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Wednesday October 4, 2023

THE MINNESOTA HOUSING INDUSTRY NEWS SOURCE BY HOUSING FIRST MINNESOTA

Housing on the Hill

  • Transforming zoning to add housing supply 

    Transforming zoning to add housing supply 

    Q&A with St. Paul Planning Commissioner Nate Hood  Nate Hood is a dad, husband, urban planner, St. Paul Planning Commissioner, and an aspiring developer and stand-up comic. He owns and self-manages rental properties and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Q. What drew you to serve on the St. Paul Planning Commission?  NH: In 2016, I… Read More

  • Judge hears building permit profit lawsuit

    Judge hears building permit profit lawsuit

    The suit alleges millions of dollars were collected by municipalities by overcharging permits and inspection services.  Hennepin County Judge Francis Magill heard arguments in the lawsuits alleging the cities of Corcoran and Dayton overcharged for new residential building permits. The lawsuits were brought by Housing First Minnesota, publisher of Housing Industry News. The April 7… Read More

  • DFL majorities move to adopt liability shift language in labor omnibus bill

    DFL majorities move to adopt liability shift language in labor omnibus bill

    Following more than a week of closed-door negotiations between members of the Jobs, Economic Development, and Labor Conference Committee, the language of the agreement between the House and the Senate was released Friday morning and adopted by the committee that night. Energy code chaos The House version originally contained language that would have created a… Read More

  • Housing omnibus bill passed with $1 billion in new investments, metro sales tax

    Housing omnibus bill passed with $1 billion in new investments, metro sales tax

    On Sunday evening, the Housing Conference Committee rolled out the agreed-upon deal on the housing omnibus bill between the House and the Senate. The language includes a record $1 billion in investments for housing programs, a new metro area sales tax increase, and a noticeable lack of policy. Funds for housing opportunities An investment plan… Read More

  • House passes housing omnibus bill, punts on zoning modernization

    House passes housing omnibus bill, punts on zoning modernization

    The legislature is spending the final weeks of the 2023 legislative session consumed with debate on various finance and policy omnibus bills. On Wednesday night, the House of Representatives heard the housing omnibus bill, HF 2335 (Howard). The bill would appropriate $1.07 billion over the 2024-25 biennium to housing-related programs. Amendments regarding zoning heard During… Read More

  • Mid-session legislative round-up on housing

    Mid-session legislative round-up on housing

    In March, DFL leaders from the House and Senate introduced its ‘All Roads Lead Back to Home‘ plan, a series of proposals aimed at addressing homelessness, investments in development infrastructure, and various rental support programs. Several stand-alone bills are moving on several issues relating to housing regulatory and workforce policies. In many other states, lifting… Read More

  • Improving efficiencies and enhancing services at DLI

    Improving efficiencies and enhancing services at DLI

    Q & A with DLI Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach Q: The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) plays a key role in the housing industry. What are your top priorities as commissioner of DLI? NB: DLI continues to seek ways to improve our efficiencies and services to stakeholders. This legislative session, our agency has several licensing… Read More

  • Zoning modernization takes first steps at Capitol

    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

  • Bill proposing ban on single-family rental construction garners national attention

    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

  • Bill on Zoning Changes Heard at the Legislature

    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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