|
In this Issue
As a member of the Council’s Community Development Committee and a
longtime resident of the Twin Cities, one of my passions here at the Council is
housing. As stated in the Council’s 2040 Housing Policy Plan, housing is the bedrock of livable communities.
Without a robust and diverse supply of housing, our region would not be able to
sustain our existing workforce or growing population. For the first time in
nearly three decades, the Council published and approved its first freestanding
Housing Policy Plan, which clarifies and articulates our policies and vision
for the region. I served as a co-chair for the working group which prepared the plan. In this plan, we outline three key priorities as we look toward 2040:
- Managing, maintaining and preserving the existing housing
stock.
- Creating or preserving a mix of housing affordability around
emerging transit investments to help low-income households reduce the combined
costs of housing and transportation.
- Expanding housing options for people in all life stages and
of all economic means through a balanced approach.
In addition, we recently implemented our Community Choice program - a
mobility counseling program to encourage Housing Choice Voucher holders to move
to areas with low poverty and higher performing schools if they so desire. This
program has the potential to reduce areas of concentrated poverty and enable
upward mobility for low-income families in our cities.
Perhaps the
biggest incentive we possess at the Council in terms of building new housing is
our Livable Communities Act (LCA) grants. Statutory language
directs the Council to use LCA funds to provide
incentives to create a full range of housing opportunities by helping to fund
the development or redevelopment of a mix of housing types for various income
levels across the region. Since 1995, LCA grants from all three of the accounts
have helped create or preserve more than 20,000 affordable housing units, and
leveraged billions in additional public and private funds. In District 15
alone, we have received more than $20.4 million in Livable Communities
Demonstration Account funds for projects such as Heart of the City, Steeple
Center Senior Housing and the Valley Ridge Redevelopment. Our communities have
also received $1.6 million in Local Housing/Inclusionary Accounts funding for Inver
Hills and Riverview Ridge, Lakeshore Townhomes and Rosemount Family Townhomes. These
funds help the Council and cities realize the vision we have outlined in both
city plans and our regional policy plans.
What I enjoy most about my role on the Council is the intersection of
policy issues that could otherwise remain siloed. Housing, water and
transportation all come together in the urban planning field. In 2017 and 2018,
every city in the seven-county metro region will be updating their comprehensive
plans and envisioning what they want their cities to look like in the future.
This process is a great way for communities to plan for more housing of all
types and to ensure that we remain a vibrant region for decades to come.
When people leave their
homes, there are a few essential items they’re likely carrying with them,
including identification, credit or bank cards and a mobile phone.
Less likely to be in their pocket:
a Go-To Card or the exact change it costs
to board a bus or light rail train.
Confusion about the fare and the need to
have the right amount ready to board has long been a challenge for new or
infrequent riders, sometimes discouraging them from using transit altogether.
Ticket vending machines that accept cash
and credit cards at rail and rapid bus stations helped us begin to address this
challenge. This week, we took another major step forward as we introduced
a new
Metro Transit app that allows people to buy and instantly use
fares using a smartphone.
With the app, customers can purchase mobile
tickets in advance and use them when they’re ready to ride. These customers
will prove they’ve paid their fare by showing bus operators or police officers
a screen with a unique, moving image that can’t be replicated or used after
time has expired.
More about the new mobile app from Metro Transit's
Rider's Almanac.
Every e-newsletter, I
will ask a Council trivia question and the first two people who email the
correct answer, I'll treat them to coffee at their time
and place of choice in the district.
Trivia question: What year was the Metropolitan Council formed by the state legislature?
Email answers to steven.chávez@metc.state.mn.us.
Community Development Committee On the Road - On Nov. 21, I and the Council's Community Development Committee were hosted by the city of Inver Grove Heights for our biweekly meeting. At the meeting, the committee advanced nearly $10 million in Livable Communities Act grants for 18 projects across eight cities in our region. Additionally, the Inver Grove Heights Community Development Director Tom Links gave a presentation on some of the exciting local developments and plans within the city. |
