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Affordable Housing

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Providing a full range of housing choices near light rail is critical to ensure this infrastructure investment benefits current and future corridor residents from all backgrounds.

Preserving existing affordable housing and making sure new housing that will be built includes sufficient affordable options is a top priority for project partners and cities.

Hennepin County, Metropolitan Council, and cities all have unique tools available to grow and preserve affordable housing options near light rail, and will be working together with communities to thoughtfully plan and guide housing investments.

As planning continues and the Anti-Displacement Workgroup begins to address concerns around displacement and affordable housing, they’ll be looking at the full scope of existing tools partners and cities have and identifying new ways to grow and preserve affordable housing in the corridor.

Providing a full range of housing choices near light rail is critical to ensure this infrastructure investment benefits current and future corridor residents from all backgrounds.

Preserving existing affordable housing and making sure new housing that will be built includes sufficient affordable options is a top priority for project partners and cities.

Hennepin County, Metropolitan Council, and cities all have unique tools available to grow and preserve affordable housing options near light rail, and will be working together with communities to thoughtfully plan and guide housing investments.

As planning continues and the Anti-Displacement Workgroup begins to address concerns around displacement and affordable housing, they’ll be looking at the full scope of existing tools partners and cities have and identifying new ways to grow and preserve affordable housing in the corridor.

  • BLRT housing studies

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    Hennepin County completed three housing studies for the previous route:

    Much of the findings in these studies remains relevant for the parts of the route that have stayed the same or shifted only slightly. Updates to these studies will be pursued for the parts of the route through North Minneapolis where the new proposed route options are significantly different than the original.

  • Housing and development programs

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    Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council have a wide variety of existing programs that support the development and affordable housing.

    Hennepin County programs

    Met Council programs

    Individual cities also have a variety of development and housing programs and grant opportunities available.

  • Community development and property trends

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    Explore this interactive map to see Hennepin County Community and Economic Development program investments and changes in property values over time.

    Since 2005, Hennepin County has invested more than $172 million in hundreds of planning and development projects. 75% of these projects have been in low- and moderate-income communities where the average household earns less than 80% of the area median income.

    Compared to Hennepin County as a whole, properties in light rail corridors see more property improvements, higher growth in estimated market value, and greater increase in property taxes paid.

    Learn more about development and property trends in light rail corridors (DOCX)

  • Housing and community investments

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    Hennepin County and Met Council have already been investing in affordable housing and other community and economic development projects in the corridor, and will continue to grow these efforts as planning for the light rail continues.

    Since 2014, Hennepin County has invested more than $17 million in housing and community development projects in the corridor, including:

    • $4 million to support 11 affordable housing projects
    • $3 million to support 12 community-supported transit-oriented development and business district projects
    • $10 million to support 15 infrastructure, placemaking, arts and cultural projects

    Learn more about these projects and investments (PDF)

Page last updated: 31 Aug 2022, 01:39 PM