HRSR INFORMATION 05-27-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 PRESERVING HOUSING: A BEST PRACTICES REVIEW • Report Summary: Once housing needs are identified,cities should determine appropriate responses to Preserving housing means keeping meet them. Involving elected officials in residential units safe,livable,and setting housing goals and objectives is a attractive to occupants. Quality housing best practice to this end. Another is stock is important not only as shelter but evaluating a broad range of options and also as a means to long-term designing strategies to meet housing neighborhood stability,communities' objectives. economic viability,and strong tax bases. Example: St. Louis Park has designed Public sector responses to the need to multiple strategies to meet its housing preserve housing include: property preservation needs. The city enforces a property maintenance code and requires maintenance codes,inspections of rental property owners planning to sell their units,programs requiring inspections structures to have them inspected and to before homes are sold,proper correct deficiencies. The city licenses and administration of the State Building Code, inspects rental buildings with three or housing information campaigns,and more units. Further, St. Louis Park has financial subsidies. Not all cities will partnerships for offering financial become involved with preserving housing, assistance and housing preservation but those that do should follow best information. practices tied to the strategies they select. As part of deciding on appropriate housing Although we refer specifically to"cities," strategies,cities should determine whether counties or others working on local they have sufficient internal capacity to governments' behalf may be involved. implement the strategies or whether they should rely on outside professionals. • Thinking Strategically Example: Several metropolitan-area Cities should start by determining their cities lacking their own capacity to offer housing needs,if they have not already housing information and expertise use the done so. This involves analyzing Housing Resource Center, an arm of the nonprofit Greater Metropolitan Housing information on housing units and factors , such as demographic Corporation. The Center employs that affect housing,should g construction managers who answer home trends. Another best practice is improvement questions and help residents select housing identifying and prioritizing housing needs. evaluate contractors'bids. It also strategies that Many cities,especially smaller ones,may administers various financing programs on are aligned with need to enlist outside expertise to follow the cities'behalf. their housing these practices. Garnering elected officials' support is objectives. Cities should also study housing needs important when determining appropriate and how they relate to other issues in the housing responses,particularly if local community. Housing studies should be leaders have not been involved previously. part of long-term comprehensive and A final best practice is to plan for strategic planning processes. adequate investments in infrastructure such as streets and lighting. Example: Roseville developed a housing improvement plan that is part of that city's Example: In South St. Paul, the city and comprehensive plan. The improvement the HRA have been involved in activities plan, which the city reviews yearly to that form a base of local leader support for account for changing market conditions, housing initiatives. A housing committee, contains benchmarks for housing activities made up of members of the city council, and describes housing conditions in the HRA,planning commission, and staff, city. Together the housing improvement meets regularly to discuss housing plan and comprehensive plan have guided conditions and needs. Plus, strategic . the city's housing strategies and led to planning efforts among city stakeholders collaborations with housing experts.