The Greater East Side of St. Paul is a vibrant community with plenty of small businesses, arts and culture organizations, and a strong and longstanding pride in the East Sider identity. Rich with working-class history, it's the most racially diverse area of St. Paul. Yet the East Side community deserves more investment, resources, and opportunities.
Expanding the East Side is a much-needed affordable housing development—The Heights. The approximately $750 million project is the largest modern-day investment in the East Side that will bring more than 1,000 units of affordable housing to the area. And The Heights is not just an affordable housing development—it’s the creation of a new community with 25 acres of parks and greenspace, neighborhood gathering spaces, public art, bikeable and walkable environments, and 1,000 living-wage jobs. The Heights will also have a unique focus on environmental sustainability—it’s designed to be an all-electric community seeking LEED-Platinum Certification.
The Heights will be a new neighborhood with trails, bike lanes, and greenspaces. Actual design and landscaping may change.
A transformational project like this is only possible when many partners work together toward a common vision. The Heights is a remarkable collaboration of public, private, nonprofit, and community partners—all doing their part to bring more vibrancy, affordability, and opportunity to the Greater East Side.
Partners came together in July 2023 to officially break ground on the project.
Here’s a glimpse at what public-private partnership looks like at The Heights:
“Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is honored to be a partner in this transformative project on the East Side that will have a meaningful impact on our region’s housing shortage,” said Chris Coleman, President & CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. “The inclusion of Habitat homeownership at The Heights is essential to unlocking generational wealth-building for working-class families and creating a more vibrant, equitable City of Saint Paul.”
Aerial footage of The Heights site from November 2023.
In 2023, the State of Minnesota took a historic step to address the housing crisis by appropriating $1 billion to support affordable housing. This is the state’s largest-ever investment in affordable housing. The state challenged public, private, and nonprofit institutions to find bold new solutions to expand access to affordable housing, address housing disparities, and support working-class Minnesotans.
The Heights is an unprecedented response to this call.
The Heights will offer a wide range of housing options and pricing across a wide spectrum of needs. Development partners will create a strategic mix of affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities—totaling 1,046 units of affordable housing. The goal is to deliver a mix of high-density and mid-density housing options for sale and for rent.
Design renderings of apartment buildings at The Heights. Actual design and landscaping may change.
The housing mix will include:
At nearly 150 homes, this will be the largest project in the history of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. While the scale is greater than other projects we’ve completed, we’re expanding our capacity in financing, construction, and sales to support the effort. We’ll also spread construction across five years, so we’ll build at a familiar pace.
Aerial design rendering of one of the four blocks of Habitat homes at The Heights.
As always, the Habitat homes will be affordable for working-class families and individuals and will be built with high standards for quality and sustainability. At Twin Cities Habitat, we're also focused on advancing racial equity in housing, particularly on advancing Black homeownership. This project provides an amazing opportunity for families of color to gain the benefits and wealth-building potential of Habitat homeownership.
Design rendering of one of the blocks of Habitat townhomes. Actual design and landscaping may change.
In fall 2024, the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project will cast a global spotlight on The Heights! Thousands of volunteers, celebrities, elected officials, and other VIPs will gather to work on 35+ homes in this historic development and raise awareness for the critical need for affordable housing in the Twin Cities and around the world.
The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project is an annual event which celebrates the impact that President & Mrs. Carter have had on Habitat for Humanity’s mission around the world. Over its nearly 40-year history, the Carter Work Project has traveled to 14 countries, engaged 104,000 volunteers, and helped build, renovate, and repair 4,390 homes across the globe. In the Carters' stead, a new generation of Habitat Humanitarians will carry the torch. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will continue the Carters’ legacy as hosts of the Carter Work Project.
Twin Cities Habitat hosted the Carter Work Project in 2010.
The Saint Paul Port Authority is an economic development agency that expands the city’s tax base, serves as a conduit to quality job opportunities, advances sustainable and equitable development, and advocates for river commerce.
Sherman Associates is a commercial real estate development and management firm based in Minneapolis with properties throughout the Midwest, Colorado, and Florida. Sherman has developed more than 12,000 multifamily units and currently owns and manages more than 6,800 multifamily rental units (affordable and market-rate). Sherman also owns and manages more than 640,000 square feet of commercial space, five hotels, four Starbucks, three restaurants, and two solar gardens. The company’s long-term vision is to build neighborhoods, enrich communities, and empower people.
JO Companies, LLC is a Black-owned, mission-driven real estate development company located in the Twin Cities that specializes in developing affordable and workforce multifamily housing. Other real estate development areas include market rate, mixed-use, and commercial. The company was founded by Johnny Opara, President and CEO, in 2009. JO Companies currently has more than $200M in their real estate development pipeline and has recently completed "The Hollows," an $18.4M 62-unit workforce housing development on the Greater East Side in Saint Paul.
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity brings people together to create, preserve, and promote affordable homeownership and advance racial equity in housing. Since 1985, more than 1,700 families have partnered with Twin Cities Habitat to unlock the transformational power of homeownership. Twin Cities Habitat is one of the highest-regarded Habitat for Humanity affiliates nationwide.
Your gift unlocks bright futures! Donate now to create, preserve, and promote affordable homeownership in the Twin Cities.
Kaitlyn Dormer : 9:00 AM on June 12, 2024
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity begins site work this week and house construction later this month at The Heights on the East Side of St. Paul. Over...
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity : 4:44 PM on April 26, 2023
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is honored to be a major project partner in The Heights, a $370 million redevelopment of the 112-acre former...
Regina Eckes : 3:07 PM on April 19, 2024
While Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity works to create, preserve, and promote affordable housing in the metro area, we’re also one of the leaders in...
Kaitlyn Dormer