Metropolitan Council Grants Connect People and Place in Saint Paul
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a focus of Met Council investments in communities. TOD invests in neighborhoods, while giving a boost to transit ridership and taking advantage of the investments the region has made in our transit infrastructure.
On December 13, 2023, the Met Council awarded nearly $5 million in Livable Communities grants to develop affordable housing and create job opportunities along some of the region’s major transit corridors.
Two projects in the City of Saint Paul received 2023 TOD grants:
- 892 7th Street East: $975,000 toward a mixed-use development providing affordable housing to multigenerational families as well as supportive services and retail.
- 2441 University Avenue West: $888,750 toward a partnership that will transform a former furniture showroom and warehouse into creative office space and a nonprofit film studio headquarters with classrooms and community gathering space.
“The Council awards projects of all different types and sizes,” said Community Development Executive Director Lisa Barajas. “What these projects have in common is that they connect people with the places they want to go by providing more housing, businesses, and other neighborhood destinations closer to transit.”
Barajas says access to transit is especially critical among households that can’t or don’t have other means of transportation.
“A livable, prosperous, and equitable region depends on the ability of its residents to get to work, school, groceries, and health services, for example,” said Barajas. “The Council’s investment in these types of development projects connects more people to transit through well-designed residential and business uses, encourages ridership, reduces the need for driving, reduces energy consumption, and enhances community vitality.”