ST. PAUL (AP) — A $100 million redevelopment project would transform Fort Snelling’s historic military buildings into 190 rental apartments for low-income families, officials said Wednesday.

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and officials of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced the proposal to overhaul and preserve the Fort Snelling Upper Post near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

“It’s going to preserve 26 of the most historic buildings in Minnesota,” said Larry G. Peterson, park manager and Upper Post project manager.

Dominium, an affordable housing development and management company in Plymouth, submitted the proposal. Dominium is negotiating a lease with the DNR that will then be approved by the Minnesota State Executive Council.

The proposal, which has received preliminary approval, would renovate the historic buildings now sitting in disrepair. Ground could be broken in 2017.

Officials said it is exciting to see a place key to Minnesota’s history be transformed into a place for the state’s future. The project would give new life to buildings that once functioned as a military hub in the late 1800s and much of the early 1900s. The Upper Post served as an induction and training center during both World Wars. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and was turned over to the DNR in 1971.

Dominium would restore the 26 historic buildings on the property while preserving their look. The company has led redevelopment of St. Paul’s Schmidt Brewery and is now working to finish a $175 million project to turn the Minneapolis Pillsbury A-Mill into artist lofts.

The Upper Post site is near the airport, a Metro Transit light rail station and the Mall of America and is bordered by a soccer field and golf course. Mark Moorehouse, senior vice president and partner at Dominium, said the property is a prime spot to provide housing for Minnesota’s workforce.

“There is a great need for workforce housing in the Twin Cities,” Moorehouse said.

The project will be funded in parts with low-income housing tax credits, and federal and state historic tax credits.

Ryan Baumtrog, assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, said the property would offer housing to families with a total household income of $60,000 or less. While rental rates are not set, tenants could look to pay $900 for a one bedroom and up to $1,250 for a three-bedroom apartment.

A board made up of the DNR, the National Park Service, Hennepin County, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Minnesota Historical Society was created in 2013 to supervise future plans for the property. This spring, Dominium’s proposal was chosen to oversee the property’s redevelopment.