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Minneapolis News
MPR News Staff

Minneapolis considers $2.5 million in emergency funds for Heritage Park

A white wall with a streak of mold and a hole.
Minneapolis City Council member Pearll Warren recently toured vacant units at the Heritage Park housing development in north Minneapolis, including this unit, which her office said had been vacant for 30 days.
Courtesy of Ward 5 staff

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Minneapolis city leaders including Mayor Jacob Frey are proposing $2.5 million to address livability concerns at Heritage Park, a north side development that includes public housing.

“We have a growing property condition problem at Heritage Park that is impacting 685 people in 212 households,” said Erik Hansen, director of Community Planning and Economic Development.

Hansen spoke Tuesday to members of the Minneapolis City Council about the emergency funding request and how the money will be spent. He said some funds will go towards repairs for units that have been damaged by water from leaking roofs, have mold and are infested by vermin. Hansen also said the funds will be used to relocate people from unsafe units.

“We know that 212 residential households will take time and money for them to find new safe places to live,” he said. “It is a process that the city will have to stand up, almost akin to an emergency response that we had to the Annunciation shooting or the Operation Metro Surge response.”

Hansen said the city and other stakeholders will have to determine whether or not it makes sense to repair or entirely rebuild the units.

City officials say last week a contractor found mold in many units. And they say the city will conduct another mold assessment.

Council Member Pearll Warren, whose constituents include residents of Heritage Park, said action is needed urgently because people are living in substandard housing.

She said some of them are dealing with rodent infestations.

“Their homes are riddled with rats, and they're being held hostage in their bedrooms by rats, and they're coming out of their stoves. And their ceilings are hanging, and they have called, and they've reached out a number of times — not just since I've been here, but way before a long time ago.

The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) doesn’t own Heritage Park. A court-appointed receiver, Certus Financial LLC, has taken over ownership of the property.

The Minneapolis City Council will vote on the emergency funding proposal Thursday.