34 awards will advance housing, job growth, and redevelopment across the region
The Metropolitan Council has awarded a total of $12.045 million in Livable Communities grants to 34 projects in 21 cities and townships across the region. These are the first Livable Communities grants awarded since the Met Council streamlined the program in response to partner feedback and updated the program to align with Imagine 2050. The projects will help communities plan for growth, expand housing opportunities, revitalize properties, and advance local and regional goals established in Imagine 2050.
The projects include:
- 7 Policy and Affordable Housing Program Development grants totaling $539,000 to help communities develop or update housing policies, housing action plans, and zoning changes.
- 3 Small Area Planning grants totaling $200,000 to support community visions for redevelopment, transportation connections, public spaces, and commercial areas.
- 24 Development grants totaling $11.31 million to support affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities, as well as community-centered commercial projects.
“The Livable Communities program has been making grants for 30 years now and we are really excited to see where this streamlined program that advances Imagine 2050 takes us,” said Emily Seddon, Livable Communities Manager. “We received nearly 50 applications for Livable Communities funding this spring, requesting nearly three times the available funds—clearly, there is a lot of great work happening in and driven by communities across the region.”
Expanding Housing Choices
By 2030, the region is forecasted to need more than 43,500 new affordable homes; yet, less than half of those have been permitted or built, and most are not affordable to households earning $40,000 per year or less (30% of the area median income). The projects selected for Livable Communities grants are expected to build or preserve more than 1,000 affordable homes, making progress toward the region’s housing needs, including more than 100 homes affordable to households living on the lowest incomes.
“Affordable housing has been a critical need in the region for decades, but it takes a lot before we arrive at the day when a family moves in,” said Seddon. “Plans, policies, and processes must align, and then you need to find the money to build it. The Met Council is committed to working with communities at all of these stages.”
Investing in communities across the region
The Livable Communities program helps cities set the conditions for development through policy and small area planning grants and then build the projects that benefit residents. As part of the effort to streamline and align the Livable Communities program with Imagine 2050, the Met Council ensured that the program is accessible and relevant to cities and townships across the region, whether the projects are big or small. Projects in Arden Hills, Blaine, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Edina, Falcon Heights, Hopkins, Minneapolis, New Brighton, Newport, Norwood Young America, Oakdale, Rogers, Saint Louis Park, Saint Paul, Savage, Shakopee, South Saint Paul, White Bear Lake, and Woodbury were all awarded funding.
Projects include:
- Bloomington Affordable Homeownership Program through which the city is partnering with emerging developers to build 16 affordable homes for sale on former church land.
- Hudson Boulevard Family Housing, which will build 72 affordable rental homes along the METRO Gold Line in Oakdale, including 27 that have 3+ bedrooms.
- Manufactured Home Contractor Training Program, developed in partnership between the City of Blaine and Anoka Ramsey Community College, to fill a critical gap in tradespeople who are qualified to repair and maintain manufactured homes, which are a critical component of the region’s affordable housing stock.
- Shakopee Innovation Hub, which will serve as a resource center to accelerate small business growth and workforce development, including labs, makerspace, and a commercial kitchen.
- Torre de San Miguel, which is a 142-home community in Saint Paul that is in need of critical repairs to keep it a safe, dignified, and supportive place for residents to live.
Learn more about Livable Communities grants.