Town Center Gardens is the development between Ramsey Blvd. and Armstrong Blvd., north of Hwy 116.
There already has been Habitat for Humanity building there, on the corner diagonally across of from the Ramsey Market [formerly a Tom Thumb outlet]. It is the only place I have seen Somali women in head scarves caring for children on a townhome lawn patch in Ramsey, and diversity is a positive thing. I do not know if the HRA is looking to purchase and dedicate Town Center Gardens housing units to low-income families, or if there is other intent. In relevant part, ABC Newspapers reports:
The Anoka County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) has received another $1 million to spend on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) through which it uses federal dollars to purchase vacant and/or foreclosured homes, which are then either rehabilitated or demolished for resale.
The HRA has approved a contract with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA), which will pass on to Anoka County reallocated federal dollars that have been returned to the MHFA unused by communities.
When the HRA took action last week, the exact amount of the new money had not been fixed by the MHFA, but Anoka County Community Development Director Karen Skepper received an e-mail late last week from the MHFA informing her that the total would be $1 million.
This allocation comes on top of the direct NSP grant of $2,377,310 that the county received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and $2,506,643 in federal NSP dollars from the MHFA last year.
[...] According to Skepper, one of the reasons the MHFA allocated another $1 million to the county’s NSP pot was the success the HRA has had in using up the existing NSP dollars.
Indeed, all but $600,000 of the $2,377,310 in direct federal NSP dollars have been spent. And once negotiations are completed to purchase vacant land and individually constructed townhomes in the Ramsey Town Center Gardens project, that money will be gone.
As well, 85 percent of the dollars in the original state $2.5 million allotment has been committed to purchasing properties for rehabilitation or demolition, Skepper said.
To date with the federal dollars, the county has purchased 21 foreclosed and/or vacant properties which are either being rehabilitated or demolished. Those homes or lots will be resold.
Of the 21, seven homes have been demolished and five have been completely rehabilitated so far, Skepper said.
In a few cases, the resale will be to Habitat for Humanity or the Two Rivers Community Land Trust in the amount of $1. These agencies provide affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families.
The county HRA has also approved purchase agreements for 11 more properties in the county.
But Skepper does not expect more than half of the deals to be actually consummated, she said.
“Some fall off the market because they are ultimately sold to private buyers,” Skepper said. “That’s great. We would rather see a private sector sale.”
[emphasis added]. Anyone caring to pin down detail could either contact Ramsey's HRA, or Ms. Skepper, mentioned in the reporting.