Homeownership opportunities abound near natural beauty

One of the great things about Habitat’s community development and Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) work is the chance to think more broadly about the way land use patterns in our regional effect our quality of life. To that end, I want to highlight an example of great land use that I experienced as a total surprise this morning.

I recently changed my office location to work out of Habitat’s home improvement thrift store—the ReStore  The ReStore is located on County Rd D in New Brighton, so I assumed my days of bike commuting from my home on the West Side of St. Paul were over. 

However, these recent warm days made me search for a biking option. Much to my surprise, the bike route option  on Google Maps indicated that I could easily get to the ReStore, primarily on dedicated bike paths that are separated from the motorized right-of-way. The route included sections of the Gateway Trail, Trout Brook Trail and the Reservoir Woods Trails.

I took the route this morning on my commute into work and could not have been more pleased. Instead of the usual urban grind, I rode along a gurgling creek, around Bennett Lake and the pine woods surrounding the Dale St. Reservoir. With the birdsong, the firework display of newly blossomed forsythia and the fragrance of flowering magnolias, it hardly felt like a commute to work at all. What was more exciting was that all of this was accessible to a range of housing—affordable multi-family, modest post-war bungalows and pockets of high-quality, recent development.

As I rode I reflected on the work it took to create this splendid experience for me.  The planners analyzing maps, the community meetings, the coordination of municipal and county staff were all undertaken to make our community a place that we can enjoy.  I challenge you with the challenge I give to myself—as we plan, design, and complete our work, how can we take the dull places and make them delightful?  And how can we make sure that neighborhoods with great quality of life aren’t denied to families with low incomes?

Andy Barnett, Director of Community Development, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Images from St. Paul city website.