The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) had one goal: to create more affordable housing where it isn’t typically located and continue investing in areas where it is already present. They call it the MPHA Family Housing Expansion Plan (FHEP), and it was a pioneering project that meets the intentions of the City of Minneapolis’ 2040 comprehensive plan — the citywide rezoning to encourage higher density, more affordable housing in neighborhoods that were typically restricted to single-family homes. FHEP included 16 different two- and three-story buildings in neighborhoods throughout Minneapolis. Most of the sites are located near transit, green space, and trail systems and include good accessibility to employment opportunities, education and commercial amenities. Each building is also affordably powered by solar panels.

MPHA held a public, competitive RFP process in early 2021 to select a design/construction team, giving preference to innovative construction practices that would demonstrate cost and/or time savings. A partnership with RISE Modular as the module manufacturer, Frerichs Construction as the general contractor and DJR Architecture as the designer was the team MPHA was looking for. RISE began module production in September 2023 for this trailblazing scattered-site development. 126 modules provided 26 two-bedroom and 58 three-bedroom units for families. All units are available to households at or below 30% of the area median income (AMI).

While a scattered site development isn’t unique, utilizing modular along with multiple public financing tools — including tax-exempt bonds and 4% low-income housing tax credits — was new, and the benefits of modular are a game-changer for MPHA. The project demonstrated that scattered infill new construction is feasible, cost-effective and beneficial to our communities. The construction timeline was 30% faster than traditional construction, reducing the impact on each neighborhood and allowing MPHA to house families sooner. The economies of scale provided by modular construction produced significant cost savings with superior quality, which is extremely important to a long-term owner like MPHA. The public housing agency took full advantage of the rezoning opportunities allowed by the 2040 plan and its access to RISE Modular to innovate a new approach to how affordable housing gets done.