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34 <br />Table 11: Affordable Housing Allocation for Little Canada <br />Affordable Units to <br />household income at <br />or below 30% AMI <br />Affordable Units to <br />household income at <br />31-50% AMI <br />Affordable Units to <br />household income <br />at 51-80% AMI <br />Total Afford- <br />able Units <br />Allocation <br />26 28 25 79 <br />Source: Metropolitan Council, NAC <br />The Metropolitan Council allocates affordable housing to communities throughout the Metropolitan region in <br />order to diversify where affordable housing is located.This is done in order to avoid creating areas of <br />concentrated poverty,and to allow lower income households to live closer to suburban employment centers. <br />Little Canada has an allocation of 79 new affordable units which must be created between 2012 and 2030.This <br />will be met through the development of a new downtown mixed-use district.The district will be <br />approximately 40 acres of residential and commercial uses.3.5 acres will be explicitly set aside in this district <br />for affordable multifamily housing projects and will be developed at a density of 25 units per acre,more than <br />meeting the allocation of the Metropolitan Council for affordable housing by 2040.Locating this housing right <br />near the city’s downtown will have the added benefits of being nearby both commercial and employment <br />hubs,as well as both local and express transit routes which would allow households without a vehicle to travel <br />easily outside of and through the city. <br />Maintaining Housing <br />While not as pronounced as in some other Metro Communities,Little Canada does have a significant portion <br />of Houses built prior to the early 1960s,and even more built before 1980.By 2040 these buildings will be at or <br />above 60-years-old,and with this increased age will come increased maintenance demands.In order to maintain <br />safe,quality housing stock,and thereby protect the City’s property tax base,the City should be examining how <br />they preserve exiting housing. <br />Firstly,ensuring quality housing begins with effective and present inspection and enforcement.This will be <br />how the City can handle the most troublesome cases of blight or decay but can also be useful in prompting <br />smaller repairs or changes in behavior too.In order to be effective,inspection needs to be backed up by <br />quality ordinance in this case in regard to residential standards.The City will be evaluating its zoning code <br />moving forward from the Comprehensive Plan process regardless,and this will be a great opportunity to <br />update code to match long term goals. <br />Education is another lower cost option for the City.Tips and how-to guides on basic home repair and <br />improvement can be included in any print or digital communications that the City offers to residents.In- <br />person classes could also be offered at local community centers or park facilities.Oftentimes,basic repairs to a <br />home can be easily taken on by the household themselves and can help to avoid more intensive and costly <br />repairs in the long run. <br />Another option the City could examine,would be to offer a small loan program to residents who wanted to <br />repair or improve their home,but who may not have the money to do so.This would be a major incentive to <br />someone who had either been delaying making improvements,or to someone who desperately wanted to <br />make repairs but who did not have the capital to do so.These loan programs are commonly found throughout <br />the region and finding a model to work off of would not be too challenging.For example,the Washington <br />County Community Development Agency offers a small loan up to $18,000 for low-to-moderate income <br />families who want to either improve or maintain their homes.Depending on the City’s discretion the loan <br />could even be a forgivable or deferred loan,to further attract lower-income residents looking to improve the <br />quality of their housing.