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Politics & Government

Workforce Housing Project Moves Ahead

A workforce housing plan near Inver Hills Community College got the nod from the City Council on Feb. 13.

At the Feb. 13 meeting the unanimously approved, with Council Member Bill Klein absent, plans to build a 24-unit multiple development on College Trail.

The Dakota County Community Development Agency is looking to develop the property as workforce housing near in the 8200 block of College Trail.

Housing requests would only be granted to people if they met the low-income requirements: $45,350 is the maximum income for a family of three. The townhomes rent around $635 for a two-bedroom unit and about $685 for a three bedroom.

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The average residential income is $30,000 and the average family size is three. The majority of residents in similar developments work modest-paying jobs and over 50 percent are single-parent homes, according to the agency.

Some area residents were concerned about the size of the lot and the mass of the proposed units saying there is not enough room for the proposed number of units.

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"My concern is that it will be too tight and there will be more issues that benefits received," one oppositional resident said.

The same resident said he did not want the workforce housing units built by his home because they would decrease the value of his home.

"No offense to anyone, but this type of housing is going to affect our property values," he said. "(In the past few years) we have seen our values drop by 20 percent and taxes not go down by even $100."

Mayor George Tourville said he has not seen any facts or official data to support the notion that workforce housing inherently decreases property values calling the man’s suspicion a "misnomer."

Before the proposal was approved Tourville said the city and the developer needed to talk to the school district about busing as the road there is narrow and currently too dangerous to pick up children.

This will mark the 20th development of its kind by the agency.

 

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