Apartment complex proposed near new St. Paul soccer stadium

Soccer fans could have the chance to live just a few kicks from the new Allianz Field in St. Paul.

Wellington Management, a development company based in the Midway neighborhood, has proposed a 175-unit apartment complex across the street from the new soccer stadium under construction.

The project is likely one of the first in a string of private developments that will be proposed in the area close to the Minnesota United's new stadium, which is scheduled to open next spring.

"The Midway is kind of home for us," said David Wellington, Wellington's director of acquisitions and development. "It's our backyard. We have been watching things transpire, and the excitement and energy that is being poured into that stadium site and the surrounding several blocks and neighborhood."

The five-story development would take the place of the one-story Bremer Bank branch on Snelling Avenue near Shields Avenue close to the highway.

The market-rate apartments would be above about 18,000 square feet of street-level retail space.

Bremer, which currently owns the property, would lease some of the space for its branch. There also will be room for a couple of other retail tenants, Wellington said. The $35 million project would also include underground parking.

Wellington Management is in discussions with Central Baptist Church, which is located behind the development and uses Bremer's parking lot for some of its services.

The project is scheduled to be discussed during the Union Park District Council's land-use and economic-development committee meeting on Monday.

The design of the complex is still being developed. In 2016, the city of St. Paul adopted new zoning guidelines to encourage denser development near the soccer stadium. Still, depending on what the final details are, the city of St. Paul might need to give additional approvals for the project to happen. Construction could begin early in 2019 and be finished in about a year, Wellington Management said.

The Bremer site falls just outside of the nearly 25 acres of land surrounding the new soccer stadium that is slated for a massive mixed-use development. The master plan includes offices, retail, entertainment and residential space, but other details have not been announced.

Wellington compared the potential transformation of the Midway area to new residential development in Seattle's Pioneer Square near CenturyLink Field.

"It's a little hard to envision where this district will be five years from now," Wellington said. "But there are precedent projects in districts throughout the country that I think we are leaning on in regards for what our vision is for the area."

Wellington Management has been busy with projects across the metro. Last month, it broke ground on the Leef Building, a mixed-use project in the Harrison neighborhood of Minneapolis that will become home to 100 artist housing units and creative space.

In south Minneapolis, the company is transforming a former Rainbow Foods store on East Lake Street into a charter school with space for a smaller grocery store and other retailers. The Universal Academy Charter School moved into temporary classrooms last year, and Aldi has signed a lease to occupy some of the complex.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495

Twitter: @nicolenorfleet