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In this Issue
Manufactured
home communities, sometimes known as “mobile homes,” represent a vital source
of naturally occurring affordable housing in our region—especially to
communities of color and low-income families. It is estimated that nearly
37,000 people live in manufactured housing in our region, but that number will
continue to decrease as the trend of park closures increases. My district
includes some of these communities and my grandmother was a resident of one
many years ago.
When
a manufactured home community closes, people of color disproportionately feel
the impact of the closure. One study found that households of color represent
10% of manufactured home residents in Minnesota, but represented 54% of
residents displaced by park closures.
Manufactured homes are often located in areas with access to high quality
schools, job opportunities and transit. They are an important source of
affordable housing to some of the region’s most economically vulnerable
residents.
Seeing this troubling trend, in 2016 the
Council explored pressures on the region’s manufactured housing communities
and the policy levers the Council might use to preserve them. The report, Manufactured Home Park Preservation Report, introduced
the pilot grant program aimed at saving communities at risk of closure and
promoting investment in communities with aging infrastructure.
No new manufactured home communities
have been built in the metro since 1991, so aging infrastructure and costs
associated with connecting to the regional wastewater system can be the final
push for a community to close. The grant program will cover 50% of the
regional Sewer Availability Charges (SAC),
which is a fee paid when connecting to the regional wastewater treatment
system. In addition to the 50/50 funding match, the community will be eligible
to defer the balance of its SAC obligation. This will reduce the need to
directly pass those costs on to residents. The switch to the regional
wastewater system will also improve local water quality and the environment.
In
September, the Council awarded one of the pilot grants to Maple Hill Estates in
Corcoran. It is the second largest manufactured home community in Hennepin
County and contains 78% of the Corcoran’s affordable housing to particularly
low-income households. As of 2014, residents of color comprise almost 40% of
the manufactured home community, compared to 12% in the city as a whole. Of the
manufactured home community’s residents, 69% speak English, 21% speak Spanish
and 8% speak Lao.
Maple Hill Estates is home to about 120 school-aged children who will retain
access to high-quality schools due to this grant program.
As a Council member and a passionate advocate for
affordable housing, I am pleased that the Council and its staff could
innovatively create a solution to this growing problem in our region. Preserving
this type of affordable housing allows residents to remain connected to the
opportunities in their communities and increases the overall quality of life
our region has historically benefited from.
Steve Chávez, Council Member District 15
At our last September meeting, the Metropolitan Council voted to award $1 million to five metro cities looking to improve water quality and encourage conservation. The awards are part of a pilot project to support local efforts to address issues in their communities related to water quality, quantity, and wastewater treatment.
Projects were reviewed for their integrated problem-solving approaches, and their ability to achieve multiple benefits and measurable outcomes. The Council received 30 requests for funding totaling $7.2 million.
Projects awarded funding
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One Water Grant Program, South St. Paul -- $300,000 toward initiatives to improve water conservation efforts and reduce the city’s water use, reduce the volume of stormwater runoff that is polluting water resources, and reduce the amount of stormwater and groundwater that seeps into the sanitary sewer system.
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Evergreen Stormwater Reuse System, Roseville -- $300,000 toward building an underground stormwater storage facility in or next to one of the city parks to relieve flooding in a downstream storm sewer. The facility would reduce sediment and phosphorus in the stormwater, providing an opportunity for a reuse system that would supply water for irrigation and reduce demand on drinking water supply.
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Becker Park Infiltration Project, Crystal -- $200,000 toward an infiltration facility beneath a recreation area in Becker Park. The facility would filter runoff from a 147-acre watershed and reduce the amount of phosphorus and suspended solids being released into Upper Twin Lake.
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Northwood Inflow/Infiltration Study, New Hope -- $50,000 towards a study to better understand some of the issues the city is experiencing with stormwater and groundwater making its way into the sanitary sewer system and needed improvements to public and private infrastructure.
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Inflow and Infiltration Private Property Compliance Program, West St. Paul-- $150,000 to help reduce the amount of stormwater and groundwater from private properties that gets into the city’s sanitary sewer system.
Read more about the Green Infrastructure Grant Pilot.
The Council is taking steps to make sure more small businesses owned by women, people of color, veterans and people with disabilities can participate in contracts the Council puts out for bid. A change in Council purchasing practices will engage more diverse businesses in economic opportunities and ensure access to jobs is more inclusive and equitable.
The Council has changed its procurement process so it can assign more of its contracts, in addition to construction contracts, an inclusion goal. The goal describes how much of the work should be available to Minnesota businesses that are owned by women, people of color, veterans or people with disabilities.
The change means the Council can assign inclusion goals to contracts for professional, technical, architecture, and engineering services. It's intended to encourage more disadvantaged and underutilized businesses to bid on locally funded contracts.
The Metropolitan Council Underutilized Business (MCUB) program previously assigned inclusion goals only to locally funded construction projects, similar to goals the federal government requires for federally funded construction projects to promote opportunities among diverse businesses.
Learn more about the Council's inclusion programs and goals.
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 percentage of the region's weekday transit trips are to work or school?
Email answers to steven.chávez@metc.state.mn.us.
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