Alleghany Apartments make serious headway on construction

By Sophie Horgan | Editor
WABASHA — The Alleghany Apartments—a long awaited 50-unit housing project that many residents of Wabasha observed through years of planning and setbacks—have as of late made serious headway on construction since they broke ground earlier this year in April. While the project was initially anticipated to be completed in the Fall of 2027, it is now projected to be ready for occupancy as soon as February, with unit showings expected to start just next month in November.
A tour was held through the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 29 to demonstrate the progression made to those who’ve helped to plan or support the project. Leading the tour was Andy Baartman, a co-owner and developer at Keller-Baartman Properties, a real estate development and property management company based out of Red Wing, MN, who has taken on the project as their own. Keller-Baartman was selected out of four total developers who applied, as The Port Authority— who have acted as the primary engine in advocating for the project—felt they were the most qualified to fulfill the city’s vision.
Attending the tour was members of the Port Authority and Wabasha city council, as well as city staff and staff from the development company. Guests were impressed to see the immense progress made on the project, as the various spacious units began to come together. Many stopped to appreciate the vast views of Wabasha that the units offered, some even joking, “I think I could see my house from here!”
As the tour neared its end, Baartman thanked those in attendance for coming to see the space, explaining that he was in a rush to make it happen as the construction crew planned to make significant progress on sheetrock in the coming weeks. Baartman shared that he wanted people to have the chance to see it as it was, in simple framework and scaffolding. He said, “It’s fun to see the floors—the noise.”
It all started when a comprehensive housing study was conducted a few years back. The findings, presented by the newly formed WATCH (Wabasha Area Team for Community Housing) in the spring of 2023, demonstrated a definitive need for housing in Wabasha. The results were deeply lopsided between the city’s dwindled existing housing supply, the aging population, and an extensive commuting workforce. Because of a lack of modern rental options, the local workforce skewed much younger than the resident base, and nearly half of the city’s population was determined to be age 55 or older. Due to this older population, the matter of having an over-average percentage of single-person households and very few families with children has emerged as problematic for the city’s future. This ripple effect of issues, however, can likely stem from just one primary issue in Wabasha: a lack of reasonable housing.
The development of newly-constructed market-rate units, such as those offered by the Alleghany Apartments, has become a crucial step for setting the city up for a successful future. The study performed clarified that the building of new housing targeted at the local workforce would allow—and hopefully attract—workers to move into town, bringing in younger, family-oriented residents, and effectively setting up the city’s future generations.

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