Washington Co. approves funding for Habitat in Woodbury

Thursday, March 25, 2010, Mike Radcliffe, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Washington County has moved forward a recommendation to provide $200,000 in Federal funds to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity to support the construction of twenty-four units of affordable housing in Woodbury’s Garden Gate community. On Tuesday, March 23rd The Washington County Board of Commissioners gave preliminary approval of the County’s plan to allocate annual funding from HUD, including the funds to Habitat, and opened a public comment period on the allocation plan. A final motion to approve the funds will come later this spring following public comment. The funds come as part of Washington County’s annual grant process for Federal funding from HUD’s Community Development Block Grant and HOME investment partnership programs. Habitat’s grant application was one of four projects recommended for funding this year. The county’s draft plan and the recommended award to Habitat can be found on pgs 2-3 here.

Habitat has already built eight townhome units in the Garden Gate community, units which were to be part of a larger project townhome project planned by a private developer. After Habitat had built its initial units, the private developer went into foreclosure. The remaining twenty-four undeveloped lots have since sat vacant, and streets and sidewalks in the community have gone unfinished. Habitat has worked for the last year and a half to secure funding from Washington County, the City of Woodbury, and the State of Minnesota to help acquire the last twenty-four lots in the project. Habitat will be building at least one townhome building a year over the next five years and will finish out the needed infrastructure for the project as well.

Public funds play an important role in Habitat’s work to create affordable homeownership, particularly by supporting land acquisition costs. Virtually every community in the metro-area has housing goals and plans that have been established either as part of securing HUD funding, because of local work with the Metropolitan Council, or because of community priorities. Habitat routinely seeks to engage elected officials and government staff around these goals and plans, showing them how Habitat can help meet their housing goals and why we need public resources to do so. Explaining how Habitat works, how we can help meet local housing objectives, and how Habitat leverages public funds with private donations, volunteer labor, and homebuyer sweat equity is just one way we advocate for affordable housing.

You can advocate for Habitat and help us to receive funding for this project. If you are a Washington County resident, please contact The Board of Commissioners and let them know that you support Habitat, that affordable homeownership is important to the county, and that they should approve the recommended funding for the Garden Gate project. Written comments must be submitted or postmarked by Friday, April 23, 2010 and must be sent to Washington County Community Services, Attn: Karin Reinert, 14949 62nd Street North, PO Box 30, Stillwater, MN 55082, by Fax at (651) 430-6639, or by email to Karin.Reinert@co.washington.mn.us.