Minnesota

A recent poll from the Minneapolis-based organization Neighbors for More Neighbors — and partners Sierra Club, ISAIAH and Move Minnesota Action — highlights that housing affordability is a leading priority for Minnesotans, and that there is notable support among voters for land use and zoning reforms.

Tobias Peter of the AEI Housing Center argues that lawmakers should spur housing construction by cutting red tape, including allowing individuals to build on smaller lots, reducing parking requirements or opening up commercial areas for mixed-use development.

Several industry experts agree that the rental market in Minnesota’s Twin Cities has “quieted” in recent years. Notably, new housing construction permits, including those for mother-in-law units and additions to public housing, have dropped from 1,638 in 2021 to 1,130 in 2023.

Minneapolis is proof that abundant housing is the best rent control.

In Saint Paul, new city council members talk housing.

As the Minneapolis City Council debated whether to advance a rent control ordinance, the city’s Mayor, Jacob Frey, worked behind the scenes to reassure housing providers.

The ramifications of rent control are continuing to be felt in St. Paul as the planned construction of 2,000 market-rate units remains on hold. The developer stated that the pause results from an inability to find financing after St. Paul voters passed a rent control ballot measure in 2021. The project, which was planned years […]

We know that rent control laws lead to a reduction in the available supply of rental housing in a community, and that is just one of the reasons we warned against adopting these unhelpful policies in St. Paul, Minnesota. Now we are seeing the impact of rent control policies on construction as well.

In many geographies where artificial caps on rent exist, housing underdevelopment has resulted. Given its failed history, it comes as no surprise that the passage of rent control in St. Paul yielded immediate negative consequences.

Katie Galioto and Shannon Prather with the Star Tribune report on the fallout resulting from St. Paul’s new rent control policy.

The Star Tribune Editorial Board outlines their opposition to rent control proposals in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Ashley Hackett and Greta Kaul report on Minnesota’s severe housing shortage.

The Star Tribune’s Eric Roper reports on two bills that would ease local zoning practices and encourage housing development. 

Sutton Dunwoodie with The Hill reports on new efforts in Minneapolis to encourage the construction of more affordable housing. 

Politico Magazine takes an in-depth look into how Minneapolis rewrote its decades-old zoning rules to accommodate growth and improve affordability. 

The Minneapolis City Council approved the use of tax subsidies for a large housing complex of affordable housing. The project is an example of the public and private sectors coming together to improve affordable housing shortages in the region.