Address: SE corner, Balsam Lane N. and Dayton River Road, Dayton

Type: Rental apartments

Units: 49

Developer & architect: Sand Companies Inc.

Details: St. Cloud-based Sand Cos. received official approvals for a new project in the city of Dayton's Balsam Lane mixed-use area.

Called the Balsam Apartments, the 49-unit workforce housing will go up on a vacant 2.5-acre lot across Balsam Lane from a retail district stretching between Dayton River Road and S. Diamond Lake Road. The housing will be affordable to tenants earning between 51 and 80 percent of the area's median income.

The three-story building will include 10 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom units and 15 three-bedroom units. Also in the plans is underground parking with some storage, while the first floor will feature a community room, fitness center and conference room.

Sand Cos. earned a conditional use permit last month after Chief Executive Jamie Thelen touted the firm's credentials in the affordable housing field: The company developed its first workforce housing building in 1995 and still owns and operates it. It has since built 22 other affordable communities totaling more than 875 units.

The Balsam Apartments also mesh with the city's objectives in creating a mixed-use zone that could accommodate high-density residential. According to its 2030 comprehensive plan, Dayton's goal is to create 1,240 new affordable rental units between 2011 and 2020.