Solhem Companies and TE Miller Developing 213-unit Community in Seven Corners
Twin Cities-based Solhem Companies and TE Miller Development have teamed to develop 7west, a 213-unit apartment complex situated in Minneapolis’ vibrant neighborhood of Seven Corners, near the University of Minnesota.
By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor
Minneapolis—Twin Cities-based Solhem Companies and TE Miller Development have teamed to develop 7west, a 213-unit apartment complex situated in Minneapolis’ vibrant neighborhood of Seven Corners near the University of Minnesota.
“It’s an urban location near everything you’d need if you love urban settings with a neighborhood feel, if you’re a business traveler, an undergraduate student, or a graduate student,” Curt Grunsbury, owner of Solhem Companies, tells MHN. “Other elements that are important to renters are the sustainable, modern design of the building, its privacy, [and] the serenity.”
All units in 7west will include desk space, a large walk-in closet, eat-in kitchen island, private laundry, bathroom linen storage and medicine cabinet. Additional features include WiFi, secured underground parking, heated bathroom floors and an exercise facility.
According to Grunsbury, 7west is designed to meet LEED Gold standards and will feature a wide range of unusual design elements. The developers also consulted a Feng shui expert to determine the building’s layout, construction and amenities.
“We have a belief in sustainability and happily found that this was a critical element to our clients,” Grunsbury says. “In fact, we find that people interested in the property are asking about sustainability and practices that 7west will offer.”
These include recycling and organic composting on every floor, a green roof and terraces, a white membrane roof for energy efficiency, passive solar design, LED and fluorescent lighting systems, a rain-barrel irrigation system, and high-efficiency elevator systems.
Seven Corners is part of the University of Minnesota’s West Bank campus, which includes the Mondale Law School, Carlson School of Management, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and West Bank Arts Quarter.
“It’s a culturally rich neighborhood with diverse restaurants, cafés, bars and performing arts venues,” Robert Miller, TE Miller Development’s president, tells MHN. “It’s just a quick walk, bike ride or light-rail trip to the Mississippi National River and Recreational Center [or] downtown Minneapolis for shopping [and] more entertainment venues, and it’s near the University’s East Bank.”
Solhem Companies and TE Miller Development recently announced plans to partner on a 138-unit apartment building in the North Loop neighborhood just down the street from Soltva—an $18 million, 100-unit building that was completed in August 2012.
“We have worked well together in the past, and we were attracted to this project because it embodies what we believe a strong urban living environment can offer,” Miller says. “Solhem Companies has been recognized for innovations in green construction and marketing and has achieved some of the highest rents per square foot in the Minneapolis market.”
