Apartments Proposed at Wentworth Center

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The developer Roers is proposing a new four-story, 150-unit apartment building at the current Wentworth Center at 33 Wentworth Avenue East in West St. Paul across from city hall. The plans also call for a stand-alone restaurant or retail space to be developed later.

• Subsidies: The proposed affordable housing apartment building does not rely on city subsidies, but will be applying for tax credits through the Dakota County Community Development Agency (CDA).
• Zoning: The project will require rezoning from general business to mixed use and a conditional use permit to allow for residential in a mixed use zone. The city’s long-term planning documents support this change and city staff are recommending approval.
• Affordable: The project targets rents at 60% of area median income (AMI), similiar to other affordable projects in the city.
• Retail: The plans include an adjacent commercial pad to develop a potential stand-alone restaurant or retail space. The building would sit on the southeast corner of the lot at Wentworth and Livingston, with parking to the north and a shared entrance off Livingston. Roers would market this space to another developer, so there’s nothing in the works yet.
• Developer: Roers built the existing Savor market rate apartment project a block away on the corner of Robert and Wentworth.
• History: The existing three-story office building was constructed in 1971. It’s been on the market for a few years with a recent listed price of $6.7 million.
• Timeline: The project will come before the Environmental Committee on December 4, and then go to the Planning Commission later in December or January with a public hearing (waiting on a pending traffic study), and then on to City Council. If approved, construction would presumably start in 2025.

Feb. 12, 2025 Update: Public Hearing at Planning Commission

The Wentworth Center apartment project will come before Planning Commission on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 for a public hearing.

• A traffic study and sewer capacity analysis both said the existing infrastructure could handle the project (as well as the future restaurant/retail).

March 21, 2025: Proposal Withdrawn

Roers Companies withdrew their proposal after not receiving county tax credits and facing opposition at City Council.

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