The Winnipeg

The Winnipeg is a $14-million complex that includes two mixed-used buildings with 28 units each of affordable housing and 6,000 square feet of commercial space. The structures, which opened their doors in February 2009, met the design guidelines laid out in the small-area plan for Rice Street, and even featured the first-ever living green roof on an affordable residential structure in Minnesota. A small neighborhood convenience store expanded into one of the commercial spaces in the complex and offers fresh produce.

Westland Commons

In 2009 we had two community events for the Westland Commons project and one charrette. Sparc owns a 3 acre site that we had planned to develop for market rate town homes in the past, but with the down turn in the housing market Sparc took a step back and wanted to see what other viable uses there are for the property. We had two meetings with community residents to get feedback and ideas on what a potential future use of the site could be. The feedback we received was that the community wanted to see more green and open space. This was a common theme of both meetings and helped give us direction to move towards in the coming months and years. With the community feedback we are currently trying to find some interim uses for the site that would meet some of the community needs that were established in the meetings we held and can be incorporated into the larger development project.

Rice Street Business Improvement District

The Rice Street commercial corridor is the Capitol’s backyard and has been a thriving corridor for over 100 years. Sparc wants to work with the North End Business Association (NEBA) and the newly forming business coalition on lower Rice Street (in Frogtown) to further develop and pursue the formation of a Business Improvement District from the Capital to the city’s border.