Author: Kristen Ober
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St. Cloud community leaders gather to address workforce housing shortage
Community leaders in the St. Cloud area gathered at St. Cloud State University on March 23 to discuss the area’s growing workforce housing shortage. The event was hosted by St. Cloud State University’s School of Public Affairs and organized with additional support from United Way Central Minnesota, Central Minnesota Builders Association, CentraCare, St. Cloud Area […] Read More
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Zoning modernization takes first steps at Capitol
As the legislature moves into its third month of the 2023 session, Minnesota’s crisis-level housing supply challenge took its first step forward. Rep. Steve Elkins (DFL-Bloomington) authored HF 2235, a zoning modernization bill, calling it the ‘Legalize Affordable Housing Act’. The measure cleared its first hurdle, passing out of the House of Representatives Housing Committee. […] Read More
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Bill proposing ban on single-family rental construction garners national attention
As with any legislative session, a wide variety of issues are being discussed and debated. Among these are many housing-related issues. Recently, a bill to ban the construction of single-family for rent homes by corporations, has stood out as housing leaders look to address the state’s housing supply crisis. And now, this proposal has caught […] Read More
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New WOTUS Definition Released
In the closing days of 2022, the Biden administration released the final definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS), expanding which land use projects require federal permitting and review. “When Congress passed the Clean Water Act 50 years ago, it recognized that protecting our waters is essential to ensuring healthy communities and a thriving […] Read More
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Home Price Growth Stagnates as Rates Dampen Market Activity
Higher mortgage rates and overall affordability woes are leading to drop off in activity in the Twin Cities housing market on both the buyer and seller ends of the spectrum. Consequently, the median home price in the metro area saw a minute 0.6 percent growth to $342,000 in February. Moreover, the overall housing market is […] Read More
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Industry Celebrates Women in Construction Week
On average, women make over 90% of homebuying decisions. However, currently, women make up only 10% of the construction industry in the United States. The annual Women in Construction Weeks seeks to bring awareness to this disparity, celebrate women in the industry, and promote opportunities for more women to get involved in the trades. To celebrate Women […] Read More
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MnDOT Announces Start of Spring Load Restrictions
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced the start of Spring Load Restrictions (SLR). SLRs will begin in the following regions: MnDOT will continue to monitor and evaluate weather conditions to make further announcements regarding the start date of spring load restrictions in other zones. Full-summer overweight permits can be issued, during the spring load […] Read More
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Bill on Zoning Changes Heard at the Legislature
The leading zoning reform bill at the legislature, HF 2235 (Elkins), was heard in the Minnesota House Housing Committee on earlier this week. Among many things, the bill includes provisions that would: Nick Erickson, senior director of housing policy for Housing First Minnesota, was a testifier at the hearing and explained the significance of this […] Read More
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Winter load increases to end in certain zones
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced the ending of winter load increases (WLI) beginning next week. WLIs will expire in the South, Southeast, and Metro seasonal load limit zones on Monday, March 6 and 12:01 a.m. MnDOT will continue to monitor and evaluate weather conditions to make further announcements regarding the start date of […] Read More
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Minnesota Democrats unveil $3 billion housing plan
At a press conference this week, DFL members of the legislature introduced what they are calling a “transformational” and “bold” approach to solving the state’s housing crisis. Members from both the Senate and House unveiled “All Roads Lead Back to Home“, a proposal to spend $3 billion on new programs and funding to address child […] Read More
