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ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2001 N SUBURBS EAGAN +City,OKs affordable housing plan Council finally sees BY AMY SHERMAN Pioneer Press The Eagan City Council, well known for rejecting affordable housing proposals, approved such a plan Thursday. The council voted 4-0 in favor of the construction of 138 town homes. Some will be affordable to families who earn less than $35,000 a year while most will be market rate. Council Member Paul Bakken was absent because his wife recently gave birth, but he said in an inter- view that he supported the development. The rental homes, which will be called Cedar Vil- las, will be built on a 17-acre site near Rahn Park between Cedar Avenue and Nicols Road. The vote wasn't a surprise because a majority of the coun- cil had voiced support for the project last month after one of the developers met most of the council~s requests. A group of about 75 people, mostly Eagan residents, packed the meeting to show support. Many residents wore red, white and blue pins depicting the Stat- ue of Liberty that said "A Chal- lenge to Eagan" and quoted a line from the Emma Lazarus poem on the statue: "Give me your tired, your poor, your hud- died masses yearning to breathe free... ' From Minnetonka to St. Paul, cities are increasingly dis- c{tssing how to address the a proposal it likes shortage of housing for tea_ch- ers, secretaries and nthers who don't earn enough money to afford today's high housin~ pricgs. Housing advocates have lambasted the Eagan City Coun- cil for not stepping up to the plate. In 1994 and 1997 the City Council rejected separate affordable housing proposals from the Dakota County Com- munity Development Agency and CommonBond Communi- ties. The development agency sued in 1995, and a judge ordered Eagan to rezone the land for Oak Ridge town homes, a development that many neigh- bors fought. City Council members have repeatedly insisted that they aren't against affordable hous- ing, but think developers and landlords, not local government, should set prices. They have also said that affordable hous- ing must be high quality and not too dense. Although no neigh- bors of this development site attended Thursday's meeting to voice opposition, some have called council members with concerns about safety and other issues. In an interview before the meeting, Bakken explained why he supported the project. "It's not because my views and principles have changed, but because finally I've gotten the chance to do (a develop- ment with some affordable housing) right and work with "This is a good ending to a somewhat contentious process." PAT AWADA Mayor of Eagan someone who has a commit- ment to do it right," Bakken said. In September, the council sent Shelter Corp. back to the drawing board asking for fewer homes, more garages and some owner-occupied units. The developer complied with the conditions except left the units as rental, and eliminated 20 homes. Everyone on the council praised the new Cedar Villas plan. "This is a good ending to a somewhat contentious process," Mayor Pat Awada said. ' Residents did not see the vote as an end but rather as a beginning for more affordable housing in Eagan. In interviews after the vote, some residents said they were pleased that the homes will be built because Eagan needs to welcome fami- lies with different incomes and allow those who work in the city to live there. But some resi- dents said the council should not have made approval so diffi- cult for the .developer and regretted the reduction in units. Many residents were happy with the initial proposal. "In the end we're just glad that they took the first step toward affordable housing in Eagan," said Jeff Dols, an Eagan resident. The city did not request any changes from the community development agency, which will build 34 units that will rent in the $500-a-month range. Shelter Corp will rent 20 percent of its units at reduced rates while the rest will be more expensive, with rents ranging from $725 to $1,375 including parking fees. Passersby won't be able to tell which of Shelter's units are affordable because they will look the same as the more expensive ones. The two- and three-bedroom homes will likely be completed in 2003. Amy Sherman, who covers Eagan, Inver Grove Heights and Rosemount, can be reached at asherman@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-2174.