Blog

Overview: Prairie Pointe

Dan Gregory July 12, 2023

Supportive housing for families in Shakopee

Pointe the way home!

What is Prairie Pointe?

Prairie Pointe in Shakopee will create up to 46 affordable homes for families in Scott and Carver counties who are experiencing housing insecurity, offering them the stability of a home where parents and children can flourish.

The Essentials

  • Up to 46 high-quality, professionally managed apartment homes
  • Affordable homes for families – some of whom make less than $35,000 a year
  • Individualized on-site support services that help families thrive
  • Construction is anticipated to begin in spring of 2024

Prairie Pointe Building Design

  • Prairie Pointe’s final design was shaped by community feedback to integrate seamlessly into the existing neighborhood.
  • 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom apartments
  • Sloped roof, bay windows, dormers, and decorative entrance canopies
  • Large front yard with attractive trees, shrubs, lawn, and rain garden with native plants
  • Protected children’s play area and garden
  • Existing fence along east lot line and new six-foot privacy fence along south property line
  • Mix of evergreen trees to provide landscape screening between south side of building and adjacent homes
  • Additional new trees in existing parking lot to add shade and enrich site appeal

Building Services at Prairie Pointe

  • Prairie Pointe will offer tailored support to help children do better in school, parents increase income, and families improve long-term health.
  • Volunteers of America Minnesota and Wisconsin (VOA), a well-respected community nonprofit, will be our on-site service provider. Beacon chose VOA as a partner based on its track record of providing high-quality and responsive supportive services to families and individuals to help people thrive, achieve housing stability, build their income, and access health and community services.

Community Need for Prairie Pointe in Shakopee

  • The City of Shakopee and the Shakopee community affirmed that Prairie Pointe is a key response to solving the growing concerns of housing instability in Shakopee and Scott and Carver counties when they approved land use for the project in 2020. Prairie Pointe helps meet the community’s identified needs and aligns with the City’s stated goals and commitments around housing.
  • The City Council approved land use in 2020 with a 4-1 vote because Prairie Pointe will fill part of a glaring gap in the City’s housing continuum and provide desperately-needed family affordable housing that will make the community stronger. 
  • In Shakopee, 85% of workers earn less than $68,000, which is the average income needed to afford a new home. And two-thirds of workers earn less than is needed to rent an average-priced apartment.
  • Family homelessness is also rising in Carver and Scott counties*. Prairie Pointe will provide homes for some of these families, offering them stability where parents and children alike can flourish.
  • Prairie Pointe is vital for meeting the housing goals and priorities of the city. According to the city itself, Shakopee needs 975 new affordable housing units by 2030, and at least 548 of these need to be affordable to some of the hardest-working, yet lowest-wage families, who make less than $40,000 a year. To date, between 2021 and 2023, Shakopee has only seen of the 548 units built. Prairie Pointe represents the best opportunity to make a real step toward that goal.   

Learn more about the need for affordable housing in Scott County through this report.

About Beacon

  • Beacon is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that owns and operates 19 buildings that offer high-quality, affordable apartment homes for individuals and families.
  • Beacon’s collaborative of congregations advocates to create new, deeply affordable homes, invests in residents through wrap-around supportive services, and champions transformative policy solutions to ensure all people have a home.
  • Beacon is one of the few developers successfully building in the Twin Cities suburbs to meet an essential community need. We have safe, stable, community-integrated homes currently in operation in Plymouth and Edina. Additional suburban homes are currently in development.
  • Beacon advocates for public and private funding to build homes that aren’t typically created by for-profit developers. To date, we have raised more than $16M in public and private funds to build Prairie Pointe. 
  • Beacon is committed to working with the local community to make Prairie Pointe part of a safe and welcoming neighborhood. Learn more about our Good Neighbor Pledge.

Community Engagement in Shakopee

We invite you to learn more at our next community meeting.

Wednesday, July 26th, 7:00 pm
Resonate Church Upper Level
1760 4th Ave E, Shakopee, MN 55379

At this meeting, we will discuss the development, how Beacon supports residents, and our commitment to being good neighbors. We hope to see you there!

To talk with a Beacon staff member about specific questions you may have, email prairiepointe@beaconinterfaith.org.

Click here to view the overview of Prairie Pointe.

Find answers to frequently asked questions about Prairie Pointe by clicking here.


Get Involved

You can help create the apartment homes at Prairie Pointe through your gift and action. It will take:

About $750,000 in private gifts allows Beacon to do all the work needed before construction begins: the planning, organizing, design and financing. It takes a “Seed” of $21,000 per home for Beacon to do all the work needed before construction begins, including the planning, organizing, design and financing. Contact Elodie to discuss making a gift.

Congregations demonstrating public support at critical times in zoning, land use, and planning decisions. Contact Emily to discuss how your congregation can be organizing to take action.