Listen to this articleA proposed development that would bring fresh industrial space and workforce housing to Newport is under environmental review.
United Properties’ proposed Bailey Farm Business Park, a spec industrial development, would take up part of the 36-acre development site, which is near Interstate 494 and just north of Bailey Road/County Road 18.
The site, known as the Bailey Farm property, would also hold 193 apartment units developed by Real Estate Equities, said Joe Hatch, Newport’s city administrator. A Kwik Trip convenience store is also planned.
A previous concept for the site showed 172 apartments, but the developer was able to “make the numbers work better for the 193-unit building,” Hatch said in an email.
“This will be a bigger development for Newport compared with what we have seen the last few years,” he added.
The city released an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the project Tuesday.
As part of the environmental review, the city of Newport is taking comments on the proposed development through Dec. 1. The development’s size triggered the need for the EAW, Hatch said.
A narrative in the EAW reveals that the project will provide “necessary industrial facilities, multifamily housing, and a commercial gas and convenience store to accommodate an increasing population in and around the city of Newport.
“There are no projects of a similar size in the immediate area, and being first to market will allow the city of Newport to capture the employment and tax revenue associated with this development.”
Based on Newport’s location within the metro area and the city’s most recent market study, “we have strong demand for commercial, retail, warehouse, and residential uses,” Hatch said, adding that the city is “very excited” to work with the developers.
“We’ve been trying to bring more retail to the community, and we obviously need more housing in the metro area,” Hatch said. “And Newport has a fabulous location. We’re right next to St. Paul and 15 minutes to the airport.”
Following the environmental review and comment period, the approval process for the project will continue and construction could begin in summer 2026, said Connor McCarthy, senior vice president of commercial development at United Properties.
McCarthy said the project location is appealing for a number of reasons.
“I love how close it is to the I-494/I-694 loop. It’s not every day that you can find developable land that close to the metro,” he said, adding that the Southeast Metro has been “really strong from a tenant demand standpoint.”
The Bailey family, which owns the property, has been “great to work with,” he added.
“They care a lot about what gets developed on their property. They want to find the right development partners. They want to make the cities happy,” McCarthy said.
For its part, the proposed workforce housing would serve households with incomes at 60% of area median income, according to a project narrative. Monthly rents would range from $1,364 for a one-bedroom to $1,881 for a three-bedroom unit.
With amenities such as stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops, the workforce housing project would be “designed and built to a market-rate standard,” Real Estate Equities said in the narrative.
Construction on the Newport property would be “one of the first phases of a development across nearly 280 contiguous acres within the communities of Newport, Maplewood, and Woodbury,” according to city documents.
Hatch said development in the area will cut across three cities, two counties and two watershed districts.
“It’s a lot of coordination, but that’s OK,” he said.
