Site work for a transportation facility in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Design plans call for site work for a transportation facility.

https://finance-commerce.com/2026/03/metro-transit-development-21-7b-report/ A new Metropolitan Council report finds that "high-frequency" transit corridors in the metro area have been punching above their weight when it comes to attracting new residential and commercial development. The Development Trends Along Transit report -- which defines high-frequency as bus rapid transit, light rail and local bus routes operating every 15 minutes or less -- shows $21.7 billion worth of development occurred near high-frequency transit lines between 2009 and 2024. That represents 39% of all development on just 4% of the region's land area, according to the report, which notes that 69,000 multifamily units -- or 42% of all regional units -- were permitted along high-frequency routes during the study period. And while elevated interest rates, rising construction and insurance costs, and labor shortages have slowed construction in recent years, the share of development near high-frequency transit routes has remained steady. "Multifamily permits were down, as expected, for 2024," said Metropolitan Council planner Ames Yoder, who presented the report at Wednesday's Met Council meeting. "But the overall share of regional permit development remained around 38%, which is pretty close to our average since 2009." Yoder added that the share remained steady "largely due to some investments in public and institutional and industrial permits." Regional permit value for commercial construction hit a high of $1.6 billion in 2017, according to the report. Values dipped to about $1.3 billion each in 2023 and 2024. But the share of permit value near high frequency transit rose from 32% in 2023 to 40% in 2024. Yoder also touched on the nexus between affordable housing and transit. Since 2014, 50% of affordable multifamily units and 76% of "deeply affordable units" -- those at or below 30% AMI -- were concentrated near high frequency corridors, he said. "I'm really, personally, very glad to see this investment in deeply affordable housing being co-located with our high frequency transit, because we keep talking about that intersection between transportation affordability and housing affordability and how that can have a compounding effect on people's lives," Yoder said. From a big-picture perspective, Yoder noted that as interest rates and the overall cost of construction go up, projects need "higher rents, more public subsidies or both" to pencil out. A typical 100-unit project with a construction cost of $300,000 per unit, he said, would require monthly rents of $1,813. That rises to $2,180 per month at 5% interest or $2,590 at 7%, he said. "To put that into context, the Met Council's 2025 rent affordability for one bedroom would have an 80% AMI one bedroom apartment at $1,985 per month. So at 80% AMI, you're only looking at rents that can cover around 4% interest in this particular model," he said. Judy Johnson, a Met Council member representing District 1, said it's "not like people aren't trying" to get affordable housing "over the finish line." "There's an over-subscription right now of projects that are out there waiting to get approval, but can't put the packet together," Johnson said, adding that some "excellent projects" are waiting for funding while expenses go up. The report reflects development trends that have emerged in cities like Oakdale, which has two stations serving the $505 million Gold Line, a bus rapid transit line that began service in 2025. Luke McClanahan, an Oakdale city planner, told Finance & Commerce in May 2025 that the Helmo Station has attracted significant development. New housing in the city includes the 328-unit Norhart Oakdale building, which is a short walk from the Helmo Station. Another major station-area project, Enclave's 374-unit apartment and townhome development, is under construction. Other cities are seeing similar trends. This month, for example, the St. Louis Park City Council and Economic Development Authority approved a preliminary development agreement with Sentinel Management Co. to redevelop a site near the Wooddale Station, a whistle stop for the Green Line Extension. The Wooddale site, which includes a city-owned property at 5950 36th St. W. and an adjacent parcel to the east, will be home for a 265-unit mixed-income apartment building, 10,500 square feet of retail space and a parking ramp. Even so, residential construction activity has softened in recent years. Overall in 2025, the metro area added 8,052 new homes, which is 6% fewer than the 2024 total, according to the Keystone Report, which tracks homebuilding permits in the 13-county metro area. Planned multifamily units were down 18%. Yassin Osman, a Met Council member representing District 7, noted that the newly released Development Trends Along Transit report includes data through 2024, which predates the federal government's Operation Metro Surge. Given the timing of the report, Osman asked Yoder if he expects "even more decreases" in construction. "Yes, that is what we're anticipating. I don't have numbers on that yet, but that is anecdotally what we're seeing," said Yoder, who noted that the 2022 and 2023 reduction stemmed from "lingering effects of supply chain and construction costs increases from the COVID pandemic." _________ https://finance-commerce.com/2025/12/minnesota-construction-projects-completed-2025/ BRT Lines - Gold Line, B Line and E LineEmpty heading Size: 10-mile bus rapid transit service (Gold Line), 13-mile BRT service (E Line) and 13-mile BRT corridor (B Line) Location: Various locations in the Twin Cities Cost: $505.3 million (Gold Line), $64 million (E Line) and $65 million (B Line) Owner: Metro Transit Contractor: Various Description: Metro Transit describes the Gold Line as Minnesota's first BRT line that "operates primarily within bus-only lanes." Features include raised platforms, real-time departure signs, enhanced security, emergency telephones and more. The E Line serves a 13-mile corridor with destinations that include the University of Minnesota, downtown Minneapolis, Uptown and the Southdale area in Edina, according to Metro Transit. The B Line runs on Lake Street, Marshall Avenue and Selby Avenue, and the Gold Line extends from downtown St. Paul to Woodbury. Quote: "The continued growth of our METRO system means more people have more access to frequent, convenient service than ever before. Each improvement makes our entire system stronger, more connected, and more useful to people all across our region." -- Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras ______________ Consulting services for refinements to existing plans and specifications for Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) shelters and pylons. Work will include, but is not limited to, review of existing designs, internal and external coordination, development of updated design plans and specifications, cost estimation and life cycle analysis, and revisions to the list of standard shelter types. The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time. Question Due Date: September 5, 2025