UMVRDC

Housing

Housing continues to be a critical issue in the region and we strive to provide workshops, webinars, case studies, resources, and opporutnities to help guide you through your community’s housing process.

Housing Workshop

In 2019, the UMVRDC hosted a workshop highlighting city and county examples that shared proactive approaches to substandard and dilapidated properties. Attendees were able to discuss and learn about strategies and solutions related to substandard buildings that could work in their communities. View here 

Housing Webinar

In April 2024 the UMVRDC held a webinar featuring a few tools local governments can utilize local and state resources, especially in light of the fact that Minnesota counties have started to receive their annual county affordable housing aid allocations.  In addition to the county funding, there will also be a competitive round of funds available for cities under 10,000 population. In this webinar, presenters share information on this funding, examples of how it can be used including utilizing local housing trust funds and community land trusts to keep housing projects affordable.

Community Housing Assesment

Housing assessments can be an effective tool for communities looking to identify target areas for future investments and/or evaluate the overall conditions and needs of their housing stock.

County Demolition Programs

Resources:

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
Local Housing Trusts:
Local and Statewide Affordable Housing Aid: 

Statewide Affordable Housing Aid helps counties, tribal governments, and greater Minnesota local​ governments develop and preserve affordable housing within their jurisdictions​ to keep families from losing housing and to help those experiencing homelessness find​ housing.  Statewide Affordable Housing Aid is paid directly to ALL counties in Greater Minnesota, based on a cost-burden formula.  In addition, cities in Greater Minnesota that are under 10,000 in population, are eligible to participate in a discretionary grant program administered by Minnesota Housing for grants of at least $25,000 to be used for the same eligible expenditures as the direct aid. The funding provided by this program is flexible and can be used in a wide variety of ways.

Community Land Trusts: 
Cottage Homes

As the cost of new construction continues to rise, some communities have turned to cottage developments or Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which can be standalone units or clusters of smaller homes sized around 600 to 900 square feet.  These homes are typically designed for 1-2 person households such as retired couples looking to downsize or a young professional looking for their starter home. If pursuing this type of housing, it is likely that your community’s zoning may need to be amended due to their small footprint and if a cluster development, higher densities.

The benefits of this type of housing are:

  • Lower cost of construction
  • Can be built quickly
  • Provide in-fill development on existing residential lots that are oftentimes too narrow for traditional sized homes
  • Can bring a sense of community when built as a cluster development

The City of Appleton is considering this type of housing option for two adjacent city-owned lots to spur new housing activity in the community and worked with UMVRDC and an architect to develop some design concepts to show what this type of housing would look like.

Appleton’s Cottage Home Ideas