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City of Arden Hills – 2030 Comprehensive Plan and property maintenance. Eventually, as a person ages, there is often a need for assisted living or an extended care facility. Housing in Arden Hills today is primarily focused on one stage of the housing life- cycle, move-up housing. Ironically, a significant number of units constructed in Arden Hills during the 1970s were oriented to the first-time homebuyer market. As housing prices have risen over the past three to four decades, what was once priced for a first-time buyer is now classified as move-up housing due to escalated prices. Arden Hills does still have a limited supply of more entry level housing. In 2007, there were 285 units in the Arden Manor manufactured home community and approximately 80 percent of the units were owner occupied. Rental housing is another component of life-cycle housing that needs to be addressed. Rental housing is an important component of the overall housing supply since it provides options for both the beginning and later stages of the life- cycle chain. It may also serve the needs of several segments of the population including retail service employees, seniors, young adults just entering the workplace and economically disadvantaged households. Based on the homestead data from Ramsey County, 10 percent of the housing in Arden Hills is classified as non-homesteaded, which is a rough indicator for rental housing. According to Ramsey County property information, slightly more than 94 percent of the occupied single family homes and townhomes (not including manufactured homes or condominiums) were owner occupied in 2008. Arden Hills promotes housing diversity through its long-term goals, policies, and strategies. The market is also expected to exert pressure on the City for more housing diversity. As was noted earlier, factors such as an aging population, a population that has more non-family households, and increased numbers of householders living alone is expected to drive demand for more attached, multi- family housing. Multi-family units expected to be in demand are likely to be oriented toward both owners and renters. 7.4.2 Housing Affordability Affordable housing is an issue in every Twin Cities area community. With housing costs outpacing many wages, it is becoming increasingly important to focus on affordable housing. Because of the disparity of housing costs and wages throughout the Twin Cities, affordable housing continues to be a major initiative of the Metropolitan Council. According to the Metropolitan Council, housing is considered affordable if it is priced at or below 30 percent of the gross income of a household earning 60 Approved: September 28, 2009 7-7