The proposed six-story Marshall Avenue Flats project is poised to move ahead with the January 6 unanimous approval of a conditional use permit and variances by the Saint Paul Planning Commission. The commission’s Zoning Committee also recommended approval on December 29.
This is the second time around for PAK Properties’ 98-unit affordable housing project, which would be built just north of the former Richards Gordon School at 1619 Dayton Ave. The project won Zoning Committee and Planning Commission approvals in the spring of 2020, but has encountered an array of delays.
The conditional use permit allows a building height of up to 75 feet in the Traditional Neighborhoods 3 (TN3) zoning district. Variances were needed for the building’s front setback and balconies along Marshall. Ten-foot setbacks were required and five feet were proposed.
The Union Park District Council’s Committee on Land Use and Economic Development supported the project in December. The full district council recommended approval in 2020.
New approvals were sought since the previous conditional use permit and variances were set to expire on May 15 and the developer was not certain that ground would be broken by then, according to senior city planner Kady Dadlez. The deadline has been extended to May 14, 2024.
The conditional use permit allows a building height of up to 75 feet in the Traditional Neighborhoods 3 (TN3) zoning district. Variances were needed for the building’s front setback and balconies along Marshall. Ten-foot setbacks were required and five feet were proposed.
Zoning Committee members said they were pleased to see more affordable housing being provided. Marshall Flats will have 44 one-bedroom, 49 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom units. The three-bedroom units will be affordable for households making 30 percent of the Twin Cities Area Median Income (AMI), which works out to around $35,200 for a family of four. The remainder will be at 50-70 percent AMI. The affordable rents must be maintained for at least 30 years.
The project ran into delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising construction costs. Filling the financing gap took time as did reviews with the city and State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Those issues have since been resolved. The project is receiving federal funding and that added more layers of review.
The former Richards Gordon School has been identified as eligible for local or national historic designation. Marshall Avenue Flats will be built on what is currently a parking lot north of the existing building.
The school was built in 1911 and is now used for offices. The limestone retaining wall around the property was built by the federal Works Progress Administration in 1936. The retaining wall also received scrutiny for its possible historic status.
PAK Properties has agreed to preserve the southern and most of the western part of the wall, but wants to replace the unrepairable northern and eastern sections with modular blocks designed to look similar to the original. Plans for the wall
have been reviewed and approved by the SHPO.
The developer is also seeking a lot split, which will be handled by city staff. The address for the new building would be 1606 Marshall Ave.
— Jane McClure
COMMENTS TERMS OF SERVICE
MyVillager welcomes comments from readers. Please include your full name and the neighborhood in which you live. Be respectful of others and stay on topic. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be profane, rude, insulting or hateful. Comments will be reviewed before being published.
