Saint Peter City Council narrowly votes down 64-unit affordable housing project

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) -

In a 4 to 3 vote, the Saint Peter City Council did not approve the construction of up to 64 affordable homes on Klein Street near River’s Edge Hospital.

Council member Ben Ranft said, “The location I don’t think fits the use of this project.” Ranft continued to say the city would be donating ten and a half acres to the developer - CoNorth - at a value of $500,000. He believes the area this proposed location is in, would be a better fit for another business.

“So, this is kind of giving away one of the last large footholds in the industrial park for housing,” Ranft added.

Ranft and other council members expressed they love the project idea, but just not the location. City Administrator Todd Prafke says not all hope is lost for this project to get approved.

“The council is very supportive of this and wants to continue to see it move forward. This is really trying to narrow down the site and what works best not only for folks that might live there... But for the community overall,” Prafke explained.

Those who were for the project being built like council member Keri Johnson say, businesses need people living in the area before building a place of employment.

Johnson said, “The biggest challenge for businesses really is workforce right now. Then of course that relates to housing.”

Prafke sees both sides of the matter, but understands affordable housing is an issue.

“The last assessment that we did (on affordable housing) indicated that vacancy rates were less than 1 percent in Saint Peter as well. So, [this] isn’t a Mankato, North Mankato or Saint Peter issue. It really is a regional issue,” Prafke indicated.

The Saint Peter City Council says they will continue scouting locations to find the right spot for the next affordable housing development.

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