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33 <br />Housing Needs and Areas of Focus <br />Based on the existing inventory of housing stock in Little Canada we can get a good context for the City’s <br />housing needs and priorities moving forward.Little Canada moving forward will need to develop new residential <br />properties to meet anticipated growth,they will need to continue to provide quality affordable housing,and <br />they will need to maintain and improve existing housing that will primarily be over 6 decades old in 2040. <br />Meeting Growth <br />Little Canada is estimated to have 4,900 households in 2040,up 386 from the Metropolitan Council’s 2016 <br />estimate. <br />Table 10: Household Growth in Little Canada <br />2016 House- <br />holds <br />2020 House- <br />holds <br />2030 House- <br />holds <br />2040 House- <br />holds <br />4,514 4,600 4,870 4,900 <br />Source: Metropolitan Council <br />The first step to meeting this demand for housing will be to fill existing vacant properties in the city.There <br />are 215 units of unoccupied housing currently,and while it can be expected that many of these may need <br />some amount of renovation,that cost will be significantly lower than full infill redevelopment.After <br />accounting for vacant properties,the City will still have 171 new housing units that will be needed to match <br />demand.Mixed-use development around the downtown will account for a good portion of this,and infill <br />development of open land and deteriorating properties will meet the rest of the demand.In both cases, <br />affordable housing will be pursued where possible. <br />Affordable Housing <br />Little Canada has done a fantastic job providing housing that is affordable to households of all income levels and <br />going forward this should continue to be emphasized.This is because affordable housing promotes housing <br />diversity.Housing diversity includes different tenures (rental and ownership),types (single family,townhome <br />and apartment),price points,sizes and styles.Cities with diverse housing stock can accommodate the needs of <br />a wide variety of households at different life stages,incomes and family types.Furthermore,it provides more <br />options as resident housing needs vary over time due to changes in age,income,housing preference,family <br />structure,or physical abilities.As a result,people who move into a community can remain in it and stay close to <br />their established social support networks.For example,a long-term resident who no longer wishes to care for a <br />large yard will choose to move to another housing type within their community with less maintenance needs,if <br />that option is available,before looking at other communities.A diverse supply also provides options for young <br />adults,who grew up in a community,to move out of their parent’s home into an apartment or townhome <br />nearby. <br />In addition to this,affordable housing has a number of economic benefits for the city.In Little Canada,the <br />annual average wage is slightly lower than in both Ramsey County and the Twin Cities Region.For people who <br />work in Little Canada,their lower wages may not be enough to afford to live in the City,or to avoid being cost- <br />burdened.For the business sector to grow and expand,a reliable labor force is needed to fuel it.Available <br />affordable housing helps to attract a talented workforce to fill these job opportunities,so they can live near <br />their place of work.Workers often look for jobs that are located near attractive housing options.This also <br />helps to retain current workers who wish to be at a company for the long term thereby avoiding unnecessary <br />and costly employee turn-overs.Besides the many benefits that make affordable housing appealing for Little <br />Canada, the City also has to meet its regional allocation from the Metropolitan Council.