In an effort to solve Minnesota’s housing crisis, state lawmakers have a new bill on the books that would allow more housing units in more parts of the state. But not everyone is on board.
Here’s Five Fast Facts About Minnesota’s New Housing Bill:
- 🏡 Homecoming - The bipartisan-backed bill (really!) would override local rules that mandate minimum lot sizes, single family homes, and costly aesthetic building materials. It would allow for “missing middle” housing and lower construction costs.
- 🏘️ Rockin’ the Suburbs - The bill would allow the development of six types of housing other than single-family detached homes on residential lots. They would include duplexes, townhomes, courtyard apartments, and small cottage homes, among others.
- 🧱 Size Doesn’t Matter - It would also bar cities from architectural requirements, square footage, garage sizes, and lot sizes, along with parking requirements.
- 🏠 Nope - Local governments aren’t too happy with this. They point to relaxed local zoning controls, a strain on municipal infrastructure and a lack of public input on the developments. They also cite safety concerns.
- 🛖 Frenemies - The bill has massive support among citizens in the state and it’s created some strange bedfellows. A group called Minnesotans for More Homes includes realtors, home builders, Habitat for Humanity, the state Chamber of Commerce, the Sierra Club, transit advocates, the Minnesota Housing Partnership, and a group known as Neighbors for For Neighbors. This is like the Starks teaming up with the Lannisters.
🔥Bottom line: There’s a lot going on here. People need a place to live, but having the state tell them what their neighborhoods should look like may not be the best way to go about it. There’s no telling how this is going to shake out.
What do you think will happen?
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