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<br />---DRAFT --- <br /> <br />What did participants identify as housing-related issues and trends in their <br />neighborhoods? <br /> <br />1. Aging Housing and Maintenance <br /> <br />Dialogue participants shared mutual concern about maintenance of yards, single-family houses, <br />and multi-family housing. Maintenance was broadly defined to include everything from lawn <br />care and snow shoveling to exterior appearance to interior systems, such as plumbing electrical <br />wiring, and heating. Participants noted that decline in maintenance is a concern with both <br />owner-occupied and rental properties and identified several contributing factors: <br />. New residents and property owners lacking information about City Codes and resources <br />. First-time homeowners lacking the knowledge and skills <br />. Seniors lacking financial resources and the incentive or interest <br />. Inadequate Code enforcement (e.g., maintenance, number of occupants, and parking <br />requirements) for both owner-occupied and rental properties <br /> <br />2. Increase in Single-family Home Rental Properties <br /> <br />Participants have observed an increase in the number of rental properties in some <br />neighborhoods, especially in neighborhoods close to Northwestern and Bethel Colleges. <br />Participants also observed that current dynamics within the housing market seem to be <br />encouraging speculative buying, "flipping" houses, and purchasing houses for investment <br />purposes. The increase in rental properties have brought several changes to neighborhoods, <br />such as: <br />. More cars parked on the street, which sometimes creates dangerous conditions for both <br />drivers and pedestrians <br />. Nuisance behavior <br />. Shift in the balance of household types in blocks and/ or neighborhoods <br />. Increase in the rate of household turnover <br />. Clusters of rental housing in block and/ or neighborhoods <br />. Decrease in neighborhood pride and in social interaction among neighbors <br /> <br />3. New Construction and Home Remodeling <br /> <br />New construction and remodeling of existing homes is changing both the appearance and the <br />quality of life in neighborhoods. Participants believe their neighborhoods have distinctive <br />characters, which is created, in part, by the type and style of existing housing, current density <br />levels, parks, and open space. Among the changes noted were: <br />. New, high-density developments that generated more traffic <br />. New architectural designs that do not complement existing architectural patterns <br />. Remodeling designs that do not complement existing architectural fabric and scale of <br />surrounding buildings and, in some cases, are inappropriate for the design of the existing <br />house <br />. Loss of informal open space and habitat <br />. Displacement of urban wildlife and increased foraging, etc. in yards <br /> <br />RoseviUe RHRA Community Diaiogue on Housing ---DRAFT --- <br />Prepared by the Center for Policy, Planning, and Performance <br /> <br />3 <br />