Newer townhomes/homes near Metrodome (Minneapolis, Bloomington: sale, real estate, apartment)

[mcxale]

My family & I will be moving to Minneapolis next year for my husband's job which will be near the Metrodome. We are totally unfamiliar with the area but are looking for new/newer townhomes or SFH in the area. Are there any specific areas we should be looking? Does anyone know of specific new housing developments we should be on the lookout for?

Thanks.

[golfgal]

How far would he be willing to drive? Since Minneapolis is pretty centrally located in the metro area there are 100's of new developments that are easily commutable to the Metrodome area, but does he want to drive 10 minutes, 20, 50?? Also, do you have kids, how old, what are their interests, etc. That helps narrow down towns/schools that match what your kids like to do. Also, what is your budget to buy a house or rent?

[Wellstone]

I don't know if you would find any newer townhomes near the dome. Maybe there are some but I'm not sure what you are looking for. When I think of townhomes, I think suburban. There are downtown condos if that's what you are thinking of. The dome is on the Hiawatha Light rail line so you could potentially live anywhere near Highway 55 all the way to Bloomington and that would work well. Obviously downtown you aren't going to have new construction, maybe newly remodeled units. If you are looking for new construction you are probably talking strictly out in the burbs like Eagan, Burnsville and places 20+ miles out.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Almost everything within walking distance of the Dome has been built in the last ten years, and quite a few of those units are townhomes.

[mcxale]

Minnehahapolitan - do you know of any names of developments I can look into?

golfgal - a 10-20 minute commute would be ideal. We are considering buying (our budget would be $250K). We have a newborn so we are not thinking of schools just yet. And we would probably move before he started kindergarten.

Thanks!

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by mcxale

Minnehahapolitan - do you know of any names of developments I can look into?

golfgal - a 10-20 minute commute would be ideal. We are considering buying (our budget would be $250K). We have a newborn so we are not thinking of schools just yet. And we would probably move before he started kindergarten.

Thanks!

Since schools aren't an issue yet and you are looking for resale opportunities in under 5 years I would look to the Oakdale area, towards Highway 36. That is an easy in and out are to the Metrodome, fairly new developments and pretty good resale. There will be a lot of townhomes to look at and some single family homes as well.

Another option would be to look in the Eagan area. That is an easy hop up 55 to the metrodome too. Again, a lot of townhomes, a little harder finding single family homes in your price range but not impossible. There are a lot of young families there too.

Personally I wouldn't want to live within walking distance of the Dome-it isn't a nice area (not bad just very industrial).

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Since schools aren't an issue yet and you are looking for resale opportunities in under 5 years I would look to the Oakdale area, towards Highway 36. That is an easy in and out are to the Metrodome, fairly new developments and pretty good resale. There will be a lot of townhomes to look at and some single family homes as well.

Another option would be to look in the Eagan area. That is an easy hop up 55 to the metrodome too. Again, a lot of townhomes, a little harder finding single family homes in your price range but not impossible. There are a lot of young families there too.

Personally I wouldn't want to live within walking distance of the Dome-it isn't a nice area (not bad just very industrial).

These statements are bona fide insane.
Oakdale is a half-hour away without traffic.
The area around the Metrodome has some of the most expensive homes in the metropolitan area, so apparently there are quite a few millionaires who would disagree. That area hasn't been industrial in decades.
Listing Search Form - Search for Real Estate Properties
(un-check Single Family Homes. Avoid the Sexton Development, 521 S. 7th, as foreclosure caused legal issues.)

[uptown_urbanist]

There's a lot of nice options within walking distance of the Dome, including townhomes. They can be pricey, though. Otherwise I'd second the suggestion to look along the Hiawatha Line. There's been a lot of new development that's taken place along the route, and many of the neighborhoods have a lot of families with young kids.

It depends on your tastes and what you like to do, of course, but I think living in the Mill District (downtown, by the river) would be great if you have a young kid; lots of condos, but I think there are some townhomes, too. There's the Mill City Museum there, places to walk by the river, you'd be close to the central library (they have story times for young babies, in addition to the more standard toddler stuff), etc.

As a parent I'd also suggest that one of the downtown apartment or condo buildings could be an excellent option for someone with a young kid, especially if you find one with a common room, a pool, or simply somewhere you can go and easily hang out when it's cold and snowy outside. You lose out on the benefit of having your own backyard, I know, but the tradeoff of more communal indoor space for the cold weather might be worth it, especially if you're not planning on staying in the one location for years.

Loring Park, on the other end of downtown, has some nice newer townhomes (as well as high rise condo towers), although I'm not sure what the sale prices are like; there are some playgrounds tucked in here and there, and it's a pleasant neighborhood.

[Slig]

I found a couple townhomes really close by that are on the MLS right now:

575 N 1st St
built in 2001
2 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
1232 sq ft
$229,500

675 N 1st St
built in 1998
2 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
1402 sq ft
$249,000

There are also several newer townhomes on the other side of the river in NE but still very close to the metrodome and all priced bewteen 140-240k. I see three of them on 3rd St between 17th and 18th Ave, one on Marshall St and 14th Ave and one on Quincy and 18th Ave. All of these townhomes were built between 2003 and 2006, so very new.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan

These statements are bona fide insane.
Oakdale is a half-hour away without traffic.
The area around the Metrodome has some of the most expensive homes in the metropolitan area, so apparently there are quite a few millionaires who would disagree. That area hasn't been industrial in decades.
Listing Search Form - Search for Real Estate Properties
(un-check Single Family Homes. Avoid the Sexton Development, 521 S. 7th, as foreclosure caused legal issues.)

Maybe if you take surface streets and miss every single stop light--36 to 35 to Washington Ave=under 20 minutes EASY even with traffic.