ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota needs more places to live, and legislators hope that seven bills they are proposing will address the issue.
Crisis situation
Shortage worsens: A housing shortage is raising rents and mortgage rates, making it more expensive to have a roof over your head.
A bipartisan group of legislators is trying again to make improvements, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy.
The situation was similar last year, but nothing happened in the Capitol.
But now, both Democrats and Republicans are describing it as a crisis that is only worsening.
Number crunching
Double trouble: Construction has not completely ceased, but Minnesota has a housing crisis.
In 2018, Minnesota had 50,000 fewer housing units than its population required.
Almost seven years later, the housing shortage stands at approximately 115,000.
“Every moment we wait to take action, we fall further behind,” said Sen. Lindsey Port (DFL-Burnsville), a leader in both the failed 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
The American Nightmare?
Homeownership delayed: How does that affect the American Dream?
It is delayed. The median age of a first-time homebuyer is now 38.
“We hear it all the time,” stated Representative Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield). “Housing costs too damn much.”
“The median cost of a new single-family home is over $540,000,” said Sen. Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls). “And that puts homeownership out of reach for many working Minnesotans.”
Older homes may be less expensive, but the median price remains above $350,000.
Why did they wait?
Try, try again: Last year, attempts to pass a large housing bill that addressed many of the same issues were unsuccessful.
They appeared to have bipartisan support, but received no Republican votes in committee due to strong opposition from cities.
“A lot of the cities are now finally realizing they’ve got a housing problem on their hands,” said Rep. Jim Nash. “For the first time in my memory, they’re coming to us and saying, ‘Yeah, you’re right. “We know we aren’t building enough homes.”
Pieces of a plan
Lucky seven: Seven bills aim to remove barriers, including bills that make it easier to build less expensive single-family homes and require cities to allow more multifamily home construction.
They also want to eliminate parking mandates throughout the state.
The bills have not yet been finalized, so those who opposed the major bills last year have not yet spoken out.
