Housing & Transportation
Franklin encampment crisis should spur us to do something about homelessness — Opinion
The recent Reformer article on the Franklin Street encampment highlighted the ongoing crisis of unsheltered homelessness, especially in the Indigenous community. There is undoubtedly a housing and homelessness crisis in Minneapolis and in communities all across Minnesota. State and local governments must invest in the services and infrastructure to address it on a systemic level. […]
Lawmaker looks to drive down housing costs by overriding local zoning laws
The so-called five L’s of homebuilding — land, lots, lumber, labor and laws — have driven new home construction prices in the Twin Cities far beyond what the typical household can afford: The median price of a new house in the 7-county metro area is $472,000. Rep. Steve Elkins, DFL-Bloomington, outlined a comprehensive housing affordability […]
They came to swing hammers. We came to talk housing policy.
A bipartisan group of Legislators tried out swinging hammers and working drills for a morning with Habitat for Humanity on Tuesday in St. Paul. Chris Coleman, CEO and president of the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, said the event was meant to bring lawmakers together to show what they have in common: housing for families. […]
Homeownership slips in Twin Cities as developers focus on apartments and high-end homes
For decades the Twin Cities has boasted one of the highest rates of homeownership in the nation. But a surge of demand and a lack of building — especially after the housing crash and Great Recession — have created an acute shortage of homes that are affordable for most Minnesotans. “Demand for lower-priced homes has long exceeded […]
Rent control ban passes Senate committee; lawmaker says Minneapolis is on path to ‘self-destruction’
A state ban on rent control passed out of the Senate Local Government Policy Committee on a voice vote Tuesday with Democratic-Farmer-Labor members calling for the Legislature to respect local control, while Republican members saying Minneapolis must be stopped from “self-destruction.” The move comes as the Minneapolis City Council pushes forward with a proposal to […]