TE Miller pitches 243-unit Lakeville apartment

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TE Miller Development won Planning Commission approval Thursday for a four-story, 243-unit apartment in Lakeville.

The Eden Prairie-based developer is building the market-rate 179th Street Apartments south of 179th Street and east of Cedar Avenue, pending City Council approval. The building is proposed on a 31.8-acre plot that could also be the future home of Washington-based Inland Group’s 174-unit age-restricted Affinity at Lakeville.

The development will include studios, one-bedrooms, one-bedrooms with dens, two-bedrooms and two-bedrooms with dens.

The plot sits on undeveloped farmland. Steve Devney, who leads the trust that owns the land, spoke in favor of the developer at the Planning Commission meeting. “It’s a bigger project than what we’re used to dealing with, but it’s been going good at least this far,” Devney said.

It’s surrounded by Crossroads shopping center, townhomes, the Edison at Avonlea senior living facility and other uses. The site sits in the Mixed-Use Cedar Corridor District, an area guided for density and future transit.

Parking dominated the Planning Commission discussion. TE Miller is getting a deferment for constructing some of the parking spaces for 179th Street Apartments to wait and gauge parking demand. The developer is proposing a total of 486 parking spaces, half on surface lots and half in a covered garage, with some deferred.

Discussions for the Affinity at Lakeville were tabled and will be resumed at the city’s Dec. 1 Planning Commission meeting.

Lakeville has repeatedly floated to the top as one of the fastest growing Twin Cities communities. A recent report about single-family permits showed that while the region is slowing in construction, Lakeville is still on the leader board.

The city’s comprehensive plan, adopted in late 2019, notes a shifting trend toward rentals and growing opportunities for apartments. But even prior to the current market challenges, developers told the city of difficulties building because much of the city has been platted and “land owners are again seeking premium value for their properties,” according to the comp plan.

“Residential developers also indicate that development costs, including infrastructure and fees, affect affordability,” the plan says.

TE Miller is heading to Lakeville City Council Dec. 5 to get final approvals for the project.

“We are long-term owners in everything we’ve done in the past and we plan to do the same thing here,” Alex Timm, business development manager with TE Miller, said at the Planning Commission meeting. “We’re excited to be a part of the community.”

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