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July 10, 2007 <br />Commissioner Tim Marx <br />Minnesota Housing Finance Agency <br />400 Sibley Street <br />#300 <br />St. Paul, MN 55101-1998 <br />Dear Commissioner Marx: <br />The City of Ramsey is proud to partner for the first time with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity as it <br />plans and builds a 24-unit townhome development in our Town Center Gardens. As the Twin Cities <br />grows and expands communities such as ours have experienced dramatic increases in population and <br />housing stock. Twin Cities Habitat has chosen to work as a community partner not only in the core cities <br />of Minneapolis and St. Paul, but in non-urban municipalities such as Anoka, Coon Rapids and Ramsey. <br />Affordable housing benefits all aspects of society. In addition to helping families achieve the American <br />dream by owning their own homes, effective workforce housing helps economic growth because workers <br />can access places of employment. The location of this project is accessible to the Ramsey Express Bus <br />running four non-stop trips into Minneapolis- in the morning and four return trips in the afternoon. <br />Ramsey is hopeful that this bus service will soon be replaced with the Northstar Corridor Commuter Rail <br />service. For businesses, the ability to attract and retain labor also depends partly on the availability of <br />decent, affordable shelter for working families. <br />While Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has not previously constructed homes in Ramsey, the City is <br />delighted to see that they build with a strong emphasis on community engagement with local <br />congregations, civic groups, corporations and others. The planned 24 units will be constructed in three <br />phases consisting of an 8-unit building in each of 2007, 2008 and 2009 with the first building more than <br />half-way complete. <br />Habitat homes are aesthetically pleasing and any resident would be proud to own one. It is with this in <br />mind that I strongly endorse Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity's application for $160,000 in CRV <br />assistance on the 2nd phase of this build project scheduled for 2008. <br />Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the great. service that Twin Cities Habitat for <br />Humanity will shortly be providing to Ramsey and its families. <br />Sincerely, <br />Mary Jo Olson, <br />Chairperson <br />City of Ramsey Housing & Redevelopment Authority <br />12 <br />