Agenda - Council - 01/24/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Housing & Economic Development L-------j Policies 3-A to 3-I: Introduction While the provision of housing is predominantly a private sector, market-driven activity, all levels of government—federal, state and local —have a role to play in facilitating the production and preservation of affordable housing in Minnesota. Adequate affordable housing is a significant concern for the metropolitan region and effective approaches require participation from all levels of government, the private sector and nonprofit groups. 3-A City Role in Housing All cities facilitate the development of housing via land use planning, zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations and rental licensing. Cities should have sufficient authority and flexibility to promote housing types that are best suited to meet local needs, public purposes and goals. While local government financial resources constitute a relatively small portion of the total costs of providing housing, many cities take on a significant administrative burden by providing financial incentives and regulatory relief, participating in state and regional housing programs and supporting either local or countywide housing and redevelopment authorities and community development agencies. Cities are responsible for much of the ground-level housing policy in Minnesota; including land use planning, code enforcement, rental licensing, and often times the packaging of financial incentives. Cities are also responsible for ensuring the health and safety of local residents and the structural soundness and livability of the local housing stock via building permits and inspections. It is the responsibility of cities to periodically review local requirements such as land use regulations and ordinances to ensure that they are consistent with these purposes. Metro Cities strongly opposes any effort to reduce, alter or interfere with cities' authority to carry out these functions in a locally determined manner. 2017 Legislative Policies 20