 In this eNews:
Senior 55+ Projects Funded with Housing Infrastructure Bonds
ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction Program Guidance
Construction Material Cost Volatility
Design/Building Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing
Radon Mitigation
Summary of Changes: 2022 MN Overlay and Guide to the 2020 Enterprise Green
Communities Criteria
Intended Methods Worksheet Reminders and Tips
Minnesota Housing Staff Architect Contact Information
Register for the 2022 Affordable Housing Summit
Senior 55+ Projects Funded with Housing Infrastructure Bonds (HIB)
Projects receiving HIB funding with tenant restrictions for 55 years + (aka HIB Senior) must include our Universal Design Standards. Compliance will be validated with the submission of Minnesota Housing’s Universal Design Worksheet (UDW). Mandatory and Optional features are required per the UDW. It is acceptable for HIB Senior applications to claim three points for Universal Design in the Self-Scoring Worksheet in the upcoming 2022 Consolidated Request for Proposals (RFP) application.
ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction Program Guidance
Criteria 5.1a Building Performance Standard – New Construction
REMINDER: All multifamily buildings selected after April 2021 must follow the ENERGY STAR (ES) Multifamily New Construction (MFNC) program. Certification through ES remains optional; however, compliance with ES must be demonstrated to Minnesota Housing through submittal of an “as-designed” energy model before loan commitment/ loan closing, and an “as-built” energy model at post construction.
All requirements and prerequisites, regardless of pathway (ERI*, Prescriptive, or ASHRAE**), including, but not limited to, underground garage ceiling insulation, exterior wall/ envelope continuous insulation***, functional testing, field verification, etc. must be followed. No exceptions or waiver will be considered other than what is published in the 2022 MN Overlay and Guide to the 2020 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria.
* ERI is an abbreviation for Energy Rating Index.
** ASHRAE is an abbreviation for American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. It is used to reference standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings
*** Continuous Insulation is required by ES MFNC for all MF. However, there is an exception for apartments three stories or less with efficiency framing.
Construction Material Cost Volatility
Minnesota Housing is aware of construction material cost volatility and availability challenges due to COVID-19. For the construction cost estimates that will be submitted in the 2022 Consolidated RFP application, the cost for materials should be based upon current material costs. It is acceptable to include and itemize cost escalations for materials separately in the cost estimate. Consult with a Minnesota Housing staff architect for any further questions or guidance.
Design/Build Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP)
Minnesota Housing’s Architect’s Guide available on the Building Standards webpage highlights that Design/Build MEP is not allowed without permission from Minnesota Housing. All MEP engineering must be included under a traditional ‘Design- Bid- Build’ contract; however, we are allowing some Design/Build pilot projects based on team experience and type of funding. Any team considering Design/Build MEP must contact a Minnesota Housing architect for prior approval or highlight in the application the costs of engineering fees for both traditional Design-Bid-Build and Design/Build MEP. If approved, no developer or development team may use design/ build MEP for more than one project per selection year.
Radon Mitigation
Minnesota Housing’s Radon Mitigation webpage is updated and effective as of April 2022 for all projects regardless of funding source. Edits are summarized as follows:
- Testing, post-mitigation reporting, and resident notification requirements are updated to better align with federally funded project requirements.
- Radon testing is now required for projects refinancing without rehabilitation. Testing must be performed no earlier than one year prior to the application for refinancing.
- New construction projects with an underground garage are still not required to have a sub-slab depressurization system; however, post-construction testing of all ground connected units and 10% of units on the other stories, with at least one on each story, is required.
- Remediation and/ or activating passive systems is required if testing finds radon levels to be 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/l) or greater.
- If testing finds radon levels to be between 2 pCi/l and 4 pCi/l, retesting is strongly encouraged, but not required.
Summary of Changes: 2022 MN Overlay and Guide (MN Overlay) to the 2020 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria (EGCC)
The April 2022 version of the MN Overlay and the 2020 EGCC can be found on our Building Standards webpage. Read the full MN Overlay to understand changes for this year; however, the following summary may be used to help understand where changes have occurred:
- Chapter 2 – Clarification for Additions and New Construction as Part of a Rehab Project added.
- Chapter 6 – Multifamily Funded Project Requirements:
- Criteria 2.1 Sensitive Site Selections. 100’ setback from wetlands omitted. Setbacks must be per state regulations, local/ regional watershed requirements, ordinances, etc.
- Criteria 2.6 Preservation of and Access to Open Space. An exception for Zero-lot line developments added. Access to Open Space is no longer required for Zero-Lot Line projects within locations meeting Rural/ Tribal/ Small Town designation.
- Criteria 2.8 Access to Transit. Mandatory requirements revised to Optional.
- Criteria 5.1a Building Performance Standard (New Construction). Clarification for projects required or choosing to follow SB2030.
- Criteria 5.1b Building Performance Standard (Rehab). In addition to the previous Prescriptive Pathway and Performance Pathway, an Alternative Pathway has been added. With prior approval from Minnesota Housing, an energy audit like Xcel Energy’s Energy Design Assistance (EDA) program may be considered for compliance with Criteria 5.1b mandatory requirements.
- Category 7 Healthy Living Environment. The requirement for at least one of Criterion 7.11, 7.12, or 7.13 to be mandatory has been omitted. All three are Optional and can be selected individually or in combination thereof.
Intended Methods Worksheet Reminders and Tips
The Intended Methods Worksheet (IMW) is updated each selection year so make sure your application includes the 2022 IMW version for the 2022 Consolidated RFP/2023 HTC.
Other IMW Tips and Reminders:
- Criteria with text in red are criteria that have been revised in the MN Overlay. Criteria with black text have not been overlaid and must meet the requirements of the 2020 Enterprise Green Communities Criteria. Reference both documents accordingly while completing the IMW.
- Effective with the 2021 MN Overlay, new construction project must achieve at least 40 Optional points. Moderate Rehab, Substantial Rehab, Adaptive Reuse and Rehabs with an addition or new detached building must achieve at least 35 Optional points.
- If claiming Enhanced Sustainability Consolidated RFP selection points, the total Optional points required based upon tier must reconcile with the Optional points claimed on the IMW at application.
- The “How Will Criteria Be Implemented…” column must be completed for all Optional point criteria claimed. Clearly explain how said Optional point criteria will be achieved. Blank or vague comments may result in claimed Optional point(s) not validated, and tier points not awarded.
- Make sure to indicate near the top right corner of the first page whether the project meets the definition of a Rural/ Tribal/or Small Town per Appendix A of the 2020 EGCC.
- Applications (regardless of building type) for the Multifamily 2022 Consolidated RFP/2023 HTC must use the Multifamily version of the IMW. The single-family version is only for applications for the Single Family Consolidated RFP. The version title, whether Multifamily or Single Family, is written in bold and can be found at the top of each worksheet.
- When saving to or printing to a PDF, make sure all text in all Excel cells are legible.
Minnesota Housing Staff Architect Contact Information
If you have questions about this eNews or other rental housing design and construction topics, contact one of our staff architects. Find out which staff architect works in your region.
Register for the 2022 Affordable Housing Summit
Minnesota Housing is pleased to be a host of the Affordable Housing Summit on Thursday, May 5, 2022. Join your affordable housing colleagues at this summit that focuses on the development and financing of multifamily projects. You’ll hear from affordable housing leaders and industry experts on topics aimed at increasing awareness, fostering education and spurring momentum to find solutions and create stable housing in communities across Minnesota.
Questions?
Visit affordablehousingsummitmn.com.
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