Housing — Phillips Partnership

There’s no more meaningful investment in a neighborhood than making your home there. The Phillips Partnership has funded, organized or helped support $35 million in improvements to the neighborhood’s housing stock and streetscapes.

Phillips Partnership Housing Stabilization Initiative (2009-2011)
The Phillips Partnership Housing Stabilization Initiative offered up to $7,500 to homeowners for exterior home improvements, and $5,000 in downpayment assistance in a target area bounded by 24th Street to Lake Street and Chicago Avenue to 12th Avenue South. Learn more about the Phillips Partnership Housing Stabilization Initiative. program or read the Housing Stabilization Initiative Final Report.

See the visible exterior home improvement grant results from the Iniative work in 2009 and 2010.

Phillips Housing Resources: A User Guide for Local Programs and Agencies (2008)

The Phillips Housing Resource Guide was produced by the Phillips Partnership, with support from a Carleton College student fellowship and from Project for Pride in Living. It includes local housing counselors, foreclosure prevention services, home improvement programs, programs for responsible landlords, and programs for homebuyers.

Click here for the full guide.

Midtown Exchange (2004–2006)

For decades the Sears center at Chicago and Lake supplied household goods to the Minneapolis region. The site's redevelopment into the Midtown Exchange now includes housing, retail and the Allina headquarters. In 2006, the Midtown Exchange began offering approximately 360 units of new housing geared toward a range of incomes from market rate to 50-percent area median income (AMI). These include rental apartments and for-sale condominiums within the original 1928 former Sears building, as well as for-sale townhomes and condos in the Midtown Exchange Condos, a new building immediately adjacent to the historic tower. Developed by Project for Pride in Living (PPL), the award-winning Midtown Exchange Condos offer high-quality, secure, and amenity-filled housing in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood. Get more information and check out the available units from PPL.

Joseph Selvaggio Initiative (1998–2001)

This $6.8 million investment stabilized a section of West Phillips through home-improvement grants, multi-unit housing rehabilitations and streetscape improvements. The Joe Selvaggio Initiative, located in the eight-block area between Portland and Chicago Avenue included the rehabilitation of 24 affordable apartment units; the funding of exterior improvements for 69 homes; and public realm improvements such as fencing, lighting and plantings.

After the completion of the Joe Selvaggio Initiative, housing values in Phillips West proceeded to lead the metro area for three consecutive years. This initiative was led by Allina Health System.

East Phillips Infill Campaign (1999–2001)

More than $1 million was invested to build 21 new single-family homes built on vacant lots in East Phillips. The Phillips Partnership helped support the East Phillips Infill Campaign (EPIC), which was led by the Fannie Mae Foundation. The neighborhood carefully prioritized City owned lots for EPIC Homes in East Phillips in order to concentrate activity and assure that new homeowners could join a block with strong residential support.

Portland Place (1997–1999)

Portland Place is a new $12 million project to build 52 new owner-occupied homes. It covers the two square blocks bounded by 26th and 28th Streets and Portland and Fifth Avenue which were formerly substandard rental housing. In addition to the new single-family homes, twinhomes and townhomes, the project includes green space and landscaping along 27th Street and a historic home renovation at on the corner of Portland Avenue and 27th Street. This project was led by Honeywell, with development completed by Project for Pride in Living. This project received a 2000 Design Award from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and a winner of the 2002 Minneapolis Committee on Urban Environment (CUE) awards.

Phillips Park Initiative (1997–1998; 2003–2005)

The Phillips Park Initiative (PPI) is a comprehensive urban redevelopment effort of community residents and organizations to provide housing opportunities for a mix of incomes and to strengthen the Phillips neighborhood. The Phillips Partnership was an initial support of this initiative, which has been led by Phillips Eye Institute and Lutheran Social Services. To date $15 million has been invested in the Phillips Park Initiative.

Phase I of PPI included renovation and conversion of three mansions into seven, owner-occupied condominium units and the creation of twenty-two new homeownership opportunities in townhouses and carriage houses. There has also been rehabilitation and improvements to existing adjacent properties of the newly renovated homes, including new garages, fencing, and sidewalk and street improvements.

Phase II created twenty-four new rental units. This included twelve townhomes which are affordable to families transitioning into the workforce and the rehabilitation of twelve existing units affordable to families with low incomes and special needs. Additionally, green space and a playground for children were created.

Phase III is currently under study to determine the options for the area bounded by Portland to Oakland Avenues and 24th to 25th Streets.