Minneapolis Apartment Project Draws Attention, Praise from City Leaders

New Construction Start for South Minneapolis Apartment Project Draws Attention, Praise from City Leaders.

Minneapolis city and civic leaders joined with the development and construction team to celebrate the construction “restart” for the long-planned Park & Franklin Lofts, located at 1935 Park Ave. S. (the northeast corner at the intersection of Park and Franklin Aves.) in south Minneapolis. The project restart was announced at a news conference on the site, on Thursday, Sept. 3.

With a ready-to-work work crew from construction contractor Ebert Construction looking on, building owner Tashitaa Tufaa spoke about his commitment to build the project.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey praised Tufaa and developer Patrick McGlynn of McGlynn Partners for having the courage and conviction to build a community-focused apartment building at a time when the city is struggling to address housing affordability issues.

The project also drew praise and commentary from Jamal Osman, Sixth Ward councilmember (the project is in the Sixth Ward) and Andrea Jenkins, councilmember for the nearby Eighth Ward and vice president of the Minneapolis City Council.

Lea Hargett, principal consultant with Minneapolis-based JOG Associates, served as emcee for the event. Bill English, consulting project director to the Northside Jobs Creation Team in north Minneapolis, introduced Tashitaa Tufaa.

When completed, the four-story building will feature 43 “attainably priced” apartments, including a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedrooms units, according to Tufaa. The project is intended to fill a need for moderately priced, family-oriented rental housing for the neighborhood. Look for the building to be open for renters sometime in the first half of 2021.

Photos credit: Bill Klotz, Minneapolis photographer

Park & Franklin Lofts News Release