NorthEast Chapter 2022 - Year in Review

submitted by John Slade

The Northeast Chapter has supported affordable housing in the White Bear and Stillwater areas in 2022. We came to the White Bear Lake City Council with allies from the school community to say YES to affordable housing in the Shafer Richardson “Barnum 2” proposal at the corner of Hoffman and County Road E.

While the Council did not support the use of city tax resources for the affordable proposal the builder brought forward, we were able to point the developer in the direction of a Ramsey County affordable fund that was able to put affordable units back into the project! In Stillwater we have been assisting the Homeless Strategy and Advocacy Team who have been advocating at the council for a Washington County emergency transitional housing project. That group has been meeting with councilmembers and slowly building the support necessary. 

We also have been working on the Purple Line Bus Rapid Transit project. The 2021 election brought new members to the White Bear City Council, some of whom had campaigned on opposition to the Purple Line. Our chapter organizer, John Slade, is on the Met Council’s advisory team, and brought together transit advocates to push the project forward. We know that housing and transit go hand in hand, and we support both.

We gave our Community Hero award this year to Carlos Gantchoff, who recently left the St Andrew’s Community Resource Center, where he had served as the Executive Director. Carlos took the Minnesota Snowbird thing a little too seriously and moved to Arizona permanently! We will miss him and his advocacy and know that his home state (and his family) will appreciate him being back.