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ELK RIVER STATION APARTMENTS

NE. corner, Twin Lakes Road and 172nd Av. NW., Elk River

Type: Rental apartments

Units: 53

Rental range: $630-$830/mo.

Developer: Duffy Development Co.

Details: Spurred in part by the coming of the Northstar Commuter Rail service, interest in a long-planned new rental apartment building within walking distance of the Elk River rail station has picked up.

A new developer has taken over the stalled project and says he's methodically tapping financing for the effort -- something he contends is still available for certain multifamily projects. John Duffy of Duffy Development Co. said his plans include a 53-unit building within the Elk River Station planned community, across from the newly built Pullman Place senior co-op. The city has submitted an application for Minnesota Housing Finance Agency tax credits as part of the financing effort.

The old plan for the site called for 60 units, so the update represents a small downsizing. If the financing is found, the apartments will be built with young working families in mind, Duffy said, especially for those who can afford only one car. A working spouse in such families could walk to the Northstar Line to commute to Minneapolis or points in between, while paying rents of $750 for a two-bedroom apartment and a heated underground garage space.

"Our studies indicate there's a real need for workforce housing in Elk River and along the Hwy. 10 corridor," Duffy said. "The city has added a lot of jobs -- look at all the business parks there within a mile-and-a-half of the station. There's a new Wal-Mart and a new Home Depot along Twin Lakes Road.

"There's a lot of stuff going on in Elk River but there really hasn't been a lot of new housing to keep up with it," said Duffy, who added that he's also planning new workforce multifamily housing at another Northstar Line stop: Big Lake.

City documents indicate that apartments are meant as the multifamily element of the Elk River Station planned development. The Pullman Place senior housing and a rental townhouse community already have been built, but plans for five office/retail buildings, a day care center and a convenience store have yet to materialize.

The building itself would be stepped-down at the ends, would use a mix of brick and maintenance-free siding, and is "bent" to avoid the look of a extremely long façade.

DON JACOBSON

Don Jacobson, a freelance writer based in St. Paul, can be reached at hotproperty.startribune@gmail.com.