“Light rail is doing exactly what we thought it could do,” said St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, who joined former Mayor and potential resident George Latimer on Thursday, May 2 to break ground on the $45 million Midway Village senior housing complex being developed by Episcopal Homes of Minnesota.
The seven-story complex will be located on the corner of University Avenue West and East Lynnhurst Avenue, the site formerly occupied by Porky’s Drive In. The project, the fifth facility on Episcopal Homes’ headquarters campus, is expected to open in the fall of 2014.
“The reputation of Episcopal Homes is unparalleled,” said Latimer at the event, describing himself as a future resident of the complex.
Funding for the building comes from a variety of private and public sources, including an $8 million grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as city and state funds.
Coleman said Midway Village is one of the greatest examples of how the $957 million light rail project is seeding both public and private investment.
The YouTube video is here: Episcopal Homes breaks ground for Midway Village.
Others at the event included the Right Rev. Brian Prior, bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota; Marvin Plakut, president and CEO of Episcopal Homes; and City Council Member Russ Stark.
The 173-unit, seven-story $45 million complex at University and Lynnhurst avenues will be the priciest project to open along the Central Corridor light-rail line since the renovation of the Union Depot.
The majority of the senior units will be market-rate, but some will be subsidized. Midway Village will consist of the Terrace, with 63 catered living apartments; Episcopal Church Home — The Gardens, with 60 skilled nursing beds; and Midway Pointe, with 50 affordable apartments for independent seniors.
An opening is planned to coincide with the first light-rail trains running in fall 2014.
Episcopal Homes has operated in St. Paul since 1894 and maintains seven buildings, including four at its central campus at 1930-1850 W. University Ave.