St. Paul zoning changes pave the way for smaller homes, cottage clusters
Katie Galioto · StarTribune · 20 January 2022
“People have talked about ‘missing middle housing’ as being something that American cities could provide more of or support,” St. Paul Planning Director Luis Pereira said in a presentation to the St. Paul city council. “We’re talking about the lower-density scale of that — duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, cottage or courtyard housing options.”
More and more Twin Cities suburbs are creating programs to help people of color buy homes
Solomon Gustavo · MinnPost · 14 Jan 2022
Woodbury, St. Louis Park and Edina have launched programs, and Minnetonka is considering one.
Cities Need More Robust Data and Analysis to Better Address the Eviction Crisis
Andre Claudio · Route Fifty · 6 December 2021
A new report says that localities should build partnerships with courts and organizations to capture more types of data to spot and stop evictions.
County advancing plans to grow single room occupancy housing
Julia Welle Ayres · Hennepin County · 7 December 2021
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners recently adopted the Single Room Occupancy Taskforce Report, which lays the groundwork for an aggressive strategy to provide affordable housing for people in the lowest income categories.
When you look at these neighborhoods, what do you see?
MaryJo Webster and Michael Corey · StarTribune · 7 August 2021
The opposition to multifamily housing — and to the people who need to live there — stems in part from decades of local government land-use rules that prioritize single-family housing. Today, however, these rules are increasingly viewed as a major reason that Black and Latino families are essentially shut out of the vast majority of the Twin Cities.
Rent escrow requirement prevents tenants from challenging poor living conditions, lawyers say
Randy Furst · StarTribune · 26 November 2021
The practice of making tenants post back rent with the court to challenge an eviction on habitability issues is “draconian” and unconstitutional, according to an article in Bench & Bar Magazine, the publication of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Accessory Dwelling Units could make a big difference for veteran homelessness in the Twin Cities — if we just allow them to
Bill Lindeke · MinnPost · 18 November 2021
YardHomes, a new public benefit corporation, hopes to boost production of ADUs, and for the time being are specifically building them to house homeless veterans.
Officials say a shortage of housing, not jobs, is crimping economic development in Greater Minnesota
Walker Orenstein · MinnPost · 23 November 2021
To help its housing crunch, Roseau has had to take unusual measures, morphing essentially into a housing developer and bypassing the private sector. Now, the city is building a $6.8 million apartment complex that is almost entirely funded by the public.
As Minnesota confronts need for affordable housing, it should also celebrate success stories
Keith Luebke · MinnPost · 18 November 2021
With more than 5,700 housing units in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the suburbs, Aeon provides a wide range of housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and those with low incomes — the people who struggle most in a dysfunctional housing market.
Cities with empty offices see new room to expand housing
Janaki Chadha · Politico · 11 November 2021
After Covid, New York and other cities are weighing whether to convert empty office buildings into affordable housing.