The Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority met with architects from JLG in Grand Forks last week to look into the possibility of a multi-use building in or near Crookston’s downtown district. Discussions centered around possible development sites for a 4-5 story multi-use building with a heated parking garage.
CHEDA Executive Director Craig Hoiseth described the vision as a facility with retail spaces on the lower level and market-rate housing with amenities on the upper floors similar to Minnesota Heights Apartments which sit above Up North Pizza and other businesses in East Grand Forks. “I think we’ve had a discussion going on quite awhile culminating with a meeting with JLG Architects, a developer in Grand Forks,” said Hoiseth. “We’ve been looking at if there is a possibility of creating a multi-use building in or around downtown Crookston. This would be a property where you’d probably see some retail or some common spaces on the bottom floor. And then some, one, two and perhaps three bedroom nicer market rate apartments upstairs.”
Hoiseth said that while CHEDA wants to be cognizant of property owners in town, developments take time, so they need to continue to move forward with their thinking and planning. “The Meadows Apartments was pretty well received,” said Hoiseth. “People like that new effect with some amenities and we think there is still a demand for that. However, we’re being pretty careful, pretty sensitive, about what our other landlords, our other property owners are experiencing. We’ve put 71 units, if you include the Agassiz Townhomes and The Meadows together, on the market in the last couple of years which has created some vacancies. We’re moving kind of slow, but nevertheless, we need to move ahead because these developments take some time. We’re hoping we can put all the pieces together and maybe see some construction as soon as 2020.”
JLG has created some ideas for what a multi-use building site may look like and Hoiseth anticipates a presentation of those to the CHEDA Board of Commissioners sometime this summer.
