No senior co-op housing at Howe School site!

BY ED FELIEN

According to an article by Burt Gilyard in Finance and Commerce, July 16, United Properties has terminated its purchase agreement with the Minneapolis School Board to redevelop the Howe School site at 3733 43rd Ave. S. They
had agreed to retain the building, renovate it and add new construction for cooperative housing for seniors.

Unfortunately, the plan is no longer financially feasible for them. Even though construction costs are down, the
market for senior housing is apparently not strong enough to pay for the renovations.

United Properties is also renovating the Northrup school site at 46th Street and 16th Avenue, but plans there are to raze the old building and build two new buildings with 98 units.

United Properties suggested changing the plan and constructing 50 units of affordable rental units. That idea was floated by United Properties at a community meeting on June 16 and was met with strong community disapproval.
The community did not want rental units and clearly did want senior cooperative housing.