HomeMy WebLinkAbout76-062
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ST~TE o~ MIN~!ESOTA
CJl!Nl-Y OF RAMSEY
CJTY (If ARDEN H[L!~S
~ESOLlQ)ON NO. 76,,62
COMMENTS ON METROPOLITAN COUNCfL'S MODEST
COST PRiVATE fWUSjNG W'IJSORY COMiOTTEE
REPORT
WHEREAS. the Arden Hi l!s Council desires to comment on
the Metropolitan Counci I '5 Mocest Cost Private Housing Advisory
Committee Repol^+ of Oci'ober, 1976 and,
, WHEREAS, the Council consists 0'1 elecTed officials, generalists,
wfiu are cognizant of public needs, wants and the art of pragmatism;
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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that tho Arden Hills Council does
hereby adopt the following comments:
A. We find serious fault with the initial tenor of the
document, which tends to prove an assum~d point - that
housing is now unavallabl,e beciluse of cost, and considers
seriously only those figures which agree with the assump-
tion. To do this:
1. Emotional words are used, such as "alarmlrlg", "dramatic"
and "only., when used to Indicate a low or attractive
dollar amount.
2. Much of the daTa indicates that housing cost to fam! Iy
Income ratios are stable, (p. 15, P. 17), contradlct-
jng other information and the conclusions.
3. The projection of needed new housing starts isexces-
sively high and the extrapolation at present hou~lng
costs to the future produces a ludicrous result.
4. No data is presented to show that housing starts per
tarni Iy has shown a significant declir-ing tendency in
the last 10 or so years. '
8. Cities ore unfairly damned as a major cause of increased
housing costs, and we believe that Arden Hi lis is similar
'ro many other communities tha'r are in mid-development;
therefore, the following comments must apply widely:
I. The housing costs that have increased most (p.18) are
taxBs, Ihsurance and maintenance. Note that beyond
Cl sma II proportion of the taxes' less than 10%), the
City has nothing to do with these Increases.
2. G8r~gas (p. 291 are not required by most communities,
Including Arden HiiJs; thers'iore, this would not be
an important genaral factor in costs.
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3. Arden HI I Is, permit fees (p. 331 have Increased - we
now conform to the State of Minnesota approved U.B.C.
Therefore, we do not feel culpabJ8 on this point.
4. On p. 35, It is stated that gove,nmell1' shou I d absorb
certain housing costs and that some assessments should
be vlljage-wlde. Government never absorbs costs - it
just passes them on. ,'rden Hill s. and most v 111 ages
we know, aSS6SS the benefited property; therefore,
this suggested requirement is being carried out.
5. .In i'llls community, at least, iett"r. of credit (p. 36)
have b9sn used in lieu of performance bonas.
6, A dBve~oper In Arden HI i Is usual Iy has the choice of
imp;-0v:ng i"he lt3nd himself or' having the Vi ~ lage
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';~in'3nC~J the irnprol/,3m'~""n';~s (p. 36J.
7. F'<:JI'k dBdlca-rions in ArcG" Hi lis are based on I-a\<! ~and
'1"altH:;'; and cc:,; at~>) tH) wszd of-or ponding ore cover storm
sower requirements.
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There Is an error on p. 42 - Arden Hi 115 dOBS not require
underground parking for any bui Idlng.
9. On p. 44 the report states that ~any co~munlties have re-
quirements that are more stringent than the U.B.C. This
j s ii' 8gal .
to. We sgrsB that amenities are usually less costly if Installed
initially Cpo 46) - This Is why some municipal costs are
Increased.
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! I. Pages 45-56 sho~ that increased fees and costs of public
Improvements are more dictated by the State government
than by local government. The table on p. 54 shows that
most fees are set or suggested by the State (even building
permits and plan checks are). The proliferation of agencies
which a bui Ider must deal with is due to State, not munlci-
p~l, regulation,
12. The delays that a bui Ider must endure are not long In
Arden Hi lis insofar as they are chargeable to the City
government.
13. Va,lances for excellence in land use concepts 6re granted
by most municipalities, and It is the,efore incor,ect
to read an ordinance which states that lots must be 11,000
sq. ft. and assume that this Is in fact the smallest lot
size in the municipality.
14. The report Ignores the fact that many communities, such as
Arden Hi lis, ha vo a! lowed the d(we I apment c f townhouses,
mob!le home courts and other design concepts whiCh reduce
the requirements below those that have beGn considered in
the report.
C. ~lany figures ara elCerpted from sources which could have derived
them from fact, fancy or dreams. From the report, one can
often not determine if the reSOI!rCe has any va'idl~y beyond
opinion. A few factual distortions are evident however:
The median lot requirement In the metro aree Is 9500 sq. ft.
I. (p. 42), yet tho Appendix study concernl~g s~vin~s with
smaller lots (p. IGO) concerned a redUCTion In size from
11,000 sq. ft. ',.0 1,500 sq. i'L !dso, i I iustrations on
p. 43 were of a magnitude of change which ~ould appear to
be irrelevant to the median municipality.
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2. The tables sho.lng minimum lo~ requirements of varlo~s
cities (p. 39) took break poInts which maximize the effect
wanted. A break point of 5001 to 8000 etc.. one foot
different, could show an altered result.
3. The 15,000 sq. ft. used in tho last paragraph o~ p. 319d
appears to be an error - <It leasi' 14,000 sq. ft. wou
produce a similar percentage.
BE IT THEREFORE FURTHER RESOLVED that the Arden Hi I Is Councl I
requests that before a change of this ~ag~ltu~~.is ma~e,_where the
Metropol I tan ~ouncl I can force change In TradiTional :ocal matters,
not only must a continuing need be present, but alse The ~hanges
must satisfy the need and not produce onerous results in another area.
I t has not been shown that many of the Hous I ng Rep'Jrt racmomendat I enS
fulfill these, criteria.
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~-!Ch! TH~~~REr-(':::RE 8:;: :)T HES()LVEU ';.htl-i- rf3iCOmmG!'lf:ai-fofls No. !,
~Jo. 2 el'id NG4 5.b8 dCfGt',;;cj 3;.) tht:I\' r3i~f) net in .;"he !Or.Q~.t0r!n interest
of our ci.tiz.';'j;s.
Passed by 'i-he ,",dell Hl'lls Council this 29th day of November, 1976.
Attest:
~. !1IJ~~
Charlotte McNiesh
Clerk Administrator
cQr~~~
Charles F. Crichton
Act i ng ~lllyor
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