The Aster development (2017-2023)
The CRA repurchased a distressed downtown site for $4 million in a 2017 foreclosure auction after the original developer's project failed. It then selected Brinshore Development to build The Aster, a 190-unit mixed-income development completed in 2023.
The Aster added 168 income-restricted units and 22,000 square feet of commercial space downtown.
The project won a 2025 Urban Land Institute award for attainable housing and demonstrated the CRA's playbook of using public resources to catalyze development.
The Aster shows how the CRA turns stalled sites into housing. The new loans apply the same approach to smaller projects across Ballpark, Liberty Wells, and Poplar Grove.
