![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The property’s history, while often dark, adds another rationale to renovate. The goal now is to obtain the tax credits, sign the lease for the property with the county and start work next summer. We will take over the upkeep cost and bring them back on the tax rolls.” “The city and county wanted a veterans’ use. “To me, it’s a compelling project,” Michaelson said. They’ve gone into the renovation with a full understanding of the many challenges that add zeros to the project, such as complicated roof pitches, and lead and asbestos abatement.ĬommonBond Senior Project Manager Andrew Michaelson said the buildings, built in the first decade of the 1900s, can be saved and restored. The linchpin for the renovation: state and federal historic and low-income tax credits that could help secure nearly $8.5 million, according to CommonBond’s projections.ĬommonBond missed out on tax credits last year, but is reapplying for the credits this year with Minnesota Housing.ĬommonBond already has spent nearly $25,000 on preliminary work with a general contractor, architects and historical consultants. “If the buildings can be salvaged and they can be used for good, I am supportive as long as it’s not borne by the taxpayers of Anoka County,” said Commissioner Scott Schulte. When city officials balked, citing the destruction of historical properties, the veterans’ housing plan was hatched. The county covers the annual cost of keeping the buildings secured. That’s critical because county officials sought a permit from the city of Anoka to tear down the century-old complex in 2014. That amount, which would buy a large home nearby, has raised the eyebrows of some commissioners in Anoka County, which owns the site.īut officials with CommonBond Communities, the nonprofit group that transformed Fort Snelling’s Upper Post stables and warehouses into comfortable veterans’ homes, said they can do the same with three boarded-up state hospital buildings near the banks of the Rum River. That’s more than $330,000 per apartment, nearly $100,000 more per unit than a similar renovation at Fort Snelling’s historic Upper Post. Transforming part of the old Anoka State Hospital into 33 modern apartments for veterans would have cost $11.5 million in construction costs. ![]()
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