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ALEXANDRIA – A new housing option for seniors 55 and older may soon be available in Alexandria.
At its Tuesday meeting, Dec. 27, the Alexandria City Council approved a preliminary planned unit development application submitted by Broadway Garden Estates, LLC.
The project includes two buildings that will be constructed in phases — a 50-unit senior housing building with tuck-under garages (phase one), and an 80-unit, four-story senior housing building with three floors of housing and a main level parking garage (phase two).
The buildings will be located east of South Broadway and south of 34th Avenue, just north of Lakewood Terrace.
Broadway Garden Estates currently manages two apartment buildings in Alexandria – Bridgewater Estates and the Legacy of Alexandria.
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The developer and lead investor for the project is INH Properties, which has 41 years of experience in multi-family housing and manages more than 7,000 units throughout the state.
In a letter to the city, INH said that although the phase two building is intended for those 55 and older, it wants the flexibility to allow for general occupancy if market demand conditions support it.
The site includes a blighted single-family home and a surrounding 20-acre parcel that contains wetland areas. INH said it plans to create a redevelopment tax increment financing, or TIF, district to make the project economically feasible.
All roads and common area elements would be constructed and maintained by INH.
In a letter to the city, INH said demand for senior housing was confirmed by a third-party housing study this past September.
At Tuesday's meeting, City Planner Mike Weber commented on the demand as well. “It’s no secret that we continue to have a need for this type of housing,” he said.
Both projects will be built with wood framing using varying pitched roofs to give architectural appeal to the area, INH said. Varying styles of stone and brick would add an aesthetic feel to the facade.
Amenities include an on-site manager’s office, community room, fitness center, elevators, mail and package lockers, craft room, game room and salon.
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Construction is set to begin by April or May and the phase one unit would open by August 2024. The phase two building would begin in the fall of 2024 and would open by late 2025.
In addition to the planned unit development, the council approved a conditional use permit, zoning district amendment and final plat for the project. The land is currently zoned as general business and single and two-family residential.
The property owner is Sally Harberts of Alexandria. The application lists James Illies of Waite Park as the developer for Broadway Garden Estates. Nyberg Surveying and Landteam are partnering in the project.
The council’s zoning approval requires connection of each building to public utilities; building and sign permits; 260 parking stalls; any exterior lighting to be directed away from residential uses and public streets; a final drainage plan to be reviewed by the city engineer, 17 feet of right-of-way will be dedicated to the county on the 34th Avenue side of the site. The final plat was approved with the condition of a park dedication fee of $34,434.
