The Metropolitan Council, the seven-country metro’s regional planning agency, recently approved a series of grants for affordable housing, as well as grants toward pollution clean-up at brownfields that will host future housing and commercial real estate development.

St. Paul

Among them, the St. Paul Port Authority will receive $270,000 to support construction of affordable townhomes in the 17-unit Serenity Townhouses development, which is being developed by Rondo Community Land Trust and Amani Construction at Bush Avenue and Cypress Street. The goal is to promote affordable homeownership.

The city of St. Paul will receive $394,000 to be put toward environmental remediation at the future site of the Soul Apartments, 178 affordable apartments being developed by Schafer Richardson in what will be a mixed-use building at Plato Boulevard and South Robert Street.

St. Paul will receive $50,000 toward environmental investigation at the former Hamm’s Brewery site, with funds awarded through the Met Council’s SEED — “Seeding Equitable Environmental Development” — program. The SEED program aims to boost housing development and job creation in areas that otherwise show low levels of building permit activity and have high concentrations of low-wage jobs, people of color and low-income households.

Developers JB Vang Partners, Inc., who were awarded tentative developer status by the city a year ago, have proposed a mix of commercial space and more than 250 affordable housing units on a 5-acre section of the former brewery located just off Payne Avenue at 680 and 694 Minnehaha Ave. Community engagement will begin toward the end of January. More information is online at StPaul.gov/Hamms.

Maplewood

The city of Maplewood will receive $500,000 toward construction of Gladstone Crossing, a 40-unit affordable workforce and supportive housing development being developed by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, a St. Paul-based nonprofit, on Frost Avenue between Clarence and Ide streets.

The same project will receive another $196,000 toward abatement and clean-up of contaminated soil on the 1.6-acre site, which currently hosts a vacant building. The primary tenants will be youth-led households, homeless youth and families with children. The Met Council’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority has provided project-based Section 8 funding, making the units affordable to very low-income households.

Little more than a block away, the city of Maplewood will receive $100,000 toward clean-up of various pollutants — including asbestos — in the future Gladstone Village, an existing building being converted by developer JB Vang Partners, Inc. into 65 affordable apartments at Frost Avenue and English Street.

Shoreview

Shoreview will receive $148,000 toward environmental clean-up of an 11-acre site that hosted the city’s public maintenance and storage facility. Located off the U.S. 694 exit at 3377 Rice St., the Rice Street Crossings project will span 253 mixed-income apartments, 51 affordable units, 202 market-rate units and 9,000 square feet of retail space.

South St. Paul

South St. Paul will receive $815,000 for environmental remediation at a vacant 15.6-acre site that was home to a wastewater facility and a demolition landfill. Located south of Interstate 494 and the Wakota Bridge at 680 Verderosa Ave., the site will house the Wakota Logistics Center, a 183,000-square-foot multi-tenant industrial space.

North St. Paul

North St. Paul will receive $191,000 toward clean-up of a 0.7-acre site along Seventh Avenue, between Helen and Margaret Streets, that previously housed retail businesses and a gas station. Plans call for 82 market-rate apartments.

Newport

Newport will receive $88,000 toward environmental remediation at an 8.4-acre site that previously housed an auto repair shop and storage. The Red Rock Villas project will span 143 market-rate, single-story and rowhouse apartments in four buildings. Nearly half the units are targeted to residents age 55 and older.