Meeting Date: August 1, 2024
To: Members of the Housing & Redevelopment Authority
From: Melissa Hanson, Housing Coordinator
Title
The HRA Board shall be given an update on outstanding HRA/City and housing related items.
Body
Action Requested:
There are a number of outstanding items related to and connected to the HRA, City, and housing in the community. Below is a summary update on each item. The Board has the opportunity to discuss or ask questions about each item individually if desired.
Summary Report:
Community Engagement
The Comprehensive Plan engagement is focusing on economic and housing and have been meeting with local institutional and non-profit partners. There was a community-wide open-house on Thursday, July 25 at the Northfield Library during Crazy Daze that was well attended.
The City Building/Inspections Department has completed physical assessment of homes in both manufactured home communities in Northfield. Letters informing residents of needed repairs have all been mailed. Staff has identified 4 main issues: emergency egress lacks stairs/steps, missing/damaged skirting, improper building material (tarps, plywood, etc.) being used, and excessive storage. Staff is working to establish resources to help address issues. Suggestions include reinstituting an annual clean-up day, bulk purchases on stairs/steps and facilitating workshops on weatherization. Due to limited staff capacity, staff continues to work with HCI. Staff has reached out to Lakeshore Management about participating in their National Night Out activities and provide resources.
Housing Studies
Attachment 1 - Rice County HRA released their updated housing study.
Attachment 2 - Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies released their State of the Nation's Housing annual report.
Attachment 3 - Northfield Racial and Ethnic Equity Collaborative's (NREEC) Housing Solutions Team Report.
Attachment 4 - Maxfield Research and Consulting Executive Summary. Staff is working through the...
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