SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Residents, community leaders, project partners, and families gathered on Thursday for Meet Me at The Heights, a community block party hosted by the Saint Paul Port Authority and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity featuring free food, live music, and family-friendly activities to celebrate progress at the 112-acre redevelopment on Saint Paul’s Greater East Side.
The celebration highlighted the collaboration, advocacy, and partnership that is turning the former Hillcrest Golf Course into a vibrant mixed-use community with the city’s largest addition of industrial land in recent history, as well as new housing and public amenities, with the goal of bringing 1,000 jobs and 1,000 homes to Saint Paul. The evening brought together neighbors, elected officials, project partners, and residents to recognize the work that’s been completed and the exciting future ahead.
“The Heights represents what the future of redevelopment can look like,” said Todd Hurley, president of the Saint Paul Port Authority. “What was once a shuttered golf course is becoming a place where families can put down roots, businesses can grow and a new community can thrive. Seeing neighbors come together to celebrate this progress is a reminder of why this work matters.”
Xcel Energy was the first business to purchase an industrial parcel at The Heights and is in the final stages of building its new, 339,000-square-foot Saint Paul service center. Other parcels are in different stages of redevelopment, with some still available for purchase.
“We’re proud to welcome more than 20 families to Twin Cities Habitat homes at The Heights, and are grateful for the partners, donors and homeowners who are helping to make this vision a reality,” Chris Coleman, President and CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. “This neighborhood is about creating opportunities and building a stronger future for generations to come.”
The first phase of Habitat’s home building is fully funded with 74 homes completed or underway and more than 20 families already moving in at The Heights.
Read article by Frederick Melo at the Pioneer Press: What’s happening with The Heights development in St. Paul? Progress on jobs, housing
