Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

During its regular meeting Monday night, the Austin City Council unanimously agreed to a request for financial participation from the Housing & Redevelopment Authority of Austin toward development of a new apartment complex in Austin.

Council member Laura Helle abstained from the vote because she is employed by Three Rivers Community Action, who is developing the project. Council member Mike Postma was also not in attendance.

The request was for the city to contribute, but not exceed, $400,000 in support of the acquisition of the Cedar View property, which sits adjacent to Kuehn Motor Company. The estimated cost of the proposed three-story structure is $18.6 million, which is expected to change during the process, and has already garnered financial support from:

• The Hormel Foundation — $900,000
• Mower County — $250,000
• Austin HRA — not to exceed $250,000

This would be the third Austin project for Three Rivers, who has developed the Fox Pointe Townhomes and the more recent 1st & 3rd Apartments, which just opened in October of last year.

Plans for this new project call for 40 units with surface level parking, and will connect easily to the Austin trail system and is protected from flood threats by the berm running between Interstate 90 and the property as well as behind the property.

Eleven of the 40 units will be dedicated to Permanent Supportive Housing for people living with a disability or experiencing homelessness. Other units will be available to people with varying levels of Area Median Income:

• to 30% AMI ($13-$15 an hour)
• to 50% AMI ($21-$24 an hour)
• to 60% AMI ($27-$30 an hour)

A timeline of the project shows acquisition of the land hopefully taking place this year yet with the award announcement being made in December. Provided the finance package closes in the summer of 2026, construction could start in the fall of 2026 with completion following in the fall of 2027.