Housing First Minnesota sent a letter to the City of Dayton regarding a proposed ordinance that would place a six-month moratorium on submitting, processing, and approving preliminary plats. The City Council will hold a public hearing on Proposed Ordinance 2026-12 on July 28, 2026, where Housing First Minnesota staff will be present.
Update: The council did not hold the public hearing and took no action on the proposed moratorium. Housing First Minnesota staff was present at the hearing.
The ordinance was proposed in response to city planning staff workload. The letter send by Housing First argues that the ordinance does not meet the legal requirements of an interim ordinance, as staffing is not an explicit rationale as required by Minnesota State Statute 462.355 Subd. 4 (e).
Dayton City staff also recommended that the City Council deny the proposed moratorium.
Housing First concurs with the city recommendation, stating, “Minnesota is grappling with a housing crisis, fueled by the shortage of available homes, condos, and apartments. Housing production is on the decline. Now is the worst time to enact a development moratorium.”
This proposal comes after the City of Lakeville passed a one-year moratorium on new housing construction in April.
