Minneapolis is taking a concrete step towards addressing its housing crisis with the initiation of new developments powered by local funding and strategic city planning. Mayor Jacob Frey and Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) officials kicked off construction for a triplex in Windom and a duplex in Regina—projects underpinned by the Minneapolis 2040 Plan and a sizeable chunk of the city’s housing tax levy, amounting to $1.25 million, according to a recent announcement from the city.
The Windom neighborhood will see a single-family home transformed into a triplex consisting of two ample four-bedroom apartments and a more compact two-bedroom unit, with accessibility as a key consideration for some units. Abdi Warsame, the MPHA’s Executive Director/CEO, noted the importance of this development by stating, “MPHA continues to add the deeply affordable family housing our city needs.” He underlined, though, that these five new family homes will not solve the city’s wider housing shortfall, but emphasized the project’s scalability—a sign that this could be the blueprint for future endeavors.
Mayor Frey lauded the Minneapolis 2040 Plan’s role in setting the stage for projects that deliver practical solutions for the city’s families, saying, “Projects like this triplex in Windom and the duplex in Regina are exactly why we made bold choices to upzone and rethink how we build housing in our city.” Emily Koski, a city council member from Ward 11, echoed this sentiment, stressing the vital need for inclusive housing that serves the entire community, as shared in the city’s announcement.
Aside from offering much-needed homes, the Windom and Regina developments are a testament to sustainable building practices, featuring all-electric and energy-efficient designs complete with rooftop solar arrays. A stark reminder of the housing demand came last year when MPHA’s waitlist, which opened for the first time in three years, saw more than 3,300 families apply for just a handful of available spots; nearly 4,000 families remain in waiting. Despite these daunting numbers, MPHA is committed to exploring further avenues for creating family-oriented housing units, while simultaneously keeping an eye on preserving their existing portfolio of nearly 800 affordable homes.
The construction for these projects has a projected timeline of 11 months and is slated for completion by the third quarter of 2026. This milestone in Minneapolis’s housing landscape represents a synergy of community needs, policy-driven planning, and dedicated funding—it’s a model that could potentially pave the way for increased affordability and accessibility for all city residents in the years to come.
