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HED-1 CITY ROLE IN HOUSING While the provision of housing is predominantly a private sector, market-driven activity, all levels of government – federal, state, regional and local – have a role in facilitating the production and preservation of affordable housing in Minnesota. Adequate affordable housing is a significant concern for the metropolitan region and effective approaches require participation from all levels of government, the private sector, and nonprofit groups. Cities in Minnesota are responsible for most ground-level housing policy, including land use planning, code enforcement, rental licensing, and often the packaging of multi-level financial incentives. Cities are responsible for ensuring local health and safety and the structural soundness and livability of the local housing stock through building permits and inspections. Cities are charged with providing public infrastructure to serve current and future residents and must assess the effects of a new development on parks, local roads, water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater capacities to ensure that additional needs for infrastructure are assumed by the new development and not current taxpayers. It is the city that assumes the future financial responsibility, management, and maintenance for improvements and infrastructure after a developer has completed a project. It is also the responsibility of cities to periodically review local requirements such as land use regulations and ordinances, and make long range plans consistent with state statute, to ensure that they are consistent with these purposes. While local government financial resources constitute a relatively small portion of the total costs of providing housing, many cities take on a significant administrative burden by providing financial incentives and regulatory relief, participating in state and regional housing programs, and supporting either local or countywide housing and redevelopment authorities and community development agencies. When a developer seeks to advance a development proposal that does not meet straight housing and mixed-use zoning codes and requirements, the developer may request a planned unit development (PUD) agreement with a city. PUDs, where appropriate, can provide zoning flexibility to develop a site that is otherwise not permitted by a city code. The use of PUDs may allow for more variety and creativity in land uses, increased density on a site, internal transfers of density, construction phasing, reduced setbacks, and a potential for lower development costs. In the interest of adhering to local long-range plans and managing local health, safety, viability, and welfare needs, a city may request certain public benefits from a developer, including but not limited to additional open space, preservation of wooded land and environmentally sensitive areas, landscaping along major roadways, providing a mix of housing types, and enhanced design and landscaping features. HED-1 TO HED-10: INTRODUCTION 39