HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.j. Metropolitan Council’s Amendment to the 2040 Housing Policy Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City Council Regular Meeting: May 5, 2015
AGENDA ITEM: Metropolitan Council’s Amendment to the
2040 Housing Policy Plan
AGENDA SECTION:
Consent
PREPARED BY: Kim Lindquist, Community Development
Director
AGENDA NO. 6.j.
ATTACHMENTS: Amendment to the Housing Policy Plan
Comments APPROVED BY: ddj
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Motion to Authorize staff to Submit Amendment to the
Housing Policy Plan Comments to the Metropolitan Council
SUMMARY
The City is required to submit their Comprehensive Plan to the Metropolitan (Met) Council by December
31, 2018 that supports the growth of Rosemount to 36,300 residents. To provide guidance for all
communities on the content of their Comprehensive Plans, the Met Council has adopted the Thrive 2040
document on May 28, 2014 including population, household and employment forecast for each
community. The Metropolitan Council adopted their Housing Policy Plan and now is coming forward
with some revisions to the Plan, dealing primarily with the affordable housing allocation for communities.
Staff has attended one Metro Cities meeting on the topic and at the meeting there was a presentation on
the Amendment.
Amendment
The Amendment provides some of the information staff had initially asked for during review of the
Housing Policy Plan. Namely the amount of affordable housing goal is defined although the number is
quite high, at 832 units representing 34.6% of all new household growth projected. Further Rosemount’s
affordability number is tenth highest in the entire Metropolitan area, including Minneapolis and St. Paul.
This number is greater than what would be anticipated by staff and does not appear reasonable. This
affordable housing goal again raises the issue of transit improvements and other service provision in the
community, should the City work to attain the housing goal.
The amendment information does not provide the Housing Performance Score survey which has been
requested previously. All indications are the survey will be revamped and taking on more prominence in
regional decision-making. The most recent change is that it will be considered in the allocation of regional
transportation dollars.
These comments are included in the attached comment letter along with the concern that there are not
enough tools available to communities like Rosemount to meet housing affordability goals. As we have
seen in the last decade, the market has the greatest influence on housing growth and cost, not local or
regional policies.
The Metropolitan Council Community Development Committee with hold a public hearing on Monday
May 4, 2015 on the proposed amendment. Final comments being accepted until May 15, 2015.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize staff to submit comments regarding the draft
Amendment to the Housing Policy Plan-May 2015. A link to the Metropolitan Council page which
provides the amendment information is: http://www.metrocouncil.org/News-
Events/Housing/Events/Housing-Policy-Plan-Amendment-Public-Hearing.aspx
2
September 26, 2014May 5, 2015
Mr. Adam Duininck, Chair
Metropolitan Council
390 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55101
RE: 2040 Housing Policy Plan Amendment May 2015
Dear Mr. Duininck:
The purpose of this letter is to submit comments to the Metropolitan Council from the City of
Rosemount on the 2040 Housing Policy Plan Amendment-May 2015. We have reviewed the draft
Amendment and appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback. The City of Rosemount’s
comments follow:
• The previous Housing Policy Plan was released without the revised Housing Performance
Score survey, the methodology for determining the local affordable housing needs, and the
Comprehensive Plan review criteria. The Amendment addresses two of the three stated
items, but again does not provide the revised Housing Performance Score survey. It is
unclear why the Survey contents are undetermined when the Survey is considered by the
Agency as an important tool for future decision making, such as for regional transportation
funding. The City continues to request a draft of the Survey with the ability for future
dialogue.
• The amount of affordable housing for the City of Rosemount will be difficult to achieve as it
represents 34.6% of all new housing projected in the community until 2030. The City is not
opposed to provision of affordable housing but does not have access to enough financial
tools to provide the amount projected in the Amendment. When Metropolitan Council staff
was asked about the inability to adequately meet goals of the Amendment, including the
provision of lands designated with higher densities, it was indicated that the City did not
have to participate in the Livable Communities Program. It is assumed that the Metropolitan
Council is not trying to prompt cities to drop out of the Livable Communities Program as a
result of the proposed policies. This is not an adequate response to the question about
setting reasonable goals.
• Staff was informed that the affordable housing numbers are adjusted for existing housing
stock and local employees. However, it was indicated that they were not adjusted for access
to transit since the overall regional model took transit into account. While the regional model
may consider transit, most of the transit continues to be centered in the central cities and
inner ring suburbs where land for development is scarcer. While Rosemount does not have
many transit opportunities, we have significant land available for development and therefore
have the tenth-highest affordable housing allocation of all communities included in the
1
seven county metro area. The City of Rosemount does not currently have the services
available to accommodate the 832 affordable housing households desired in the Plan. And
the region has made it clear that there will not be significant transit investments in
Rosemount in the near term.
• Staff was informed that rehabilitation of affordable housing units would receive credit in the
Housing Performance Score survey if the investment was made by the public sector rather
than the private sector. Rosemount questions why there is a differentiation. So long as
affordability is preserved, why does it matter how the unit rehabilitation was funded?
• Staff was informed that Metropolitan Council staff will be flexible in some areas of
implementation if previous local activities have resulted in affordable housing. The
document does not appear to provide for this stated “negotiated flexibility.””.
• Similar to our comment about the Housing Policy Plan, the Plan should be created to
provide flexibility, recognizing that the communities in the Metropolitan area are different
and one size will not fit all. Further, given the time horizon of the upcoming 2018-2040
Comprehensive Plan, the Housing Policy Plan should build in an ability to be more nimble.
As we experienced in the last decade, the economic downturn raised issues that were not
anticipated when the last policy plan was adopted. This inability to react adequately to
change created impediments to the City’s development goals.
• The City of Rosemount is indicating in this letter that we will strive to meet affordable
housing targets but we question whether there are adequate resources available to provide
over one-third of the City’s growth as affordable units.
We thank you for the opportunity to comment on the 2040 Housing Policy Plan Amendment-May
2015. We look forward to continue working with the Metropolitan Council on revising and creating
a Housing Policy Plan that will addresses the housing needs of a growing Rosemount and a growing
region.
Sincerely,
William H. Droste
Mayor
cc: Steven Chavez, District 15 Metropolitan Council Representative
Wendy Wulff, District 16 Metropolitan Council Representative
2