Finance & Commerce  |  Dan Netter  |  August 14, 2025

A 178-unit townhome development was given the green light from the Rochester Planning Commission at its Wednesday night meeting.

The Savannah at Rochester, a development put forward by a subsidiary of Stoneleigh Cos., would spread its units across 30 buildings, a mix of four-plexes, six-plexes and eight-plexes, according to planning documents.

The proposed project site is at the intersection of Badger Hills Drive Northwest and 50th Avenue Northwest, planning documents show. The commission gave a unanimous recommendation for approval for the project’s preliminary plat and it will next go before the Rochester City Council.

According to Rick Cavanaugh, Stoneleigh’s president, the properties are meant as an alternative to the typical apartment building, and the Savannah series of developments is one the company has focused heavily on. It has three other Savannah-dubbed properties — in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kenosha, Wisconsin; and in Ankeny, Iowa.

“Compared to the typical walk-up apartment building, we’re seeing a slightly older demographic,” Cavanaugh told Finance & Commerce. “Instead of being 25 to 40, we’re probably seeing 35 to 55 [years old]. We do have families with kids, we do have empty-nesters.”

Rent at a Savannah at Ankeny property ranges between $1,357 for a one-bedroom unit to $2,410 for a three-bedroom unit. Planning documents share little about the planned community amenities for the site, but according to a listing for the Savannah at Ankeny community, residents have a fitness room, a chef’s kitchen, a billiards room, a business center and a grilling area at a clubhouse.

Cavanaugh also highlighted the location and topography of the site. He said the area is slightly elevated, which gives residents a better view of the surrounding area. Compared with other areas where Savannah communities have been built in Iowa and Wisconsin, he said, this property already has the zoning and infrastructure necessary to support residents. To the west of the potential development would be a subdivision of single-family homes and to the north is an apartment property.

This is not the first foray into Minnesota for Stoneleigh. In St. Paul, the developer has the luxury Waterford Bay Apartments, a 243-unit building finished in 2021 which sits near the Mississippi River.

“The city has been supportive since we started this two years ago, we bought this land back in February,” he said. Cavanaugh said he expects grading to start in November and for vertical construction to start in early April 2026 and take 20 to 23 months to complete.