Council approves plat and first reading for Minnetonka Boulevard twin‑home development with affordable ownership commitment
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Summary
The council approved a preliminary and final plat and the first reading of a PUD rezoning to allow eight twin‑home ownership units, all offered as income‑restricted units targeted to 60–80% AMI and to be delivered in partnership with Homes Within Reach land trust.
The St. Louis Park City Council unanimously approved a resolution and first reading Thursday to allow the Minnetonka Boulevard Twin Homes development to proceed as a planned unit development (PUD), rezoning four parcels to PUD‑26 and approving a preliminary and final plat for eight owner‑occupied twin homes.
Laura Chamberlain, senior planner, told the council the project site comprises four properties along Minnetonka Boulevard in the Sorenson neighborhood and that the developer, Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation ("Gimmick"), proposes to subdivide the lots into eight individually deeded lots with four buildings. Each twin home will include front yard space, decks or patios and a one‑stall garage; four units will be three‑bedroom and four units four‑bedroom units.
Chamberlain said the development will regrade and pave an existing city alley and that several existing mature trees on the site are diseased and scheduled for removal; the project will pay fee‑in‑lieu contributions to the city’s tree replacement fund. She said the project meets the city’s inclusionary housing policy and green building policy and that all eight units are proposed to be affordable for owner‑occupants at between 60% and 80% of area median income (AMI). The city will implement affordability through a land trust model with Homes Within Reach.
Brenda Lana Wolke, executive director of Homes Within Reach, described the land‑trust qualification and income targeting: "Typically our program serves folks from anywhere from about 45% AMI up to 80%. Our average median income that we serve is 57% across the board," she said, adding that mortgage qualification and down payment capacity influence which households can complete purchase.
Council members praised the project as one of the city's stronger paths to affordable homeownership. Several members thanked staff and partners for site acquisition and the long development process; one council member described the city’s purchase of the land as essential to creating the ownership opportunities.
The council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution approving the preliminary and final plat, and to approve first reading of the ordinance adding Section 36‑68 PUD‑26 and amending the zoning map; the second reading is scheduled for March 17, 2025.
