Solhavn developer plans new North Loop apartment project

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North Loop, how about another apartment project?

The developer behind a number of Minneapolis residential buildings including Solhaus, Solhem, Soltva, Solhavn, and more recently, Coze Flats near Dinkytown, is back at it again with a new residential project planned for the North Loop neighborhood.

Curt Gunsbury is proposing the new project at 721 North 1st Street, a site that currently is home to a surface parking lot. It's not far from Gunsbury's other projects, in fact Soltva and Solhavn lie directly behind the project on 2nd Street.

What's better yet is Solhem and TE Miller Development are also in the process of currently constructing another 8 story, 71 unit, apartment building literally down the block at 602 North 1st Street. It's clear the company loves the neighborhood and has found plenty of success in the North Loop.

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Rendering of the planned project | Solhem

Plans for Solhem's newest project include another eight story building (seven above ground, one below) that would include 124 market-rate apartment units. Parking would be located on one underground level and one and half above ground levels bringing the total number of spaces provided to 224. Building amenities will be found on the first floor while the eighth (seventh above ground) floor will include a rooftop deck.

The exterior of the building will be covered with brick and metal accents, something a little different from past projects of Gunsbury which were largely clad in metal. The overall feel is meant to blend in with the surrounding warehouses and late 19th century buildings.

One of the great things about this project is that it will result in the creation of a 5,000 square foot public park on the southeast side of the building. Even more exciting is the fact that the project will use a ton of sustainable materials and designs that will qualify it for LEED certification.

It'll be interesting to see what the name for this project ends up being. Gunsbury's other properties all sport Swedish names due to a good friend of Gunsbury living in Sweden. The Swedish theme also tends to translate into the finishes of the projects which are bright, clean, and very minimal. However the last project that was developed by Gunsbury and his team is called Coze Flats (which could potentially also be the name of the 602 N. 1st Street project).

If all goes according to plan with the city approval process construction is intended to begin in July 2016 with a completion set for Summer 2017.