structures were demolished.
The surrounding uses are primarily residential, both rental and ownership. Several higher density apartment buildings are near the site. Directly across the street from the site is a large neighborhood park. Como Avenue, a major bus route, is ½ block to the north. 15th Avenue, also a bus route, is two blocks to the east. A grocery store, hardware store, café, car repair, and other retail shops are all within easy walking distance.
Project cost affected by unique needs:

Redeveloping an existing industrial parcel comes with unique costs.

• Substantial environmental testing and remediation
• Demolition of the existing buildings all add to the cost of the project.
• Mitigating the train noise resulting from the proximity of the tracks.
• Changes to existing infrastructure, in particular building roads and adding sewer and water connections.
• Little opportunity for street parking made underground parking necessary.

Building Design Details

The individual units in Charlotte and Brook Commons are configured along floors of double-loaded corridors, with a single elevator providing vertical access. One-, two-, and three-bedroom units are sized at 700, 980, and 1200 square feet, respectively and stacked by type for efficient plumbing and HVAC layout. Construction is wood frame with a low slope roof made up of a 4-ply built-up bituminous roofing membrane.

Community and common spaces include:

• Supportive service office located in close proximity to the main entrance.
• Office space with three private offices and common office space for four individuals.
• One private office will be used by a PPL property manager and a PPL Self-Sufficiency staff member. The remaining two offices and common office space will be used by Cabrini Partnership case managers and administrative staff to serve Cabrini’s permanent supportive housing program.
• A large activity room for children that also serves parties, group meetings, and tenant/resident education.

Project Funders:

National Equity Fund
Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
City of Minneapolis, CPED
Minnesota Housing
Metropolitan Council
Hennepin County, HRA & Environmental Services
Federal Home Loan Bank
Green Communities (FHF, ESIC)
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Greater Minnesota Housing Corporation
GMAC ResCap
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
Enterprise Community Partners
Family Housing Fund
Home Depot Foundation

About PPL

Founded in 1972, Project for Pride in Living (PPL) is a nonprofit agency working with lower-income individuals and families throughout the Twin Cities metro area to achieve greater self-sufficiency through housing, employment training, education, and support services.

PPL is highly trusted and valued for its customized and integrated services for families, youth, and adults. By developing affordable housing, providing a support system and a broad continuum of programs and services for skill-building, PPL helps people help themselves and strengthen communities.

PPL has annual budget of $17.87 million and employs 126 full- and part-time individuals as well as 25 AmeriCorps and VISTA members performing a year of national service. More than 90% of revenue is spent on programs. 1,076 volunteers contribute 50,481 hours every year

About Cabrini Partnership
Cabrini Partnership was founded in 1985 and is a nonprofit organization licensed by Hennepin County to provide housing and comprehensive support services to adults diagnosed with mental illness and/or chemical dependency disabilities (80% of our residents are dually diagnosed) and have subsequently experienced long-term homelessness.
The Cabrini Partnership Transitional Housing Program provides housing and supportive services for up to two years in a community setting that facilitates increased self-sufficiency for individuals with chemical dependency and mental illness. We serve approximately 60 individuals each year, 23 at a time.
Cabrini Partnership also provides Permanent Supportive Housing in apartments scattered throughout the metro area for individuals who are persistently mentally ill and who need a safety net of support. These residents include individuals who previously had lived in the Cabrini Transitional Housing Program, as well as long-term homeless adults and families who come directly from “the street” or emergency shelters. We currently serve 90 individuals with a goal of “welcoming home” another 25 to 30 homeless adults this year.

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