MN State Legislature Housing / Zoning Bills Under Consideration

The MN State Legislature is currently in session with many bills being presented to the Senate Housing and Preventing Homelessness Committee related to increasing the stock of affordable housing in the state, and provides mechanisms to remove exclusionary zoning, promote density, and reduce fees.

This legislation would undermine the abilities of city officials and their residents to make their own decisions about zoning and land use. The “Missing Middle Housing” bills, HF 4009, SF 3964, and SF 3980, increases housing density and takes away local cities’ rights to make zoning and land use decisions that best fit their communities’ needs.

The City of North Oaks, along with surrounding communities throughout the State, are very aware of these bills under discussion. The League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) is lobbying on our behalf, our serious concerns with these bills as worded. The City of North Oaks has no plans to increase density in our carefully planned community and will continue to advocate to retain zoning and development at the local level. The City attorney is also drafting resolutions for consideration on this topic for North Oaks Planning Commission and City Council.

Changes to both the Senate and House bills are happening daily during the next two weeks of State in Session. Interested in learning more on this topic? Click the resources below.