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<br />Councilmember Elvig stated he asked many of Councilmember Look's questions earlier on. It <br />seems the research they have done on the ACCAP homes is that it is a good model. He has two <br />acquaintances at the townhome development now, and it serves a tremendous service for the <br />Jcommunity. They are families that have split with single dads getting themselves back on their <br />feet. This is a wonderful opportunity to stay in the community and have a decent, affordable <br />place to live. Car thefts and juvenile activities happen all over the City. He asked the Police <br />Chief to weigh in on whether there is anything that makes this area stand out. <br /> <br />Police Chief Way replied he would say no. He just became aware of this case today and pulled <br />up numbers on a request by council members. The numbers do not look any higher than <br />anywhere else in the southeast corner of the City because it is a more densely populated area. <br />The car thefts and domestics happen everywhere, as well as kids being out after hours. <br />Sometimes this gets reported where there are houses closer together because people can hear <br />what might not be heard where there are larger lots. The Police Department has not spent a lot of <br />time there; they get calls to all kinds of different places in the City. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen asked what percentage of Section 8 housing is included in this project. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson replied there is no Section 8 allocated to the property, but that does not mean that <br />families or households with Section 8 vouchers will not be living there. Section is a federal <br />government rent subsidy. There is nothing associated or different about this property with <br />respect to Section 8 households, other than if they apply and their credit and criminal background <br />checks out ACCAP will not discriminate against them because their rent is subsidized. In <br />general, the criteria for residents in these units will be a single person that will have an income of <br />less than $33,000 when they move in, and a family of four with an income of less than $48,000. <br />Once they are living there their income can increase to any amount. Over time this type of <br />development becomes mixed income. The rents are approximately $700 for a one bedroom, <br />$800 for a two bedroom, and $950 for a three bedroom. That is considered affordable rent. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen asked why this apartment building is planned for this location, as <br />opposed a different location. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson replied ACCAP is a local county, non-profit organization. One objective is to <br />provide housing to Anoka County residents where there are jobs and t~ansportation. The concept <br />behind Ramsey Town Center being adjacent to the commercial and the walkability, and the <br />mixture of retail and jobs makes this ideal for households that need affordable housing. There <br />will be people working here that will benefit from this type of housing. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated he was at the townhomes and was surprised by the number of kids he had <br />coached in hockey that were living there, and the number of Ramsey residents. It was good to <br />see young families starting out. It has been an asset for the community. When he called about <br />the fencing that was blowing down there it was cleaned up right away, and the swing set was <br />fixed within a day. He has had excellent response. As they grow as a community and different <br />things happen, the growth creates more problems in some areas. There was a good presentation <br /> <br />City Council / June 12, 2007 <br />Page 9 of 29 <br />