Cannonball apartments roll into construction

The construction of the Keller-Baartman apartments at the McCannonball property next to McDonald’s and Subway continues with an expected opening in November.

Though the building had a rocky start in the public opinion, as construction continues assurances are being offered to the community. Many community members seemed confused by the choice of the building's location, since previously the space had been used for business purposes, but there were several reasons for the lot’s rezoning.

Cannon Falls Community and Economic Business Specialist Laura Qualey reached out to different hotels, Kwik Trip, other fast-food businesses and a local community member that wanted to fix the lot about developing the space. Unfortunately, all of these entities declined because of the removal of the old Highway 52 access next to McDonalds, and the risk of business cannibalization, a process where new businesses ‘eat’ up their older competition.

Cannon Falls is also facing a housing shortage, so placing an apartment building in the lot seemed to be a doubly-beneficial solution.

There were concerns held by individuals in Cannon Falls that the apartments would be Section Eight subsidized housing. This form of housing provides rent subsidies to families with low income for specified properties and units, as explained by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. This is not the case, as the building will be market-rate apartments. The project itself is subsidized with a tax credit program (tax increment financing) to build the apartments, but the residency will not be.

Tax increment financing (TIF) is a method of financing real estate development costs. It encourages developers to construct buildings in underdeveloped areas by financing the construction of their buildings using property taxes.

Despite this, Qualey asserted in response to the fears of section eight housing that “everyone needs a place to live, it doesn’t matter.”

The hope for the building is that older seniors and young professionals will occupy the apartment building, and seniors in Cannon Falls moving out of their homes will open space for new families to move into the community. The building will be composed of 79 units in total with an expected building population of roughly 150 residents.

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“They're not all going to be brand new people to the community, but even if we attract, let's say, 50 new people to the community, that's 50 more people that are spending their dollars in the communities that are helping our businesses,” said Qualey.

The units will be one-to-two bedrooms and they have been created with an emphasis on ADA guidelines, with walk-in showers and a higher toilet stool. The apartment building also hopes to establish a sense of community among its future tenets with a community room as well as a workout room. Digital renderings of the apartment units are now up on the developer website.

There will be 30 studio apartments, 24 one-bedrooms, and 25 two-bedrooms. Additionally, there will be 56 tuck-under parking stalls for an extra monthly fee; a fitness room, a washer and dryer in every unit and a mail and package area.

Extensive landscaping will be done around the building and McDonalds to make it look like a cohesive property. There will be a dog-park and patios for residents, as well as trees and grass planted creating a barrier from the roads.

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On June 14, the developers will be giving a presentation speaking about the apartments at the Cannon Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Breakfast, which Qualey encourages realtors to attend.