Search for an affordable, three- or four-bedroom apartment in midtown Minneapolis, and here’s what you might find:

There are a few choices, but nowhere near the volume you’d hope to see, especially in a neighborhood with more and more large, working families, including thriving east African and Latin American immigrant communities. In a rental market with low availability and high prices in general, the problem appears to be even larger for families with many children.

Greenway Heights Family Housing, being developed by PRG and Phoenix Development in partnership with the East Phillips neighborhood, responds to this need. Under construction now, the building will consist of 42 apartments, all with two, three, or four bedrooms, on the Midtown Greenway and in close proximity to many transit options and amenities.

We’ll be posting more photos and updates as construction progresses. For now, we’ll celebrate  progress (excavation began this week) and the architect’s sketch of the building, scheduled for completion by fall 2014.