Two office buildings will be torn down in Burnsville's Heart of the City area to make way for a 172-unit affordable apartment building.

On June 10, the Burnsville Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the project's preliminary and final plat, said Pete Schroeder, a development associate with Roers Cos., the developer. The City Council is expected to take a final vote on that recommendation July 16.

Office buildings located at 151 and 201 Burnsville Pkwy. — one is vacant and the other has two tenants — will be demolished. The result will be one approximately 4.5-acre lot.

"There's a strong need for this type of affordable housing really everywhere," Schroeder said. "This product, I mean, you can hardly tell that it is affordable housing."

The building will have four stories and one-, two- and three-bedroom units. There will be one level of underground parking. Counting surface lot parking, there will be 266 parking spots.

Schroeder said the building will have many amenities, including a common area with spaces on two floors, and fitness and community areas within that area. Outside, there will be a dog run, a playground and a rooftop deck.

Potential residents must make 60% or less of the area median income to rent an apartment. Rents will range from $1,300 to $1,900 and the building is meant to attract a range of workers, from teachers to police officers to grocery store employees, Schroeder said.

Schroeder said his company anticipates acquiring the property in August and aims for an 18- to 20-month timeframe for construction.