04-09-2025 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF LITTLE CANADA COUNTY OF RAMSEY STATE OF MINNESOTA RESOLUTION 2025-4-___ A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING CONCERNS REGARDING STATEWIDE ZONING PREEMPTION PROPOSALS BILLS AND SUPPORTING LOCALLY-LED HOUSING SOLUTIONS WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Little Canada is the official governing body of the City of Little Canada; and WHEREAS, the City of Little Canada has taken substantial steps to address housing availability and affordability through zoning reforms, redevelopment planning, and infrastructure investment; and WHEREAS, decisions about land use and zoning are best made at the local level, where communities are most familiar with their infrastructure capacities, natural constraints, and evolving resident needs; and WHEREAS, the Minnesota Legislature is considering three bills—HF 1987/SF 2229 (Minnesota Starter Home Act), HF 2140/SF 2231 (More Homes in the Right Places Act), and HF 2018/SF 2286 (Transforming Main Street Act)—which would broadly restrict cities’ ability to guide development through local zoning tools; and WHEREAS, while the City supports efforts to increase housing supply and affordability across the State of Minnesota, the proposed legislation takes a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach that would undermine local innovation, create confusion, and impose burdensome administrative requirements; and WHEREAS, these bills would limit cities' ability to address infrastructure demands, engage the public, and manage design standards and long-term maintenance responsibilities—especially in infill and redevelopment contexts; and WHEREAS, the City of Little Canada has already begun modernizing its zoning code to support housing diversity and should not be penalized or derailed by legislation that imposes needlessly complex, sometimes conflicting mandates with unclear implementation paths; and WHEREAS, the City of Little Canada has a strong record of providing affordable housing, with over 10% of the city’s housing stock affordable at the 30% AMI level and over 50% affordable at the 60% AMI level—rates that exceed both regional averages and those of neighboring communities. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LITTLE CANADA, MINNESOTA, THAT; 1. The City expresses considerable concern about HF 1987/SF 2229, HF 2140/SF 2231, and HF 2018/SF 2286 as currently written, due to their preemption of local zoning authority, overly broad or unclear definitions, mandates to create new zoning districts that conflict with the City’s planning goals and resident interests, and restrictions on local review of design standards and