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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — OCTOBER 27, 2025 10 trusts help ensure that people can stay in homes longer or that houses stay affordable longer by taking out the land price. Minnesota has the largest number of land trusts in the country. There are also housing cooperatives. They tend to be geared toward seniors. There are a handful of new entities offering new senior housing cooperatives. They are pre -purchased, up to 75% of the units, within six to eight months. So there is interest in these types of housing. Community Development Director Reilly said we can establish a rental licensing program. That would cut down on staff time spent dealing with nuisance properties and would be at least revenue neutral and possibly revenue generating. He understands that is a bigger conversation. Community Development Director Reilly offered that we can also work directly with employers who can support new home development that is affordable for their workers, should they choose to live in town. Community Development Director Reilly said the most expensive option is to offer financial incentives. There would be a lot of work to do before we are to that point. Community Development Director Reilly explained the home ownership opportunities and rental opportunities. He also showed what surrounding communities are doing to bring affordable housing. Rental licensing can improve the inventory of available housing. The Met Council gives each city a target goal allotment. Our allotment is associated with what happens at Rice Creek Commons. Our Zoning Code update will do a lot. Councilmember Rousseau wonders if seeking relationships with the builders is part of the conversation regarding City -owned land like the old City Hall location and if we can find a partner we could contract with to get the affordable housing units we want. She noted a housing type that she has seen is to have a basement level with a family living on the main level with another housing unit in a third level. She wondered if that is plausible here if an elevator function could be installed. Community Development Director Reilly said that housing type is an option. It would be more of an accessory dwelling component. He knows of a builder that has designed a lift that is a walk in closet that can be converted to a lift. Councilmember Holden said we have so much housing that is for seniors. What will happen when seniors die off and those senior apartments need to transition to regular apartments. Community Development Director said people are living a lot longer than they used to. The reality is senior housing isn't going away. The senior coops tend to start at age 55. He said builders are going away from assisted living and memory care. There is a large population of people who are 55 and older who want to sell their home. That's where a cooperative model fits in. Councilmember Holden is concerned with the lack of ownership. Companies are buying up the inventory and renting them out at unaffordable rates. She said before we can talk about the old City Hall space we need to remember we will need space to store equipment for TCAAP. We don't have any other piece of land to house all the new. She said the affordability tends to be concentrated to the Arden Manor and south of TCAAP and the townhouses. That's a concern. We want kids on the school bus hanging out with kids who have money.