Construction is underway on first phase of Champlin riverfront revival

In the works since the '90s, construction has begun on a 214-unit apartment building that is a key feature of the city's development plan. 

After decades of planning, Champlin will have a new place for people to live, play and gather along a stretch of the Mississippi riverfront that forms the suburb’s northwest border.

Construction is underway on the first market-rate apartments in several decades in the city, a mostly residential northwest suburb across the river from Anoka. A restaurant, event center and pavilion are up next. It’s all part of Mississippi Crossings, a sprawling $100 million riverfront redevelopment project that will also include a public dock, river walk and plaza.

“The riverfront in Champlin used to be a source of commerce in the logging and mill days,” said Bret Heitkamp, Champlin’s city administrator. “This will provide opportunities for people who don’t live on the river or have access to the river.”

The project has been on the drawing board since the late 1990s when residents and city staff started talking about how to make its woodsy riverfront more accessible to residents. This month, Minneapolis-based Greco Real Estate Development and Property Management broke ground on the Bowline, a 214-unit apartment building that will include an outdoor pool and two public pickleball courts.

In addition to the apartments, the project will include an expanded green space with nearly 20,000 square feet of new outdoor community amenities including a city park and a 600-person riverfront amphitheater. Plans call for a pavilion with restrooms and gathering space that can be rented, a public plaza and open space that will have play equipment and an outdoor performance area. To expand recreational opportunities, a public boat landing is planned along with expanded docks to improve access to a 6-mile “pool” in the river that’s popular with recreational boaters.