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G;O 'Y R "Nsl NG. 'YO'UR. C I7 'Y • , . A Best Practices Review of Preserving Housing By Jody A.Hauer uality housing does more than For certain housing strategies, Min- had adopted for rental properties contain- provide shelter. It stimulates nesota cities have typically worked with ing two or more units. With the annual neighborhood vitality, adds to another (or several other) agencies—a mailing to property owners notifying economic development, and housing and redevelopment authority, them of upcoming inspections, Mounds sustains local tax bases. In the the county, a community action agency, View's inspector began including a list of report, Preserving Housing:A Best nonprofit housing organizations, or a common maintenance-code violations— Practices Review, the Legislative regional development commission. items like inoperable smoke detectors Auditor's Office describes best Best practices in preserving housing. and improper clearance to electrical practices for local governments involved To be successful, cities first have to equipment. The list allows owners to fix in preserving housing stock. The report determine their housing needs and see problems prior to inspections, reducing also features examples of local agencies how they relate to other long-range the number of deficiencies and staff that have adopted best practices. planning concerns in the community. time for re-inspections. Preserving existing housing is neces- This analysis often requires housing Certain housing strategies offer nary for three practical reasons. expertise that cities, especially smaller incentives to preserve residential strut- First, Minnesota has an increasing ones, have to obtain from consultants tures. They include financial assistance, number of households. Across the state, or other housing experts. housing information and expertise, and the number of households grew 15 per- Once cities identify housing needs, a direct rehabilitation and repair services. • cent between 1990 and 2000. House- best practice is determining appropriate One example is the use of a "remodeling holds tend to be smaller than before: responses to those needs. This means advisor," as is done through the housing the number of one-person households setting housing goals and objectives— and redevelopment authorities in Rich- shot up 23 percent over the decade, a process that should involve local field and South St. Paul.With experience and average household size decreased leaders—and evaluating a broad range in the building industry, the remodeling in all regions of the state. of options. advisor helps homeowners with questions Second, although the number of One best practice in deciding on on renovations, ideas for remodeling, housing units grew, it lagged behind appropriate housing strategies is to and general cost estimates. the rising number of households. In determine whether cities have sufficient Another best practice is communi- 2000, Minnesota had 92 households for internal capacity or whether they should caring housing information in timely every 100 housing units compared with rely on outside professionals. Roseville ways and multiple languages, when 89 households for every 100 housing is one of several metropolitan cities , necessary. Melrose used its city's spring units a decade earlier. opting to use the Housing Resource newsletter to remind residents of the Third, Minnesota's housing stock Center, an arm of the nonprofit.Greater need to obtain building permits for is aging. In 2000, more than half of Metropolitan Housing Corporation. residential building improvements. The Minnesota's housing units were at least The Center employs construction newsletters have also contained inforrna- 30 years old. This is an age by when managers who answer remodeling lion about the city's rental-inspection many major building systems—roofs questions and help residents evaluate program in English and Spanish versions and furnaces, for example—need to contractors' bids. It also administers to help its numerous Spanish-speaking have been replaced. several home-improvement financing renters. Local government involvement in programs on the city's behalf. The report is available in the "Pro- preserving housing. Cities have adopted .Housing strategies. Among housing gram Evaluation" section of the Office property maintenance codes, established strategies that communities may choose of the Legislative Auditor web site at: rental-unit inspection programs, required are adopting local codes with standards www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us. The inspections before homes may be sold, for maintaining residential properties. web site contains supplementary mate- provided housing-improvement infor- One best practice for administering vials and links not found in the written mation and expertise, encouraged proper housing-related codes is to encourage report. Readers may also contact the adnninistration of the state building voluntary compliance, in turn, minirmiz- Legislative Auditor's Office at (651) 0 code, and offered financial subsidies to ing resources needed for enforcement. 296-4708 for a copy. r leverage private investments. Best prat- As one example,Mounds View tices are tied to each of these housing took steps to encourage compliance _Jody A. Hatter is project manager with the strategies. with the maintenance standards the city Office of the Legislative Auditor. MAY -JUNE 2003 MINNESOTA CITIES 13