Preserving affordable housing in SLP

The Courtyard Apartments in Ward 1 are home to many SLP families in need of affordable housing. 

I recently heard from a woman in St. Louis Park who's struggling to maintain her housing. She lives in the former Meadowbrook Manor complex (now Era on Excelsior) with her husband and two kids. They’ve lived there six years, and their boys attend Susan Lindgren Elementary School. Like most people I’ve talked with while running for city council, she and her family like St. Louis Park a lot.  

Until a few months ago, the family paid $900/month in rent. Last year, the 64-year-old Meadowbrook complex changed hands. Now, they pay $1,200/month for the same apartment. Since the vacancy rate for affordable housing in SLP is practically zero, if this family of four wants to stay here, which they do, their only option is to accept the 30 percent rent increase and live on less.
 
These days, many families in our community are struggling to maintain their housing. And in fact, many have already left. Since the 551-unit Meadowbrook changed hands in 2016, 80 percent of the people who lived there have been displaced, most to other communities, far away from their jobs, schools, and friends.  
 
As affordable housing disappears from St. Louis Park, including in Ward 1, we risk losing the socioeconomic diversity that is part of our community identity. We also risk discontinuity in our schools and classrooms. Susan Lindgren saw the loss of about 40 students when Meadowbrook got a new owner; many kids lost their teachers and friends. Some of the displaced students were known to families I’ve talked with while door knocking. They and other community members are concerned and want to know what, if anything, we can do. 
 
The good news is, there are things we can do to create and preserve affordable housing in our community. In fact, our city council has already taken a serious look at this issue and begun to address it. As a member of the St. Louis Park Community Housing Team, as well as a concerned citizen and potential city council member, I applaud the council’s efforts. I also support the continued exploration/implementation of measures such as:

• Advance notice of sale, which requires owners of apartment buildings to notify the city before they put their property on the market, so nonprofit developers can potentially buy the property and keep rents affordable 
• Inclusionary housing policy, which requires developers who get financial incentives from the city to make a percentage of their new apartments affordable
• Financial support for STEP, who in turn provides rental assistance to families risking eviction
• Kids in the Park, a new program that helps a small number of families with kids in SLP schools maintain their affordable housing

Affordable housing challenges aren’t limited to low-income families, either. In talking with residents over the past four months, I’ve learned that affordable housing means different things to different people. Together with residents and city leaders, I’m committed to exploring additional housing solutions that may include:

• Helping seniors on fixed incomes manage higher property taxes tied to higher home values
• Creating more affordable housing options for seniors wishing to sell their homes and stay in SLP
• Promoting the development of more affordable 2-, 3- and 4- bedroom apartments for families
• Modifications to our Move Up in the Park loan program, so more middle-income families can expand or remodel their homes and stay in the Park.

The loss of affordable housing is a regional problem; we can't fix it alone. But we can be a leader, as we are in other areas, by continuing to explore and implement creative, collaborative, and cost-effective solutions in our own community. What’s your definition of affordable housing? What are your views on housing affordability in St. Louis Park? I welcome your thoughts here.