Agenda - Council - 10/24/1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Metropolitan Council Working for the Region, Planning for the Future October 23, 1995 Dear Local Official: . Now that our Livable Communities implementation program is fully underway, I thought it would be important to provide you with an update, and reaffirm the Metropolitan Council's commitment to the Metropolitan Livable Communities Act. Our first implementation step h~q been negotiating affordable and life-cycle housing goals. As the Council's staff has indicated to you, we believe we have a framework for goal-setting that is market based, reflects funding realities, and recognizes the abilities of local units of government to create an environment in which affordable and life cycle housing can occur. During our ncgotiatio0s, however, we have heard local officials express great concern about their limited ability to influence production of affordable and life cycle housing. We understand this concern. We also understand that the marketplace will contigue to play the primary role in determining how development occurs. In addition, we also know that limited reso~ces are available to help you meet your goals, therefore, you will not be penalized if resources do not materialize. As we move forward together in this process, it is important that you clearly understand our expectations. We believe cities should be accountable for their zoning and approval processes, and for pursuing available affordable housing resources. Therefore, we will expect you to exam.', e zoning and approval processes to determine what, if any, changes could be made to help create an environment Fol'de¥~l~o. ping affordable and life cycle housing. Once that is completed, we ~ould expect you to develop a~.~i,'on plan~tates your willingness to pursue available funding opportunities. ' ..~,o,t /7 ~ i '~' We understand that it takes time to build trust betv0e~l~fl/le~We also appreciate the fact that the law requires a rapid dec,sion-making process. We value and need yo~ ~X~l~r~t~on and feedback. In summary, we are entering into our discussions with high hopes and good faith intentions. We want you to know that your community will be held accountable only for those things that you control. We understand that the market and available resources [will continue to determine whether your goals are actually accomplished. We look forward to working together with you on this exciting and important effort. Craig R. Rapp Director, Community Development Division ClUmp Curt Johnson, Chair, Metropolitan Council Jim Solem, Regional Administrator, Metropolitan Council Metropolitan Council Members 230 East Fifth Street St. Paul, Mlhnesota 55101-1634 {612} 291-6359 Fax 291-6550 TDD/TTY 291-0904 Metrolnfo Line 229-3780 An Equal Opportunily Employer