04-02-2018 HRA MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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Housing and Redevelopment Minutes April 2, 2018 4.5 Bylaws Amendments as outlined in the staff report. Motion carried 5-0. Open Forum No one appeared for Open Forum. 6. Public Hearings There were no public hearings. 7.1 Housing Study Report Ms. Othoudt presented the staff report. Chair Toth commented that the vacancy rate is almost zero in all areas. He asked if the demand being shown as an increase is a realistic number. Page 2 Ms. Othoudt explained how the study calculates demand for each type of property and the study indicates senior and assisted living housing demand will be met by these properties created and very little will be needed by 2022. Commissioner Ovall asked if she's heard from local builders and developers as to why the demand is not increasing, is it the school district, amenities, access to utilities. He also asked if transportation on Highways 10/169 was a factor. Ms. Othoudt stated school districts and community amenities are always highly considered when building in a city. She indicated property taxes aren't typically something that keeps developers away but they are factored. She stated transportation could also possibly be a factor. Commissioner Ovall asked if Commissioner Eder would provide insight in her experience in the construction industry. Commissioner Eder stated there are more developments available in Elk River and a higher demand for them. She indicated many customers are building in the school district they want their children attend. She said there's a lot of talk of whether or not Elk River will lower the requirement to allow lots in size of less than 2.5 acres lots that don't require city water and septic. She stated people really want the acreage and there's so much land where there aren't city utilities. Commissioner Chuba asked how Ms. Othoudt felt about the report She stated developers are already contacting the city showing interest after seeing this report. She felt overall it was a good report and found a few minor mistakes in the report to fix.