Following months of conversation sparked by the August Star Tribune piece on exclusionary housing practices in the Twin Cities, Representative Steve Elkins (DFL, Bloomington) officially introduced a first-of-its kind “Legalizing Affordable Housing Act”, HF3256, on Thursday.
The bill was referred to the Local Government Division in the House of Representatives and is expected to receive a hearing in the coming weeks. The Senate companion bill is expected to be introduced shortly as well.
In describing his bill Rep. Elkins said, “The institutional barriers to the construction of affordable housing which are embedded in municipal zoning ordinances are recognized as nationwide issues, however, there are peculiarities in Minnesota zoning and property tax laws that pose unique challenges. These laws have not been scrutinized by the legislature for over 25 years and it’s time for reform.”
Rep. Elkins went on to describe the “abuses” that his “Legalizing Affordable Housing Act” bill is designed to address include zoning provisions which:
- Require large minimum lot sizes in which only expensive executive homes can be built on them.
- Require large minimum home sizes
- Require every new home to have a three-car garage
- Require every new home to be faced with stone, brick or hardiplank
- Require that excessive amounts of land be set aside as open space without compensation to the homebuilder
- Require that excessive amounts of land be that set aside for larger than necessary wide roads
- Prohibit duplexes or granny flats
- Allow NIMBYs to block the construction of multifamily housing – even new senior housing, and even when the city’s own comprehensive plan allows it.
The extensive bill calls for many positive changes in planning and zoning at the local level, limits on aesthetic mandates, caps dedication fees, makes changes to building permit structures and reporting, adjusts the disclosure of energy code paybacks, but also authorizes impact fees and street improvement districts.
Since September, the bipartisan and bicameral Legislative Commission on Housing Affordability has gone through the draft version of the bill and has also been hearing from housing experts from across the state about the issues that are facing Minnesota families.
“There is currently a severe shortage of entry-level starter homes for millennial generation families, who have now reached the age where they are forming new families and trying, often in vain, to purchase their first family home,” Elkins elaborated. “Most of the new housing being built today is at price points that are far beyond the reach of young families and as a result, the marketplace competition for the existing stock of starter homes is fierce, leading to a sharp escalation in the prices of small older homes.”
For years, your Housing First Minnesota advocacy team has been working with legislators from both parties and all four caucuses to address the ever-rising costs of land and municipal fees. Look for deep discussions at the Capitol and a renewed push to address housing issues in the 2022 legislative session. Follow @HFMNAdvocacy for frequent legislative updates.
