Livable Communities Participating Cities & Townships

To be eligible to apply for Livable Communities grants, city must be enrolled in the Livable Communities program. If a county or development authority intends to apply for a Livable Communnities grant, the project must be in a participating city.

On this page

• Check your city's enrollment and eligibily status 
• How to enroll
• Requirements to apply for a grant
• Requirements to draw down funds

Check your city's enrollment and eligibility status

How to enroll

Enrollment is simple, and you’ll likely find that your city already meets many of the requirements to enroll and draw down funds. We are here to support the process every step of the way. Please reach out to Emily Seddon to get started.

1. By November 15th, City passes a resolution opting into the Livable Communities Act (LCA) programs and setting affordable and lifecycle housing goals for the planning decade. The goals are aspirational. While the Metropolitan Council monitors progress toward goals, there is no penalty for not meeting goals.

   • Download a sample city resolution (Word). 

2. The Metropolitan Council will hold a public hearing and vote to enroll the city in the LCA programs. 

3. If enrolled, the City is eligible to apply for grants in the calendar year following its resolution. For example, if a city passed the resolution in June 2025, they are eligible to apply for grants in 2026. Counties and development authorities that wish to apply for projects in participating cities, follow the same timeline. ​

Requirements to apply for a grant

Once the city is enrolled they are eligible to apply for grants, or a county or development authority may apply for a project in the enrolled city, as long as the city meets and remains consistent for the following requirements:

• City must be consistent with all comprehensive plan requirements, including, but not limited to: 

  • Guide sufficient land for affordable housing (Land Guided for Affordable Housing or LGAH) 

• For any development project that will require a zoning or comprehensive plan update, the update must be completed prior to application. 

Requirements to draw down grant funds

The following are not requirements to enroll in the Livable Communities Act (LCA) programs or apply for grants, but are required before a grantee (city, county, or development authority) submits its first reimbursement request. 

 

1. Have adopted a Fair Housing Policy, if awarded funds for a housing project. Your city is already obligated to meet federal and state fair housing policies, adopting a local policy clearly identifies how you will meet these obligations in a way that best serves residents. 
   • ​Best practices, guidelines, and a sample policy are available.  

2. Spend at least 85% of the city’s annual required Affordable and Lifecycle Housing Opportunity Amount (ALHOA) on housing activities. Your city may already be meeting this requirement through a levy, staff time, tax increment financing agreements, or other means. 

   • Met Council staff will let you know what your city’s annual amount is. 

3. Reported the city's Housing Action Plan (via completing the previous year’s Housing Policy and Production Survey). All cities and townships in the region are expected to complete the survey. In addition to the ability to draw LCA-awarded grant funds, the survey ensures cities earn credit toward their requirements for Land Guided for Affordable Housing and helps the Met Council share a unified housing perspective that informs reporting and planning. 

4. City must be consistent with all comprehensive plan requirements.

Livable Communities Participating Cities

If you have any questions about eligibility or are a city or township interested in becoming a Livable Communities participant, please reach out to Livable Communities Manager Emily Seddon

Anoka	Carver	Dakota	Hennepin	Ramsey	Scott	Washington
Anoka Blaine Centerville Columbia Heights Coon Rapids Fridley Lino Lakes Ramsey St. Francis	Carver Chanhassen Chaska Mayer New Germany Norwood Young America Victoria Waconia Watertown	Apple Valley Burnsville Eagan Farmington Hastings Inver Grove Hgts. Rosemount So. St. Paul W. St. Paul	Bloomington Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Park Champlin Crystal Eden Prairie Edina Excelsior Golden Valley Hopkins Long Lake Loretto Maple Grove Medina Minneapolis Minnetonka New Hope Osseo Plymouth Richfield Robbinsdale Rogers St. Anthony Village St. Louis Park Tonka Bay Wayzata	Arden Hills Falcon Heights Lauderdale Little Canada Maplewood Mounds View New Brighton North St. Paul Roseville Shoreview St. Paul Vadnais Heights White Bear Lake White Bear Twp.	Belle Plaine Elko New Market Jordan Prior Lake Savage Shakopee	Cottage Grove Hugo Mahtomedi Newport Oakdale St. Paul Park Stillwater Woodbury