Eagan's Fourth Affordable Housing Complex on Its Way

Plans for a 27-unit affordable housing development along Hwy. 13 in Eagan cleared a final hurdle at the Eagan City Council meeting Tuesday night.

The Eagan City Council voted unanimously to approve a Comprehensive Guide Plan amendment, rezoning, a site plan and final platting for the Riverview Ridge townhome complex, which will be owned and operated by the Dakota County Community Development Agency.

Construction on the townhome development could start as soon as this spring, with an anticipated completion date of summer 2014, according to CDA Deputy Executive Director Kari Gill. Located on a 4.3-acre site north of Letendre Street, the development will include a basketball court, recreation area and pedestrian access to nearby neighborhoods.

The CDA has long had its sights set on Eagan.

Countywide, roughly 1,800 families are on the wait list for the agency's Family Townhome Program. The program is designed for moderate-income families with children 18 years old or younger that can provide good landlord and credit references and pass a criminal history check. Under the program guidelines, applicants must also meet minimum and maximum income requirements.

Of those families, approximately 1,100 listed Eagan as one of their preferred communities.

The high demand for affordable housing in Eagan led to the construction of off Northwoods Circle in Eagan last year. The new, 27-unit development planned for Hwy. 13 will help address that need, CDA officials say.

The Riverview Ridge project drew praise from at least one Eagan resident who attended the Tuesday meeting.

Ken Damlo, a member of the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH) told council members he was at the meeting to "show support for the proposal ... and to acknowledge and thank the council for their efforts in this regard."

"This is a property that has been of some challenge and contention over the years. It's good it finally migrated to what is, I think, it’s most productive use," Mayor Mike Maguire said of the proposed Riverview Ridge site.

"Sometimes people take more of a strict position, and here everybody was willing to work together to addres concerns with the site," CDA Executive Director Mark Ulfers said. “I think that compared to what exists there currently, we’ll have a very nice development that is a strong community asset."

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