MANKATO — A proposed apartment building between Old Town and downtown, rejected by the Mankato City Council a month ago due to concerns that parking was inadequate, is back on track.
The Silos remains a four-story apartment building with 26 units, but developer Joe Brennan has shrunk the building’s footprint to add a few parking slots and reduced the number of bedrooms to meet the council’s insistence the project have at least one parking stall per bedroom.
The initial plan had just 29 parking stalls and 37 bedrooms, leaving council members and neighboring property owners concerned that residents of the Silos would be grabbing parking spots meant for patrons of the Old Town business district.
Brennan, a vice president with the Brennan Companies, presented a revised plan Monday night to the council that reduced the building’s footprint by about 500 square feet. That means a bit less commercial space than planned on the first floor — which is to be a mix of covered parking and space for a small store, most likely a coffee or food shop — but makes room for four more parking stalls to bring the total to 33.
Brennan also cut the number of two-bedroom apartments by six and boosted the number of one-bedroom units by the same number in the apartment building, which is to be located just behind the Wine Cafe at the corner of Second and Plum streets.
“The revision still includes 26 units, but the number of bedrooms was reduced from 37 to 31 to get below the number of parking stalls provided on the site,” said Mark Konz, associate director of planning and development for the city.
The Silos apartments, named for their view of the former Hubbard Milling grain-processing complex that looms over Old Town, are the latest in a series of proposed new buildings aimed at a perceived demand for downtown living. Brennan hopes to break ground next year with the facility open for occupancy by July 3, 2024. The target market is younger renters looking to live in a walkable urban environment adjacent to a revitalized historic business district.
The apartments would be on the second, third and fourth floors with the top floor also including a patio overlooking Old Town and the mural on the row of concrete silos. Council members previously praised the project but balked at the parking.
City regulations would require 60 parking stalls in most parts of Mankato for a building of the size and makeup of Silos. But the city is attempting to create a more compact, pedestrian-oriented city center, and that includes reduced parking requirements.
Brennan’s original plan met the downtown standard, but nearby property owners — and ultimately the council — were concerned the minimal parking would cause conflict and asked the developer to work with city staff on possible revisions.
“The applicant has made changes that seem to align with what was requested by the council,” Konz said.
The council agreed by unanimously approving a conditional-use permit for the project Monday.
“Thank you for taking the time to look at it and come back,” Mayor Najwa Massad said to Brennan. “We appreciate it.”
Council President Mike Laven, though, suggested the council’s response to the original plan suggested it isn’t quite ready to embrace a modern walkable downtown.
“We’re at least at a point where we’re doing the polite head nod Minnesota-style about the idea. This proposal was just a little too fast for us as an entity,” Laven said. “… It’s OK if people don’t park in front of their house and have to walk half a block. But this is a good compromise, and I appreciate your work.”