Developers behind a suburban housing project under investigation have made little progress acquiring land and building homes despite collecting millions of dollars from East African community members, court documents show.  The details were revealed in an April deposition filed in court transcribing excerpts of an interview between investigators and Nolosha CEO Abdiwali Abdullahi. The documents indicate that Nolosha must clear several hurdles before it can buy a 37-acre plot of land and start construction, and that the owners have haphazardly collected salaries from a cash reserve of pay ..read more

The Lino Lakes City Council voted Monday evening to halt development of a Muslim-focused community that has drawn resistance from several residents, and allegations from supporters that Islamophobia is delaying progress.  The council voted 4-1 to enforce a moratorium after listening to impassioned comments from project detractors and supporters, and after one council member’s comments sparked profanity from the audience. Mayor Rob Rafferty and Council Members Chris Lyden, Michael Ruhland and Dale Stoesz voted in favor of the moratorium. Council Member Tony Cavegn voted against the measur ..read more

The developers behind a proposed Muslim-centric community in Lino Lakes — as well as the current owner of the land — pushed back on city plans to put the project on hold. Following a public outcry over the Madinah Lakes development, which includes more than 400 homes, businesses and a mosque, the Lino Lakes City Council voted in late June to move forward with a one-year moratorium. A second and final reading on the moratorium is set for July 8. If passed, it will go into effect in August.  At a news conference Tuesday, Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-I ..read more

A planned Lakeville housing development aimed at Somali families is under investigation by both state and federal agencies, officials confirmed this week. In a legal motion filed Thursday, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office says Nolosha Development has twice refused to provide investigatory documents — including a list of its customers, their contracts, refund requests, and the company’s marketing materials.  The motion alleges that not only is Nolosha collecting money from prospective buyers without a real estate license, but that the owners are spending money lavishly on salaries ..read more

A planned Lakeville housing development aimed at Somali families is under investigation by both state and federal agencies, officials confirmed this week. In a legal motion filed Thursday, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office says Nolosha Development has twice refused to provide investigatory documents — including a list of its customers, their contracts, refund requests, and the company’s marketing materials.  The motion alleges that not only is Nolosha collecting money from prospective buyers without a real estate license, but that the owners are spending money lavishly on salaries ..read more

A Minneapolis nonprofit housing developer broke ground Thursday on a six-story mixed-use building on the site of a Wells Fargo branch destroyed in the unrest following George Floyd’s murder. The new Opportunity Crossing complex is another piece of the redevelopment of the Nicollet Avenue intersection that saw multiple businesses damaged or destroyed, including an aging Kmart.  Nonprofit Project for Pride in Living (PPL) led the $61.6 million development, which will include 85 apartment units for large families, as well as a Wells Fargo branch, Afro Deli, Dominic’s Tax Service, a quincean ..read more

The state Department of Labor is investigating a planned suburban housing development aimed at East African immigrants, according to an email obtained by Sahan Journal.  A tipster earlier this month alerted the state Department of Labor that 160 clients had paid $25,000 to reserve a future home in Nolosha’s planned community in Lakeville, where the company aims to build 160 housing units, a mosque, a school, restaurants, and more. But Nolosha Development does not own the 37-acre parcel, and lacks both a building license and a real estate license, according to state records.  Nolosha ..read more

Two nonprofits broke ground Tuesday on a new $25 million building in south Minneapolis that will provide 54 shelter beds along with 50 apartments for those transitioning out of homelessness. The project, supported by state and federal funds, grew out of a collaboration between Agate Housing and Services, which works with unhoused people; and Minneapolis-based Trellis, which develops affordable housing.  The four-story building is just off Minnehaha Avenue and Lake Street East, near a shopping complex that includes Target and Cub and a Blue Line light-rail station. It will open to residen ..read more

The state Department of Labor is investigating a planned suburban housing development aimed at East African immigrants, according to an email obtained by Sahan Journal.  A tipster earlier this month alerted the state Department of Labor that 160 clients had paid $25,000 to reserve a future home in Nolosha’s planned community in Lakeville, where the company aims to build 160 housing units, a mosque, a school, restaurants, and more. But Nolosha Development does not own the 37-acre parcel, and lacks both a building license and a real estate license, according to state records.  Nolosha ..read more

Growing up in north Minneapolis, Devean George gained grit and a “hard-work ethic” from parents who worked two jobs each while supporting his basketball dreams. When George retired from the NBA, after a career that included three championship runs with the Los Angeles Lakers, he turned to real estate development — working on projects that brought him back to the community that nurtured him. “I saw my community, which my dad still lives in, getting worse [with] more abandoned buildings,” he said. That fueled his passion to “start here at home.”  On Tuesday, George join ..read more