Hamline Station: Project for Pride in Living project nears completion

By

MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

One of the major redevelopment projects along the Green Line is in full swing: the Hamline Station Apartments at the corner of Hamline and University avenues. Two new buildings, containing 51 and 57 units respectively, are well into construction.

Owned and managed by the Project for Pride in Living (PPL), Hamline Station will have studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments available to qualifying tenants.

According to Paul Williams, President and CEO of PPL, “The four-story buildings will contain what we call work force housing. That means quality housing for ‘worker bees.’ We believe that our location on the Green Line will give tenants unparalleled access to their jobs along this transit corridor.”

“Our vision for this project is to meet the needs of folks with dependable income,” Williams said. “To qualify for tenancy, an individual must show proof of annual income between $17,500-35,000. A family of four must show proof of annual income between $25,000-50,000. The calculation used to define affordability in the case of Hamline Station is that households earn between 30-60% of the area median income.”

Barbara McCormick, Senior Vice President of Housing with Services for PPL, said, “We’ve already had 500-600 inquiries, and we’re just starting to accept written applications at a trailer on-site at Hamline Station. “

“We’re very aware of how many people are interested in living at Hamline Station,” McCormick said. “Our eligibility workers now have to do the hard work of finding the right tenant-fit. Applications are being taken on a first-come, first-serve basis, and people holding Section 8 Housing Vouchers are welcome to apply.”

Across the two buildings, 14 units will be set aside for individuals and families who have recently experienced homelessness. These tenants will continue to receive support services from the Guild Inc. and Clare Housing, who’ve been providing case management to ease the transition to stable housing.

Hamline Station is representative of what is called mixed use design. That means that residential and commercial spaces co-exist. In this case, there will 13,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor.

According to Williams, “The traffic count at Hamline and University avenues is very high—probably not far behind Snelling and University, which is considered the busiest intersection in the state. Once Hamline Station is fully occupied, the increased residential density should really benefit the local businesses.”

PPL is no stranger to property management. The non-profit organization got its start as an affordable housing developer in 1972, and over the last 43 years has become a robust, multi-service agency. Their mission is to empower lower-income people to achieve self-sufficiency through stable housing, employment training, support services and education.

PPL currently owns and manages some 1,200 rental units across the Twin Cities. Their holdings include a broad mix of housing stock including single family homes, duplexes, and apartment buildings. According to McCormick, “The high impact-high density housing model at Hamline Station guarantees the best quality option. We will be able to pay attention to what our tenants need and want.”

“We believe that this re-development project will be a great fit for the neighborhood,” Williams said. “I bought a used car at the dealership that used to be on this block, and that dealership went out of business years ago. Sometimes re-development gets a bad rap because it’s associated with displacing people. But we aren’t displacing anybody with Hamline Station—we’re welcoming people in.”

Elness Swenson Graham Architects is the firm behind the project design. Based in Minneapolis, ESG recently won national recognition for innovation in urban, residential, mixed-use design, and has earned a reputation for strong leadership in re-development projects.

“Since the ground breaking in late August,” Williams said, “we’ve been basically on track with construction. The $28 million project is expected to be completed in two phases. Move-in for the east building is planned for late December of this year, and move-in for the west building is planned for late February 2016.”

To learn more about units costs and eligibility, visit www.hamlinestation.org or call 651-846-9810.