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perception, both how "easy" a developer perceives a locality is to develop in and neighborhood <br />perception all influence whether a developer of any kind will find a place desirable to build in. <br />Ultimately, supply of housing will come when the cost of land plus the cost of construction is of <br />interest to a developer. Higher density buildings are profitable in the locations that support them. <br />Lexington Avenue is a prime example of a place where higher density buildings are able to be <br />built. Not only because the cost of land is lower but also because people can walk to and from <br />major employers and many services and businesses. Some of this supply (relative to the cost of <br />land) can be addressed through zoning code reforms. <br />Discussion <br />Inclusionary housing ordinance <br />Attachment A is a draft inclusionary housing ordinance that considers the previous discussions <br />with the Council about affordable housing, tools described as acceptable and stated concerns about <br />negative impacts to the tax base and/or accepted community standards. Attachment A offers an <br />Arden Hills -specific and market -sensitive approach to affordability in new construction as well as <br />rehabilitation of existing homes and attempts to address concerns raised during previous <br />conversations about affordable homes such as design elements, need for municipal subsidy, lack <br />of enforceability, and addressing maintenance -related concerns about affordability for existing <br />residents and their homes. <br />Staff is seeking feedback on Attachment A and will begin processing this ordinance through <br />consultation with the city attorney following feedback. <br />Zoning code reforms <br />Direction from the council on January 12 was also clear that the list of zoning code reforms to <br />establish standards, reduce regulatory barriers and become more in line with provide and accepted <br />professional practices around minimum standards for parking, lot size, and housing types. As staff <br />evaluates the drafted updates to the zoning code, based on the conversations with Council about <br />affordable housing, we intend to address the following items discussed with council in those <br />updates. These include: <br />Reducing Required Parking_ <br />Eliminating parking minimums continues to be the proven way to positively increase not only the <br />number of homes constructed and also positively influence outcomes for small and large <br />businesses alike. When parking and the land use are "unbundled" the developer can use their robust <br />knowledge of the target market to determine how to right size the parking. If cities didn't require <br />parking, the market would supply it only when profitable. There would be fewer spaces, and spots <br />that were frequently empty would be redeveloped. This is as true in large cities with transit options <br />as it is for smaller cities with limited transit opportunities yet strong connections for people who <br />walk or roll to parks, schools, businesses, services, and jobs, like in Arden Hills. <br />Selectively Increase Maximum Densities: <br />The cost of building housing has two components: the cost of land and the cost of building. There <br />is a "sweet spot" that addresses the comprehensive plan goal to complement and preserve the <br />character that is Arden Hills and the demonstrated need to build more places for people to live. <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />