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Projected affordablehousing needs <br />The Council provides the projected affordable housing needs for each community through the <br />Allocation of Affordable Housing Need, described earlier in Part III. Allocating future need within the <br />three bands of affordability allows communities to focus on the kinds of affordable housing that are <br />most needed in their community. These future needs must be considered as communities guide future <br />land uses in their comprehensive plan updates. The Metropolitan Land Planning Act specifically states <br />that housing elements contain “land use planning to promote the availability of land for the development <br />of low and moderate income housing.” (Minn. Stat. 473.859, subd. 2(c) ) <br />Land availability is measured in comprehensive plans by having enough land guided at high enough <br />densities to support the creation of affordable housing sufficient to meet a community’s Need. Higher <br />density promotes the availability of land for affordable housing in several ways: <br />Increased density correlates with reduced costs of developing new housing by reducing the per- <br />unit cost of land and fixed infrastructure. With limited resources for developing affordable <br />housing, mechanisms that reduce development costs promote new affordable housing. <br />Increased density creates more housing units overall. New market-rate or luxury units can still <br />promotethe availability of affordable housing by increasing the supply of all housing units. <br />Sites with higher density signal to affordable housing developers where communities are more <br />likely to support affordable housing proposals. <br />For context, of the multifamily affordable units built between 2003 and 2013 in developments with at <br />least four units affordable at 60% AMI or less, the average project density was more than 49 units per <br />acre. <br />Communities should guide an adequate supply of land at appropriate densities to meet their Allocation <br />of Affordable Housing Need. Communities have two ways to address the need for the 2021-2030 <br />decade: <br />Option 1: Guide sufficient land at a minimum density of 8 units/acre to meet the community’s <br />total Need. <br />OR <br />Option 2: Guide sufficient land at a minimum density of 12 units/acre to meet Need at 50% or <br />less of AMI (that is, the two lower affordability bands) and a minimum density of 6 units/acre to <br />meet need at 51%-80% AMI. <br />Communities that do not guide an adequate supply of land at appropriate densities to meet their <br />Allocation of Affordable Housing Need will be inconsistent with Council policy and will not be eligible to <br />participate in, and receive funding from, the LivableCommunities Act programs. These options allow <br />communities flexibility in how they guide land use to meet statutory requirements within the range of <br />community characteristics. Additionally, communities that choose Option 2 and have a demonstrated <br />history of creating affordable units at densities lower than 6 units/acre may guide land at lower <br />minimum densities (as low as 3-6 units/acre) when promoting land availability at the 51%-80% band of <br />affordability. <br />In addition to meeting the requirements of the Metropolitan Land Planning Act, these minimum <br />densities help create opportunities across the region for new affordable housing rather than only in the <br />older parts of the region that have higher densities. <br />Page - 11|METROPOLITAN COUNCIL <br /> <br />