News
As stakeholders throughout the Twin Cities explore tools to address the affordable housing crisis, the Alliance’s Russ Adams weighed in with a commentary in the Star Tribune on December 4, countering the narrative from developers’ that an inclusionary zoning policy in Minneapolis could hinder production of affordable housing. In his Nov. 28 commentary, “Mpls. considers…
The Equitable Development Principles & Scorecard helps communities ensure that the principles and practices of equitable development, environmental justice, and affordability are available to all residents. As we have worked with local communities of color and low-income communities to pilot the Scorecard, a number of groups have chosen to adapt it to serve their communities’…
Back in July, the Alliance and Equity in Place submitted detailed comments on the draft Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan, calling for policy action steps that will directly address displacement; housing cost burdens borne by renters, people of color, and low wealth communities; problems experienced by low income renters such as poor maintenance, exploitive practices, and the…
Both the Alliance and Equity in Place responded directly to the Analysis of Housing Needs presented in the Minneapolis 2040 Draft Comprehensive Plan. The Alliance’s response focuses on the following items, highlighting missing or under-explained issues and offering policy action steps: • Loss of 15,000 affordable units since 2000 and the resultant displacement, • Extensive…
End-of-session legislation has gutted the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s ability to incorporate any community priorities when directing limited affordable housing resources. This legislation positions private developers to profit at the expense of low wealth and under-resourced communities. The Fort Snelling Upper Post project is one example of how damaging this shift in policy is and…
This article from CityLab highlights the housing crisis in Twin Cities suburbs, where available housing does not meet the needs of every community member. Arguments about how to improve access to affordable housing ignite anxieties about race and poverty as well as debates about density and “neighborhood character.” Nelima Sitati-Munene, Alliance board member and executive…
The term “inclusionary zoning” is used to describe a variety of local measures that either require or encourage developers of larger residential buildings to make a certain percentage of the rental units in a project available to lower income people at less-than-market rents. Housing advocates have been calling for inclusionary zoning in Minneapolis for a…
The Alliance is pleased to announce the availability of stipend funds for community leaders, advocates, and organizational staff to attend PolicyLink’s upcoming Equity Summit: Our Power. Our Future. Our Nation. This national convening will take place Wednesday, April 11 – Friday, April 13 and is located in Chicago, IL. The application period will be open…
Across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Paul, between 640 to 830 new housing units could soon be built at Fillmore West Apartments. City council members envision environmentally-forward designs, but neighborhood residents and housing advocates predict gentrification, pointing out that development is moving forward without a single unit of affordable housing, despite more than $2.5…
St. Paul is on the verge of laying out new development standards and restrictions for 135 acres of vacant land in Highland Park. The land, which was home to Ford Motor Co.’s Twin Cities Assembly Plant from 1925 until its closure in 2011, has been cleared of structures and could someday draw thousands of new…