07-24-2024 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of the City Council FROM: Chris Heineman, City Administrator DATE: July 24, 2024 RE: Resolutions of Support for Metropolitan Council Livable Communities Act Funding ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED Consider approval of new resolutions of support to submit a Livable Communities Act (LCA) Development grant application to the Metropolitan Council for the multi-family housing projects at Rice Street & Demont Avenue and on County Road B East. BACKGROUND The Metropolitan Council administers the Livable Communities Act (LCA) grant program that provides funding to developers, cities, counties, and housing authorities for various development- related initiatives. The LCA Development program ($2M in funding) is currently accepting grant applications for early-stage development initiatives such as design workshops, financial studies, project impact analyses, and community engagement, among many other eligible activities. Reuter Walton Development, LLC has a proposal to develop a multi-family housing project at the intersection of Rice Street and Demont Avenue, and Lupe Development has.a proposal for a senior housing project on County Road B East. In order to facilitate the financing for these projects, both developers are requesting resolutions of support from the City of Little Canada to include with their grant applications. The City Council approved these resolutions of support in 2023 for both projects, but neither developer received any funding last year. They are now reapplying for the grant and have requested updated resolutions of support from the city to resubmit with the new applications. The City of Little Canada recognizes that multifamily rental housing plays an important role within the community. As such, the City is committed to the maintenance and development of affordable housing opportunities for residents of Little Canada. The City also encourages the development and maintenance of housing designed for occupancy by low and moderate- income households; and encourages the redevelopment of blighted or underutilized land and structures within the boundaries of the City. The proposed projects will assist the City in achieving these objectives. Funding will ensure that the projects include housing affordability which is a goal that was identified in the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The City of Little Canada has been asked to accommodate up to 72 additional units of affordable housing between 2021-2030 in partnership with the regional housing goals of the Metropolitan Council. This development helps to achieve these goals.