Background 

The City of Shakopee is eligible for a variety of funds which support affordable housing and/or transit-oriented development as a participant in the Livable Communities Act. The LCDA-TOD Grant is available to projects like the proposed Core Crossing apartments, since it is within 1/2 mile of a hi-frequency transit route. This proposed apartment building is located approximately 2000 feet from the Southbridge Transit Station and will provide 61 affordable apartments with 1 and 3 bedrooms. The project will set aside 6 of the units for veterans experiencing long term homelessness. The project is fully funded and the grant request is to improve the pedestrian and biking experience within an area of dense retail development and access to transit. 

Grant Request 

Working with Engineering and Planning and Development Staff, the developer has improved their design of the apartment building and added connectivity to the surrounding areas to better support Transit-Oriented Design principles. The proposed improvements to the site if the grant were approved would be a plaza area along Crossings Blvd. that would have public seating, bike racks, a bike repair station and a shaded structure for gathering, a green roof to increase the site's sustainability, a center median along Crossings Blvd in this area and the addition of speed tables throughout the parking lots on the adjacent retail properties for additional traffic calming and pedestrian safety. The grant money would also cover required site improvements such as additional sidewalk connectivity around the site and through the parking areas. The total request for funding is $1,465,750. 

Next steps 

The application will be submitted by Staff to the Metropolitan Council (METC) on July 1, 2020. The grant application will be reviewed by the METC throughout July/August and projects selected will be notified of their award in September/October 2020. If the grant is awarded, the City as grantee will manage the grant funds and grantees are required to submit bi-annual progress reports. A final report is required with the last payment request and the grantee is responsible for monitoring development progress.