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