When the Minneapolis City Council adopted its inclusionary zoning ordinance, together with its Unified Housing Policy, in late 2018 there was optimism that the ordinance would result in the creation of much needed affordable housing in the city. The ordinance mandates a minimum percentage of 10-20 percent of units within multifamily buildings be affordable where
Cities Making it Harder to Supply Affordable Housing
The fact that Minnesota, and especially the metropolitan region of St. Paul/Minneapolis, is experiencing a severe affordable housing crisis is not disputed. The Metropolitan Council recently released data documenting that the metro region of Minnesota is growing substantially but that the supply of new housing, affordable across a broad range of housing types, is lagging.
Introducing a New Podcast Series
Finding the Future: Innovations in Land Use and Sustainability
Picture the future. Does it include automated vehicles? Will we fly from place to place in personal pods like in the sci-fi movies we have watched? What else does the future hold and who will shape it? Land planners predict the future will be shaped
Bloomington’s Plans for the Ultimate “Wow!” Waterpark.
For years, developers and planners have tried to figure out the best way to add a waterpark to Mall of America. The mall already boasts Nickelodeon Universe, the largest indoor amusement park in the country. Now, plans for a waterpark are getting serious. The city of Bloomington recently selected Provident Resources Group, a national nonprofit
Who Pays for Regulation of Housing?
When policymakers debate new regulatory policies, including those relating to housing, invariably someone will identify that such regulations come at a price, oftentimes a high price. This usually triggers the response that complying with the regulations will be the “greedy” developer/builder’s problem and they can simply take it out of their profits. It’s a nice,
While Rome Burns…
Earlier this year, Housing First MN, a Minnesota trade group that advocates for the interests of the housing industry and homeowners, issued a powerful report entitled Priced Out: The True Cost of Minnesota’s Broken Housing Market (full disclosure: the author represents this organization). The report confirms what others have speculated about in recent years
City Response to Affordable Housing Problem: Tax Housing Developers
News publications across the country have affirmed the existence of a near-crisis in providing affordable housing options for first-time homebuyers and low-income housing consumers. Mayoral elections in Minneapolis and St. Paul emphasized the need to address this problem. There are numerous private for-profit and nonprofit housing developers who would love to serve this market; indeed
Will Property Owners Finally Be Allowed Immediate Entry Into Federal Court on Regulatory Taking Claims?
For more than 30 years, a property owner who claimed that a regulatory action by the government amounted to a compensable taking under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been required to litigate the issue in state court first, before being allowed to gain entry to federal court. The 1985 case of Williamson
New Local Leaders Emphasize Importance of Housing Affordability Problem
In cities and towns across Minnesota, newly elected mayors and city council members assumed their positions Jan. 1. While each official typically has a list of policy objectives to be pursued during his or her term, an increase of affordable housing to meet growing demand is frequently on the top of the list. This year
Can You Avoid the Development Contract Trap?
Virtually all local government jurisdictions in the United States follow a development code when evaluating a proposed development application (Houston, Texas is a notable exception, along with rural townships dominated by traditional agricultural uses). Rather than follow the dictates of their respective development codes, however, a growing number of jurisdictions compel that some types of