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City Council Discussing Affordable Housing

 Impact Lvl 1: Diversity and Inclusion ; Housing
Lvl 2: Governance/Public Policy
Public Pinned Report on City of Rochester Home Ownership Creation Program led by City of Rochester, MN
Last modified: September 21, 2017

Contents

Highlights

City Council's Committee at Large discussed Affordable Housing and Councilman Michael Wojcik's counter proposal. 

Contents

City Staff's Draft

Committee At Large reviewed the following staff document.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Councilman Michael Wojcik's Counter Proposal

 

 

Extract from his blog

A comprehensive affordable housing policy

  CITY COUNCIL, ISSUES

 

The staff proposal on affordable housing was a start, but not even close to what is needed in the community. I will not just criticize, I will also propose solutions. In this case I start with “do what the experts said” and go from there. Every one of the policies below would increase the supply of affordable housing even if the reason is not obvious. Obviously this is just an overview of policies, I really do want your feedback on these. I fully expect to be criticized for any number of these, but don’t want to be another official ignoring the severity of the issue.

Here is a far more comprehensive view set of policies:

Unit Generation:

  • Inclusionary Zoning – Implement Grounded Solutions report recommendations, study what additional capacity the market can support. Contrary to staff statements Inclusionary Zoning can be accomplished without direct inter-unit subsidies. This was clearly covered in the Grounded Solutions Report. Accommodations can be made to adjust for the style and size of affordable units without sacrificing unit numbers of forcing subsides from other properties.
  • Site identification – Public bodies in the Rochester area should categorize and prioritize sites for additional housing. Often excess land would allow for low or no cost development of housing. New public facilities should integrate housing as a more effective and sustainable style of development.
  • Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) – ADUs should be allowed on appropriate sites in the situation where the primary housing is owner occupied. A loss of owner occupied status should result in a loss of ADU rights.
  • Condo Creation – State law recently changed to greatly improve the ability for developers to create condos. This is critical for affordable home ownership. The days of single family detached homes for under $200k are likely over. However, condos in the $100k to $200k are very possible.
  • Permit Manufactured Homes – Manufactured homes have come a long way from the traditionally shunned mobile home parks. These products are now more affordable, more sustainable, and often more efficient. In short, they are high quality and should be an option.

Unit Preservation:

  • CDBG Maximization – Place all non-administrative Community Development Block Grants funds into the revolving loan fund. It is important to realize that because we charge an interest rate the covers inflation, these funds remain a source of housing affordability forever. Consider loan forgiveness in exchange for community land trust designation.
  • Rental Caps – Place a neighborhood by neighborhood or block by block cap on rentals of single family detached housing. This will eliminate the issue of speculators and investors removing affordable housing from the market and help to stabilize prices.
  • Required Preservation of Units – No project should be allowed to reduce the net availability of natural or structured housing at any AMI level. Replacement units should be created on site, remotely, or TIF capture should be used.

Financial incentives:

  • Fee fairness – Fees should be set to cover actual costs of providing services. Some fees such at the Sewer Connection Charge are heavily subsidized by a customer charge that is applied to even citizens of Rochester living in poverty. In short, the poorest among us subsidize million dollar homes.
  • Fee Incentives – Fee reductions should be used to prioritize the creation and preservation of housing units. Fee reductions should not be universal to all units, but rather should apply to affordable units, further reductions could be offered in exchange for long term affordability arrangements such as Community Land Trust restrictions.
  • Infrastructure Finance – Non-State-Aid street infrastructure should not be accepted as public infrastructure without first ensuring that city property taxes generate will cover shared needs and the full costs of capital maintenance. Those streets that fail to meet this threshold must remain private infrastructure.

Equity:

  • Focus on Accessibility – Most single story subsidized units should meet minimum accessibility and visitability standards.  Those where this could be exempted should be based only on issues pertaining to efficient layout due to design or topography.
  • Relocation assistance – Should be required in the event of elimination of natural or structured affordable housing. This should apply to all projects receiving subsidies or incentives.
  • Wages – The city should review minimum wage policy to close the gap between full-time base wage and affordable housing standard income for a 1-person household. ($19,760 to $30,150) $12.00 = $24,960, $13.50 = $28,080, $15 = $31,200.

Communication:

  • Information Storage / Communication – rochestermn.gov/housing should be created to store and make available information related to housing policy. This would include annual reports, studies, AMI / Affordability tables and relevant policies.
  • HRA leadership – Should be leading these efforts, but so far have not generated a single affordable unit, they have staff & resources. They should be publicly crafting policies. Further they should uniquely focus on the 30% AMI units as the are perhaps the only unit of government with the resources to do so.
  • Community Advisory Committee – Publicly draft policies, provide oversight, ensure execution, and evaluate effectiveness. We should not continue down the road of having public policy crafted in secrecy. We need to advance these policies and if they fail to get 4 votes on the council either refine the policy or revisit after elections.

 

 

 

 

What is TIF?

 

 

 

  

 

Related Reports

 

Other City of Rochester Home Ownership Creation Program Pinned Reports

December 14, 2024 : City Housing Support
Impact Lvl1: Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy, Housing
Impact Lvl2:

Home Ownership Creation Program - Prairie Ridge: "NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Common Council of the City of Rochester, MN hereby approves the contribution of $4,000,000 to the Prairie Ridge development to support the creation of 201 for-sale homes via the Home Ownership Creation Program.

 PB Reporting regarding TIF $14M Requests (Sherman and Prairie Ridge) 2024-12-14 


April 22, 2024 : Mayowood Phase II for fee waivers
Impact Lvl1: Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:

Allocate $272,959.00 to Mayowood Phase II for fee waivers (frees funding for Home Ownership creation program)

2. Allocate $ 272,967 to revolving Abatement program for homeowners


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Pinned City of Rochester, MN organization and project reports

. Project Report of City of Rochester Home Ownership Creation Program : December 14, 2024 : City Housing Support
Impact Lvl1: Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy, Housing
Impact Lvl2:

Home Ownership Creation Program - Prairie Ridge: "NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Common Council of the City of Rochester, MN hereby approves the contribution of $4,000,000 to the Prairie Ridge development to support the creation of 201 for-sale homes via the Home Ownership Creation Program.

 PB Reporting regarding TIF $14M Requests (Sherman and Prairie Ridge) 2024-12-14 


Organization Report: December 05, 2024 : City of Rochester, MN Mayor's Medal of Honor Recipients
Impact Lvl1: Civic Engagement, Commitment
Impact Lvl2:

Mayor Norton Honors 2024 Mayor's Medal of Honor Recipients

Mayor Norton Honors 2023 Mayor's Medal of Honor Recipients

Mayor Norton Honors 2022 Mayor's Medal of Honor Recipients


Project Report of Rochester Vision 2050 : October 02, 2024 : Rochester Vision 2050
Impact Lvl1: Arts & Culture, Best Practice, Caring Relationship, Civic Engagement, Co-design, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Education, OpenBeam, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

Call for inputs: Mayor Norton YouTube Messages

Vision 2050 AI-Powered Interactive Survey LINK

Mayor Norton Memo to the Public

 


Organization Report: September 30, 2024 : Economic Vibrancy & Growth Management
Impact Lvl1: Business Process, Civic Engagement, Commitment, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Governance/Public Policy, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Recreation & Open Space, Transportation, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

City teammates providing an update on this work, specifically regarding legacy public infrastructure projects, Unbound, infrastructure investments and regulatory milestones.  


Project Report of Targeted Business Enterprise Utilization : August 05, 2024 : Second Half 2024 Targeted Business Enterprise Utilization Plan Reports
Impact Lvl1: CMRC, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Housing, OpenBeam, Workforce Development
Impact Lvl2:

3Q2024: July 2024 Admin Message and Reports

 

 


Project Report of Rochester Vision 2050 : August 02, 2024 : Rochester Vision 2050
Impact Lvl1: Arts & Culture, Best Practice, Caring Relationship, Civic Engagement, Co-design, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Education, OpenBeam, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

The visioning effort calls for soliciting broad community input to help propose desired strategic initiatives based on desired outcomes through 2050.


Project Report of Targeted Business Enterprise Utilization : July 01, 2024 : First Half 2024 Targeted Business Enterprise Utilization Plan Reports
Impact Lvl1: Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Housing, Workforce Development
Impact Lvl2:

2Q 2024: June 2024; May 2024 - Admin Message, TBE Report; April 2024 - Admin Message, TBE Report

1Q 2024: Feb 2024 - Admin Message, TBE Report; Jan 2024: Admin Message, TBE Report

Special callouts: Women in Construction; City of Rochester Equity in Development 


Project Report of City of Rochester: 2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan : June 26, 2024 : City of Rochester - Justice, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (JEDI) Audit Status
Impact Lvl1: Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy, Metrics
Impact Lvl2:

June 24, 2024 City Council Study Session: Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Audit per Goodenough 

Departmental Audit reports of: Human Resources; Rochester Public Library; Parks & Rec 

 


Project Report of City of Rochester: 2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan : June 20, 2024 : Community Building Fund
Impact Lvl1: Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Funding, Governance/Public Policy, Housing, OpenBeam
Impact Lvl2:

The City of Rochester welcomes applications for the Community Building Fund.  This fund is all about supporting projects, programs, and events in the city that actively promote equity and inclusion.


Organization Report: April 27, 2024 : 2024 Destination Medical Center (DMC) Updates
Impact Lvl1: Consultancy, Economic Development, Medical Services, Recreation & Open Space, STEM, Workforce Development, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

DMC Updates April 29 Presentation to City Council Study Session 

Transit Village

Business Development

Historic District


Project Report of City of Rochester Home Ownership Creation Program : April 22, 2024 : Mayowood Phase II for fee waivers
Impact Lvl1: Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:

Allocate $272,959.00 to Mayowood Phase II for fee waivers (frees funding for Home Ownership creation program)

2. Allocate $ 272,967 to revolving Abatement program for homeowners


Project Report of Equity in the Built Environment (Bloomberg) : April 01, 2024 : EBE Presentation to City Council Study Session
Impact Lvl1: Diversity and Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, Education, Workforce Development
Impact Lvl2: C2C: Post-Secondary, C2C: Workforce Participation

1. Part of Feb 26, 2024 City Council Study Session on DEI: Presentation Slides include actions and measures to City Council Study Session and Link to City Council video 

2. Career Opportunities for Women of Color


Project Report of City of Rochester: 2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan : March 21, 2024 : Requests for Action Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan
Impact Lvl1: Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:

City Council Approved Requests for City Council Approval of two DEI Contracts: 

Contract 1: 2024: Professional Development: Cultural Humility Series $41.3K; 

Contact 2 : Critical Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Audit ($30K); Cultural Humility Professional Development Series: Digging Deeper $13.5K ;  

Video clip of council discussions and voting and related info about GoodEnough.


Project Report of Update Intercultural Cities Initiative (ICI) Index : March 19, 2024 : Action Request March 18, 2024
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Caring Relationship, Commitment, CMRC, Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy, International, Intelligence, Mediation, OpenBeam, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

Comment at the 3/18/2024 City Council Meeting:

To act on September 21, 2020 council resolutions for the city staff to develop a Intercultural City action plan.  


Project Report of Planning To Succeed: Rochester 2040 Comprehensive Plan (P2S) : March 18, 2024 : P2S Implementation and Comprehensive Plan Request for Proposal
Impact Lvl1: Business Process, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:

P2S Implementation Report

P2S Update Request for Proposal 


Organization Report: March 04, 2024 : City Council: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Updates; Housing; International Relations
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Co-design, Disabilities, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Governance/Public Policy, Housing, Metrics, Workforce Development
Impact Lvl2:

DEI Presentation Topics: Language Access and Accessibility; Equity in the Built Environment; 2024 Initiatives

Economic Development Incentives for Housing

Mayor Updates: Black History Month, Luther College: Mutable City; International Relations Committee


Organization Report: January 25, 2024 : Announcing two new part-time roles to ensure accessible services to all communities.
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Civic Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy, PPE
Impact Lvl2:

Two parttime roles

Community Connector – Somali Speaking

Community Connector – Spanish Speaking

 


Project Report of Equity in the Built Environment (Bloomberg) : January 10, 2024 : Trade Readiness
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Governance/Public Policy, Workforce Development, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

1. PB Reporting Empowering 11th-grade students

2. Trade Readiness: Message from program manager and program flyers; Trades Readiness Certificate program

3. Video recording at Jan 10. 2024 Equity Alliance Talk 

4. Star Tribune Feb 17, 2024 Reporting


Project Report of Targeted Business Enterprise Utilization : May 25, 2023 : Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Barriers Study
Impact Lvl1: CMRC, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, OpenBeam, Workforce Development
Impact Lvl2:

(1) DBE Study Session to City Council April 17, 2023 , (2) Memo to DMCC Board; 


Project Report of City of Rochester Initiates New Budget Process and Publishes Digital Format : August 27, 2022 : Rochester, MN 2023 Budget Supplemental Budget
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Governance/Public Policy, Housing
Impact Lvl2:

2022-08-22 City Council Study Session on 2023 Supplemental Budget


Project Report of Sustainability and Resiliency Action Plan : March 03, 2022 : Green Business Recognition Program
Impact Lvl1: Clean Air & water, Diversity and Inclusion, Health, Sustainability
Impact Lvl2:

An initiative to recognize local businesses for taking strides toward sustainability.


Project Report of Equity in the Built Environment (Bloomberg) : February 03, 2022 : 2021- 2022 Global Mayors Challenge Status Reports
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Governance/Public Policy, Workforce Development, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

 (1) Updates to Feb. 2022 DMCC Board; 

(2) 2022-01-18 Press Release City of Rochester Winner;

(3) September 2021 DMC Presentation;

(4) References: 90 Second Pitch Video, Public Media 


Project Report of Planning To Succeed: Rochester 2040 Comprehensive Plan (P2S) : January 19, 2022 : Planning 2 Succeed 2022
Impact Lvl1: Diversity and Inclusion, Housing, Transportation, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

City of Rochester 2022 Actions extracted from the city website. 

 


Project Report of Sustainability and Resiliency Action Plan : June 17, 2021 : Sustainable, Resilient Rochester
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Clean Air & water, Economic Development, Health, Housing, Sustainability, Transportation
Impact Lvl2:

Sustainability Task Force: Presentations to CMRC, Housing and Feedback from survey and action plan


Organization Report: March 17, 2021 : City of Rochester, MN Study Session on DEI
Impact Lvl1: Civic Engagement, Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Governance/Public Policy, Intelligence, Neighborhood, Pandemic, Transportation
Impact Lvl2:

Rochester City Council session on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion


Project Report of Update Intercultural Cities Initiative (ICI) Index : September 22, 2020 : Intercultural Cities Initiative (ICI) Major Milestone
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, OpenBeam, Technology Enablement, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

(1) City Council approved ICI Resolution

(2) City Council Study Session on ICI Index  


Project Report of City of Rochester Initiates New Budget Process and Publishes Digital Format : September 15, 2020 : City of Rochester Initiates New Budget Process and Publishes Digital Format
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Governance/Public Policy, Housing
Impact Lvl2:

2021 Budget Discussions


Project Report of Update Intercultural Cities Initiative (ICI) Index : August 20, 2020 : ICI index draft released for City Council review
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Diversity and Inclusion, Economic Development, OpenBeam, Technology Enablement, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

  The City of Rochester, in partnership with the Diversity Council and others, announced the release of the draft Intercultural Cities Initiative program index report and an upcoming virtual site visit. 


Project Report of Update Intercultural Cities Initiative (ICI) Index : January 30, 2020 : Intercultural Cities Initiative (ICI) Presentation to City Council Study Group
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Diversity and Inclusion, Technology Enablement, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

Updating the city council on the ICI workgroup summary of ICI data. 


Project Report of Update Intercultural Cities Initiative (ICI) Index : June 15, 2018 : Mayor Brede signed ICI pledge
Impact Lvl1: Best Practice, Business Process, Diversity and Inclusion, Vision/Identity
Impact Lvl2:

On Wednesday, June 13th, 2018 at 11:00 am, the Journey to Growth team, the City of Rochester and citizens of Rochester will gather in the City Hall Atrium for a special Signing Ceremony, designating Rochester as the first U.S. City to join the Council of Europe’s ICI (Intercultural Cities Initiative) program.


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