City updates HomeFlats phase 3 and 28th Street city-center work; bridge span, brownfield plan and trails scheduled for 2025

City staff and private development partner Magnus Capital gave the Wyoming City Council a progress update on Jan. 6 for the 28th Street city-center project and HomeFlats phase 3, outlining timelines for bridge construction, brownfield planning, and trail connections.

Why it matters: The project is the city’s anchor investment for creating a denser, mixed-use center along 28th Street. Officials described it as a multi-phase effort to bring housing, retail, open space and trail connections that city leaders say will help spur local commercial activity.

Project summary and timeline Nicole (city staff) told the council the city has been planning a city center along 28th Street for more than two decades and that recent momentum has allowed projects to move forward. Magnus Capital’s development will add the capstone, phase 3, which the developer says will bring more than 200 additional units to the existing HomeFlats phases 1 and 2. Together the three phases would total more than 600 rental units.

Vishal Arora of Magnus Capital and other representatives described building plans that include ground-floor commercial space adjacent to the new bridge span and an elevated green space over parking. Arora said the developer expects phase 3’s commercial base to include a childcare operator (Grow Child Care Academy) occupying much of the ground floor of one building; that operator’s first location is expected to open in March at a different HomeFlats site.

Key dates and public infrastructure City staff gave a near-term calendar: a brownfield plan for the site will come before the council in February; the bridge span adjacent to the development is scheduled for placement in March 2025; HomeFlats phase 3 is expected to break ground in April–May 2025; and the bridge should open to the public by the end of June 2025. Staff also said engineering design work to underground utilities along 28th Street will begin in summer 2025.

Trails and economic impacts Staff and Magnus representatives said trail construction and connections are integral to the city-center plan. Officials said several trail segments will be open when the bridge opens and that by the end of summer 2025 roughly three miles of walkable network will be available, including connections to Piney Park and Kent County trail systems. Magnus noted that the HomeFlats investment so far exceeds $140 million and that conservative estimates show about $6 million per year in local spending associated with the completed phases.

Council questions Council members asked whether the taller, mixed-use buildings were supportable by the city’s public safety equipment; the fire chief indicated the department’s ladder/platform capability would reach the proposed heights. Members also asked about whether more mixed-use development would follow and how the project connects to a broader walkable downtown vision; staff said phase 3 is intended to help establish a residential base that will attract further retail and mixed-use investment.

Next steps The city will present a brownfield plan to council in February and will continue engineering work on utilities, trails, and site-plan review. Staff and the developer emphasized that the bridge placement and phase 3 groundbreaking are near-term actions to watch.

Ending: The council accepted the report; no formal action was required. The city and Magnus said they will return with specific brownfield and site-plan items for future action.