A new bill is being introduced in St. Paul concerning zoning. An eclectic mix of backers from builders to affordable housing advocacy groups, from the National Association of Realtors to progressive politicians, are in support eliminating exclusive zoning of single family homes across the state of Minnesota. Here’s are some of the highlights of the bill as provided by Edina Realty’s president Sheri Schmid- who did a nice job of presenting all sides of the issue at today’s company wide sales meeting.

The first bullet point is interesting. The public is denied the right to speak to their city council. It seems to me that there is an effort to take the NIMBY’s out of the conversation. Yet aren’t many, many city council meetings filled with advocacy groups doing their best to talk the loudest? Are they to be muted as well? This might be a public service.

I am an advocate for missing middle housing. In a 50s built neighborhood, it is common to see nice looking duplexes mixed in with single family homes. They blend in well and come at all levels of housing from a modest one bedroom to significant four bedroom units. They are also the main means of aquiring investment property for those entry entrepreneurs who would like to give rental property a try. I just wonder if these multifamily buildings sync with people today. The buyers in the 50s were still feeling the effects of the depression and thought of a little rental income on the side as comforting. Also families would buy a two unit property for siblings to live side by side, for instance. You just don’t hear those same demands anymore.

Let’s leave the next few points about building heights and parking for another time. Here are the points given that necessitate a shift of control from the very local level of the municipality to the state level.

The first bullet point in valid. There are too many regulations in the building process. But regulating by zoning is only one of the areas in question. Even after this is removed, said building would need to meet a whole host of other building regulations and set backs and still fit on the lot. Furthermore, these plans need to go through a planning approval process. It seems like whenever a change goes into effect on complicated process it takes the bureaucracies years to smooth out their systems.

Last I heard, considering the second bullet point, the production of new housing was on track to meet the Governor’s Task Force recommendation of 300,000 additional dwellings by 2030.

Do we need more affordable housing? Sure- the most disadvantaged in society will always, simply on a comparison scale, need to be accomodated to catch-up to the average. Minnesota has a poverty rate of just under 10 percent and folks in that income bracket have real and pressing needs. But what are the best housing opportunities for these families, and more importantly where are they?

Building more housing brings down the overall cost of housing. But helping people in need of housing as well as all the other components to a good life is a multidemential problem. I don’t think we’ve tackled all of the aspects involved. But I do think cities are at a much better vantage point to connect people to housing than the state.