Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Brooklyn Park is looking at two projects that would mix low- and higher-income residents.

With the clock ticking on replacing and building new affordable housing in Brooklyn Park, details are emerging about the city's efforts to scatter replacement housing throughout the community.

"The future of affordable housing is going to be toward smaller, dispersed developments that don't take on the character of Huntington Pointe," Mayor Steve Lampi said at last Monday's Economic Development Authority (EDA) meeting.

Over the years, city officials have fielded concern that the concentrations of one-bedroom affordable apartments in the Zane Avenue corridor have created segregated, low-income communities. Now they are moving toward interspersing affordable apartments, townhouses and single-family homes in upscale developments throughout the city.

Habitat homes

The EDA approved an agreement with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity that would allow the city to use up to $400,000 from a Minnesota Housing Finance Agency pilot loan program to help Habitat pay for the housing sites. The 20 possible housing sites will be distributed throughout three developments and will include townhouses and single-family homes.

"What we like about Habitat is how they screen and how they stand behind the folks they place in the homes," said Community Development Director Bob Schreier. "Through the screening, those are the people who will become good homeowners."

Karl Batalden, government and community relations officer for Habitat, said the Metropolitan Council's goal of adding 1,494 affordable housing units in Brooklyn Park by 2020 makes it a good location for Habitat homes. The organization is committed to building three homes so far and is still working on agreements with the developers of the other two sites.

"What's very important to us is to identify sites that are good locations for our homeowners in the long run," he said. "We're looking for locations that can combine jobs, transit, education and cultural amenities." 

Of the 3,000 phone calls Habitat gets from Twin Cities families every year, 50 to 60 families are placed in homes. The homes in Brooklyn Park could be available to families moving from Huntington Pointe, Batalden said, but they will have to meet the same criteria as other families from throughout the metro applying. 

Integration across the city

Jason Aarsvold, economic and redevelopment director, said as the city works toward the Metropolitan Council's goal and also meets its own requirement of replacing affordable housing units that are demolished, officials will work to integrate residents into the greater community.

"The whole idea is that it's built outside of those areas of concentration and integrated into other areas of the community," Aarsvold said. "What's needed now is an education process with the community about how this is going to positively affect the community."

By placing Habitat homes in upscale developments like the Wickford Village site and making 20 percent of the units in the proposed luxury apartment complex on Hwy. 610 and Noble Parkway affordable, Aarsvold said the city is working toward getting rid of affordable housing concentrations.

Mari Lecours, lead organizer for the Community Stabilization Project, is working to relocate families from Huntington Pointe. Over the past few years, her group and other affordable housing advocates have been pushing the city to integrate affordable housing with the rest of the community.

"Lower-income families should integrate with higher-income families so you have a mix of economic status and ethnicity," she said. "That is what community is all about."

During the EDA meeting, Commissioner Jeff Lunde -- who voted against the agreement -- said he couldn't support Habitat homes in Wickford Village because the development was proposed as "upscale housing for Target workers." Target Corporation is expanding their north campus to include 8 million square feet of offices and 3,000 housing units. 

Batalden said Habitat homes shouldn't be excluded from upscale developments. The homes are built exactly the same as the others in the neighborhood, and in the case of some of the developments, are part of an association that maintains the exteriors.

"When you drive down the street, no one will be able to tell those are the ones that Habitat built," Batalden said. "The folks that purchase Habitat homes are homeowners like any other. Any idea that they're noticeably different is a little bit of a misunderstanding."

By Lora Pabst
StarTribune

September 19, 2007