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Minnesota is in a housing shortage. Legislators are uniting to find a fix.
A bipartisan group of Minnesota legislators is planning to introduce a flurry of bills this session aimed at making housing more affordable.
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Minnesota is in a housing shortage. Legislators are unifying to find a fix.
Star Tribune | Jan. 27, 2025
A bipartisan group of Minnesota legislators is planning to introduce a flurry of bills this session aimed at making housing more affordable. From loosening local zoning rules that limit density to reforming homeowners associations and… [Read more]
Housing is too expensive. Here’s what the GOP and DFL want to do about it.
Minnesota Reformer | Jan. 22, 2025
Last year, a brand-new coalition of faith groups, housing developers, social justice advocates and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle united behind a set of wide-ranging policies designed to make housing in Minnesota more affordable by… [Read more]
Majorities Across Race and Ethnicity Support Policies to Allow More Housing
The Pew Charitable Trusts | Jan. 7, 2025
As families nationwide struggle with the cost of housing, large majorities of Americans across races and ethnicities support state and local policies that would permit construction of more diverse types of homes to help lower costs… [Read more]
In Rochester, locals fret over housing shortage, high rents and expected population boom
Star Tribune | Dec. 31, 2024
Developers say current applicants make too much money for apartments they promised to keep affordable… [Read more]
Renters’ Affordability Challenges Worsened Last Year
Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies | Dec. 16, 2024
The number of cost-burdened renter households hit yet another record high last year, according to the most recent data from the American Community Survey… [Read more]
Parking Reform Alone Can Boost Homebuilding by 40 to 70 Percent
Sightline Institute | Dec. 10, 2024
Making parking fully flexible could unlock more new homes than other land use reforms combined, according to new research … [Read More]
How minimum lot size requirements maximize the housing crisis
Strong Towns | Dec. 10, 2024
Why should your city jettison its outdated zoning rules and allow more housing construction on small and irregular lots? Let Alli Thurmond Quinlan count the ways… [Read More]
The housing crisis threatens the American dream. What’s next?
USA Today | Dec. 6, 2024
Emily Craig spent much of 2023 unemployed. Her benefits ran out shortly before the holiday season began. “I was really struggling,” said Craig, 34, who lives in Woodstock, Virginia… [Read More]
Typical US homebuyer more likely to be older, single and a woman
Bloomberg | Nov. 4, 2024
The age of a typical homebuyer jumped to an all-time high of 56 in the US, with many young people locked out of the housing market while older owners tap their accumulated home equity for cash purchases… [Read More]
A look at the state of affordable housing in the U.S.
Pew Research Center | Oct. 25, 2024
Housing affordability has emerged as a key issue in this year’s U.S. presidential election. Both Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump have talked about… [Read More]
POLITICO’s affordable housing: the new agenda
POLITICO | Oct. 20, 2024
Rising costs, restrictive local zoning policies, and critical inventory shortages have intensified the national housing crisis posing long term consequences for the economy… [Read More]
Twin Cities expected to see steepest drop in new apartments
Axios Twin Cities | Oct. 7, 2024
The Twin Cities is expected to see the biggest decline in apartment construction of any major metro in the country, according to a recent report… [Read More]
Time to treat the housing crisis like a crisis
Newsweek | Oct. 7, 2024
The housing crisis in America has been growing for decades. Our nation has careened from one crisis to another, reacting naturally but myopically instead of addressing the structural challenges facing the housing system… [Read More]
A liberalism that builds: Minnesota should embrace abundance
Minnesota Reformer | Oct. 3, 2024
Over the past two years, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s legislative accomplishments have earned Minnesota widespread acclaim, and launched Gov. Tim Walz to the national stage… [Read More]
Yahoo! Finance | Oct. 2, 2024
Housing affordability has become a significant challenge in America, with high home prices and elevated interest rates making mortgage payments increasingly burdensome for prospective buyers… [Read More]
Cato Institute | Sept. 26, 2024
Once ubiquitous in towns across the country, smaller, more affordable homes aren’t being built like they once were—a trend stretching back decades… [Read More]
How the cost of housing became so crushing
The New York Times | Sept. 24, 2024
Over the past year, frustration over the cost of housing in the United States has become a centerpiece of the presidential race, a focus of government policy and an agonizing nationwide problem… [Read More]
Deregulation can fix the housing crunch
Reason | Sept. 23, 2024
Increasing the supply of housing requires looser rules and fewer bureaucratic delays … [Read More]
How Americans voted their way into a housing crisis
Bloomberg | Sept. 8, 2024
A new book from Jerusalem Demsas explores how local elections, community meetings and other democratic structures brought on a national shortage of affordable homes… [Read More]
Who’s responsible for the housing crisis?
The Atlantic | Sept. 3, 2024
Americans love local government. In a December 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 61 percent of respondents had a favorable view of their local government, whereas… [Read More]
The labyrinthine rules that created a housing crisis
The Atlantic | Sept. 3, 2024
Consider how a home is built in America. Long before the foundation is poured, the first step is to… [Read More]
Planet Money | Aug. 30, 2024
Real estate developer Cody Fischer and I are standing facing a big, old house. We’re at the intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and 36th Street in South Minneapolis… [Read More]
Why the U.S. can’t build homes fast enough
CNBC | Aug. 25, 2024
Large homebuilders have used mergers and acquisitions to grow their positions in several key housing markets since the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. The industry’s consolidation… [Read More]
Why too few homes get built in the U.S.
The New York Times | Aug. 22, 2024
The housing crunch has been well documented in high-cost big cities, where rents and mortgages break the bank. Now it has moved into the rest of the country… [Read More]
Support growing for middle housing
Zillow | Aug. 15, 2024
A new Zillow survey covering 26 metro areas found that residents largely support allowing middle housing in residential neighborhoods. Middle housing options… [Read More]
We need unwavering bipartisanship for a homeownership rebirth in 2025
The Hill | Aug. 2, 2024
During the early proceedings of the Republican National Convention, the immense video screens flanking the stage flashed the iconic shot of construction workers framing a new home… [Read More]
Minneapolis has one of the worst housing shortages in the US
Fox 9 | June 30, 2024
Minneapolis is one of the top 10 cities in the U.S. with the worst housing shortage, according to a Zillow report. The report from Zillow says even after a pandemic construction boom… [Read More]
As millions struggle with home prices, housing becomes a top issue for voters
NPR | June 24, 2024
Melissa Williams says she did everything right. She has a college degree, a decent income working in accounting and no debt. Williams, who’s 38, expected to be a homeowner by now…. [Read More]
Counterpoint: Actually, zoning changes are an answer
Star Tribune | June 16, 2024
The land use status quo has long served to allow some cities to exclude affordable housing, in both explicit and implicit ways… [Read More]
How zoning policies affect the housing supply
American Enterprise Institute | May 7, 2024
The City of Denver switched to a new zoning code in June 2010. Most areas were upzoned, but some were downzoned. Overall, the policy encouraged housing construction in Denver… [Read More]
Affordable housing crisis looms large in election
The Hill | May 1, 2024
As President Biden courts young voters and bucks negative perceptions of his handling of the economy, one economic issue looms large over the upcoming election.. [Read More]
Minnesota lawmakers aim to stop cities from killing affordable housing
Minnesota Reformer | April 2, 2024
A few years ago, Solhem, a Minneapolis-based developer, sought to build some market-rate apartments in Edina. After interest rates spiked and market conditions shifted… [Read More]
Homebuilders start spring strong. MN legislators aim to address ‘missing middle’ housing
KARE 11 | March 31, 2024
According to Housing First Minnesota, metro homebuilders are starting spring strong with single-family permits increasing 37% over last year in March…. [Read More]
As a topic among policymakers, housing is hotter than it once was
Star Tribune | March 21, 2024
It’s a solid part of the problem-solving agenda now, and it’s not hard to understand why… [Read More]
New report shows worsening impact of housing shortage
Minnesota Reformer | March 14, 2024
Half of Minnesota renters are burdened by the cost of rent, according to a report released Thursday by Minnesota Housing Partnership, a housing equity research and advocacy organization. Two-thirds of senior renters… [Read More]
Time for bold action on housing in Minnesota
MinnPost | March 11, 2024
The Legislature has an opportunity to increase affordability, access and supply… [Read More]
Middle-income buyers struggle to find a house in their budget in most Twin Cities suburbs
Star Tribune | Feb. 28, 2024
House prices vary dramatically across the metro, so finding a city that’s affordable — no matter the budget — can feel like a game of homebuying hopscotch… [Read More]
MinnPost | Feb. 21, 2024
The coalition in favor of making it easier to build more housing includes the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the social justice group ISAIAH; home builders and the Sierra Club… [Read More]
Housing advocates launch campaigns at state Capitol for zoning reforms and greater funding
Minnesota Reformer | Feb. 20, 2024
A bipartisan group of advocates for housing affordability — from developers to grassroots activists — gathered at the Minnesota Capitol Tuesday to express support for… [Read More]
The hottest trend in U.S. cities? Changing zoning rules to allow more housing
NPR | Feb. 17, 2024
America is facing a housing crisis. The U.S. is short millions of housing units. Half of renters are paying more than a third of their salary in housing costs… [Read More]
6 housing issues to watch in the 2024 legislative session
Minnesota Reformer | Jan. 31, 2024
Last year, lawmakers in the state Legislature passed historic levels of funding — $1 billion — for housing in Minnesota. They established down payment assistance… [Read More]
Land of 10,000 Lawsuits: Legal roadblocks serve as NIMBYism’s new ally
Minnesota Reformer | Jan. 22, 2024
If Minneapolis’ progressive vision for housing accessibility is to thrive, it must overcome not just NIMBYism — Not In My Backyard — but the legal structures that often unwittingly support it. Six years ago… [Read More]
Minneapolis land use reforms offer a blueprint for housing affordability
The Pew Charitable Trusts | Jan. 4, 2024
Minneapolis was once among the cities whose zoning policies prevented sufficient housing construction. In the early 2000s, the city maintained strict requirements related to parking, land use, and building height… [Read More]
To fix their housing shortage in 2024, cities and states should turn to market
The Hill | Jan. 4, 2024
States and cities considering housing supply reforms in the new year to combat worsening affordability should unleash the free market rather than rely on the Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulatory solutions… [Read More]
MSP Magazine | Jan. 1, 2024
Racial disparity in housing is a pronounced reality in Minnesota, where the homeownership rate of white residents is three times that of Black residents. Beyond race, the dream of owning a home is unattainable… [Read More]
Survey finds large majorities favor policies to enable more housing
The Pew Charitble Trusts | Nov. 30, 2023
Most Americans support a roster of zoning policies intended to boost housing availability and affordability, according to a nationally representative survey conducted in September for The Pew Charitable Trusts… [Read More]
What housing is getting built in other cities?
Southwest Voices | Nov. 22, 2023
In this Southwest Voices housing affordability series, I’ve discussed some of the local policy issues that exacerbate our housing shortage and limit our ability to build new housing in quick, cost-efficient ways… [Read More]
Where are all the starter homes?
MSP Magazine | Nov. 1, 2023
Despite desperate demand for affordable, smaller homes, Minnesota is missing the mark. So why are so few available? (Spoiler: It’s not because builders don’t want to build them.)… [Read More]
Housing First Minnesota | Oct. 19, 2023
A new poll conducted by Morris Leatherman Company and commissioned by Housing First Minnesota asked Minnesotans for their opinions on housing and homeownership in the state. The following toplines showcase… [Read More]
Minneapolis has a housing shortage. Here’s why.
Southwest Voices | Sept. 12, 2023
Minneapolis, like most cities, has a housing affordability problem. While the city has recently received national attention for its relatively steady housing prices… [Read More]
Fortune | Aug. 9, 2023
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey has long focused on housing issues. No place in the US has put inflation in the rearview mirror quite as fast as Minneapolis… [Read More]
Only zoning reform can solve America’s housing crisis
Wall Street Journal | June 22, 2023
By making it impossible to build enough homes in places where people want to live, local governments hurt the economy and democracy… [Read More]
Whatever happened to building starter homes?
Finance & Commerce | May 12, 2023
Back in the 1970s, Oakdale-based Cardinal Homebuilders made a name for itself by building moderately priced houses on the East Side of St. Paul…. [Read More]
Looking for an affordable starter home in the Twin Cities area? Good luck
Star Tribune | March 10, 2023
Twin Cities area starter houses seem to have never been more expensive. Or elusive. Last year, sellers listed just 20,000 houses affordable to most first-time buyers… [Read More]
The U.S. needs more housing than almost anyone can imagine
The Atlantic | Nov. 21, 2022
How many homes must the United States’ expensive coastal cities build to become affordable for middle-class and working-poor families again? Over the past few weeks… [Read More]
How Twin Cities housing rules keeps the metro segregated
Star Tribune | Aug. 7 , 2021
Liz Stroder has dreamed of owning a home since she was a teenager. Definitely a garden. Maybe some chickens. More than anything, the St. Louis Park apartment dweller wants to give her 14-year-old son the stability… [Read More]
Racial homeownership gap in the Twin Cities highest in the nation
Star Tribune | June 27, 2021
The racial homeownership gap in the Twin Cities is the highest in the nation and has only widened over the past two decades, especially in neighborhoods where… [Read More]
Why do Twin Cities homes cost so much? We went to find out
Pioneer Press | April 17, 2017
Mary Kay Curtis wrinkled her nose at the window. It wouldn’t go up. After three inches, it was just stuck. The salesman for the new Woodbury home she toured last fall explained that, no, it wasn’t broken. It would only open so far because of a state regulation… [Read More]
