First families move into The Heights as St. Paul’s largest East Side redevelopment takes shape

Community leaders, residents and project partners gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the progress of The Heights redevelopment on St. Paul’s East Side. Photo: Serenity Xayboury

A major redevelopment on Saint Paul’s East Side is reaching new milestones. On August 20, the Saint Paul Port Authority and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity invited community members to The Heights to celebrate the development’s progress and welcome some of its first families home.

“It’s not just a dream anymore. This is reality,” said Saint Paul City Council Vice President, Nelsie Yang.

The Heights, the former Hillcrest Golf Course, is the largest modern-day investment to Saint Paul’s East Side.  Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity says more than 20 families now call The Heights home, with another dozen preparing to move in. Seventy-four Habitat homes are part of the development’s first phase, with 147 planned in total — making it the largest project in Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity history.

“Every family, regardless of what they go through, should have housing, and it should be stable, secure and affordable housing,” said Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her. “And that is what we are doing here on the East Side.”

Along with the ribbon cutting, there was a free community block party which included free food, entertainment and tours of a model home. Photo: Serenity Xayboury

But The Heights is about more than housing. Across the one-hundred-twelve-acre site, plans call for one thousand homes, one thousand jobs and more than 20 acres of parks and green space.

“We wanted a place where people could live, work, and play. We set goals for housing, jobs, green space, and sustainability,” said Todd Hurley, Saint Paul Port Authority President.

Getting to this point has taken years. The Saint Paul Port Authority purchased the former golf course in 2019, followed by community planning, environmental cleanup, public and private investment and construction.

To learn more about current housing opportunities at The Heights, visit https://home.tchabitat.org/the-heights.