From an email address on the city website, I got a VERY timely reply to a request for info from Habitat for Humanity:
We intend to build and sell 24 townhomes in three phases of 8 each year in 2007, 2008, and 2009. The homes will all be sold to working families who earn between 30% and 50% of the area median income as determined by HUD. Additionally the families will have to contribute between 300 and 500 hours of sweat equity onsite helping to construct their future home.
The site is to the southwest of 149th and Ramsey and construction activity on the first 8-plex will become readily apparent quite soon. We are having a groundbreaking ceremony on the 16th of April at 9:00 am at the site (148th Lane and Olivine) and you would have an opportunity to meet the coalition team that has just formed and will be helping us to garner community engagement and support as we move forward with the development process.
At this point, the coalition is in the early stages of forming so I can't really get you a roster. The chair of the Ramsey Coalition, however, is named Larry Culp [...] Feel free to contact either of us with further questions. It would be great if you post a notice on your blog inviting members of the public to the groundbreaking on 4/16 at 9:00 a.m.
Contact people are
Locally, Larry Culp, lculp@sihope.com
Twin Cities HforH, Karl Batalden, karl.batalden@tchabitat.org
I expect Pat Trudgeon of the City Planning staff will be there, and he and the web staff will probably be posting something soon on the city's website "In the News" at the foot of the website, with the other April events now listed.