A new apartment building in St. Paul offers an affordable and safe residence for women in need.
In April, Restoring Waters at 801 Mount Curve Blvd. opened as part of a master-planned community project in the Twin Cities. The development earned a 2025 CoStar Impact Award for multifamily development of the year in Minneapolis-St. Paul, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
The intent of Restoring Waters is to provide residences for homeless women who have experienced trauma, including mental health issues, chronic health conditions and addiction. All of Restoring Waters' units are reserved to support at-risk, female-led households.
The lot of the 60-unit apartment building is adjacent to Nellie Francis Court, a 75-unit affordable housing building. Together, both Restoring Waters and Nellie Francis Court are part of St. Paul's Highland Bridge development, which stands on the grounds of a former Ford plant on the banks of the Mississippi River between St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Supportive services organization Emma Norton Services is a first-floor commercial tenant at Restoring Waters and partnered with the building's owner, developer and property manager, Project for Pride of Living, on the development. Ryan Cos. is the master developer for all of Highland Bridge, which was designed with a goal of 20% of its housing being affordable.
About the project: Restoring Waters is a 60-unit multifamily building in Southwest St. Paul. The two-story building has a mix of 28 studio, 4 one-bedroom and 28 two-bedroom apartments. The building is owned by Minneapolis-based Project for Pride of Living and was designed by Minneapolis-based Urbanworks Architecture.
What the judges said: Judges praised Restoring Waters' impact as an affordable housing project and its accomplishments in succeeding despite financing challenges.
"The prospective occupants will have their lives forever changed,: said Jim Rock, senior vice president at Colliers.
"An uplifting project that will improve the lives of many," added Tony Strauss, senior vice president of retail services at Transwestern.
They made it happen: Gabe Philibert, vice president of real estate development and asset management at Project for Pride in Living